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Rotterdam board’s act is together for a change

    Based on 40 years of attending town board meetings and participating in many discussions, I feel things are really looking up in Rotterdam!
    During Supervisor Steven Tommasone’s first two-year term, he and his board tackled many long-term problems. The town’s meeting room has been doubled in seating capacity, with vastly improved acoustics, lighting and up-to-date wiring for overhead visuals or laptop shows. Even the Channel 16 tapings are improved, and much of the work was done by in-house employees.
    Hopefully, with two newly elected board members, it will be even easier to expedite solutions. I, for one, will not miss hearing long-winded side discussions, with “it seems to be” followed by questions to the supervisor — which should have been aired in caucus or privately. This nitpicking has been time- consuming and, for the most part nonproductive.
    Having elected and appointed officials who understand accountability to the people is refreshing and much appreciated here in Rotterdam.
    MARJORIE L. SCHMID
    Rotterdam

We still need the accountability to include the new proposed raise for the Town Board too.

For the most part, I agree. But this raise thing is not being done the right way. Perhaps legally it is, but a permissive referendum is also legal....so we'll see!

I agree wholly with Ms. Schmid's comments.  I also agree with Shadow and Bumble that we need to do something, a nice big turnout on New Years Day at 1PM to let them know what we think about their raises and where the money is coming from with them.  

Now, here's the thing. We need enough people to get there to actually make a difference and make sure the 2 new board members realize that they put in their application and acceptance on a $10,000 budget.  

Think about this, you go and apply for a job through the summer.  On the first Tuesday in November, you're called and said, show up on 1/1 and your starting salary will be $10,000.  Well, when I get that call, I would be so happy that it would befuddle me that someone who gets this position should expect to make a penny more than the rate at which they were elected in.  

I will be one of the first people to say that many things have been turning around in this town, and it is in great part due to good decisions made by the current board, BUT if the decide that they want to vote to allow this raise, then I am afraid that it could cost the 2 incumbents in 2009 their seats, and who knows what will happen to this town if that happens.

Maybe we'll get lucky enough that the people who win will actually be MORE conservative than the ones currently sitting on the board.  If you think that the race in 2009 for the town board can't be decided on just 1 topic, I refer you back to 7/31/07.  Enough said.

I agree Bk. If they continue with this proposed raise and then the residents start a permissive referendum, it will look bad for those presently on the board who voted in favor of this raise that may seek re-election.

If people are too busy to attend the Jan 1 meeting we always have the referendum to fall back on. We should all try to attend the meeting and let the board know we are displeased at the way they're going about the raise.

Quoted from Shadow

If people are too busy to attend the Jan 1 meeting we always have the referendum to fall back on. We should all try to attend the meeting and let the board know we are displeased at the way they're going about the raise.

Agreed, but this is one day to put aside the busy life outside of this, at least for an hour or 2.  Recover quick from the hangover for those drinkers (or pretend through it) and get the job done.

I also think that Rotterdam's town board is doing a good job. But like everyone else, I am not pleased with the direction they took to implement raises. Or to put themselves in a position for a possible permissive referendum.

I never liked it when our NYS legislatures gave themselves a raise either but there was nothing we could do about it. If the question of a raise comes up it should be put on the ballot in November as a referendum and let the people who are going to be paying for said raise vote on it.

It just makes me wonder what else are they trying to slide by the public at the 1/1 meeting.  Has anyone seen the agenda for the meeting?  Is it posted on the town website and if it is- are all of the details there??  They have a big majority-  1 democrat and 4 republicans and the one democrat is probably very green and wouldn't know it if the majority was trying to slip something by.  

Oh don't worry about Silva.......he is definately 'full of himself'! Not green, but has an agenda. Don't know how much he will accomplish though, but time will tell!

I think the Town Board made a good move when they moved their agenda meetings to the preceding Thursday instead of Monday.  This gives them ample time to post the agenda well in advance of the Wednesday meeting.  The only downside will be if they begin to introduce a lot of last minute resolutions at the actual meeting which I don't expect to happen.

Well, Michael, they do have a reason for that now, you know, it HAS been almost a FULL week since the agenda meeting.

This week's Town Board agenda meeting has been twice postponed..Thursday to Monday to Tuesday.  Keep your eyes peeled for the agenda during the day Wednesday...if it gets posted in time.

I'm going to the meeting anyway ... molding young minds as they say... some of the new upcoming electorate and myself will be making a grand tour of various town, planning, and county meetings over the coming weeks.

I will be attending the county legislature meeting on Wed. I hate when they have them on the same night.

Quoted from Michael

This week's Town Board agenda meeting has been twice postponed..Thursday to Monday to Tuesday.  Keep your eyes peeled for the agenda during the day Wednesday...if it gets posted in time.

I'm going to the meeting anyway ... molding young minds as they say... some of the new upcoming electorate and myself will be making a grand tour of various town, planning, and county meetings over the coming weeks.

Michael when you say various towns, will you be comparing towns outside of Rotterdam to see what and how they do it?

:)

No.  I meant various meetings of our town with probably a county meeting thrown in to the mix.  I'll be helping some of our youth to understand the process as they prepare to enter the electorate.

Quoted from JoAnn

I will be attending the county legislature meeting on Wed. I hate when they have them on the same night.

See you there, JoAnn.  Although, I may e-mail the entire town board to let them know that I've heard NOTHING from Ms. Marco at this time.

What time are they?

7 PM

I watched the Town Board meeting on channel 16 today. Can I say that I observed Mr. Silva 'making faces' so to say, when Mr. Tommasone spoke. Actually, the camera zoomed right in on Mr. Silva's face. Interesting....

I'd like to tout one particular Town Board member who has been a consistent advocate for the residents in Masullo Estates.  Without him, I know our effort would never have gotten a fraction of the consideration we've received.  Of course, the rest of the Town Board has been sympathetic and understanding too but Mr. Mertz has been down in the trenches since Day One.  He's taken a lot of public and private heat from us along the way for the delays, undeservedly sometimes but we know we can vent our frustrations freely with him and not have him desert us.  Believe whatever you want about him on anything else, but when it comes to helping us advance relief in Masullo Estates, he's been solid from the beginning and remains so.

Thanks for putting us in reach of a solution, John.