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ALBANY, NY – Councilwoman claims that Jerry Jennings supporters are backing a puppet candidate in the 7th Ward. This story was first published in Metroland on September 10th, 2009.

Someone wants 7th Ward Councilwoman Cathy Fahey (D, WFP) out of office. After losing the Albany County Democratic Committee’s endorsement twice to relatively unknown contenders, Fahey had a suspicion that members of Albany’s Democratic Party don’t want her around because she is not aligned with Mayor Jerry Jennings.

“I view the fact that I did not get the endorsement as directly connected to the fact that I was a very early supporter of Shawn Morris’ candidacy for mayor,” said Fahey.

Susan Tobin, the committee’s endorsed candidate, will be challenging Fahey on Sept. 15 in the Democratic primary.

Fahey’s stance on various issues places her squarely in the progressive camp in Albany along with Jennings’ mayoral opponent Councilman Corey Ellis (Ward 3) and Councilman Dominick Calsolaro (Ward 1).

Initially, the Democratic Committee endorsed Democrat George Lynch, who later dropped out. “[Lynch] told me he backed out because he decided that I was a good candidate, that I was doing a good job on the council, and he didn’t think it was fair and he decided to back out,” Fahey said.

Lynch could not be reached for comment.

As reported earlier in Metroland, Calsolaro had a similar experience in the 1st Ward when, to his surprise, he lost the Democratic Committee’s endorsement to a relative newcomer, Scott Mannarino. Calsolaro suggested that it was a play by Jennings’ supporters to prevent him from campaigning for Ellis by keeping him busy with a primary.

Tobin, like Mannarino, has Jennings’ support in her bid for the 7th Ward seat, but said that she has heard of no political hit job on Fahey within the Democratic Party.

“I was approached by the Democratic Party, and I was recommended by a couple of my neighbors,” said Tobin. She also acknowledged that there was another contender in the ward before the committee came to her.

“I know I wasn’t the first choice,” she said.

“I’ve always been involved in the community,” said Tobin. “I thought there could be some things I could do better than what was being done before.”

Tobin claimed that Fahey is out of touch with her community.

“I’m a constituent of the 7th Ward,” said Tobin. “I’ve heard no communication for four years, no opportunities to sign petitions, [Fahey] never came to my door, never asked my opinion, so I think that’s unacceptable.”

Fahey countered by citing her involvement in both community groups in her ward, the Helderberg and Delaware Avenue neighborhood associations. She said that she also sits on three council committees that are designed to improve the quality of life for residents in the ward and the city of Albany.

Fahey said that she feels the main issues facing her are public safety, youth programs, and continued strengthening of the commercial district along Delaware Avenue. As for Tobin, Fahey criticized her for refusing to debate. A date had been set and agreed to that would have featured both Fahey and Tobin, as well as the candidates for the 1st Ward.

“The fact that she didn’t come to the debate,” said Fahey, “made it difficult to find out what she stands for, and I think the citizens lose out when someone isn’t available to talk about the issues.”

Mannarino also skipped out on his opportunity to debate Calsolaro.

Tobin said she informed the organizers of the debate that she would be unable to attend a week in advance. She also said that she’s been campaigning on every street in the 7th.

“My whole plan was to go door-to-door,” said Tobin. “I felt that I could reach more people doing that, so I kept with the plan, my original plan.”

Tobin, the director of giving at Albany Academies, said her experience in health care, education, strategic planning and fundraising, along with her work in the nonprofit sector, provide her with the credentials to do a great job as councilwoman.

“I know how to deal with people. I know how to compromise. I know how to reach a consensus,” said Tobin.

Fahey said that she believes she’s done a good job as councilwoman so far.

“I really look at my job on the council as working with residents and these neighborhood associations,” she said. “The work that I do on the council reflects what people in my districts are thinking and what they want to see happen in the neighborhood.”

As for losing the Democratic committee’s endorsement, she attributes that to the political structure of Albany.

