Trash talk: Refuse taints a rainbow

Yes, I'm the guy who tagged Troy with "Plywood City," a dubious distinction marking the widespread practice of boarding up buildings and letting them rot. I am, however, beginning to think a new nickname may be in order. At least for some neighborhoods.
 
Not that there is any less plywood being nailed up by people who, in general, are abandoning both residential and commercial buildings to the ravages of weather and scavengers. But, as I was again driving in and out of the main streets and side streets of the city the other day to stake out some vantage points for an architectural photography project I've been working on, I noticed more and more instances of freshly painted buildings that are perking up previously dull or neglected neighborhoods. 

Large groupings of both rental and owner-occupied housing in the south end of the city, particularly on First and Second streets, are showing the effects of some basic care, with imagination. A rainbow of creams, greens, blues, grays and reds is providing a hint of the charm often seen in old residential enclaves in foreign cities. The kind of places we call quaint and take pictures of when we visit there, but often ignore as routine when we see such things back home. 

Don't misunderstand. Troy isn't the Emerald City of Oz just yet. A lot more buffing, polishing and magic are necessary for that. But compared to just a few years ago, the city is cleaner, busier and far more attractive. 

So, it is jarring when certain areas show zero signs of improvement despite the energies of the Tutunjian/Mirch administration's "Action Team" of public works staffers. 

Take the lower part of Tenth Street, just off the bustling Hoosick Street corridor. It is -- how can I put this gently? -- a pit. And, it is not merely an annoyance for the businesses and the occasional self-respecting resident. Because it is a major commuter thoroughfare, it is representative of Troy to thousands of people who pass by there. 

On most days it is impossible to miss the piles of trash and refuse piled along the curb. No matter that the City Council a few years back passed a toothless regulation about keeping trash in covered containers or that the city has a selective policy of limiting some neighborhoods to one trash can while letting others do whatever they want with impunity. 

Few people on this part of the street pay attention to either of those rules. Instead, you can regularly find carpet remnants, broken furniture, plastic or paper bags spilling over with rags, trash and old clothes, the occasional shopping cart and other junk on display. 

The same goes with certain parts of the city leading into Lansingburgh, especially along portions of River Street and Fifth Avenue. A little beyond the small store that advertises, with equal billing, "subs" and "bait." There, where plywood still reigns as the decorative material of choice, we often are treated to the same sorts of debris piled at curbside or visible in untended yards or alleyways. 

This is not a matter of economic circumstance, ethnicity or absentee ownership. This is a matter of choice. Your income or heritage have nothing to do with whether you choose to make a mess of the place you inhabit. 

It is long past time for some "Action" on this blight if Troy is truly serious about its comeback aspirations for more than selected streets.

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Spotting a boondoggle is quite easy

So, what have your Rensselaer County legislators been up to lately? 

Let's look at the recent activities of just one segment of that largely unnecessary governmental body, the one that has dubbed itself "The Team for Troy."
 
The "team" consists of Neil J. Kelleher, who as chairman of the Rensselaer County Legislature gets the ludicrously large salary of $30,000 a year for his part-time job; Majority Leader Bob Mirch, who makes $25,000 a year for his part-time efforts; and part-time legislators -- at $20,000 each -- Jim Brearton, Laura Bauer and Nancy McHugh. 

They all, you may recall, rose to their current bloated salary levels by passing a sneak raise for themselves just before last Christmas. 

According to a press release "The Team for Troy" handed out to anyone gullible enough to publish it verbatim, here's what they and the rest of their legislative colleagues did at their Oct. 10 meeting in addition to discussing County Exec Kathy Jimino's proposed $278 million budget for 2007 that, unless trimmed, will raise taxpayers' bill 25.9%. (I've bold-faced the key words for emphasis.) 

"Approved a resolution recognizing the Troy Senior Center upon reaching its 50th anniversary." 

"Adopted a resolution recognizing Oct. 8-14 as Fire Prevention Week." 

"Recognized October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month." 

"Recognized Oct. 28 as Special Olympics Day." 

"Recognized the month of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month." 

And, my favorite: "Recognized our county executive ... upon being recognized at the YWCA of Troy and Cohoes 2006 Resourceful Women dinner." 

