Not all incumbents are created equal, of course, nor are all legislative districts. Only one seat has to change hands for Democrats, who enjoy a 9,000-voter enrollment edge countywide, to take control. I look for Democrats to mount a “do-nothing” campaign against rival Republicans, who, constricted by a powerful Democratic executive, really haven’t done much. They might rue what they wish for.
School of angst
Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo, a born-again supporter of the Sophie Finn-to-SUNY Ulster conversion project, was conspicuous by his absence from the first public hearing on the proposal last week at the midtown Kingston elementary school.
It may be that Hizzoner is just laying low after a recording of a foul-mouthed, enraged chief executive berating his lowest-paid employee were made public a few weeks ago. But he’ll have to emerge from his bunker at some point, and this was a good forum to start off on a positive note.
On paper, the conversion of a potentially empty school into an adjunct campus for the community college might have been the best governmental news for Kingston since the county built its office building Uptown in the early 1960s. Don’t laugh. Orange County abandoned its government center in Goshen two years ago, and the place now looks like a ghost town.
As organized and promoted by forward-looking County Executive Mike Hein, it’s pretty hard to argue against this project, even for a neighbor (me) on what will probably be a direct traffic route.
Hein’s performance at the public hearing was almost flawless. The executive was informative, engaging, receptive. “Now that was a good question,” he said several times, as though he’d never considered the subject in that light before. He gave the impression the county was doing residents a favor, being “transparent” in offering a public informational meeting before it was required by law. But of course everybody in the room knew this project, planned behind closed doors, is now virtually a done deal.
Hein did stumble once, though only slightly. His contention at the public meeting that this was an either/or proposition — either support his plan or face the possibility of a vacant building — was a false choice he ought to eliminate from future sales pitches. A well-maintained building with plenty of parking across the street from what will soon be Kingston’s only hospital might have numerous takers.
But let’s deal with what’s on the table. This is one of those projects that should succeed for all the right reasons.
Ironically, Gallo, now one of its more vociferous supporters, didn’t see it that way at first. Hein’s modus operandi is to plot his plans carefully in secret and then announce them as virtual faits accomplis. On this one he didn’t give the rookie mayor a heads-up. Gallo went bonkers, threatening to stall the project by withholding required city permits. Yikes. Good thing Hein didn’t say anything about the mayor’s mother.
Fortunately for the project, Hein, who can be quite persuasive, soothed the mayor’s ruffled feathers. They marched off together like the tin man and the lion.
One of the few loose ends on this done deal is how county officials will mitigate the traffic. Other than supplying a few buses for the site, they can’t. Traffic control comes under the purview of the Common Council, and the only way aldermen know how to mitigate traffic is to put up traffic lights or more of those damned stop signs.
Let us finish on a lighter note.
While conspicuously absent — Kingston county legislators Dave Donaldson and Pete Loughran were no-shows, too — the mayor’s most recent mishaps were not entirely forgotten. “Maybe he’s out in the parking lot writing tickets,” a neighbor whispered to me. The reference, of course, was to Gallo going postal on a Hurley motorist who allegedly ran a stop sign in Kingston last month.
Apparently he hasn’t learned yet that being a strong mayor (by charter) doesn’t mean being a strongman, as in a South American dictator.
Partisan humor
From The Book of Insults by Nancy McPhee:
Teddy Roosevelt was campaigning for president on the Bull Moose ticket in 1912 when he was confronted by a particularly partisan heckler.
“Are you a Democrat?” an annoyed Roosevelt asked the heckler.
“Yes, I am,” he proudly replied.
“Why are you a Democrat?” the former president asked.
“Because my grandfather was a Democrat and my father was a Democrat,” the heckler said.
“And if your grandfather and your father had been jackasses, what would you be?” asked Roosevelt.
“A Republican!” the man shouted without hesitation.
Fortunately for him, T.R. was not carrying a big stick at the time.
Join the family! 