“I think that the ward leader, Bob Jukes, is very loyal to the current mayor, and it did matter that I was supporting someone else,” she said. Fahey said she believes the 7th Ward primary was “orchestrated” by Jukes and other supporters of Jennings.

Jukes could not be reached for comment by press time.

ALBANY, NY – Is First Ward challenger Scott Mannarino running a proxy campaign for the mayor? This story was first published in Metroland on August 27^th, 2009.

First Ward Councilman Dominick Calsolaro said that having an opponent in Scott Mannarino “came out of the blue.” The challenge, the two-term incumbent said, looks like a play by supporters of Mayor Jerry Jennings’ to keep Calsolaro from having the time to campaign for Corey Ellis, Jennings’ main opponent in the 2009 mayoral race.

Carolyn Ehrlich, Jennings’ campaign manager, confirmed that Mannarino has the mayor’s endorsement and that Jennings has been going door-to-door with Mannarino in the First Ward to drum up support for the newcomer. Calsolaro is not surprised. He’s not worried, either.

“When I ran the first time, in 2000, it was an open seat then, and he [Jennings] ran with my opponent then and I ended up winning,” said Calsolaro. “I don’t know how much effect it’s really going to have.”

A search of Mannarino’s campaign filings on the New York State Board of Elections Web site reveals that his campaign committee claims to have raised and spent less than $1,000 since his campaign began.

“They filed an ‘in lieu of’ statement, which means that at the closing of the reporting period neither the total receipts nor the total expenditures for the committee have exceeded a thousand dollars in the aggregate,” said John Conklin, information officer for the state BOE. This statement exempts Mannarino’s campaign from filing an itemized report detailing all transactions since the beginning of the campaign.

Although Mannarino himself could not be reached for comment, Metroland contacted his spokesperson, Ang Morris, who said she had no information on how much money Mannarino’s campaign has raised.

“Mr. Mannarino is out campaigning, going door-to-door in the First Ward just listening to the voters’ issues and concerns that they have and is campaigning hard to make sure that the voters have an option in this next primary,” said Morris. “Anything else is a non-issue, except for making sure that the voters have an option.”

As Metroland first reported in May, Mannarino was not registered to vote in the First Ward. Instead, he was last registered at 7 Barclay St., a property owned by Albany County Legislator Brian Scavo. Morris countered that Mannarino is a lifelong resident of the ward and is very active in the community.

“Our main platform is basically being an effective leader,” said Morris. “We’re not about a negative campaign. We’re all about a positive campaign and getting rid of negative, petty politics.”

However, Calsolaro said that he goes to almost every neighborhood meeting in his ward and has yet to see Mannarino at one of them.

“I don’t really know if he really knows the concerns of the people of the First Ward,” said Calsolaro. “He’s not a participant in the community.”

Calsolaro said that he’s been going door-to-door for the last month and making calls to voters in the First Ward; he feels comfortable with the progressives’ presence on the common council. “I think the residents of Albany want people speaking out,” he said. “We’re listening to and doing what the citizens of Albany want us to do.”

Calsolaro said that while it’s nice when there is no opponent, he is optimistic about his chances of keeping his seat. The residents of his ward know him, he said, and what he’s done in the First Ward.

“I don’t think I’m going to lose,” said Calsolaro. “I’m looking for a big night on September 15th.”

TROY, NY – Two political newcomers set their sights on North Lansingburgh. This story was first published in Metroland on June 18th, 2009.

Democrats in Troy are closely watching the City Council race in District 1. Republican Mark Wojcik, who currently holds the district, is stepping down this coming year due to term limits, and the Democrats are banking on lifetime Lansingburgh resident Kevin McGrath to take back the seat that was once held by a Democrat, and expand their 6-to-3 majority.

“I think the McGrath name plays very well up there in Lansingburgh,” said Councilman Bill Dunne (D-District 4). “I would certainly say it’s better than even money.”

