Just like cutting out the month of June for swimming at the Victoria and Peerless Pools and restricting the dog walkers, now it is the skiers being evicted from the park. What is next? Only golfers and butterflys will be welcome at OUR Spa State Park. The public pays the salaries at the NYS Parks but it is operated like a private club.
Ski rules prompt festival’s exodus
Thursday, December 31, 2009
By Lee Coleman (Contact)
Gazette Reporter
Photographer: Bruce Squiers
Cross-country ski trails along the golf course at Saratoga Spa State Park are restricted this year to preserve the fairways.Text Size: A | A | A
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Sport and Social Club will not hold its winter festival at Saratoga Spa State Park this winter because of new restrictions placed on the cross-country skiing trails in the park.
“I am deeply distressed over the decision to fence in the entire fairways [of the golf course] and make them unavailable to cross-country skiers and snowshoe users,” said Robert Lippman, a local lawyer and president of the five-year-old sport and social club.
“We are not going to hold it [the festival] at the park, and we may not hold it at all,” Lippman said.
He said he continues to receive angry letters and e-mails from some of the 500 members of the sport and social club complaining about the fenced-in cross-country ski trails at the park.
But an official with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation contacted Wednesday said there may be room for compromise and holds out hope that the event could go on.
Alane Ball Chinian, regional director for the parks office’s Saratoga-Capital District Region, said she talked to Lippman about his concerns on Wednesday.
“We are willing to work with the sport and social club,” Chinian said.
Chinian said the state parks office is committed to encouraging winter sports such as cross-country skiing in its parks. She said an example of this is an alliance the state park has formed with the new Saratoga Springs High School Nordic ski team.
“I offered to meet with Bob [Lippman] next week,” Chinian said. Among the topics of discussion would be moving some of the fencing along the ski trails.
In past years, the ski trails went out over the fairways of the park’s 18-hole championship golf course. This winter, however, park officials have placed green fencing along the ski trails, keeping skiers off the fairways.
Park manager Michael Greenslade said this decision was made to protect the fairways from winter damage.
“You feel boxed in,” Lippman said about the new ski trail system. “The feeling of freedom is all gone; it’s quite a shame.”
The sport and social club, which also offers its members outings to the Adirondacks and other locations throughout the year, has held a winter festival at the state park for the past two years, generally in late February or early March.
“I have great affection for the park,” Lippman said. He added that he believes that the park officials also care about the park but have overreacted with the ski trail issue.
He said the restrictions placed on where ski trails can go have resulted in rutted trails “in terrible shape due to overuse that comes from crowding of all skiers and snowshoe/hikers into a narrow channel.”
Lippman maintains that the golf course damage, which is shown in photos posted on signs telling skiers about the new trail system, is generally in low-lying areas that could be individually fenced off.
“In the peak of winter season, when the snow is several inches thick and frozen as hard as concrete, there is simply no argument that skiers are damaging the fairways,” Lippman says in a letter to Thomas Lyons, the resource management director for the state parks office.
Park officials note that the whole southern end of the state park is open to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing with no restrictions.
“While I have been told that the southern end of the park is not fenced, I could not find these areas and they are, at best, several kilometers from the warming hut,” Lippman said.
“Fencing off the entire golf course is a vast overreaction to the problem and sends a message that the park’s priorities are to protect the interests of a few elite golfers at the expense of the public at large,” Lippman says in his letter to Lyons.
Lippman is urging park officials to compromise and reduce some of the fencing so that ski trails can again be located on the golf course fairways. The greens on the golf course have always been off limits to skiing and snowshoeing.
Lippman had usually worked with park maintenance personnel in the days before the club’s winter festival so that cross-country skiing courses for young people and adults could be created for the event. He said these race locations have been lost because of the new fencing erected around the golf course.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Go Zenyatta, horses rule!
Thoroughbred filly Zenyatta, winner of this years Breeders’ Cup Classic, has come in second in the Associated Press’ Female Athlete of the Year award. She was edged out by tennis star Serena Williams. The results were announced yesterday.
AP member U.S. newspapers cast 158 votes, 66 of which went to Williams, and 18 of which went to Zenyatta. Thoroughbred filly Rachel Alexandra was also in the running, finishing 7th, with 10 votes.
Williams also received the title in 2002. The AP Athlete of the Year award began in 1931. Previous winners include Marion Jones, Bonnie Blair, and Monica Seles. A horse has never won the title.
