Wow that’s the first thought that came to mind when I heard that Steve Minark resigned. My mind is now abuzz with a jumble of different thoughts about this long anticipated event – the send off of the local Republican Party’s # 1 pit bull (sorry to all you pit bulls out there). Yes he was as nasty as they come — but credit where credit is due he was pretty shrewd. So call me a cynic but I don’t see this as anything more than another calculated move in the chess game called politics. Jim Smith — Mike Barry – all due respect to former colleagues of sorts — are where they are because of Minark. And if either become the next Chair, they will be there because of Minark. I hope I am wrong. I hope they or whoever else takes over, recognize that sometimes there is a different way to look at things.  And you don’t always have to trash a person or an idea to make your point. If they don’ t it will be more of the same only with a prettier face. 

Its a fiasco and a crisis. Who will pay the price for Maggie’s mismanagement of the day care subsidy? The kids who are forced into substandard day care, casual care by a neighbor or family member while the parent is working a sub-standard job that doesn’t pay a living wage and pays less than private day care costs, that’s who.

Why is this happening? The Republicans can spin this until Christmas but the reality is this (and I KNOW because was there and this was my issue) the County Administration lead by Maggie Brooks, refused to spend all the day care money. They always danced that linguistic dance of words  — no there is not nor ever was 8 million in “surplus”. There was just 8 million sitting in an account that was something else, a “non-surplus” perhaps. For 5 years over 5 budget I and other Democrats put in amendments to increase the eligibility for the subsidy, to increase rates to providers, add children. Each year we were rebuked, no we can’t do that, we don;t have the funds. We would say, hey how about this use some of the 8 million in “non-surplus”. Always the same answer — “oh we don’t really have a surplus” “oh, its money we have to see what happens”  “oh its money from last year”  One BS response after another no matter what argument.

The reality is that the 8 million was in the budget for all to see. And now the state has done exactly what every child care advocate and we were afraid they would do - said wait you have a surplus, use that money for your day care subsidy.

Now Maggie is up there blaming the State when she created this problem. You might say how did this happen? — Is it incompetence? Is it politics?

At the end of the day it boils down to this: one of the biggest problems with Maggie Brooks and the gang of Repbulicans in the Legislature is their unbelievable unwillingness to look at anything from any angle other than their own. A box has 4 sides but they say no it doesn’t it has one side theirs. That is how they operate government, as if it is a one sided box. I used to think it was all about politics. This proves that its worse, its their own arrogance in their self righteous belief that they alone have the answers and they alone are right.

Except for in this case were they were wrong. Their one sided box collapsed. And kids are at stake. What’s next?

First I need to say again, what a difference a few blocks makes in how a budget is reviewed — the City Council process is in depth and detailed with some intense questioning and give and take. Compare that to the County Legislature where we were given next to no information and where our questions were greeted with evasiveness. There is something to be said for transparency!

This is what we did on the few issues that came up –a budget resolution to require the Fire Dept and the Mayor to report to Council on a regular basis regarding response times. Bottom line response time  was everyone’s concern — will the elimination of the midi trucks and those positions affect response times. Chief says no, Firefighters say yes — we said give us regular reports and at the third quarter if response times suffer you better have a plan to add back personnel and address those issues.

Rec Centers:  we added some dollars to keep them open during the summer and until the Admin and School District can negotiate something. There is a basic disagreement on the purpose of what the city should be funding for the rec centers, i.e. pure recreation or some sort of learning and rec combined. Stay tuned.

One final note, 4 of my colleagues voted against the School District Budget. Its weird to me that we even vote on it if we can’t change it or move things around. But we have to pass it since its the City that collects the taxes for the School. I voted for it because I believe in giving the new superintendent the benefit of the doubt and because to me voting it down was meaningless as it would pass anyway. 4 council members voted against it in protest of the MOE — Maintenance of Effort legislation from the state. Their prerogative, their message.

The City Budget process is almost to the end…City Council’s vote on Tuesday night will wrap up over a month of budget review, hearings and deliberations. There are a few major changes proposed in this budget — the two drawing the most ire are the changes to the Fire Dept and Rec Centers After-school programs. Given the tight budget there were some fairly significant cuts to City staff, mostly in IT — but the Rec Center After-school program is being cut and the Fire Dept methodology changed with a loss of 16 positions (not lay offs, loss is by attrition). The Rec Center issue may get resolved, or at least a reprieve so that City Admin and City School District can try to reach an agreement on these services.

The Fire Dept. will go forward — regardless of what Council does — Although City Council cannot tell the Fire Chief how to run the Fire Dept we can (and WILL) be sure that their plans do not put residents OR firefighters in harms way. The plan involves eliminating the Midi (small truck) and using a Quint ( Truck with a ladder) and Engine (big truck) instead. That leaves a couple of fire stations — like Charlotte — with one Quint. Although Charlotte has relatively few calls each year, they are geographically isolated so I am concerned. At the end of the day City Council needs to make sure that response times are what the Chief says they will be — unchanged.

Otherwise I have to say this was a sound budget — and an even sounder budget process — 2 and 1/2 days of budget hearings — about 1 hour or so from each department head answering our questions. I received more information on the budget in this first go around that I got in the entire 5 years I was on the County Lej. What a difference!!

Will keep you posted on how we manage to resolve the issues relative to the fire department and rec centers.

I am fairly surprised at the amount of chatter about whether St John Fisher should open a law school in Rochester. I didn’t think that the potential of another institute of higher education would create such a stir except from the competition in Buffalo and Syracuse. Do we need another law school in NYS? Maybe not (I don’t need 50 pairs of shoes either but that doesn’t stop me). Do we need a Law School in Rochester — why not? I know many people who would make great lawyers who can’t go to law school now because they can’t commute — think single mothers, people who work already and are ready to chose law as another career. A law school here would resolve that issue, along with attracting other students to the area, many of whom will stay.

