There is no reason to trust Queensbury Town Board anymore
New York High School Softball Hall of Fame to induct Greg Brownell
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What makes our democracy strong is the belief in a set of principles - what is right and wrong - that we all generally share.
Those principles take many forms, starting with the rule of law, but at the grassroots levels of our cities, towns and villages is a demand for moral responsibility by our leaders.
We want to trust them.
We want to believe they will always do the right thing for the benefit of the citizens they represent.
But that has not alway been the case.
There are a multitude of cases where elected officials have done the wrong thing to benefit themselves, family members, friends or their political party.
Even here in Queensbury.
The town had a policy against letting its lawyers serve on political committees, but in November 2016, Councilman Doug Irish proposed the town replace its law firm with one run by the vice chairman of the Queensbury Republican Committee. Three of Queensbury’s councilmen also served as past or present officers on the Queensbury Republican Committee.
Councilman Anthony Metivier - he still represents Ward 1 - said there was a “huge conflict of interest” and voted against the measure, despite being threatened politically if he did not vote for it.
So it does happen.
Right here.
One of those councilmen who voted to replace the law firm was William Van Ness, who is running for Queensbury town supervisor this year.
The point is the code of ethics is important and voters should be concerned if it is being flouted. Even if it is just a little bit. It’s why the town of Queensbury smartly says in its ethics code that town employees “should avoid even the appearance of conflict.”
The current chairman of the Warren County Republican Committee, Tim McNulty, is also a Queensbury town councilman.
He is serving the people of Ward 4 on one hand and his political party on the other.
Two masters with two different missions.
There is already too much politics in our government, and it often seems like it’s who you know that matters if you want to land a good job or a big contract.
I addressed the Town Board in November 2024 and told them of my concerns.
They did not say or do anything to alleviate my concerns.
So I filed an ethics complaint with the town Ethics Board on Nov. 20, 2024. Last February, the Ethics Board ruled there was an “appearance of a conflict of interest.”
The board wrote in its ruling:
There appears to be an inherent appearance of a conflict of interest when a Queensbury Town Board member also serves as the chairman of a local political party. It provides an opportunity for that Queensbury Board member to further or make personal gains, in status and power and influence as the leader of a local political party. It also provides those same possibilities of gains to the political party that he is the prime member of, similar to his “family” or “tribe.”
In our opinion it is obvious that holding these positions simultaneously provides the opportunity to make decisions that benefit that person and his group/family/tribe rather than the citizens of Queensbury. We conclude that this creates the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Furthermore, holding both positions creates an open channel for unethical actions. Regardless of whether there has been a particular action that has raised concerns, the situation in and of itself may create a propensity for impropriety or at the very least the appearance of such. Much that occurs within the closed meetings of various political parties has little or no public transparency. The presence of this dynamic and the inherent lack of transparency could undermine public trust and confidence in our town board.
The ruling from this nonpartisan board was clear, but it did not lead to action.
It has been 18 months since that ruling. I have made multiple appearances before the Town Board, without action by the board.
So during the open forum at the town meeting Monday night, I brought it to their attention - AGAIN - and said this:
Eighteen months ago, the town of Queensbury Ethics Board found that Councilman Tim McNulty was in violation of the town’s ethics policy because McNulty has a duty to more than one organization.
This is a clear conflict of interest and the Ethics Board’s ruling states that clearly.
This Town Board has done nothing.
That is an embarrassment.
Each and every one of you should be ashamed.
A year ago, I spoke to this board, asking when it would act. Councilman Scott Gushlaw told me to be patient. That these things take time.
Eighteen months is clearly enough time. What are you waiting for?
More importantly, the town’s ethics policy is a set of principles to be abided by in your service to the community, and since one of you is in clear conflict, it raises questions about whether each and every one of you believes in those principles.
Election season is upon us and I will continue to spread the word of your failures as a board and your inability to act on this issue.
Each and every one of you should be voted out of office.
Because of their inability to act during this past year and a half, I’ve turned my attention to the voters of Queensbury and asked them to make this right, to drive politics out of town government because it is obvious the politicians have no intention of doing it.
Brownell honor
Greg Brownell, the former sports editor of The Post-Star (he succeeded me in 1999,) will be inducted into the New York State High School Softball Hall of Fame next year.
I still see Greg from time to time - including last week at the “Fact-checking for all” event - and he never mentions little bits of news like this.
That’s Greg.
Greg was my assistant sports editor at the newspaper for 11 years, then my sports editor for 21 years. Definitely, one of the unsung heroes at The Post-Star for always going the extra mile.
From the very beginning, Greg was an enthusiastic supporter of girls high school sports at a time when they were often an afterthought at many papers.
