No Country For Sane Men: News That Matters - January 18, 20145

News That Matters

News That Matters
Brought to you (Almost Daily) by PlanPutnam.Org

Telling it like it is for 10 years and counting...

Happy Saturday Morning!

This is what we awoke to this morning:

There's much going on these days in Putnam County government. For one, we're all pretty much aware that the county legislature appointed a man to serve on their august body who was not elected by the people he's representing. Business as usual, as we've come to know and love it!

And the Tilly Foster thing won't go away either. It just gets worse and worse and more embarrassing for everyone involved most of whom (and I'll bet they're grateful!) are out of office leaving the current junta with their hands covered in horse manure.

But there's another, bigger, news story out and about there these days and that's the county executive's race this year. It seems Senator Ball has fired a shot across County Executive Maryellen Odell's bow. Or the NYJN never researched their story. Or they did (and that's bad!). Or Greg Ball is lying. Or, well.... something!

Now, I don't like County Executive MaryEllen Odell very much since she disregarded Democrat and Blank voters in her run against former Senator Vincent Leibell for the County Executive's Seat. She insisted she didn't have to curry non-Republicans because there were enough unhappy Republicans that they'd vote for her instead of Unca Vinnie. She wouldn't listen to reason and she lost. Unca went to prison and she (Read: we!) had to do the whole thing all over again. Oh, and that time she referred to public opposition to her "deal" with Bikepath Country as being the people who always complain.

I especially don't like NY State Senator Greg Ball. According to the Ballster, if it doesn't have a veteran, a puppy, a gun or a photo-op in it he's not interested. I'll give you that he's cute as hell and I'd date him in a New York Minute, but his political ethics are, well, those are two words that are never used when talking about the Ballster. It's like saying "butch" when you're talking about Truman Capote or "capitalist" around Mao Tse Tung. It just ain't done.

And, LoHud, formerly known as the New York Journal News, has a such poor record of covering Putnam County that it's hard to know we exist. Sure, they carry the police blotter because it titillates but otherwise we might as well be in Kansas as far as they're concerned. However, they love Putnam County government and they have since Bob Bondi held the reigns around here and a taser to their testicles.

All three of these entities now find themselves at the center of what could be a political scandal or just poor reporting and a lack of honesty all around. Knowing our county politicians the latter isn't a scandal, it's just the way things are around here.

The LoHud published a story the other day about how County Executive Maryellen Odell secured some $2M for repair of a bridge in Brewster. It literally gushed with praise, as if she had won the Nobel Prize or some such thing. But a press release from the ever smiling Senator Ball says that *he* got the money and never mentions the County Executive at all.

Today I received yet another press release from the Ballster claiming that he AND Congressman Maloney, the faux-liberal, got the money and again, there's no mention of our county executive at all.

So what gives here?

Is the NYJN still in love with Putnam County's ruling junta and have an axe to grind against the Ballster? Is the Ballster telling the truth? (sorry, I know..!) Is MEO? What's going on?

JmG

Subscribe to the News That Matters RSS Feed and stay up-to-date.