Are there too many lawyers already? Well maybe, but whether we have a law school in Rochester or not isn’t going to change the number of lawyers in the world. We have a dismal number of minority attorneys, maybe having a law school in Rochester can help to address that need. And, in my opinion, when all the people who want or need a lawyer can get one; when the poor and disenfranchised have FULL access to the Court and to our system of justice then maybe we can say there are enough lawyers. But that is not where we are now. The poor and working poor get turned away from services all the time; they often have no right to counsel and no way to access justice.

The caveat for Fisher is this: be mindful of the need for attorneys in the public interest. Be mindful of minority enrollment. Promote public interest law and help your students see how important it is to take the road less traveled. When you raise money, consider an endowment to assist in loan forgiveness for attorneys who dedicate themselves to public service. If they open a law school here I hope its a different kind of a law school. I hope Fisher finds its uniqueness in excellence and in finding a way to serve this community.

or is Steve Minark kidding?? Not only are those committee people electedbut under Mr. Minark’s theory since he takes responsibility for all things in the County HE should resign for his loss of the Greece County Lej seat to newcomer Dick Beebee or the entire Greece Republican Committee needs to resign — oh wait those are his buds…..I know maybe all the Mendon people can just change parties, that’ s right up Steve alley too.

Two thoughts rattled through my brain this morning, with the news reports  — the County loses the FAIR lawsuit, have a long shot at the Court of Appeals, but there is Majority Leader Dan Quattro already aiming his loaded water gun — at of course the evil culprits — the CITY. Yes lets be a good Republican county and go back on yet another agreement! I am referring to the fact that the County by their own choice and now by operation of law is responsible for DSS. So now the county says, wait we can;t get the schools, we will “get” the next best thing, the city— Let’s charge the city for Safety Net. A potential 15 million. Instead of foisting their problems on others, why don’t they sit down with the Democrats and come up with a freaking plan already, one that doesn’ t steal from another municipality and one that isn’t lame. hey sit down with Bob Duffy maybe — he and his administration actually KNOW what they are doing!!!

 And I swear, I hope whoever says A) “this is all politics by the Democrats” or B) “Why don’ t the Democrats come up with anything” gets struck by lightening or a banana cream pie or something -because this is Republican politics at its worse and the Democrats have a plan that was rejected because Democrats thought of it.

The other thought is — MCC are they kidding?????

Back from my vacation, and from the after vacation pile on my desk, mostly rested and ready to blog again…Someone sent me a copy of Appellate Division decision on the FAIR Plan — the School Districts vs. Monroe County. A 5 to 0 decision that the County was wrong…hard to appeal that to the Court of Appeals. When I read that decision two things struck me. One were the words the Court used to say that what the County tried to do was “shift a portion of its Medicaid obligation to the sharing municipalities and the school districts” something the Democrats argued against all along. And now something the Courts said they cannot do.  A court comprised of Appellate Division Judges not from Monroe County, removed from the fray. The other thing that struck me was this, because of the County Republican’s short sightedness and arrogance at enacting the Intercept, in light of legitimate concerns raised they now are in a huge bind. The need to come up with 29 million dollars AND they are stuck with the intercept forever, AND with keeping every sharing partner whole. Imagine that, the Democratic Caucus was right. Imagine that, the taxpayers are screwed once again by this Republican Administration and Republican controlled Legislature.

I am appalled at the cowardice shown by the Republican County Legislators over at the County Lej tonight. The fact they needed armed guards; the paddy wagon, metal detectors, that they had to take out in the back seats so the lej would hold less people and the like shows me just how guilty they feel about the wrong way they handled the whole Public Defender mess. My former colleagues tell me that Sister Grace was “man-handled” and forcibly dragged from the room as she was arrested. She is a nun for God’s sake and no offense to Grace she is NOT  YOUNG! I don’t care how annoying you think she is — its ridiculous. They told me another person was thrown against a wall then arrested. WTF!!! Did power so totally corrupt my former colleagues on the Republican side that they have lost all sense and reason??? Don’t they see that their own actions in keeping the public out have exacerbated the situation — THEY have incited the crowds!! And please I do not want to hear that its all because the “Democrats made it about politics, that is complete BS. This is all about Republican power and control and Republicans getting their own way — period. The Democrats do not have a candidate; neither did the bar association nor David Gantt for that matter. Their issue always was and will continue to be about the process used.  I am embarrassed to say that I served on that body, and my friends on the Republican side should be ashamed that they let this happen. Same with Maggie Brooks, she let this happen, she thinks she can wash her hands of it, but like the most famous hand-washer of all, she is still tainted. She could  have been the voice of reason, she could have reached out to fashion a compromise but she chose not to. Now she and the majority Legislators  will have to live and govern with the consequences of their actions and in-actions. 

My rat sensor went off this morning when I read the Democrat and Chronicle article on the changes to the Monroe Community College (MCC) board. Seems that the Board Chair resigned as President – after a closed door Executive Session — a Republican “favorite trick” remember — and the Board in that session elected a new Chair person,Richard M. Guon . I have no idea whether the new guy is a good guy who cares about education or not — BUT he also happens to be “treasurer for the Monroe County Water Authority”  HELLLOOO out there this is the same scandal ridden Water Authority that Democrats have been trying to force to reform as long as I can remember. 

Funny too this is happening as the Board is gearing up to appoint a new President for the college.

Funnier that the out-going Chair was “out of town” and unable to comment.

Methinks someone is messing with the college, maybe the Republicans are afraid of losing the Lej so before they leave they want to be sure they control the MCC, the Public Defender and the Water Authority? Milk it for what it worth?

Yep, I smell a RAT