Hugh Reynolds: Cuomo road show
Sometimes it’s not the message but the messenger. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s gun-control law, passed as a “message of necessity” in January, has upstate up in arms. Now there’s been a sharp backlash to the governor’s Tax-Free NY, his plan to save upstate New York from further decline. Cuomo’s plan, unveiled with the usual fanfare last month...
Hugh Reynolds: Grudge rematches
Campaign 2013 has produced two potentially interesting Ulster County rematches. After a five-year hiatus, county comptroller foes Elliott Auerbach and Jim Quigley will tee it up, this time in an off year. In Saugerties, former town supervisor Greg Helsmoortel will likely face off again against Kelly Myers, the village board trustee who trounced him in...
Letters: Success is a choice; Love for the cicada
Success is a choice, Kingston I really hate writing this, but it has to be addressed … What needs to be addressed is the extreme apathy here in Kingston. The attitude that “this is just the way it is in Kingston” that I hear all the time in my store needs to stop now. Memorial...
Hugh Reynolds: All about the Benjamins
With their condemnation of corruption in state government before the League of Women Voters in New Paltz last week, political sage Gerry Benjamin and his daughter, Capital District YNN-TV host Liz Benjamin, were preaching to the choir. Fact is, their act would probably have played well anywhere but in Albany. The distinguished duo blamed most...
Editorial: Why we wrote that story
Can’t we just let the angry mayor story drop? Hope for the best, go back to reporting on other things and at least wait until something new happens to rip off this scab? We’d like to, but we can’t. The mayor’s apology implied that his outburst on Blaber was just due to his fractured relationship...
Letters: Remember the old post office?
Remember the old post office? Am I the only one who sees a parallel between County Executive Hein’s rush to rip up the U&D tracks and Mayor Garraghan’s scrapping of the old post office? Consider that both were/are motivated to grab a few easy bucks “now” for their respective budgets at the cost of destroying...
Hugh Reynolds: Four on the floor
It’s difficult for a state legislator to sum up in 15 minutes or less what’s going on in Albany, even in front of a business audience typically more tuned in than your average bear. So it’s not entirely fair to say either that local Assemblyman Kevin Cahill and state Sen. Cecelia Tkaczyk, two Democrats, bombed...
Editorial: Gallo and his grip
Like many of us here in town, we at the Kingston Times have watched the events regarding the mayor and his conduct unfold with a mix of shock, embarrassment, frustration and concern. We’ve been behind the mayor editorially and support pretty much everything he’s accomplished so far except firing Jen Fuentes. His emphasis on Midtown...
Hugh Reynolds: Railroad men
I guess it’s safe now to identify Ulster County’s latest dynamic duo. Ulster County Executive Mike Hein and Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo are conducting a relentless purge of the Catskill Mountain Railroad and anybody associated with it. Some are calling their behavior abuse of power. I know, I know. It’s all for a good cause....
Hugh Reynolds: Revolving doors on Broadway
As with most operations, hired help comes and goes through government. Some hang in there for 20, 30, 40 years. Others are gone before anyone knew they were there. In the private sector, personnel issues are really nobody’s business, which is why they call it the private sector. But public workers are a different consideration....
Hugh Reynolds: Paying up for bad behavior
What may go down as one of the darker chapters in the long history of the sheriff’s department got even dimmer with news last week that settlement of a sexual harassment suit against the department may cost $365,000, not counting the county’s (outside) attorney fees. And that may only be a down payment. The sordid...
Commentary: Nothing good about CH-Fortis deal