To subscribe to San Jose Horses Examiner, click on the link above
AP member U.S. newspapers cast 158 votes, 66 of which went to Williams, and 18 of which went to Zenyatta. Thoroughbred filly Rachel Alexandra was also in the running, finishing 7th, with 10 votes.
Williams also received the title in 2002. The AP Athlete of the Year award began in 1931. Previous winners include Marion Jones, Bonnie Blair, and Monica Seles. A horse has never won the title.
To subscribe to San Jose Horses Examiner, click on the link above
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
skiers being restricted at Spa to cater to golfers, baloney.
Spa State Park restricts cross-country skiers around fairways
Story Discussion By DREW KERR dkerr@poststar.com | Posted: Friday, December 18, 2009 4:40 pm | (0) Comments
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Drew Kerr DREW KERR - DKERR@POSTSTAR.COM Cross-country skiers assemble near the entrance to a new 3.7-mile winter trail system at the Saratoga Spa State Park on Wednesday. Officials at the park put up fences and re-routed parts of the trail in an effort to keep skiers off of the fairways at the Spa Golf Course. Heavy ski traffic compacted the snow and killed the grass underneath, they said. Skiing and snowshoeing in the rest of the park, where there are a total of 12 miles of trails, remains largely open.
SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Cross-county skiers at the Saratoga Spa State Park will have a little less room to roam this winter.
Parks officials said this week that cross-country skiing trails that traditionally ran over the Spa Golf Course were fenced in and re-routed around fairways so that the fragile turf underneath would no longer be damaged by snow compacted by heavy ski traffic.
Skiers and snowshoers have had relative freedom on the golf course in previous seasons, but officials said repairing the damage had become a perennial problem they now want to avoid.
"It kills the grass, just kills it, and there's no way to get it back," said Alane Ball Chinian, a regional director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation who works out of Saratoga Springs.
Signs detailing a new 3.7-mile winter trail route and showing pictures of damage done to the turf in past winters have been installed to announce the rules change to park patrons.
The decision to keep some parts of the state park off limits comes as officials continue to invest in upgrades at the 9- and 18-hole golf courses within the park.
Bill Richardson, the course's director, said staff are two years into a nearly $2 million overhaul designed specifically to improve turf conditions at the course.
Several trees on the course were cut down this summer and a new irrigation system is also being installed to improve the grass.
"This change goes hand-in-hand with the investment we're making," Richardson said. "The fairways have never been as strong or as healthy as they should be, and that leaves a negative impression on our customers."
Richardson said he hoped skiers who have flocked to the park over the years will understand why the decision was made and be cooperative.
"Change is hard, but we're hoping people will get used to it," he said. "We still think there's plenty of room for the winter activities."
Skiing and snowshoeing still remains largely open in other areas of the park, where there are a total of around 12 miles of trails.
The situation at the state park is unique because it is one of the few locations in the area where skiing occurs in a golf course setting.
Josh Milton, the director of recreation for Glens Falls, said cross-country trails that run through Cole's Woods at Crandall Park don't leave any trace after the snow melts and the ground thaws.
"We don't have any problems at all because all of our trails are in the woods where it's nothing but dirt anyway," he said.
Posted in Local on Friday, December 18, 2009 4:40 pm Updated: 5:11 pm. | Tags:
Story Discussion By DREW KERR dkerr@poststar.com | Posted: Friday, December 18, 2009 4:40 pm | (0) Comments
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Drew Kerr DREW KERR - DKERR@POSTSTAR.COM Cross-country skiers assemble near the entrance to a new 3.7-mile winter trail system at the Saratoga Spa State Park on Wednesday. Officials at the park put up fences and re-routed parts of the trail in an effort to keep skiers off of the fairways at the Spa Golf Course. Heavy ski traffic compacted the snow and killed the grass underneath, they said. Skiing and snowshoeing in the rest of the park, where there are a total of 12 miles of trails, remains largely open.
SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Cross-county skiers at the Saratoga Spa State Park will have a little less room to roam this winter.
Parks officials said this week that cross-country skiing trails that traditionally ran over the Spa Golf Course were fenced in and re-routed around fairways so that the fragile turf underneath would no longer be damaged by snow compacted by heavy ski traffic.
Skiers and snowshoers have had relative freedom on the golf course in previous seasons, but officials said repairing the damage had become a perennial problem they now want to avoid.