That's a whole lot of recognizing going on. Perhaps one of these days voters will recognize the boondoggle that is the County Legislature. 

Perhaps. 

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Two tales of a city

(Rob Yasinac photo)

Give credit to J.W. Pfeil & Co. of Saratoga Springs for what it's doing in Troy. 

Having completed the transformation of an old factory in Lansingburgh into the 18-unit Powers Park Lofts condominium and purchased the little Lansing Plaza shopping strip on Second Avenue near the 112th Street bridge in the 'Burgh with an eye toward upgrading it, J.W. Pfeil now has turned its attention to the former Stanley's department store building in downtown Troy. 

Work on the building, across from the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, means temporary closure of some traffic lanes and sidewalks, but it's for legitimate work. 

True, the Pfeils will end up making money on the project, but they also will be improving the city, attracting new residents, and paying a chunk of taxes. 

Meanwhile, around the corner on Fourth Street, the desolate hulk that was Proctor's theater remains wrapped in ugly scaffolding with no sign of life. 

As I have noted before, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which owns the building, may be a good citizen in many ways, but by its steadfast refusal to take serious action on this eyesore it continues to thumb its nose at the city and its residents who are serious about continuing the rebirth of downtown. 

Figuring out what to do with Proctor's may not be easy, but given the brainpower on the RPI campus and the huge building projects going on there as evidence of what that brainpower can conjure up, fixing the Proctor's mess should be a snap. 

If RPI cares to do it, that is.

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Progress large and small seen

(From Pinterest)

One of the icons I used to have a love-hate relationship with was the King Fuels tank that loomed over the Hudson River, visible to all who drove along I-787 and glanced over at the Troy riverfront. 

The huge 1930s-era structure had a certain offbeat charm, what with the gigantic winking eye and leering smile someone had painted on it. But, it also was a daily reminder of poisoned industrial land in South Troy and of the tortoise-paced waterfront redevelopment we kept being told would actually produce something tangible.
 
Now, 2½ years after the tank was demolished and King Fuels filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, we seem to be a few steps closer to improvement. 

The city recently announced the purchase of 35 acres in South Troy to be cleaned up and made ready for redevelopment. More than 15 acres were owned by King, which will get $2 million in the deal. 

Of course, this is Troy and nothing comes easy. Mayor Harry Tutunjian publicly said it will take about two years before the environmental cleanup of the land will be finished and redevelopment can get under way. Privately, he knows that's just a guess. The real pace will be out of the city's direct control. 

There are a lot of cooks stirring the pot to make this stew. Twenty of the 35 acres were purchased for $500,000 from Portec Rail Products, but National Grid -- formerly Niagara Mohawk -- is under a state Department of Environmental Conservation order to handle cleanup of the land. 

The power company estimates the cleanup will run at least $10 million. However, National Grid hasn't started the work because King Fuels was suing the city and wouldn't let its workers on the property. King had alleged the city reneged on a deal to swap land and foreclosed on other King property without crediting the company for taxes paid. The $2 million payment to King not only pried loose the land, it made the lawsuit go away. 

(For those who are counting, the money to buy the properties came from the federal Brownfield Economic Development Initiative. It's all our taxpayer money, of course, but not directly from a city pocket.) 

But, while we're waiting for the macro improvements, there are small, very tangible improvements around town that show the micro side of a municipality slowly but steadily being resuscitated. 

For example, noted chef Larry Schepici is about to open an upscale restaurant in the Hendrik Hudson building at Monument Square. 

The China Buffet will move into the long-vacant eyesore at Congress and Third streets that had been a KFC store as well as a hangout for a lot of unsavory elements before being shuttered five years ago. 

Elizabeth Young and Steve Scarlata have opened Living Room, the city's latest addition to the antiques district on River Street. 

Alane Hohenberg and a group of volunteers is working to create a food co-op, a la Albany's Honest Weight Co-Op, called the Troy Community Food Co-op. If plans go through, it will open next fall at the former Pioneer Market on Congress Street. 

Positive signs large and small. We'll gladly take 'em all.

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A summer whodunnit set in Troy

The negative fallout of the Reo-Rizzo reign continues to drop on the Troy city school district and its long-suffering taxpayers like pollution drifting in from Midwest factories. 

