This Just In: Farmers vs. Aubertine Round 2

Tom, did you see this one? And I thought the tax on grocery bags was outrageous!

Good ol' Aubertine is at it again, chuggin' away at disowning his own. This guy just doesn't get it. Who is Aubertine looking out for anyways?

Farmers unhappy with budget spending hikes

NY farmers are unhappy about the nearly 10 percent spending increase in the proposed state budget, which also cuts funding for programs to help boost production and improve markets.

“We can't uproot an apple tree or move cows to Mexico or China. The negative impact of higher insurance fees, higher energy costs, and a failure to address overall spending levels will be felt by our farmers for years to come as our members have less money to invest in their farms".

"To spend $10 billion more, and fail to fully fund long standing research, promotion, animal and plant health and economic development programs flies in the face of the reality of what farmers thought were difficult fiscal conditions."

State Sen. Darrel Aubertine, head of the Senate Agriculture Committee, had vowed to protect funding for farm programs in the state budget.

AND HE FAILED TO DELIVER YET AGAIN. Shocking.

At Least He is a Better Liar Than Spitzer

Unbelievable. Unfathomable. Incredible. Inconceivable. ... ... ...


The latest reversal in stories by the Watertown Daily Times this week as they relate to the Darrel Aubertine saga was something else I'll tell ya. Here is how it played out from the start...
On Saturday, the Times prints a positive piece about how Aubertine is such a man of the people that he turned down a high paying energy job. They made Aubertine out to be some sort of populist-hero from the Obama generation. Aubertine's office is quoted as saying:

"'I was offered the opportunity to serve as NYPA chairman last week,' Sen. Aubertine said. 'I'm certainly very, very flattered to not only have been considered, but to have been offered the position. After discussions with my family and friends, my decision was to keep my commitment to the people of the 48th Senate district.'"

Then comes his politician spin (i.e. "We need to stay focused on the issues at stake in the this session of the legislature and not let this story distract us... [because I lied and I don't want people to think about me lying...]").

We also find out days later that it was all a lie and that Aubertine was never really offered the NYPA job. The LUV-GOV2, Gov. David Patterson, responded in today's WDT print regarding Aubertine's alleged refusal to take the job or that it was even offered by Patterson's administration. The story goes on to say:

"Conflicting reports emerged Monday afternoon over whether the governor tried to lure a north country state senator into his administration.

In a press conference at the state Capitol, Gov. David A. Paterson said emphatically that he did not offer Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, a job at the New York Power Authority.

'That's a good question,' the governor said in response to a reporter. 'I didn't offer him a job. I don't believe anyone in my office did. That's his (Aubertine's) interpretation.'

So did the governor mean to suggest that the senator was lying?

'Didn't I say 'interpretation'?' Gov. Paterson replied, insisting he didn't know why Mr. Aubertine would have gotten the impression he had been offered the position.

'The same reason you got the idea that I said he was lying, when I said it was his interpretation. He misunderstood, I guess,' Gov. Paterson said. 'But I don't know the reason. I haven't actually seen Darrel in the month of June or the month of May. I haven't seen him in a long time.'"

So here we learn that Aubertine lied about being offered the job in the first place.

Here is what people need to know.... Not only is Aubertine at odds with NYS Senate Ethics for illegally hiring his own sister, he is also a liar. And a bad liar at that. I guess we should give ol' Aubertine some credit though; at least he can cover it up better than his old pal, Eliot Spitzer.

Meanwhile, the Watertown Daily Times fails to mention his competitor on the GOP side. So we'll name him here... David Renzi. Renzi comes from a fine family in Watertown that has made its name in medicine, law, and business. We have quite a stark contrast in candidates for the 48th Senate District this year. On the one hand we have Aubertine, who is a piss-poor representative that breaks the same ethics laws he votes for, who lies about being offered a cozy job in order to make himself look good, and who has a poor relationship with the current Democratic Governor. On the other hand we have a fresh, young, vibrant leader named Renzi who comes from a respectable family. Renzi is ready and able to make the tough, but important, reforms in Albany that will benefit our community.

The choice is patently clear to all of us here in the North Country. David Renzi is our guy for the 48th New York State Senate seat come this November!

Have a great day and please tell your friends to check out the Good Old Boys on the web at: www.upstategoodoldboys.blogspot.com.

Obama & Aubertine on Campaign Finance Reform: Too Weak To Change America

This week Senator Obama broke his word and he has chosen to forgo public finance for the general election. Obama is the first presidential nominee to deny public financing since Watergate. It was an interesting political move for Obama, and surprisingly much criticism was leveled by the mainstream media against their liberal idol. Obama’s decision will be sure to have national political repercussions, but it will also directly affect New York State and local politicos like Senator Darrel Aubertine.