"It kills the grass, just kills it, and there's no way to get it back," said Alane Ball Chinian, a regional director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation who works out of Saratoga Springs.
Signs detailing a new 3.7-mile winter trail route and showing pictures of damage done to the turf in past winters have been installed to announce the rules change to park patrons.
The decision to keep some parts of the state park off limits comes as officials continue to invest in upgrades at the 9- and 18-hole golf courses within the park.
Bill Richardson, the course's director, said staff are two years into a nearly $2 million overhaul designed specifically to improve turf conditions at the course.
Several trees on the course were cut down this summer and a new irrigation system is also being installed to improve the grass.
"This change goes hand-in-hand with the investment we're making," Richardson said. "The fairways have never been as strong or as healthy as they should be, and that leaves a negative impression on our customers."
Richardson said he hoped skiers who have flocked to the park over the years will understand why the decision was made and be cooperative.
"Change is hard, but we're hoping people will get used to it," he said. "We still think there's plenty of room for the winter activities."
Skiing and snowshoeing still remains largely open in other areas of the park, where there are a total of around 12 miles of trails.
The situation at the state park is unique because it is one of the few locations in the area where skiing occurs in a golf course setting.
Josh Milton, the director of recreation for Glens Falls, said cross-country trails that run through Cole's Woods at Crandall Park don't leave any trace after the snow melts and the ground thaws.
"We don't have any problems at all because all of our trails are in the woods where it's nothing but dirt anyway," he said.
Posted in Local on Friday, December 18, 2009 4:40 pm Updated: 5:11 pm. | Tags:
Friday, December 18, 2009
Shenanigans at Saratoga City Hall, Daily Gazette,12/18/09.
By Tatiana Zarnowski (Contact)
Gazette Reporter
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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Impending layoffs of more than 40 city employees have shortened tempers in City Hall, resulting in an incident Wednesday afternoon in which one city official alleges he was hit in the back of the head with the layoff notices for his department.
Commissioner of Public Works Anthony “Skip” Scirocco said Thursday that City Attorney Joseph Scala flung a large envelope full of letters to 28 soon-to-be terminated employees at him in City Hall, hitting him in the back, neck and head.
The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the top of the stairs outside the mayor’s office as Scirocco walked away from Scala after disagreeing with the city attorney over who should deliver the layoff letters.
Scala said he didn’t mean to hit Scirocco with the papers but rather to throw the envelope at the commissioner’s feet so he would pick it up. Scala apologized immediately afterward.
The affected employees already knew they were going to be laid off, but the letters are the official notification.
Scirocco said Thursday he didn’t feel comfortable handing out the letters because employees had legal questions that he couldn’t answer.
“I felt that this was a human resources issue,” Scirocco said. “He’s the acting human resource person for the city.
“I didn’t know what their rights were as far as the layoffs were concerned,” he said.
Scala said he has been serving “in a limited and interim capacity only” to help with legal issues related to personnel matters since the departure several months ago of Marcy Brydges.
He said there is no legal issue with distributing the letters.
“No one elected me to any office,” he said in a statement. “Commissioner Scirocco was elected to perform the duties of his office and ... tried to pass those duties off on me.”
Scala characterized Scirocco as refusing to talk about the issue when he returned the envelope, “calling over his shoulder as he left the office” and then “running away.”
Scala pursued Scirocco into the hallway to give the envelope back to him.
The two men exchanged words after the incident.
The hallway incident occurred after a round of “hot potato” with the layoff notices:
Scirocco said he delivered them to Scala’s secretary, Nancy Woodworth, at 4:15 p.m., and Woodworth brought them back down shortly afterward with a message from Scala that it was Scirocco’s responsibility.
Then Scirocco brought the envelope back upstairs, thrust it at Scala and left.
On Thursday, Scirocco got the letters back and started giving them to employees, a process that took two hours for four employees so far.
Scala said he understands why the issue is fraught with emotion.
“Many years ago, I was actually involved in a corporate downsizing at this time of year, so I have some idea of what an awful experience this is, especially during the holidays.”
Gazette Reporter
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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Impending layoffs of more than 40 city employees have shortened tempers in City Hall, resulting in an incident Wednesday afternoon in which one city official alleges he was hit in the back of the head with the layoff notices for his department.