While Armand Reo was in charge of the education of the city's students during his years as school superintendent that began July 1, 1999, and Linda Rizzo was doing whatever it was she did as his No. 2 from that same date, the district was a poster child for poor management.

The Enlarged City School District of Troy, as it is formally known, repeatedly was cited by the state for failing to reach acceptable levels of achievement in various academic areas, and both private and state auditors found the Reo-Rizzo financial stewardship replete with instances of management that resulted in gobs of wasted money and resultant increases in property taxes to make up for it. 

Many of us thought that was behind us, once Reo and Rizzo left before the current school year. (Note: Both asked for contract extensions; neither got them, so they now characterize their departures as "retirements," Reo's on Dec. 31, 2004, Rizzo's on June 30, 2005) 

Unfortunately, Reo-Rizzo is like a recurrence of athlete's foot. Not lethal, but certainly uncomfortable. 

The diagnosis came in the latest audit by the office of state Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi that uncovered taxpayer-funded Christmas Presents Past for the "retirees." 

Simply put, auditors found that Reo and Rizzo were paid a total of $10,460 for unused vacation time when they left their jobs, time that exceeded the available leave of one and not authorized in the employment contract of the other. 

Not that they alone were criticized in the audit. Hevesi's people also found that the school district has a batch of procedural and bookkeeping problems, and the Board of Education came in for a few wrist slaps as well. 

Hevesi gives credit to Troy schools for implementing his staff's numerous suggestions for improvement, about which district Business Manager Jim Matthews wrote in his response to Hevesi, "The district agrees with the above recommendations." 

That's a good thing because, as is the case in many communities, the school district in Troy is a major economic force. It operates nine schools, has 720 employees, including substitutes, with a $35 million annual payroll, is spending a total of $70 million in the 2005-06 fiscal year, and virtually every penny of that comes in one form or another from taxpayers. 

The auditors examined the schools' internal controls for payroll process and information technology from July 1, 2004, through January 31, 2006. 

They discovered Reo had cashed in 11 unused vacation days, totaling $5,450, in excess of what was allowed under his employment contract and without prior formal board approval, which the auditors say is a no-no. 

They also discovered that Rizzo cashed in the maximum of 10 days of vacation leave allowed annually under her contract in June 2005, even though she only had a half-day available. 

How many of the taxpayers funding that move wouldn't have known if they'd gone nearly two work weeks over their vacation limit? 

The school district claims record keeping errors and says Rizzo reimbursed the district when she was informed of the error. She did. At the $65-a-day sick leave rate, rather than the $436-a-day vacation rate at which she was paid. 

We hope she's fully recovered now. 

The audit is not an isolated one. Hevesi said more than 170 school districts around the state are in the process of being audited, and the projection is for all 821 school districts, BOCES and charter schools to be audited within five years. It's all a result of extensive financial corruption in some Long Island school districts. 

In Rensselaer County, besides Troy, the districts presently being audited are Averill Park, Berlin, Brunswick, Hoosick Valley and Hoosick Falls. 

The school boards charged with overseeing them are examined as well. That's why the state audit found that the Troy Board of Education misguidedly decided to approve the extra money for Reo -- nearly a year after he got it and in contravention of his contract. It also did not exercise the control it is supposed to have over, among other things, internal security in the district payroll and other financial systems. As one result, the board has been told by Hevesi's office to pursue collection of any overpayment of leave benefits to which Rizzo was not entitled. 

The audit's findings are not as bad as they once would have been, so I'm encouraged that under Matthews and Superintendent Lonnie Palmer corrections are being made to get the district back on a sound management footing. We don't need the sorts of team effort foul-ups that put Troy in a hole to be repeated. Ever.

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How not to learn a lesson

When school districts in Rensselaer County put their proposed budgets before the voters in May, they did it with fingers crossed. 

Each year, school boards and district administrators who have worked together with citizen budget committee members to craft spending plans wait tensely to see how the vote will go.
 
There was a time when approval for the average school district budget was almost a no-brainer. That was then. This is now, a time in which we're all being jammed up directly or indirectly by the relentless demand for more money to meet state mandates, replace outmoded facilities and equipment, improve staff pay and benefit packages, and support non-classroom activities. 

One result is that budgets no longer get the easy OK. The winning margin this year was less than 100 votes in numerous school districts. Such razor-thin margins could easily have gone the other way if more than a tiny fraction of eligible voters had turned out. 

