If there is an issue on Queensbury Town Board , it is ethics
You have to question rule of law when attorney general won't answer questions.
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If you want an issue in Queensbury to consider this election season, you might want to consider ethics.
Town Board members Michael Dixon and Tim McNulty both serve in leadership positions for local political parties — vice chair of the Queensbury Republicans (Dixon) and chairman of the Warren Country Republicans (McNulty).
Eight months ago, Queensbury’s independent Ethics Board found that any Town Board member who served in a leadership position with a local political party had the “appearance” of a conflict of interest and was in violation of the town’s ethic policy.
Last month, it proposed language that would clarify the ethics policy and put the issue to rest. It would also force Dixon and McNulty to choose between their party and their elected positions.
They refused to allow the proposal to go forward for a public hearing because of the upcoming election, where Dixon is running for supervisor against John Strough.
They chose party over the people and illustrated why they have a conflict.
If you are not sure why this is important, consider this column I wrote in The Post-Star eight years ago that also appeared in my book The Last American Editor, Vol. 2.
It is a reminder McNulty and Dixon have divided loyalties between what is best for the town and what is best for their party. That was made clear by their refusal to even take up the Ethics Board’s proposal before the election.
Queensbury board member does the right thing
June 28, 2017
Being your own man — or woman — comes with consequences these days.
Tony Metivier, the Ward 1 councilman in Queensbury since 2008, was shown the door by the Queensbury Republican Party earlier this month because he didn’t fall in line with a vote benefiting the vice chairman of the Queensbury Republican Party.
That makes Metivier a dinosaur in a political universe where few stand up for what they believe and rarely buck the commands of party leadership.
That makes Metivier a hero.
Last November, Bill VanNess, chairman of the Queensbury Republican Party at the time; Doug Irish, currently the chairman of the Queensbury Republican Party; and Republican Brian Clements voted to replace the town’s legal firm for the past 21 years with a new firm run by John Aspland, the vice chairman of the Queensbury Republican Party.
It was to save money, they said.
It also sounded terribly partisan.
According to Metivier, Irish told members of the Town Board on the Friday before the Monday vote that he was resurrecting a 2-year-old “request for proposal” that would change the town’s legal representation.
Metivier objected.
He said he wanted more time to review the proposal again. He said Irish told him he was going to do it anyway because he already had the votes.
“My point was that we should discuss it again and interview them again,” Metivier said earlier this week. “Of the six attorneys we talked to at the time (in 2014), four were no longer with the firm. My argument on Monday was we don’t know who we are dealing with and what kind of experience they have. It wasn’t about the money; it was about, are you qualified to do the job? I just wanted an extra week.”
The vote made Metivier “uncomfortable.”
He said the process seemed “underhanded.”
And he believed other members of the Town Board voted despite having a conflict of interest.
“John Aspland and Doug Irish are tight,” Metivier said. “Huge conflict of interest there. That is ‘underhanded.’ No other word for it.”
A couple of weeks after the controversial vote, Supervisor John Strough, who is a Democrat, said he was replacing Bill VanNess as deputy supervisor with Metivier.
The three other Town Board members did the most childish thing possible. They voted to eliminate the deputy supervisor position.
The question we need answered is: Why the acrimony?
Surely, it was more than just one disagreement over the town’s legal representation.
Surely, it is about something more than party.
“They really want John (Strough) out of office and will do everything they can to make the next six months as miserable as possible. This is very unsettling,” Metivier said. “It’s about the Republican winning. It’s not about John. I’ve sat there in Republican meetings in the past, and I don’t understand how Republicans winning will make much difference here in Queensbury. I’m left scratching my head.”
Me too.
So earlier this month, 42 members of the Queensbury Republican Committee met and heard from potential candidates for the Queensbury Town Board.
Metivier told them about his service for the past 10 years.
He was told the party was endorsing someone else.
“I was disappointed, let down and frustrated,” Metivier said, “but I wasn’t surprised.”
Then Metivier said the words I wish all office-seekers would say:
“I am not a politician, I am a public servant. I am not here for the party. I am here for the people of Queensbury. I think there are people out there that actually appreciate that.”
If you are wondering how all this works, consider this: Earlier this year, Bill VanNess, who cast one of the three controversial votes for his deputy in the Queensbury Republican Party, resigned from the Town Board and was appointed Republican commissioner to the Warren County Board of Elections over an experienced longtime deputy at a salary of $64,500.
Irish took over as chairman of the Queensbury Republican Committee.
But Metivier is not going away.
He has been out gathering signatures on his own and plans on challenging the committee’s hand-picked successor and returning to the Town Board.