McGrath said that the biggest issue for the district is crime, which can be attributed to the overabundance of absentee landlords. According to McGrath, landlords irresponsibly subdivide their houses in an attempt to maximize the number of tenants in one dwelling. This creates problems of overcrowding and floods the market with cheap housing, which translates into crime. McGrath said that the landlords live mostly in New York City and see their properties as rent checks rather than as part of the community.

“Lansingburgh was always a community of pride and togetherness,” said McGrath. “This whole epidemic of absentee landlords is changing the quality of life. Businesses that have been here forever are moving away.”

The Republicans are running Jim Gordon, who is heavily involved in community programs; the neighborhood watch program that he cofounded recently secured a federal grant. The money is being used to build a park at 112th Street and 1st Avenue.

“That’s really what sparked my desire to run,” said Gordon. “There are a lot of people motivated to improve their neighborhoods.”

Gordon agreed that absentee landlords are a big issue and blames permissive zoning laws that have shackled an evolving Troy to outdated guidelines.

Although the two candidates believe that the biggest issue is crime related to the absentee-landlord problem, they differ in their approach on how to stop the overcrowding. Gordon would like to see the city completely change its zoning classification to prevent the kind of overcrowding that the current system allows. McGrath sees it as an issue of code enforcement and said that fines need to be upped to discourage landlords from violating city code.

“Absentee landlords will just take the fine for the broken heating or the leaky roof instead of fixing it,” said McGrath. “You need to increase the fines.”

Councilman Dunne agreed that Troy’s zoning laws are outdated, but said that a complete review and overhaul of Troy’s zoning structure isn’t feasible in the current economic climate. He said the Democrats have a different approach to fighting the absentee landlords, which includes passing a temporary moratorium on subdividing houses and a landlord registry that keeps track of those homeowners who don’t live in Troy. McGrath said that an additional provision of the landlord registry requires landlords living 35 miles or more from their properties to designate a local contact for that property in case of emergency.

Gordon admits that a zoning review may be costly, but said that most of the work is already done and that there’s federal grant money available to assist with the process.

“Our code in the city of Troy hasn’t been updated for somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 years,” said Gordon. “You have to adapt and innovate for the times and our current zoning flaws are putting a tremendous amount of stress on our infrastructure and on our city.”

Gordon also said that Troy’s business zoning should be examined to promote growth in an area that he said prohibits it.

“I see Jim Gordon as Mark Wojcik, part two,” Dunne said.

Gordon said he’s not interested in party politics and just wants to get things done. He gave the Democratic Party credit for helping his neighborhood watch program secure funding for their park, which was opposed by Republican Mayor Harry Tutunjian.

“If all people want to do is burn bridges and build walls I think what we’re going to find is that the general public won’t accept that,” said Gordon. “Ultimately, my agenda is going to be dictated and laid out by the residents.”

McGrath said his record speaks for itself. His brother, Ed, held the District 1 council seat before Wojcik. He grew up in nearby Corliss Park and calls himself a product of the Lansingburgh Boys Club. Another brother, Patrick, is a New York State Supreme Court justice.

“I think from watching political races you always run scared,” said McGrath. “There’s no substitute for work ethic. I know as long as I put people before politics, and I go out and knock on doors, I know I can make a difference, whatever happens.”

“Lansingburgh likes to think of itself as Lansingburgh, not North Troy,” said Dunne. “Kevin [McGrath] understands their issues and their concerns; I think he’d bring a fresh perspective to representation for the folks of Lansingburgh.”

“It’s going to be a heck of a race,” said Gordon. “I plan on knocking on every door I can.”

ALBANY, NY – Opposition is raised against plan that cuts back hours for Albany County employees. This story was first published in Metroland on July 23rd, 2009.

Albany County Executive Mike Breslin is putting 1,400 county employees on furlough in an attempt to help close the county’s $20.5 million budget gap. The employees are from all but two of the 21 county departments that Breslin’s office oversees. The Nursing Home and Sewer District departments are being spared due to the nature of their duties.

