Trust no one
I have learned that one cannot trust many of the people involved in politics. My dealings/associations with party bosses on the town/county-levels have been particularity interesting. The party bosses who belong to the smaller political parties believe that they are more influential than they really are, and they are the types of people who smile at you in person and then immediately plot behind your back. One party boss sent out an email stating that I was the hardest working elected official he had ever seen in his 20-plus years as chairman. He strongly hinted to me on four occasions that he would liked to have seen me receive his party’s nomination rather than have had the Republican candidate receive it. In late February 2015, we met at Lox where he coached me how to load the Town Caucus with members of his party in order to give myself a better chance of receiving the party line. He instructed me to talk about being a proponent of Second Amendment rights and a critic of the SAFE Act. Ten days later, I was told by a friend that he had seen an email that the party boss had sent to his committee members which stated that he planned to run my current opponent against me. At the time, it did not surprise me, because numerous upstanding citizens around Saugerties had told me not to trust the party boss, because he used people until they were no longer of use to him and that he was a bully and a liar. When the party boss began to slander me on the internet and in the newspaper, it did not surprise me, because he has a past history of being sued for slander/defamation of character in Civil Court. And although his comments are highly offensive and outlandish, I have decided not to mention his name, because this would give him a level of credibility that he does not have. The slanderer is no longer in charge of a non-political board which he politicized when he was in charge of it, and the voters do not give real legitimacy to what he says or what he recommends. In May 2015, after I asked him if he “would hate me for running up the score on his candidate,” he looked confused. When I informed him that I planned on winning by a large number of votes, the slanderer replied, “You will always be my friend.” Since then, the slanderer has made up statements that I never said while claiming that I bragged of kicking his candidates’ derriere, and that I had made an analogy between a sitting state senator and an animal. The slanderer also falsified statements that claim my accuser has numerous other witnesses to back up her allegations against me. These statements are lies, just as the accuser’s claims against me. Pretty soon, the slanderer, the opponent and the accuser will all have their lies disproven, and they will all end up being even less relevant.
Chris Allen, Ulster County Legislature
End the madness
This is in response to Ulster County Legislator Chris Allen’s letter last week when he reached into the “wayback machine” to attack me for events from 2009 when I was a single father struggling to raise three children. He wrongly blamed me for the Health Department missing check flap while Democrats controlled the Ulster County Legislature (11/21/09 Daily Freeman). I served 14 years in the Legislature and I’m proud of my accomplishments on behalf of Saugerties residents.
Allen brags about his attendance record. It’s easy to attend a lot of meetings when you don’t have a job and live with your parents. Taxpayers should know Allen is reimbursed for mileage for every meeting he attends. Perhaps Allen can explain why he was absent for a vote opposing the SAFE Act (Res. #253 of 2015).
His defense of his worker’s compensation claim is as foolish as him saying his alleged assault victim injured herself. Allen suggested another Legislator also filed a claim. In December 2014, the Legislature approved a contract with a Worker’s Compensation vendor (Res. # 411). Allen abstained from this vote due to his claim. He was the only legislator that abstained.
Since his arrest, I’ve heard reports of Allen being thrown off properties, pestering voters to the point of harassment and threatening lawsuits against his critics. There are also several shocking and disturbing allegations that hopefully will be made public and shed light on his true character. Chris Allen is a plague on our community.
On Nov. 3, voters in Legislative District 2 (Barclay Heights, Village, part of Malden), have the opportunity to end the madness by voting Allen out of office. Angie Minew, who Allen has attacked as “uneducated and unqualified,” is a wife, mother and small business owner who has the passion and experience to be an effective legislator. I urge District 2 residents to vote for Angie on Election Day.
Joe Roberti Jr., Chair, Saugerties GOP
Deception and misogyny
As if he doesn’t have enough female problems, Chris Allen strikes again; he just can’t keep his mouth shut. Lately, he was overheard bashing female opponent Angie Minew, calling her “stupid,” “uneducated,” and other disparaging comments. He also posted belittling comments on his Facebook page about Minew: calling her a liar, claiming that she “fumbles” around with her words and mocking her spelling.
He jumps at each and every opportunity to insult and degrade her. It’s obvious, and as previously suggested, Chris Allen gives the absolute impression that he has some serious issues with women. On April 20, Chris Allen was notified by the Conservative Party’s vice chair, Gaetana Ciarlante, that the party would be conducting interviews on May 5 for those seeking the Conservative line. On May 1, Chris sent Vice-Chair Ciarlante the following e-mail:
“After some self-evaluation of my options, I have decided to stick with the straight-up endorsements that I already have or will receive up front in this election cycle. In addition, there is a limit as to how many straight-up party endorsements that I can receive as a candidate in NYS.”
He was advising us that he would not be seeking our line, but panic struck once he learned that his likely opponent would be a female—Angie Minew, who was seeking the Republican and Conservative endorsements. So he sat back and waited for Angie to collect all her petitions and then quietly and in a sneaky manner, waited until the very latest date possible and filed his OTB petitions, forcing a costly primary to boot.
Chris Allen lied to and deceived us, telling us that he was not seeking our line but he just couldn’t stand the thought of a female candidate running against him. His entire campaign thus far has been spreading lies and bashing Angie Minew with every opportunity. Why? His behavior has been unethical, unprofessional and out of control. Perhaps it’s time for him to step down. Yet, in spite of all of Mr. Allen’s rants, raves, lies and bashing of Angie Minew, she has conducted a clean and positive campaign.
Every dust-up or incident that comes to light about Chris Allen involves a woman. He appears to have a problem with the opposite sex and I have to wonder if his voting record has been, or will be, prejudiced by that “problem.”
I ask voters not to support Chris Allen—experience, as well as other anecdotal information, shows that he just cannot be trusted. I certainly do not want this man to represent me in the Legislature any longer. Please support Angie Minew, a diligent, knowledgeable and upstanding woman who will stand up and fight for us in District 2— and will represent all of us equally, regardless of gender. Please vote for Angie Minew, Row C.
George Heidcamp, Chair, Saugerties Conservative Party
Join the family! 