As you may know, a number of New York government groups are calling for reform of the state’s campaign finance laws. Those groups include: the League of Women Voters of New York State, the New York Public Interest Research Group and Common Cause.
Several days ago Tom Wanamaker of the Watertown Daily Times wrote,

“In a recent press conference, Barbara Bartoletti, legislative director for the League of Women Voters of New York State, said that two bills recently proposed by Gov. David A. Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, are meaningless.

‘These are 'cover your butt' measures,’ Ms. Bartoletti said. ‘They would be serious proposals had they been raised in January. But there's been none of what passes for negotiation in Albany. They have no chance of passage.’

Thus, she said, the League decided to make public its proposal to highlight the need for major reform in how the political campaigns in New York are funded.”

Even on Meet the Press today, U.S. Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) acknowledged that any chance at meaningful campaign finance reform went down the drain with Obama’s latest flip on the public financing system. So now that Senator Obama has ruined any real chance at reform, it will be interesting to see if either of these three groups listed above will stick up for real reform and call Obama to task for his latest Machiavellian maneuver.

What is even more interesting will be Senator Darrel Aubertine’s reaction to this stunt. Will these New York groups call on Aubertine to call for real reform and oppose Obama on forgoing the public finance system he agreed to several months back.

If Aubertine refuses or stays silent on this issue, it only makes him look like a follower within the Democratic Party, too weak and unprepared to call for real change in our political system. Then again, it wouldn’t be news to the Good Old Boys that Aubertine is unwilling to challenge his party or Barack Obama. We have claimed all along that Aubertine is just a poser for bipartisanship in Albany. We all know that Aubertine is just another politician beholden to the interests of downstate NY.

Meanwhile, Senator John McCain risked his political career to offer real bipartisan reform in national politics by working with Democratic Senator Russ Feingold on campaign finance reform.

We've Got News/Advice for the NY GOP

We've got some advice to give the state GOP, and most importantly for our readers, regarding New York's 48th Senate seat, which is currently held by Darrel Aubertine (keep in mind that we are not Darrel's biggest fans here at UGOB).

Stay tuned because our advice is on its way!!!

And just a quick hint: it won't be good news for Dierdre Scozzafava (Rino from Gouverneur)!

Of course we have to be brutally honest here at UGOB... after all we are a group of good ol' boys with some witty/insightful thoughts.

Sorry Dede; readers, stay tuned for our BREAKING NEWS/ADVICE.

Currier Aligns Himself with the Democrats For All the Wrong Reasons

There was a story in today's WDTs that Massena Police Chief Timmy J. Currier was seeking to become the next Democratic Assemblyman from the 118th district of New York.

One wonders why Currier would choose to associate himself with the Democratic Party instead of the Republican Party? One might think that Currier's experience in law enforcement would make him a natural fit in the Republican Party, which values the respect for law and order. So here are some of the possibilities me and my friends thought up:

1) The GOP county party structure in upstate NY is in shambles and Currier doesn't want to be a part of it.

2) Currier, if he won, would be in the majority as a Democrat.

3) Currier could really be philosophically in line with the principles of the Democratic Party, the same party that is going to nominate an inexperienced liberal, Barack Obama, to the presidency soon. (Watch for those results in NC and Indiana.)

4) Currier knows he could never win the GOP primary. (There are some rumors that there will be some very good candidates coming out to fight for that seat - we will update you on that in the coming weeks.)

5) Currier doesn't even know what either party stands for because his only experience is in law enforcement. He doesn't have a solid handle on policy issues like taxes. Democrats in the Assembly have no real interest in trimming the size of the state budget or lowering taxes on small businesses and the middle class...

So below and linked here you can find the article. We report, you decide.


Massena official eyes seat in Albany
CHIEF CURRIER: Police veteran plans run for 118th Assembly post
By JUDE SEYMOUR
& CHRIS GARIFO
TIMES STAFF WRITERS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2008

Massena Police Chief Timmy J. Currier is lobbying to become the Democratic candidate in the 118th Assembly District race.

"I have always had an interest as my police career wound down in getting involved in politics," said Mr. Currier, who is a registered voter without party affiliation. "Given the fact I've been in public service for 20 years, continuing that in some form is my purpose."

While the chief awaited word from the Democratic Party, he applied for the endorsement and the line of the Working Families Party. Mr. Currier will be interviewed, along with other hopefuls, by that party's North Country West chapter by month's end.

Mr. Currier, 42, said he has been "long concerned" about the inequities of the property tax system, which is one of his reasons for running.

"There is too big of a burden placed on the middle class and working families in New York state with respect to property tax," he said.

Mr. Currier said he brings a "unique perspective" to the race because he has not been affiliated with any party.

"I first and foremost consider myself to be a centrist, not far left or far right," he said. "Generally speaking, with the vast majority of issues that are out there, I tend to lean Democratic."