Commissioner of Public Works Anthony “Skip” Scirocco said Thursday that City Attorney Joseph Scala flung a large envelope full of letters to 28 soon-to-be terminated employees at him in City Hall, hitting him in the back, neck and head.
The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the top of the stairs outside the mayor’s office as Scirocco walked away from Scala after disagreeing with the city attorney over who should deliver the layoff letters.
Scala said he didn’t mean to hit Scirocco with the papers but rather to throw the envelope at the commissioner’s feet so he would pick it up. Scala apologized immediately afterward.
The affected employees already knew they were going to be laid off, but the letters are the official notification.
Scirocco said Thursday he didn’t feel comfortable handing out the letters because employees had legal questions that he couldn’t answer.
“I felt that this was a human resources issue,” Scirocco said. “He’s the acting human resource person for the city.
“I didn’t know what their rights were as far as the layoffs were concerned,” he said.
Scala said he has been serving “in a limited and interim capacity only” to help with legal issues related to personnel matters since the departure several months ago of Marcy Brydges.
He said there is no legal issue with distributing the letters.
“No one elected me to any office,” he said in a statement. “Commissioner Scirocco was elected to perform the duties of his office and ... tried to pass those duties off on me.”
Scala characterized Scirocco as refusing to talk about the issue when he returned the envelope, “calling over his shoulder as he left the office” and then “running away.”
Scala pursued Scirocco into the hallway to give the envelope back to him.
The two men exchanged words after the incident.
The hallway incident occurred after a round of “hot potato” with the layoff notices:
Scirocco said he delivered them to Scala’s secretary, Nancy Woodworth, at 4:15 p.m., and Woodworth brought them back down shortly afterward with a message from Scala that it was Scirocco’s responsibility.
Then Scirocco brought the envelope back upstairs, thrust it at Scala and left.
On Thursday, Scirocco got the letters back and started giving them to employees, a process that took two hours for four employees so far.
Scala said he understands why the issue is fraught with emotion.
“Many years ago, I was actually involved in a corporate downsizing at this time of year, so I have some idea of what an awful experience this is, especially during the holidays.”
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Final Master Plan for Saratoga Spa State Park can be downloaded below, no funds of course for the plan.
December 16, 2009
To: Persons interested in Saratoga Spa State Park
State Parks has completed a Final Master Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Saratoga Spa State Park which is located in the City of Saratoga Springs and the Town of Malta in Saratoga County.
Copies of the Final Master Plan/FEIS are available for review at the Park Office, at the offices of the agency contacts and at the Saratoga Springs Public Library, 49 Henry Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. The online version of the Final Master Plan/FEIS is available at the following publically accessible web site: http://www.nysparks.com/inside-our-agency/public-documents.aspx.
The consideration period will end on Friday, January 8, 2010.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation continues to be enthusiastic about the future potential of this Park.
Thank you in advance for your time and thoughts. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 518-486-2484 or Alane Ball Chinian, Regional Director, Saratoga-Capital District State Park Region, Administration Building, Saratoga Spa State Park, 19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs, NY 12886; 518-584-2535 or by email at SaratogaSpa.Plan@oprhp.state.ny.us
Sincerely,
Thomas B. Lyons
Director, Resource Management
NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Agency Building One
Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12238
P Please consider the environment before printing this email.
The information contained in this email and any attachments to this email is the property of OPRHP and is privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individuals or entities named as addressees. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or the employee, agent or service provider responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the recipient by telephone.
To: Persons interested in Saratoga Spa State Park
State Parks has completed a Final Master Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Saratoga Spa State Park which is located in the City of Saratoga Springs and the Town of Malta in Saratoga County.
Copies of the Final Master Plan/FEIS are available for review at the Park Office, at the offices of the agency contacts and at the Saratoga Springs Public Library, 49 Henry Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. The online version of the Final Master Plan/FEIS is available at the following publically accessible web site: http://www.nysparks.com/inside-our-agency/public-documents.aspx.
The consideration period will end on Friday, January 8, 2010.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation continues to be enthusiastic about the future potential of this Park.
Thank you in advance for your time and thoughts. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 518-486-2484 or Alane Ball Chinian, Regional Director, Saratoga-Capital District State Park Region, Administration Building, Saratoga Spa State Park, 19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs, NY 12886; 518-584-2535 or by email at SaratogaSpa.Plan@oprhp.state.ny.us
Sincerely,
Thomas B. Lyons
Director, Resource Management
NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Agency Building One
Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12238
P Please consider the environment before printing this email.