We need to be looking everywhere possible for inspiration on how to fix this funding mechanism that, if not utterly broken, certainly is about to pop some springs. 

One place to look might be just across the Hudson River in Saratoga County. Voters in the Mechanicville district -- some of whom reside in the Rensselaer County town of Schagticoke -- rejected the proposed budget. Twice. That triggered a state-mandated shift to a contingency budget for the 2006-07 school year, under which the school board cut $719,000 that would have funded interscholastic sports. 

Mechanicville folks are rather proud of their school's athletic prowess, so sports booster clubs and others pitched in to raise money to support the teams. 

I can understand their interest in sports, having played on several teams in high school and college and spending a few early-career years as a sportswriter. And, I recognize the value of competition, teamwork and physical fitness that can stem from such activity. 

However, I also recognize the value of having a full teaching staff, a comprehension of fiscal realities, and the setting of real-world priorities. The first phase of sports support had an $84,000 target. 

Something in the range of another $125,000 or so will be needed for winter and spring sports. No word yet on what sort of fundraisers the district's residents might be planning to restore teaching and other positions the contingency budget cut, but at least the jocks and cheerleaders will be taken care of. 

Mechanicville sports fans have expressed happiness the $84,000 target was reached. If they could recognize the pathetic irony in how that was accomplished, they wouldn't. The fundraisers, you see, collected just $74,000. State Sen. Majority Leader Joe Bruno of Rensselaer County, who also represents Mechanicville, kicked in the other $10,000 from the taxpayer-funded slush fund to which he has uncontrolled access. 

In other words, Mechanicville residents twice voted not to have to pay taxes that would have supported the school budget as proposed, but Bruno decided in his wisdom that it was just fine to shovel taxpayers' money into his district so kids could play games. 

What a lovely incentive for people who want to work the angles to get what they want as long as other people pay for it. What a constructive life lesson.

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Tourism could aid local future

If you had to fork over 84 cents of every dollar you make, that last 16 cents would be very precious to you. 

That's the situation in which Rensselaer County finds itself. State and federal mandates for such things as Medicaid account for 84% of the county's spending. 

County Executive Kathy Jimino has been able to propose budgets that have kept big tax increases at bay for quite a while, the last seven of them relying on a fund balance to get through. But, that balance is getting low even while the costs of doing business keep going up, and there is no sign of significant reductions in mandates.

Absent some sort of financial windfall or very large business developments, the usual suspects -- you and I -- will be footing a bigger county tax bill than ever one of these days. Where does the county go from here for money? A new report from its Economic Development and Planning office, titled "Untapped Retail Opportunity in Rensselaer County," tells us where Jimino's head is at. 

Retail is seen as the potential cure all for economic woes in most parts of the Capital Region. At first glance, that would seem to be a legitimate mind-set for Rensselaer County. Although largely rural in nature -- which often means a lower average income, it has seen a phenomenal 78% increase in average household income in the past 15 years, according to that report. 

That might seem a questionable statistic in view of the fact that population has slightly declined in that same period, but it could mean some people of higher income are moving here while a greater number of those of lesser means are leaving or expiring. 

According to the same report, 43 cents of every retail dollar spent by county residents is spent outside the county. To counter that, the Jimino administration has reduced the county sales tax on clothing and shoes (tax-free up to $110 per item) to provide one attractant to businesses looking to stay in or move to Rensselaer County. But, that's a bit of a gamble. 

"We look at it as a short-term loss of tax revenue that eventually will be made up by more retail business being conducted here," Jimino said. If the county can't lure enough high-end retail stores, the gambit will have to be changed. 

Recapturing some of the "estimated sales leakage," as the Economic Development and Planning report calls it, is a worthy goal. It estimates nearly $264 million of county residents' dollars is pouring into retailers' coffers in nearby counties, primarily Albany and Saratoga, and across state lines into the upscale retail groupings in Vermont (think Manchester) and Massachusetts (think Lee). 

The financial need is complemented by consumer demand. A 2005 survey of county residents by Research & Marketing Strategies cited the desire for department stores (57.5%) and clothing and accessories stores (42.5%) light-years ahead of the demand for general merchandise stores which, unfortunately, is what the bulk of retail development has been so far. 

