Posted by: The Editors in Untagged on
Aug 20, 2010
In what appears to be a stinging rebuke to the claims by the Haggerty brothers that Bart Haggerty shares the Chairmanship of the Queens GOP, NYS's Supreme Court and Appellate Court have both upheld Phil Ragusa as the sole and legitimate Chairman of the Queens GOP, and rejected Liz Berney's attempt to block a Wilson-Pakula issued by the State GOP to Dr. James Milano to run as a Republican in NY's 5th Congressional district.
The Wilson Pakula issued to Milano was approved at a bi-county meeting of the heads of the Queens and Nassau GOP, called for by the State GOP under their rules. Berney attempted to nullify the Wilson-Pakula based on Bart Haggerty not being invited to the meeting, as a purported Chairman of the Queens GOP. The Court found no basis for this assertion, stating that if Haggerty wanted to challenge the recognized Chairmanship of Ragusa, the only remedy would have to challenge it in court, as they had done unsuccessfully after previous elections of Ragusa as Queens GOP Chairman. That challenge is now time-barred, as the law required they file their action within ten days of the election of Ragusa.
Posted by: The Editors in Untagged on
Aug 18, 2010
Vince Tabone, the Republican candidate for the open seat in the 26th Assembly district, filed over 2000 signatures to create the "Taxed Enough Already" line. Known as independent nominating petitions, candidates can create a line under any name they like, but these lines appear at the end of the ballot, after all the major party lines.
However, the Queens Democratic machine and their candidate in this race, Ed Braunstein, is challenging Tabone's petitions, showing how much the Democrats fear the anti-incumbent tea party mood of the electorate. Braunstein is a legislative aide to Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver, and appears to be nothing more than a surrogate for Silver's failed agenda. So much so that some in the district are starting to call Braunstein a mini-me to Silver and his policies.
Braunstein, who only recently graduated from law school, has been working in Silver's leadership office on lower Broadway, serving as a whip for Silver's agenda. This would appear to put him at odds with the current "throw the bums out" mentality of the voters going into the November elections.
In addition, Braunstein's uncle is Albany super-lobbyist Brian Meara, who is a close confidant of Shelly Silver. This should give Tabone the advantage he needs to pull off a victory, with many of the local papers already labeling him as the odds on favorite. Tabone's ability to avoid a Republican primary is also helping himto solidify his base of support while the Democrats head into what could be a very messy four-way primary in September.
The full Tabone press release is after the break....
Senator Craig Johnson must loathe Long Island commuters. How else do you explain his raising fares and eliminating your trains and buses — at your expense!
The Craig Johnson MTA Payroll Tax was just the start
On Long Island, we've become accustomed to the MTA picking our pockets, increasing our fares and cutting our service.
But this year, Craig Johnson added insult to injury as he cast the deciding vote to impose an onerous MTA payroll tax on all Nassau County businesses, schools and charities. Together, we cough up another $100 million to keep the dysfunctional and gluttonous MTA afloat — whether we ride or not. The plan was so outrageous that people from around the state have joined Nassau in suing the MTA!
Now, Johnson has the nerve to stand idly by as the MTA announces plans to:...
Posted by: The Editors in Untagged on
Jun 19, 2010
Our video of the week is of City Councilman Dan Halloran going after a speeding traffic agent who was also talking on his cell phone while driving, who then parked illegally to run into a Dunkin Donuts. When confronted by the Councilman, the traffic agent tried to turn the tables and wrote Halloran a parking ticket. Watch and enjoy.
Posted by: The Editors in Untagged on
Jun 14, 2010
Controversial Queens GOP operative John Haggerty has officially been indicted by Manhattan DA Cy Vance for stealing $1.1 million, according to NY1 news:
"A top campaign operative involved in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2008 re-election bid was charged today with stealing approximately $1.1 million in missing campaign funds.
Payments to Rockaway Peninsula were criticized by the good-government group Change-NY in the 1990s as an example of a waste of taxpayer dollars, but the group escaped scrutiny by routinely refusing to file nonprofit reports.
Posted by: The Editors in Untagged on
Jun 10, 2010
Following up on other stories about Bloomberg's Republican operatives, the Haggerty brothers of Queens, it is being reported today in the NY Post that John Haggerty may get jail time in his attempt to steal funds from the Mayor...
Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. is demanding that a top Republican operative spend time behind bars as part of a plea deal to avoid indictment for allegedly swiping $750,000 of Mayor Bloomberg's campaign funds, The Post has learned.
"It's make a deal or be indicted," said one source. "The DA is insisting on jail time."
The DA began investigating John Haggerty after The Post unmasked him in January as the man behind a mysterious Election Day poll-watching operation funded by the mayor through a $1.2 million personal contribution to the state Independence Party last year.
...the interesting discrepancy revolves around the fact that Mr. Haggerty claims he legitimately took the funds as he states he was authorized to do, yet no one on the campaign or in the Mayor's administration will confirm that position.
This week's highlighted video is NJ Gov. Chris Christie talking about the education union and how they hurt, not help, in the education of NJ children. Enjoy...
The news is in. The GOP State Committee rejected the bid of the Executive of Suffolk County to become a Republican candidate for Governor. Instead, Rick Lazio was emphatically embraced as the Party's nominee this fall. How does this bode for the State Chairman, Ed Cox, who pushed so hard for Mr. Levy to be the Republican candidate? Only time will tell.
For a more in-depth discussion, please see this thread by Daniel Peterson...
Posted by: The Editors in Untagged on
May 22, 2010
Calls For an End to Washington’s Tax-and- Spend Culture
U.S. Senate candidate David R. Malpass (R) today released the first television spot of the 2010 U.S. Senate race for the seat now held by the unelected Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D). The 30-second spot, entitled “Piling Debt on Debt,” will be aired statewide. The ad, which was produced by Jamestown Associates, focuses on the federal government’s out-of-control expansion and the impact it has on jobs and New York’s families. David is running to bring an upheaval to Washington’s tax- and- spend culture and to promote economic growth and jobs. Video below the fold...
The Herd: Have Your Say