The information contained in this email and any attachments to this email is the property of OPRHP and is privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individuals or entities named as addressees. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or the employee, agent or service provider responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the recipient by telephone.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
skiers banned from spa state park's fairways
Skiers banned from Spa State Park’s fairways
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
By Lee Coleman (Contact)
Gazette Reporter
Photographer: Bruce Squiers
Signs, one a trail map and the other a notice, warn skiers, snowshoers and pedestrians to stay off Saratoga Spa State Park’s fairways this winter.Text Size: A | A | A
SARATOGA SPRINGS — For the first time ever, cross-country skiers this winter won’t be able to ski on the fairways of Saratoga Spa State Park’s championship golf course, state park officials said.
Cross-country skiing is still allowed in the park as long as the skiers stay on trails that have been marked with new signs and fencing.
Alane Ball Chinian, regional director for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said golf course turf experts say compacted cross-country ski trails have damaged the turf on the park’s championship course in the past.
Last spring and summer, state park officials investigated ways to improve the turf on the park’s 18-hole championship course and its 9-hole executive course.
Chinian said allowing cross-country ski trails on golf course fairways compacted the snow and eventually damaged the turf under the trails.
Park Manager Michael Greenslade said Monday that the putting greens on the golf courses have always been off-limits to cross-country skiers. He said the fairways have now been added to this list.
Maps of the park’s 3.7 miles of machine-groomed cross-country trails are available on the state parks’ Web site: www.nysparks.com. Green fencing and signs direct the skier to areas where they are permitted to ski, which is generally around the edge of the golf course. “It’s not ugly. It blends in with the park,” Greenslade said about the fencing.
“We’ve just put a big investment in the golf course,” Greenslade said. He said the fairways were overseeded this year. Earlier in the year some old trees were removed to bring more sunlight onto the fairways and greens. Chinian and Greenslade said they have received few complaints, so far, about the new trail restrictions.
When people read the signs and understand the reason why the cross-country ski trails are going around, rather than across, the fairways they seem to accept the change, Greenslade said. He said the southern end of the state park, except where the golf course is located, is fully open to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
“If people want to go to the southern end of the park, they can go [ski] anywhere,” Greenslade said.
He said the southern end of the park is also where many people snowshoe.
Park staff like to keep snowshoes off the groomed cross-country ski trails. There are about 6 miles of ungroomed trails in the southern end of the park and other parts of the park. There is no charge to use any of the groomed and ungroomed trails.
Chinian said the Spa State Park has also entered into a new partnership with the Saratoga Springs High School Nordic ski team.
Greenslade said between 40 and 50 high school cross-country skiers will use the groomed trails in the park as their training site.
Park maintenance crews will be grooming the cross-country trails on a regular basis. Greenslade said there must be at least 6 inches of snow on the ground before the trail-grooming equipment can be used.
Park staff also plan to compact a 6-foot to 8-foot corridor near the cross-country ski trails so the skiers can use the skating techniques.
Greenslade said rollers are used to create the ski-skating lanes, which are generally on either side of the cross-country trail itself.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
By Lee Coleman (Contact)
Gazette Reporter
Photographer: Bruce Squiers
Signs, one a trail map and the other a notice, warn skiers, snowshoers and pedestrians to stay off Saratoga Spa State Park’s fairways this winter.Text Size: A | A | A
SARATOGA SPRINGS — For the first time ever, cross-country skiers this winter won’t be able to ski on the fairways of Saratoga Spa State Park’s championship golf course, state park officials said.
Cross-country skiing is still allowed in the park as long as the skiers stay on trails that have been marked with new signs and fencing.
Alane Ball Chinian, regional director for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said golf course turf experts say compacted cross-country ski trails have damaged the turf on the park’s championship course in the past.
Last spring and summer, state park officials investigated ways to improve the turf on the park’s 18-hole championship course and its 9-hole executive course.
Chinian said allowing cross-country ski trails on golf course fairways compacted the snow and eventually damaged the turf under the trails.
Park Manager Michael Greenslade said Monday that the putting greens on the golf courses have always been off-limits to cross-country skiers. He said the fairways have now been added to this list.
