Thursday April 18, 2024 
Letter to the Editor
The political lynching that destroyed the reputation and career of Governor Cuomo without any solid evidence of sexual predatory behavior beyond hearsay based on statements made by his eleven women accusers, should be a huge embarrassment to the politicians and journalists who accused him loudly and relentlessly….and are still doing it.
These loud mouth detractors must have hidden powers to quickly determine who’s lying and who’s telling the truth. They collectively determined Cuomo was the liar and the eleven women were the honest victims. How the eleven women all tell the same story is highly suspicious. Why none of them had any witnesses to the predatory acts, none reported it to the police or the press …and most kept working with Cuomo in their jobs raises serious questions about their veracity.
Their statements are not proof of anything. Evidence is not proof anyway. It’s information and facts that may lead to proof…but not proof in itself.
These same detractors of Cuomo also determined with their truth-discerning gifts—that Tara Reade was the liar and President Biden was the truth -teller when she reported he ran his hands up her skirt when he was her boss. His denial called her a liar.
The 50 or more #MeToo accusers who brought down titans in the entertainment industry, turned America into the world center for the war between the sexes.
Can 50 women collectively all tell the same story, destroy families and reputations without any hard evidence, no witnesses…and no proof whatsoever.
I am disappointed that Governor Cuomo resigned without taking this fiasco to court, facing all eleven accusers under oath….and give us a chance to seek the truth in this matter…and put it to rest where it belongs.
Sylvia Honig, Wynantskill
Poestenkill’s $500,000 Windfall
Poestenkill has received $500,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act local fiscal recovery funds.
That is a lot of money for a small town. It needs to be used inclusively, equitably, sensibly, and responsibly.
Decisions on how best to use those funds should be made in consultation with the Town’s residents through a series of public meetings to both solicit suggestions and explain funding limitations.
Although deciding about how to allocate the funds is the Town Board’s responsibility those decisions should be made only after a conversation with the entire community.
Owen Goldfarb, East Poestenkill
The Sand Lake Hazard Mitigation Plan
Staying with this concept of the “new normal” with respect to rainfall events in Sand Lake, should local officials be unaware of the flood history of the town, or that the town even has a history of violent floods? Is that ignorance of reality even possible? And for that answer, let us go to the Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan – Rensselaer County, New York Final Plan Update – July 2020, where in Section 8.17 – Jurisdictional Annex, Town of Sand Lake, we find as follows: This section presents the jurisdictional annex for the Town of Sand Lake. The jurisdiction’s governing body passed a formal resolution to participate in this multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan update. A copy of their resolution is maintained at the local government offices and at the Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety. Is anyone in Sand Lake aware of that? In Section 8.17.1 Contact Information, it further states: The jurisdiction’s resolution to participate identified a Primary Point of Contact and an Alternate for this hazard mitigation plan update. These individuals represented the jurisdiction on the county-wide Core Planning Group and led a local team of Jurisdictional Assessment Team Members who undertook various local activities related to the plan update. HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN POINTS OF CONTACT
Primary Point of Contact Alternate Point of Contact Nancy W. Perry, Supervisor; Andrew Bulmer
Councilman. The Jurisdictional Assessment Team Members included Land Use Planner Karol O’Sullivan, Floodplain Manage Michael Wager, and City Engineer Michael Hunt. In Section 8.17.4 NOTABLE HAZARD EVENT OCCURRENCES SINCE 2011, it states as we long-term resident of the county with working memories well know, Rensselaer County has a long history of natural hazard events occurring, and in the Natural Hazard Event History (January 2011 through December 2018), 20 flash floods and 16 floods in Sand Lake are listed, so seriously, people, can the public officials be surprised?
Paul Plante, Poestenkill
A Dose of Reality Just Over the River
A defendant was sentenced in Albany last month for a brutal assault on a young man walking with his girlfriend from a coffee shop.
The 20-year-old defendant and his cronies demanded money from the victim. When he refused, the defendant, apparently with a smile on his face, smashed the victim over the head with a skateboard, causing permanent brain damage.
Assaults are not uncommon in Albany, and this malicious coward brought on lifelong damage to an innocent man. My time living near the city tells me that a good number of threats and assaults go unreported, like other crime in the Albany neighborhoods.
For the last year, we’ve constantly heard the naïve, arrogant chant about doing away with the police or reducing their presence, accompanied by both verbal and physical attacks on police officers across the country. Vigilance over the police force in a city is of course necessary. But liberal Albany, guided by a weak-kneed mayor who flourishes in a state with a weak criminal justice system, effectively neuters the police force.
It’s silly to think that in New York, this defendant is going to have to complete the 11-year sentence given to him. He’ll probably be out on the street much sooner, unless he continues on a path of mayhem while in prison. The innocent victim minding his own business? He’s probably got a life-sentence. Too bad New York State and Albany don’t really give a damn.
Frank Coppa, Rensselaer
North Green needs a plan
On June 3, The Advertiser printed an article, “Create center, link to hamlets” about East Greenbush’s plan to create a sense of place for its residents over the next decade. EGB’s plan includes aspects of the town center as well as linking smaller areas of activity. The plan includes a complete streets program with sidewalks and trails, green infrastructure, and more linked CDTA bus routes. The plan was adopted by EGB and now EGB is revising the town zoning to reflect the plan’s recommendations.
North Greenbush (NGB) needs a similar comprehensive plan. NGB has different efforts, but they need to be consolidated into a plan for NGB 2030. At the July 2021 NGB town meeting staff from the Dep. of Environmental Conversation (DEC) presented their initial study of NGB. The DEC report was part of the NGB Open Spaces Committee work. DEC stated that 36% of NGB was developed, 18% agriculture, 42% forest, and 4% misc. An interesting note from the DEC presentation, is that 5 or more miles of forest reduces tick-borne illnesses. The July 15 article, “Spike in tick-borne illness seen” indicate that Rensselear county reports more tick bites. Better planning and management of the forests can help with ticks.
At this same meeting, a presentation by the Snyder’s Lake Association occurred as well. Some mitigation is needed in the lake related to invasive species and other lake issues. The Snyder’s Lake Association is building on the DEC report to develop their own lake-focused plan. The development of a formalized lake management plan will allow for the Association to apply for grants.
A May 13 Letter to the Editor in the Advertiser had a call for investment in green spaces (e.g., parks, dog parks, Snyder’s Lake, etc.) in NGB. Residents want more formalized action which requires a long-term plan like EGBs. Once a plan is established, long outdated zoning ordinances can be revised. North Greenbush needs a plan like East Greenbush’s 10-year plan.
Michael Myer, North Greenbush