Rensselaer County, however, needs to do more than simply hope retailers will come here. It needs to do much more in the way of exploiting resources it already has, such as improving tourism. 

The county often is viewed by outsiders as a place to quickly drive through on Route 7 to get to Vermont or on I-90 to get to the Berkshires and beyond to see precisely the same things this county has in abundance -- picturesque farms, quaint small towns, topographic beauty. 

In the fall of 2004, Troy native Bill Larkin, the Republican state senator from Cornwall on Hudson, shepherded a bill into law to legitimize "farm trails." The idea was to take a lesson from the booming wine trails that dot the state and help localities get serious about showing off their wares for fun and profit. 

As Larkin explained at the time, the idea was to create a network of farm trails -- including apple trails and gourmet trails -- to take advantage of local food and beverage producers who could be the drawing cards for tourists. 

Given Rensselaer County's success with four different farmers' markets and its large number of artisanal agricultural enterprises -- cheesemaking, organic produce, dairy, orchards, honey producers -- as well as B&Bs, restaurants and parkland, it seems ideally suited for a farm trail that leads visitors to more than a single destination. The trails would be identified by a series of roadside signs, with visitors on self-guided tours using them along with handout literature and Web downloads to experience what various localities have to offer, spending money as they do so. 

We've got it, now we need to flaunt it. 

Put another way, if you promote it, they will come.

Tutunjian judge-ment is woefully naive

Allergies, that's what it must be. Full-blown springtime allergies, caused by pollens and seeds that fill some people's heads with fuzzy feelings and cloud their judgment.

What else would satisfactorily explain young Harry Tutunjian's apparent desire to become an old-fashioned politician by making Troy City Hall a Home for Wayward Judges? 

The mayor's most recent fuzzy-headed appointment came when he decided that, in a region filled with more lawyers then there are crows along the Hudson River at sunset, the best person to be a new city deputy corporation counsel was Tom Spargo.

The same Tom Spargo who was removed from the State Supreme Court less than six weeks ago when the State Commission on Judicial Conduct found him unfit for the position. 

Getting a cushy part-time $25,000-plus job doesn't square with that sort of public record. And the audacity of the appointment is all the more shocking because it's not the first disgraced judge Tutunjian welcomed to the city payroll. 

He earlier had hired Henry Bauer, also as a deputy corporation counsel, after Bauer had been tossed off the City Court bench. Bauer then went on to begin rehabilitating his image, running for City Council and, as the highest vote-getter, becoming council president. 

Perhaps the mayor took that monumental act of voter irresponsibility as license to make any sort of cockamamie move he wants. If so, it's a huge disappointment to the many people who hoped the 30-something Tutunjian would add a breath of fresh air to Troy's storied and sordid political legacy. There is little reason to think such moves are anything but hack politics bobbing back to the surface. 

Tutunjian's own comments smack of little more than barely disguised contempt for being queried on the matter. How does he defend putting on the public payroll two men found unworthy of staying on the bench? Of hiring two men for jobs that could have gone to any one of dozens of other qualified people who didn't have tarnished records? 

Incredibly, Tutunjian says, "Their actions as judges shouldn't translate into how they represent the city." 

Pardon me while I take a deep breath. 

Mr. Mayor, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct fired Spargo for very specific reasons, to wit: 

"By engaging in a series of acts that conveyed an appearance of `exploiting his judicial office for personal benefit,' the respondent diminished public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary as a whole and has irretrievably damaged his usefulness on the bench." 

In addition to a bunch of small stuff that soiled the hem of his judicial robes, Spargo really muddied the rest of the fabric when he pressured lawyers bringing cases before him to contribute $10,000 in 2003 to his defense fund. 

Doesn't matter, says Tutunjian. 

"Tom Spargo is a talented, brilliant lawyer, and I am proud to have him be a part of my administration to represent the city in legal matters," he said with a perfectly straight face. 

And Bauer? He was removed after the State Court of Appeals voted 4-3 to do so when it found him guilty of repeatedly setting excessive bails, failing to inform defendants of their right to counsel and coercing suspects into pleading guilty. 

How about that one, Mr. Mayor? 