Maps of the park’s 3.7 miles of machine-groomed cross-country trails are available on the state parks’ Web site: www.nysparks.com. Green fencing and signs direct the skier to areas where they are permitted to ski, which is generally around the edge of the golf course. “It’s not ugly. It blends in with the park,” Greenslade said about the fencing.
“We’ve just put a big investment in the golf course,” Greenslade said. He said the fairways were overseeded this year. Earlier in the year some old trees were removed to bring more sunlight onto the fairways and greens. Chinian and Greenslade said they have received few complaints, so far, about the new trail restrictions.
When people read the signs and understand the reason why the cross-country ski trails are going around, rather than across, the fairways they seem to accept the change, Greenslade said. He said the southern end of the state park, except where the golf course is located, is fully open to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
“If people want to go to the southern end of the park, they can go [ski] anywhere,” Greenslade said.
He said the southern end of the park is also where many people snowshoe.
Park staff like to keep snowshoes off the groomed cross-country ski trails. There are about 6 miles of ungroomed trails in the southern end of the park and other parts of the park. There is no charge to use any of the groomed and ungroomed trails.
Chinian said the Spa State Park has also entered into a new partnership with the Saratoga Springs High School Nordic ski team.
Greenslade said between 40 and 50 high school cross-country skiers will use the groomed trails in the park as their training site.
Park maintenance crews will be grooming the cross-country trails on a regular basis. Greenslade said there must be at least 6 inches of snow on the ground before the trail-grooming equipment can be used.
Park staff also plan to compact a 6-foot to 8-foot corridor near the cross-country ski trails so the skiers can use the skating techniques.
Greenslade said rollers are used to create the ski-skating lanes, which are generally on either side of the cross-country trail itself.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Bruno found guilty on 2 counts of corruption. What do you think?
Home / News / Local
Spa City reaction is mixed as Bruno guilty of corruption
Story Discussion By DREW KERR - dkerr@poststar.com | Posted: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 1:00 am | (2) Comments
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Mike Groll - Associated Press Former New York Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno, right, leaves federal court in Albany on Monday, with his son, Kenneth, at left. A federal jury found Bruno guilty on two counts of corruption and not guilty on five others after a landmark trial that exposed Albany's practice of influence peddling by lawmakers.
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Related: The trial's eight charges
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The sign hovering above the mineral water spring at the Saratoga Spa State Park has long been a source of frustration for Saratoga Springs resident Louise Goldstein.
Now she thinks she might finally be able to do something about it.
That's because former state Senator Joe Bruno - the man memorialized on the park placard - was found guilty on Monday of two federal corruption charges in Albany, the result of a three-week trial in which prosecutors alleged he illegally intertwined state and private business to enrich himself.
With Bruno now out of office, and his reputation seemingly on the ropes, Goldstein said she sees an opening to press her case that the sign should be removed, perhaps replaced with one that honors another elite Saratogian, such as Spencer Trask.
"People were always afraid to speak out against Joe Bruno because they didn't want to lose out on the money that he was able to give out," said Goldstein, reached at home shortly after the verdict was announced. "But I don't think he's got a whole lot of money to be giving out anymore."
Not everyone in the region reacted so coolly to the news that Bruno had been found guilty on two of the eight counts brought against him by federal authorities.
Local officials reacting to the verdict said Bruno's contributions to the region - among them, helping to coax GlobalFoundries to build a $4.2 billion computer chip manufacturing facility in Malta and securing $12 million for an expansion at the Saratoga Springs City Center - would not be diminished by the trial's outcome.
Jasper Nolan, chairman of the Saratoga County Republican Committee, said his support for the man he first met 50 years ago, as each was entering the political fray, was unwavering.
"I know my enemies can call me a lackey, but I've never been on Joe Bruno's payroll," he said. "As an individual, I will do whatever I can, and I'm assuming many of the people who have known and worked with the senator will continue to support him as well."
Nolan said he was "very disappointed" in the trial, which he described as a display of prosecutorial hubris.
The judge's demeanor toward Bruno during the trial and the fact that the case was not postponed until after the U.S. Supreme Court has a chance to take up the legality of the "honest services" law - under which Bruno was prosecuted - were concerning, he said.
The federal statute is based on the belief that an official can "deprive another of the intangible right of honest services." The law's legality will be taken up by Supreme Court Justices on Tuesday, following complaints that it is too vague.
"I firmly believe that Joe is innocent, and I'm not doing so blindly," said Nolan, who has served as the party's chairman in Saratoga County since 1986. "I'm looking only at the facts."