The induction ceremony is set for Herkimer on June 19, 2027 at the Mudville Sports Complex. Greg will be inducted alongside former Fort Ann pitching star, Jamie (Graves) Culligan.
Graves was a four-time first team all-state selection and helped the Cardinals win the 1998 Class D state championship.
Brownell was chosen for the Hall of Fame as a “contributor” who covered high school softball for four decades at The Post-Star and still volunteers his time to cover state and sectionals playoffs in retirement. He also assisted in making all-state selections for more than 20 years.
Like I said, Greg always went the extra mile.
Focus on mental health
New York Focus took a look at the use of “mental health court” around the state this week.
Those arrested and suffering from mental health challenges can get access to community-based health treatment in exchange for a guilty plea. If they complete the court-supervised program, their charges are reduced or dismissed. Graduation rates range from 73 to 87 percent and the program helps many get a handle on their mental health and reduces the chances of re-arrest.
But here’s the problem that New York Focus found: According to the Center for Justice Innovation, more than half of New York’s counties do not have “mental health court,” including Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties.
It’s a growing trend to provide alternatives to jail but there are still approximately only 1,700 participants.
New York Focus reported that “unlike drug courts, which serve people with substance use issues, mental health courts aren’t required by state law.”
“You walk over an invisible line that divides two counties, and the legal outcomes are completely different,” Leanne Lapp, the public defender in Ontario County, near Rochester, told New York Focus.
Capital Rep tickets
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the ticket sales to The Last American Newspaper play at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany.
The theater has 315 seats and two-thirds of the seats for the first week of shows have already been sold. It is exciting to have that kind of interest.
Rehearsals begin on Sept. 1 with previews scheduled for Sept. 25-27.
Ban robots
Now that the state Education Department has killed the experimental classroom robot in western New York, state senators are taking things a step farther.
New York Focus reported a bill was introduced Thursday to ban New York school districts from using humanoid robots in classroom instruction.
Salamanca City Central School District planned on experimenting with a robot this coming year. The robot and an accompanying digital avatar was to be powered by artificial intelligence.
The bill would require school districts to use caution before employing a robot, with a written policy that would prohibit robots from performing the responsibilities of a teacher.
Sen. Shelley Mayer, Senate education chair, introduced the legislation and told New York Focus that Salamanca’s plans were a “glaring mistake of judgment.”
“As someone who cares about kids and education and how we learn — not just academically, but socially — that all requires human interaction,” Mayer told New York Focus. “This is absolutely replacing a human being with a machine for instruction and other functions of education, and it shouldn’t be marketed to any school in the United States.”
The robot company responded by saying, “What concerns us about [the bill] is that it appears to have been introduced without anyone involved having seen the technology in action or evaluated a live pilot. The Salamanca project that prompted this bill has not even been deployed. Making a sweeping statewide prohibition on that basis, before any facts or evidence exists, is a premature step.”
60 Minutes leak
Nick Bilton, the new executive producer of 60 Minutes who has no television experience, apparently welcomed back the staff this week and warned them about leaking things to the press.
Status reported that message was immediately leaked to it.
60 Minutes, Part 2
Fired 60 Minutes correspondents Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi have landed gigs at Columbia University as Journalists in Residence for the coming year.
“Their distinguished track records in investigative reporting highlight the amazing opportunity our students will have to learn from them, and we look forward to having Sharyn and Scott with us this year,” said the dean of the Columbia Journalism school, Jelani Cobb, in a statement.
Pelley added, “This is a critical time for a free press. Columbia is leading the way in training the next generation of great journalists and I am honored to join Sharyn in that vital cause.”
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 his play “The Last American Newspaper” is being produced by Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany Sept. 25 to Oct. 18 . He currently lives in both Queensbury, N.Y. and New Orleans, La.
The inability of Warren County Republican leadership to adjust to basic, common sense ethical standards would be comical if it wasn’t pathetic.
I’d love it if a Republican could define nepotism for me. A Party leader in elected office is the danger of nepotism defined. The ethics board is correct “ …it is obvious that holding these positions simultaneously provides the opportunity to make decisions that benefit that person and his group/family/tribe…” Nepotism.
Republicans leaders don’t seem to understand, or purposely ignore rules of ethical behavior. Are they not smart enough to understand unethical behavior? Or are they apathetic to it? Or both? I can’t make that judgement because there is no option that reflects well on their character - and I wouldn’t want to impugn their character. I leave that to them. They seem to be both good at it, and uncaring of it being done in their name.
These are people who endorse the Trump crime family. Nepotism at the very top. That is who the current Republican Party are.
Not premature. Making sure that children’s emotional and mental health are protected and that safeguards are in place in all aspects of their education is something tech companies must respect. We have a habit of letting new tech run amok and putting the tech back in the bottle just never seems to work.