The police chief said, if elected, part of his agenda would be to push "pro-public safety" and "pro-law enforcement" initiatives.

Mr. Currier said he has "no imminent plans" to leave the department, but added: "Anyone that reaches the minimum retirement age in law enforcement very likely looks to other opportunities. I still very much love my job and very much appreciate the opportunity of serving the village of Massena."

Donald J. Lucas, a Massena fishing charter operator and Alcoa retiree, is the only other candidate to formally declare his intentions for the Assembly seat. He also is seeking the Working Families Party line.

Besides Mr. Currier and Mr. Lucas, the Working Families Party has had five candidates request an interview so that they could be considered for the party's endorsement and line.

■ Darrel J. Aubertine, Cape Vincent, for the 48th Senate District. Mr. Aubertine, a Democrat, has served as senator since February.

■ Danny M. Francis, Watertown, and Michael P. Oot, Stockbridge, for the 23rd Congressional District. Mr. Francis, a Democrat, is a retired Marine officer and former Army recruiter. Mr. Oot, a Democrat, is an attorney.

■ Dierdre K. Scozzafava, Gouverneur, for the 122nd Assembly District. Ms. Scozzafava, a Republican, has long been rumored as the potential opponent of Mr. Aubertine.

"At this point we're still in discussions about possibilities," the 10-year Assembly veteran said.

Ms. Scozzafava said that she tried to apply for the interview without designating a position sought, but the party would not accept the form without it.

■ Jeremy Barlow, Herrings, for the 122nd Assembly District. Mr. Barlow, a Democrat, is a lawyer and former child abuse and neglect prosecutor for Jefferson County Department of Social Services.

Mr. Barlow, 31, was noncommittal about his candidacy when asked Friday.

"I just wanted to keep my options open," he said.

Mr. Barlow started his own private practice in January after recently earning his master's degree in entertainment law. The lawyer, who has no government experience, has previously considered runs for the 23rd Congressional District and the Jefferson County Legislature.

Louisa N. Pacheco, the Working Families Party's lead organizer for its North Country West chapter, said chapter leaders will make endorsement recommendations to the state executive committee. The state committee will formally endorse during the first week of June.

Relishing Our Victory This Week & Asking More Questions

Amigos,

Forget for a minute that Darrel Aubertine is pandering to the North Country's ATV crowd because it was a spectacular week for us here at UGOB! (For more on Aubertine's flip-flop on the ATV issue see tomorrow's WDTs.)

What is more important is that we have been relishing our latest victory - the firing of Darrel Aubertine's sister, Deb Wiley!

We just want our readers to know that we will be putting up a serious fight to ensure that Aubertine's sister does not get paid for the week she was illegally and unethically employed.

We are also seeking a copy of Wiley's resignation letter from Aubertine's office. There have been some rumors/speculation that Wiley never resigned and that Aubertine's Chief of Staff, Ed Gaffney, had to step into the middle of things earlier this week. (Apparently, Darrel didn't have the balls to fire his own sister because of their close relationship; Darrel fought the initial decision until Gaffney got intimately involved.)

If these rumors are true then it raises some serious concerns as to the way in which this case was handled; Aubertine may have flat out lied to the citizens of the 48th District if Wiley was in fact fired. There are some interesting twists to this story as we will see in the days to come.

On a side note, Aubertine is doing everything he can to spin the story and change the subject. Hence, his latest flip-flop on the ATV issue will appear in tomorrow's Watertown Daily Times. How can anybody trust this guy?

We will keep ya'll posted! Thanks for coming back for the inside scoop.

Nepotism in New York, part 2

Big story in today's Watertown Daily Times.


It appears that Mr. Aubertine was so excited to be the new Senator of his district that he left his ethics at home... The Watertown Daily Times reported first, and we here at UGOB raised questions next, that Aubertine has hired his sister and that it could raise state ethics questions. Interesting how Aubertine voted for the bill in the NYS Assembly which prohibits the hiring of family members. Is this story over or does it have some legs?

What a difficult week for Mangione to balance! Our next question is: Can you knowingly hire a communications director that does illegal drugs? Is there a law/ethics rule against that?

At any rate, we'll take the credit here for our posting on Wednesday, April 23. Good thing the Albany Correspondent was on top of the ball, Jude Seymour was just going to gloss over it.

UPDATE: We try to stay as balanced as we can here at UGOB! Today, the managing editor of the Watertown Daily Times, Mr. Bob Gorman, notified us that Jude Seymour does not cover the Albany political beat. That distinction goes to the reporter who did end up covering the story, Tom Wanamaker. We apologize that we "speculated" Jude Seymour was glossing over Mr. Aubertine's ethics violation.

