Well, honeybunch, the Thanksgiving holiday is over, and the city is focused on the Christmas and Chanukah seasons. Of course, Chanukah was over jest a few days ago, but things are really in bloom for the holidays around here. The tree is lighted, there was a Christmas festival on the Green over the weekend, and thoughts toined to what they always do every two years, the inauguration of a new administration – in this case an old administration continued.
Herronner had her inaugurals with the rest of the newly elected officials and the usual suspecks attended, along with family and friends of those who were on the ballot. It’s quite a production.
Mrs. Rossi, of course, is trying to ward off the naysayers cuz of the CARES Act money scandal that has enveloped the entire city in a pall that one person described as “surreal.” I dunno about that, politics in this berg are always a bit on the bete noir side.
Tennyrate, she gave a speech that could have been written by any of us, cuz the thing that is being talked about is trust. She knows that she has to reengage the many taxpayers who have kind o’ turned sooooo cynical, they don’t ever wanna be part o’ the process again.
Sammy Bluejay was at the festivities, which due to the plague and other things was a bit subdued. One o’ the things that supporters of the administration are starting to natter about is the fack that the two individuals who seem to be at the focus of the investigation concerning the fraudulent use of funds, were those allied with her predecessor.
Sammy and Cobina ain’t sure that kind o’ deflection is gonna work. Yeah, one guy was a campaign manager, and one got his start whilst in the camp o’ the former administration, but trying to hang yore hat on that, when prior to this everyone seemed – at least on the face o it – to get along ain’t gonna cut it with John and Jane Q.
Sooo, it would seem that herronner has her work cut out for her in the next few years. And, she ain’t doin’ herself any favors by getting her hands slapped by the Municipal Accountability Review Bored (MARB). At the recent meeting with the suits, the final infusion o’ state cash by the MARB was held up cuz the city has not exactly done what the panel wanted it to do, has been pleading with it to do, over the last several months.
And, they don’t wanna hear that changing the culture of the Actors Colony is a slow-moving process. These are people who are used to getting their way, and don’t take negative results very well. The scandal, along with a lack of new procedures the group has demanded has resulted in a rather testy relationship.
How this is all gonna play out is anyone’s guess. The MARB is still gonna be overseeing the city’s rocky finances for a while, and they have all the leverage. We don’t need the state cash the way we used to, but the optics of what happened last month will have a cooling effeck on what the administration is trying to do; namely, it’s trying to make the city more business favorable. Things like the kerfuffle betwixt MARB and the thoid floor don’t help.
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Whilst all the fanfare was going on putting in a new administration, one wonders what in blazes happened to the court case that Barry Lee Cohen filed with the Superior Court a couple weeks ago? There was a preliminary hearing, and things were supposed to percolate after Thanksgiving. Well, frum what we understand, there was a session last week, and might be continued into this week We just wonder toward what end. The courts are gen’rally not of a mind to overturn an election – even one with “irregularities.” It’s a mass of a mess the members of the judiciary just don’t want to wade into effen they can avoid it. Iva Lootey has been watching this, and sez that he don’t expeck that much is gonna transpire now.
As Iva pernted out, once the new administration is sworn-in the whole things kind of loses its savor. It becomes for all intents and purposes moot. We hope things are fleshed out and we find out what problems, if any there were.
The things that were pernted to in the complaint should be addressed, though. There are problems with absentee ballots – always, everywhere. This city has seen its share of absentee ballot problems. Many of us remember the Democratic primary of 1981 and what happened there. And now that the scoundrels in politics wanna offer mail-in ballots the chances of fraud and shenanigans are multiplied. But that’s the point, no?
Still, Iva don’t expect any dramatic changes even if the case moves through the process. It would be an upheaval that no court will want to take upon itself.
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Nelly Nuthatch came to tea t’other afternoon and wondered what the Republican Party in town is gonna do now. Whilst some can say the scandal helped pad its totals in the last election, the fack that the GOP came within 32 votes of toppling a sitting mayor is something to be reckoned with. The party showed it can mount a good campaign, and it showed that it has its own fissures between those who want to keep the losing wagon on wheels and those who see the need for change.
The letter sent by the former party chairmen was, in a word, silly. These people — and it was said at the time — don’t exactly have a pedigree of success. So, with Cohen the titular head of the party at least for the next little while, it’ll be interesting to see what happens from here on in. The party will have its Town Committee elections in February, and we shall see where and how the party will react to its recent showing.
It can go two ways: back to the way things were where the party wasn’t seen or heard from until about two months before an election; or, it can go into revamping itself into a viable organization that will be the loyal opposition. We shall see.
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Madame Olga noted the city is gonna put together its own oversight committee to take a gander on any and all ways the rest of the COVID money can be spent in town. After the recent scandals this is a move being taken by the Actors Colony.
Now, we can look at it and say it’s a “horse outta the barn moment,” or we can say it’s a good move, and will bring some accountability. Cobina is willing to give it a chance. Many reforms are done only after problems are found.
From what I understand the new panel will attempt to be totally transparent and show what it is doing on the city website. It even might let it be known where and when things are being paid for and to whom – that’s a rarity.
The thing that has to be seen on this new committee is who is going to be warming the chairs. Effen this becomes just another way to sit friendly faces on a board that won’t really accomplish much, let’s not expend the energy. Effen, though, it is supposed to have real oversight, it could be a prototype for the way the city should do things like this in the future.
We shall see how things shake out, but effen this is done right, it might go a long way toward healing the rift betwixt the taxpayers and ruling class.
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Wow! Last week there was a big accident on the highway, and it was a reminder to Cobina just how difficult things can git in this berg when traffic is jammed up. The accident backed up traffic for miles in both directions on the Thruway, and travelers and truck haulers decided to use the city as some type o’ shortcut.
Needless to say, things got worse after that. Cobina had to go out in her gassamobuggy to git something at the story, and determined it wasn’t worth the effort. She turned around and made do with what she had. Our editor tried to git from the office to home, and it took 45 minutes to go about 3 miles.
We seem to forgit how much the highway plays a role in the way we traverse the streets and avenues around here. This was an abjeck lesson, I can tell yew.
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Finally, things seem to be wrapping up at the high school as far as construction. About a month or so ago, the final wing o’ the building was sealed and it seems that the brickwork is almost finished. There seems to be some digging and landscaping going on as well. There is gonna be, I seem to remember, a retention pond of some sort – at least I remember that being mentioned when the building had a minor flood a few weeks back.
Tennyrate, after more than three years it seems to me things are winding down. New basketball courts are now being put in where once there were tennis courts, and it might be that this thing that was proposed in 2009, might actually be on its way to completion. Who’d o’ thunk it.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next mitt luff und kizzez,