“Not a single person has said they will not sign,” Metivier said. “People have been telling me to stick to my guns.”
And in an even more bizarre twist, the Queensbury Democratic Party endorsed Metivier to ensure he will be on the November ballot.
There are some who appreciate an elected official doing the right thing.
That’s good, because it doesn’t happen very often these days.
Metivier distanced himself from the Republicans over the years, but in February 2023, he was endorsed by the Queensbury GOP for the Town Board. It was a close vote and the discussion featured some harsh words among committee members.
Metivier has yet to weigh in on the Ethics Board decision and what to do about it.
During last month’s meeting, Metivier said nothing.
You have to wonder why.
Reisman promoted
Former Post-Star reporter Nick Reisman, who took the television route with Spectrum TV after leaving the newspaper, has just been promoted as Politico’s Albany bureau chief.
Politico has been covering state government for 12 years and says it is “reorganizing and reinforcing our coverage to put policy first and meet an extraordinary moment of disruption in state and city politics.”
“To advance this mission every day, we’re naming Nick Reisman to the role of Albany bureau chief. He will anchor coverage of the governor, the legislature and statewide campaigns, sharpen our Pro focus on policymaking and the influence industry, and help coordinate the bureau’s work across beats,” Politico announced.
Bad week
It was shaping up as bad weekend for me as a sports fan.
The Yankees got blown out twice by the Blue Jays and were on the brink of elimination in the playoffs. I was hoping to restore my spirits by seeing the Giants pick up a win against the winless Saints Sunday.
After taking a 14-3 lead, the Giants turned the ball over on five straight possessions and lost, 26-14.
Then, on the brink of elimination Tuesday night, the Yankees were down 6-1.
“It’s over,” I announced to my son.
“But it’s only the fourth inning,” he responded.
I started working my phone to secure tickets to the Broadway show “Kimberly Akimbo” at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans Wednesday night since baseball season would be over.
After picking out my ticket, I sat back to watch.
The Yankees ended up scoring eight unanswered runs to win 9-6 and force Game 4 Wednesday night and force me to make a decision about what to see.
Punishing N.Y.
The Trump administration announced last week it was canceling 321 energy project awards totaling $7.5 billion to states that did not support Donald Trump in the last election.
New York was one of the states punished.
New York Times reporters Brad Plumer and Maxine Joselow wrote, “The move underscored how the Trump administration appeared to be using the government shutdown as a pretext to punish its political opponents.”
Another $18 billion was withheld from New York City to fund a subway line and a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River.
Louisiana hit hard
You can’t help but wonder how people in Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s district are going to respond to the cuts they will be seeing.
The New Orleans Times Picayune reported that an analysis by the Urban Institute found Louisiana is projected to see the steepest decline in enrollment in Obamacare because of the new Medicaid cuts.
It predicts some 85,000 people will lose insurance coverage.
The number participating in Obamacare has grown from 120,000 Louisiana residents in 2023 to 300,000 today.
Unanswered questions
What has happened to the rule of law in our country when the attorney general won’t answer direct questions?
Attorney General Pam Bondi went before the Senate Judiciary Committee and not only refused to answers questions, but attacked the senators asking the questions.
Sen. Adam Schiff listed a summary of every question that Bondi refused to answer:
Did Bondi consult with career ethics lawyers before approving Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million jet from Qatar?
Who ordered Trump’s name to be flagged in the FBI’s Epstein file review?
Did Tom Homan keep the $50,000 allegedly given by undercover FBI agents?
Did Homan pay taxes on that $50,000?
Did DOJ prosecutors find insufficient evidence to charge James Comey before his indictment?
What legal basis justified U.S. military strikes on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean?
Did Bondi discuss indicting Comey with President Trump?
Did she approve firing antitrust lawyers who opposed the Hewlett Packard–Juniper merger?
Does she support a compensation fund for January 6 defendants?
Is she firing career prosecutors for working on January 6 investigations?
Does she believe government officials must follow court orders?
Her failure to answer any of her inquires speaks to an even bigger question about whether she is following her oath to the Constitution.
Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.
Good morning. I thoroughly enjoy this posting, thank you.
My opinion about the funding issue has been this from the beginning, why are we sending tax money to the federal government for services they are no longer providing? Keep that money in state. Use it to fill the gaps the federal government is creating. Use it to benefit all New Yorkers.
In response to tRump's withholding funds for NY, Hochul needs to follow Maine and California and withhold all federal income tax funds and we can self fund these programs!!! We need to fight fire with fire!!! I for one am sick of these criminals running amok in DC. Members of Congressneed to wake up..