We are confident that the Watertown Daily Times will see to it that Debra Wiley does not get paid by the New York State taxpayers for the week she did work as Mr. Aubertine's constituent relations pro.


Aubertine's sister quits as liaison
RESIGNATION ACCEPTED: Reform that the senator voted for in Assembly prohibits hiring family members
By TOM WANAMAKER
TIMES ALBANY CORRESPONDENT

TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2008
ALBANY — State Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, said Monday night that his sister, Debra A. Wiley, Cape Vincent, has resigned her position as a constituent liaison in his office.

Ms. Wiley was appointed to the post last week, but a statement issued by Sen. Aubertine's communications director, Drew G. Mangione, said questions on whether the appointment followed state law prompted the senator to investigate the propriety of the move. The questions were posed Monday by the Watertown Daily Times.

In a statement, Mr. Mangione said: "Earlier today, Senator Aubertine became aware of a situation involving the employment of his sister, Debra A. Wiley, in his Senate office. After reviewing the appropriate policies, Debra has submitted her resignation and our office has accepted it."

Ethics reform legislation enacted in the early months of former Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer's administration generally prohibits the hiring of family members by sitting members of the state Legislature.

Section 73, subdivision 14 of New York's public officers law, adopted in March 2007, reads, in part: "No statewide elected official, state officer or employee, member of the Legislature or legislative employee may participate in any decision to hire, promote, discipline or discharge a relative for any compensated position at, for, or within any state agency, public authority, or the Legislature."

Exceptions may be granted for people with "a physical impairment," or for "the temporary hiring of legislative pages, interns and messengers."

The measure passed the Assembly on Feb. 14, 2007. It passed the Senate on March 7, 2007, and was signed into law by Gov. Spitzer on March 26, 2007.

Then representing the 118th Assembly district, Mr. Aubertine voted in favor of the measure.

"This was the proper course of action once we became aware of the potential conflict in this situation. Sen. Aubertine has been a longtime supporter of government reform and accountability and will continue to fight for strong ethics laws in Albany," the statement concluded.

Mr. Aubertine represents the 48th Senate District, which includes Jefferson and Oswego counties and part of St. Lawrence County. He took office March 3 after defeating Assemblyman William A. Barclay in a special election Feb. 26. The election was held to replace former Sen. James W. Wright, who resigned.

Times state editor Perry White contributed to this report.

Rudy Giuliani Criticized by Cardinal Egan of NY

Catholics take this stuff pretty seriously. This story below might sum up why Will Barclay, Republican Assemblyman, lost his race against Darrel Aubertine, a pro-life Democrat Assemblyman this year. While we here at UGOB hope Aubertine will really stick to the pro-life position in the Senate, we also hope that we can get a real pro-life, pro-growth Republican in his place!


Giuliani criticized for receiving Holy Communion during pope visit
Posted: 02:53 PM ET
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Cardinal Edward Egan says Rudy Giuliani should not have received Holy Communion during the pope's visit because he supports abortion rights.

Egan says he had "an understanding" with the former presidential candidate and New York mayor that he is not to receive the Eucharist. The Catholic church opposes abortion.

The cardinal said Monday that Giuliani broke that understanding when he received the Eucharist during Pope Benedict XVI's visit.

Egan says he will be seeking a meeting with Giuliani "to insist that he abide by our understanding."

Giuliani's spokesman says she is preparing a response.

Today's Interesting Headlines

Jim Wright may challenge Aubertine for his old Senate seat.


Paterson Channels Faso.

Nepotism in NY?

Sorry that I, Mr. Thomas Nast, have been sleepless in Seattle for weeks and haven’t posted. But it has come to my attention that we have some serious nepotism in upstate New York politics, just when we thought those days were over!

Today, directly from the Watertown Daily Times we found out that our newly elected State Senator, Mr. Darrel J. Aubertine, has added several new staffers to the state’s payroll. One such staffer just happens to be his sister, Debra A. Wiley. Now the move is all fine and dandy, except her salary comes straight out of the wallet of the New York State taxpayer. Sounds like straight up nepotism to me. I wonder if the Watertown Daily Times and the writer, Jude Seymour, will follow up and find out just how much she is being paid for her new role as head of constituent liaisons… and I wonder how much Senator Jim Wright paid his constituent liaison staffer? If Wiley gets special treatment for being the new Senator’s sister will anyone make an issue of it when Aubertine wants to run for Congress?

On a positive note for Aubertine at least he can get this out of the way before his Congressional run in 2010 or 2012, depending on how long McHugh wants to stay in the US Congress. It looks like he is staying put and he is making a heck of a run for chair/ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. Bravo to Mr. McHugh!

I remember another former New York politician who sought to clean up New York politics, rid the state of nepotism, and special interest… his name was Eliot Spitzer. It looks like Hillary Clinton taught Aubertine well – reward those close to home.