Remember what happened to Dave Wick?
Cuomo asked Lake George Park Commission exec to resign
Morning Briefing
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Gov. Andrew Cuomo may finally have an inkling of how David Wick felt six years ago when powerful people were asking him to resign his position as executive director of the Lake George Park Commission.
Those powerful people were with the Cuomo administration.
Wick, who by all accounts was doing a good job and had just introduced boat washing stations as a way to combat invasive species in the lake, was asked to resign by the Cuomo administration.
He refused.
The Board of Commissioners then placed Wick on paid administrative leave, but refused to fire him.
With Wick on leave, more than 100 people attended the November meeting of the park commission with 30 praising Wick’s leadership and character.
A day before Thanksgiving, the Lake George Park Commission announced that Wick would return to his job after a two-week unpaid suspension related to a retirement dinner aboard one of the Lake George Steamboat Company vessels for a volunteer commissioner who was retiring. The state investigation faulted Wick and the Park Commission for accepting “gifts.”
It sounded like the Cuomo administration was trying to save face.
When Wick was welcomed back at the next meeting by Queensbury Supervisor John Strough, a round of applause followed.
I wrote this in a column in The Post-Star at the time:
“What is happening to Wick is wrong, and it is clear the Cuomo administration long ago strayed from knowing the difference between good and bad.”
And then added:
“What is indisputable is that Wick is good at his job, has gotten things done and is well respected. Why would anyone have a problem with that?”
I called it a victory for the good guys.
I think Dave Wick should join the chorus in asking for Gov. Cuomo - one of the bad guys - to resign, but I suspect Wick has too much class for that.
The rant
I suspect there are a lot of rants that we don’t hear about on the floor of the House of Representatives.
This one came from Rep, Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) on Tuesday, demanding that his Republican colleagues focus on the issue of Americans struggling during the pandemic instead of stoking culture wars.
It is a reminder of the difference in cable news outlets. It’s not the facts they are presenting necessarily, but which stories they are playing up.
Here is what Ryan had to say to his Republican colleagues:
“Stop talking about Dr. Seuss and start working with us on behalf of the American workers!
“Heaven forbid we pass something that’s going to help the damn workers in the United States of America!
“Heaven forbid we tilt the balance that has been going in the wrong direction for 50 years. We talk about pensions, you complain. We talk about the minimum wage increase, you complain. We talk about giving them the right to organize, you complain. But if we were passing a tax cut here, you’d be getting in line to vote yes for it.”
Tournament bound?
Joe Girard had a solid all around game for Syracuse Wednesday as they upended North Carolina State in the ACC tournament. The win could be pivotal in getting into the NCAA Tournament.
Girard played 33 strong minutes and had 14 points and 3 assists.
Syracuse will take on top-seeded Virginia on Thursday at noon.