"To me, it doesn't mean anything," Tutunjian said. "We are searching for talented attorneys to help us run the city of Troy. To have someone of Mr. Spargo's caliber on our team is a bonus." 

In his public service announcements aimed at getting people behind his drive to clean up the city and effectively enforce building codes, Tutunjian likes to play the pride card. But, when it comes to disgraced judges and the city payroll, he isn't playing with a full deck.

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Careful, don't step in the slush

When it comes to local government, sometimes you just want to chuck it all and start from scratch.
We have a Rensselaer County Legislature and a county executive strutting around as if they've done something wonderful by putting on one of the worst performances in the history of budget creation.

We have communities in which elected government and citizen groups trade lawsuits like baseball cards, effectively immobilizing their municipalities.

We have a city government in Troy that effectively disenfranchises a chunk of the population because only the majority party is allowed a real say in creating a spending plan.

And, of course, we have Joe Bruno.

The Baron of Brunswick is a man who is happy only when everything is running precisely as he alone wishes it to run. If a member of the public or a news gathering organization asks for basic information, the state Senate majority leader flies into a snit. If a court rules that his actions are illegal and orders him to open up the books, he does, grudgingly and with many nasty utterances aimed at those who had the audacity to ask him to account for what happened to their money.

Let's pause here for the usual disclaimers about how much money Bruno has steered to local entities during his reign and, in the minds of some, how that buys him all the chutzpah we can swallow.

That's the first reaction from people who -- sometimes on their own, oftimes following a suggestion whispered in their ear -- have joined the cult of personality that thanks the senator for giving them your money by labeling such things as the Joseph L. Bruno Town Park in Hoosick Falls, Joseph L. Bruno Family Resource Center of the Commission on Economic Opportunity for the Greater Capital Region Inc., the Joseph L. Bruno Scholarship from the New York State Summer School of Orchestral Studies, the Joseph L. Bruno Theater in the Arts Center of the Capital Region, the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium at Hudson Valley Community College, the Joseph L. Bruno Pavilion at Saratoga Spa State Park, the Joseph L. Bruno Biotechnology Development Center at Albany Molecular Research, the Joseph L. Bruno Lobby in the Greenbush Area YMCA ... . I can't go on.

These, obviously, are the things Bruno didn't mind you knowing about. Lots of other projects and entities he steered your money to he wanted to keep secret.

I don't know about his universe, but in mine when you don't want anyone to know what you and your cohorts are doing with public dollars with which you've been entrusted, there can be only one reason: You're ashamed of your actions.

That's why the reluctantly released list of "2004-2005 member item" financial grants made by state senators -- the information Bruno insisted was none of your business until a judge overruled him - makes such good reading.

Some of it is almost comical in its linguistic sloppiness, which makes you wonder anew about the education level, or at least the typing skills, of our legislators and their staff. Witness this description for giving $20,000 of your money to the Cobleskill Agricultural Society via Sen. James Seward, and I quote it exactly:

"Funding to pour new concrete piers to prevent further shifting and sagging of flooring; replacing floor joists which are very warn and damaged and replace worn flooring to prevent dangerous consition where public and snimals could go through "

Don't step on the snimals.

Most descriptions of what your money is to be used for are so vague as to be useless, employing such weasel words as "program support," "equipment purchase" and, my favorite, "support for expenses and operations." Or wildly divergent prices are used for the same purposes, such as the popular "automated external defibrillators" -- or "defibtillator" as another legislative genius termed it, which we are told cost $1,800 each. Or, $2,500. Or, $3,000, or any other figure a senator cared to put on them. They've used them all.

Many other items doled out to private organizations by Bruno's Senate followers may make you wonder why your tax dollars should be so used. Like, $10,000 to Bella Italia Mia Inc. of Queens for, among other things, "funding for programs that promote a positive image of Italians"; or $100,000 to the Westchester Arts Council to underwrite the "Senator Spano Arts Festival" (guess who diverted the money for that event), or two different senators giving the Long Island Philharmonic separate grants of $10,000, $20,000 and $25,000 to fund activities that, according to the vague descriptions provided, essentially are duplicative.

Earning votes by performing public service is one thing. Buying them with my money is quite another. And, as the media, the good government groups and others dig into this swamp of mutual back-scratching, it will be fascinating to see what keeps surfacing.

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