Breslin’s plan calls for each of the 21 departments to be closed the fourth Friday of every month starting in August. According to Mary Duryea, communications director for the executive, this will amount to $1.4 million in savings in 2009. She said the budget deficit is due mainly to a sharp loss in sales-tax revenue that the county has suffered.

“This is one of the largest midyear budget gaps we’ve ever seen, so we are looking at every possible action we can take in order to close this gap,” said Duryea. “The furloughs are just one part of our plan.”

Breslin is calling upon other county departments not under his control to follow suit. Of these six departments under separately elected officials, only Albany County Clerk Thomas Clingan has agreed to furlough his employees.

“The county is obviously having serious financial difficulties, and I think that’s reflected by the county executive’s decision to put almost all of the county workforce on a five-day furlough from now till the end of the year,” said Clingan.

He said that the furloughs in his department will generate $16,800 in savings, about half of one full-time employee’s annual salary.

Albany County Comptroller Michael Conners is among those resisting Breslin’s push for furloughs, calling them financially unnecessary.

“The furlough is something that I think is just a plain bad idea,” said Conners, adding that the county hasn’t explored all its options and that there are other ways to save money. He said a letter sent from his office to Breslin’s office detailing key ways that the county could save money was ignored because it didn’t line up with what Breslin wanted to do.

Conners also said that his office found that the $20.5 million dollar budget gap overstated the amount of interest revenue lost in 2009 by about $1.5 million—a point that, according to Conners, was also ignored by Breslin’s office and the Department of Management and Budget.

Shawn Morse (D-Cohoes) agreed with Conners’ take on the situation.

“Before we take steps to furlough county employees, we need to be able to confidently assure them that we looked under every rock for savings,” said Morse in a press release that spoke out against Breslin’s plan.

Morse also said that initiatives he offered to the county were largely ignored, including a Canadian drug plan that he said has already been enacted with success in Schenectady and Rensselaer counties. Morse introduced the legislation more than four years ago, and it is now approved by the legislature.

Why hasn’t it been signed into law? “I asked that question five times with no response,” said Morse.

Morse mentioned other ways the county could avoid furloughing its employees.

“We have a fund balance of over $30 million. We have a Canadian drug plan that could save millions of dollars. We have county departments that have made concessions to give back money to ease the burden. We have an accounting error of about a million-and-a-half-dollars,” said Morse. “I think, right now, we have not done enough to look at every single item.”

Both Morse and Conners have also questioned the legality of imposing furloughs on county employees, saying that, according to their reading of the county charter, the county executive may propose a plan to furlough employees, but in order for it to be enforced, it must be passed by the legislature.

Morse raised another similar concern that the county could be opening itself up to increased costs in the form of litigation fees if the public employee’s unions decide to pursue the matter in court.

However, Duryea said that the executive’s office has spoken to its attorney, Craig Denning, and believes that it is within its bounds to institute the furloughs.

Clingan dismissed Conners’ concerns.

“I don’t think any of the short-term measures that the county comptroller has proposed will do the trick,” said Clingan.

According to a document released Wednesday by the county executive’s office, if the other departments not under Breslin’s control were to participate in the furlough program, an additional $116,800 could be saved.

Clingan said that there is a need for everyone to pull together and shoulder the burden of the financial crisis. “I’m very pleased with how well people are participating in this and understanding that we’re doing this in order to save the jobs of fellow county employees.”

Clingan is calling for more solidarity in county government, specifically in the offices not overseen by Breslin, he said. “It is disappointing that some of the elected officials have chosen not to participate in helping us solve this problem.”

ALBANY, NY – Local employees and union members show support for federal legislation that they claim would help unite workers. This story was first published in Metroland on May 28th, 2009.

Local unions and citizen activists staged a rally on May 21 at the Slingerlands Price Chopper to raise awareness for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). This legislation, which is currently pending in Congress, would make it easier for employees in all sectors to form and join unions. According to local labor leaders, the current system is broken.

