Nice to be back in the news - I guess
If you love penguins, you’ve got to watch `Penguin Town’
The Front Page
Afternoon Update
Thursday, June 18, 2021
By Ken Tingley
Retirement can be quiet, which is nice, but I still find myself being drawn back into the news.
After criticizing the Warren County Democrats for withdrawing their endorsement of Queensbury Supervisor John Strough without saying why, I heard from many people on both sides of the issue.
To be clear, I was not defending Strough because I’m not really sure what he has been accused of. My criticism of the Democrats was that by remaining quiet about their reasoning, they were indicting Strough anyway. That didn’t seem fair.
Mike Parwana, a local Democrat, was one of those who commented on the Strough situation. He indicated the matter was “serious” and that there would be more information in the future after Strough had a hearing. I hope that is sooner rather than later.
Thursday morning, Travis Whitehead shared with me a statement made by Strough at a Warren County Supervisors meeting that quoted what I wrote in a February newsletter.
Mr. Strough cited my “wisdom,” which I found surprising because he was constantly criticizing what we wrote at The Post-Star when I was editor as “wrong” or “inaccurate.” I guess it’s true about becoming wiser as you age. For me, it took just a year.
Here is a link to the supervisors meeting. Strough talks about me at the 3:07 mark.
Here is also the link to what I wrote in my February 23 newsletter.
On another front, Will Doolittle’s column mentioned me as well. It turned out that Rep. Elise Stefanik’s hatchet man Alex deGrasse had attacked me with tweets at some point. Will was nice enough to to defend me, but it really wasn’t needed. I believe my own reputation will always be safe, especially compared with someone like Alex deGrasse.
deGrasse is apparently so good at his job, he got a recent promotion. The point Will was making - and you can check it out HERE - was that in order for constituents to like Rep. Stefanik, she needs someone to do her dirty work. That would be deGrasse.
Rep. Stefanik’s greatest success in this district is that she has divided us. Just yesterday, she seemed to be backing former President Trump’s support of Russia over President Biden’s more critical stand. I don’t think she really believes that, but it is what she has to do to stay in power.
Vaccine strategy
My wife, Gillian, came up with a great idea for ensuring that the entire country is over the 70 percent vaccination rate. The federal government just needs to tell everyone that there will be a shortage of the vaccine after Labor Day. Hey, it works with toilet paper.
Love those penguins
I’m getting my penguin fix with a new series on Netflix called “Penguin Town.” It is not a documentary, but documentary series with eight episodes. It follows the migration of African penguins to a small resort town in South Africa as they go through mating season. I giggled with delight all the way through the trailer and loved the first episode. It is truly a delight that the whole family would enjoy.
Tweet of the Day
I’m not normally one stand on formality or polish my bona fides but in this case I think it is worth noting that I am not just a Democrat but the Chair of the Queensbury Democratic Committee.
Hey Ken, just a general comment. I'm really enjoying your blog. Retirement seems to be treating you well. I particularly liked your post about the elderly couple you met in Texas. It was a very enjoyable read. Thanks for sharing.