“Basically, we have a Third World standard in regard to organizing,” said Guillermo Perez, president of the Capital Region chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. According to a report by Human Rights Watch titled “The Employee Free Choice Act—A Human Rights Imperative,” illegal, anti-union practices run rampant in the United States and are in violation of International Labour Organization standards, an organization to which the United States belongs.

According to Perez, this is how current attempts to unionize typically work: An employee who wishes to start a union will begin the process of organizing; when management catches wind of this they use scare tactics to discourage the activity; and often the issue ends with the employee being terminated. Meanwhile, other employees at the place of business are subjected to interrogations, surveillance and intimidation. Perez said that employers tiptoe around the law in an effort to suppress union activity.

According to Perez, if an employee is fired for trying to organize a union, it often takes years for that person to regain back pay. When they do, any money that they made at other jobs in the meantime will be deducted from their settlement. The rigmarole of this process makes unionizing very unattractive for workers who are thinking about doing so.

Employers would rather break the law and receive the penalty than see union activity at their business, said Perez. “It’s just the cost of doing business for employers.”

If the EFCA is passed, supporters say that it will bolster the current legislation under the National Labor Relations Act by imposing steeper penalties and sanctions on businesses that violate the law, turning anti-union practices into something that doesn’t make much business sense.

The reason Price Chopper was targeted is because CEO Neil Golub is the most vocal and powerful opponent of the legislation in the area, according to Martha Schultz, who is with the Labor-Religion Coalition of the Capital Region. Schultz said that Golub is leading a campaign against the EFCA by holding court with various municipalities’ chambers of commerce and telling them that the legislation would be bad for business.

While Schultz tipped her cap to Golub’s considerable charity efforts, she said it has nothing to do with workers’ rights.

“I know that Neil Golub is a philanthropist, but justice is different from charity,” she said. “His policies need to change because they are anti-worker. His opposition to [the EFCA] is in his best interest, but he’s convincing other people it wouldn’t be in their best interest when it would improve workers’ quality of life and stimulate the local economy.”

Detractors of the bill say that its passage would enable union organizers to coerce employees into joining unions. They also say that the bill would obliterate an employee’s right to a private vote because under the EFCA, unionization is voted upon by way of a public ballot.

Calls to Golub Corp. were not returned.

Becky Wallace used to work at the Holiday Inn in Latham. She would get up early for the morning breakfast shift and sometimes stay later to do some housekeeping. On April 23, she was fired. A couple days earlier, she said, she was coming out of a union meeting at a local sandwich shop when her manager saw her.

“They let me work the whole day,” said Wallace with a wry laugh. Wallace said the next morning she was cleaning a room when her manager told her that she was being fired. A couple of hours later, another union committee member was fired. Only three of the original seven union committee members remain employed at the Holiday Inn.

“It’s like they were whittling us down,” she said. “I never thought I would lose my job, but I did. I’m not going anywhere, though. I’m still going to fight to get a union.”

A recent study done by a Cornell University professor found that in 34 percent of union-organizing elections, employers fired pro-union workers. The study, which was based on 1,004 election records from the National Labor Relations Board, also revealed that employers threatened to shut down plants in 57 percent of the elections and threatened to cut wages and benefits in 47 percent of the elections.

The author of the study, Kate Bronfenbrenner, is director of labor education research at Cornell University. She said it is impossible to be neutral on this issue, but her research methods were of the highest methodological standards. The study, “No Holds Barred—The Intensification of Employer Opposition to Organizing,” is likely to be a centerpiece in the fight to get the legislation passed through Congress.

Perez and others anticipate surges in union membership if the EFCA is passed. According to Bronfenbrenner, the majority of U.S. workers want to join unions but are scared off by aggressive anti-union practices by employers.

“This law is gaining traction now,” said Perez, “because there is an understanding that we need to restore the middle class.”