That empathy seemed to cross party lines, too.
Larry Bulman, chairman of the Saratoga County Democratic Committee, said he "took no joy" in seeing the conviction, given all the work Bruno has done to promote economic development in the county.
Many of those developments have benefited South Glens Falls-based Local 773 of the Plumbers & Steamfitters union, of which Bulman is president.
"I certainly don't take any glory in seeing a guy who did so much for this area - even though he was not from my party - end his career under this kind of a cloud," Bulman said.
Bulman was also one of 70 witnesses called to testify in the case.
Prosecutors questioned him about the union's association with Wright Investors Services, a Connecticut firm for which Bruno worked. Bruno allegedly failed to disclose the association.
Bulman said he was vindicated by Bruno's acquittal on the charges related to that interaction and pointed out that Wright is now one of the union's best performing money managers.
"It was nice to go in there and tell the truth and tell your story," said Bulman. "I respected him more when I found he was involved but that he didn't use that to put pressure on us."
Bulman dismissed speculation that his role in the trial might lead him to step down as the county's party chairman later this week.
State Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, testified in the case as well, and she also said she felt the verdict showed there was no wrongdoing on her part.
Prosecutors had asked Little why grants given to Local 773, used to fund training programs for union members, were sought through her office despite the fact that the union's headquarters are outside of her district.
The union does, however, have a training center in the northern end of her territory.
Despite some sense of relief, Little said she thought the trial should prompt her and her peers to work harder on state ethics reform in the future and to make legislators' outside business affiliations more clear.
"I think this trial showed that Albany, and really government on all levels, needs to be held more accountable to the public and to be as transparent as possible," said Little, who serves on the regional advisory board of directors for Glens Falls National Bank and so precludes herself from serving on the Senate Banking Committee.
Assemblyman Tony Jordan, R-Jackson, said the case also shows that ethics laws need to be made clearer so there is no confusion about what a lawmaker should be compelled to disclose.
"The rules and the guidelines about what is admissible ought to be very clear," said Jordan, an attorney. "I don't think it's an insurmountable task."
The legislative session, which typically runs through January and June, could also be shortened to lessen the likelihood that legislators could intermingle private and state business, Jordan said. Bruno's work as a consultant and his solicitation of union pension investments provided the basis for many of the charges against him.
Prosecutors said during the trial that he made more than $3 million during the course of his three-decade career, including 13 years as the Senate majority leader, by wielding his power and influence.
Bruno argued that New York lawmakers are entitled to engage in outside business activities because they are part-time legislators. The court, he and his legal defense team argued, was the wrong venue to provoke changes to the system.
Jurors ultimately convicted Bruno on two corruption charges while acquitting him of five other charges. They failed to reach a decision on one count of mail fraud - a charge prosecutors said they may pursue again.
The charges on which Bruno was convicted relate to accepting compensation for consulting services from firms owned by area entrepreneur Jared Abbruzzese.
Bruno later sponsored state grants for another company in which Abbruzzese was an investor.
The other conviction related to the $80,000 sale of a "virtually worthless" horse to Abbruzzese - a transaction prosecutors said served as a "disguised gift" to compensate Bruno for consulting fees.
Abbruzzese sad at the trial that he sought Bruno's support in order to lend his businesses credibility and stature.
The 80-year-old Bruno now faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000, according to federal prosecutors.
Sentencing was scheduled for March 31, but Bruno told reporters after the verdict was revealed in an Albany court room that he was "very, very disappointed," and that the "legal process is going to continue."
His defense team said they will move to dismiss the verdict and will file an appeal if necessary.
"In my mind and in my heart, it's not over till it's over," said Bruno, who was released on his own recognizance after the verdict was delivered.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Andrew Baxter said the verdict reflected the jurors' "unanimous determination" that Bruno "deprived the citizens of New York of his honest and faithful services, contrary to federal law."
Bruno had a "fiduciary relationship with the State of New York and its citizens requiring disinterested decision making and candid disclosure of the potential motivation behind his official acts," Baxter said in the statement.
Prosecutors, Baxter said, "take no pleasure from what the trial revealed about the culture of New York State Senate, under the leadership of Joe Bruno," but will "continue to strive to ensure that public officials who breach their public trust will be held accountable."
A call to state Sen. Roy McDonald, elected to Bruno's seat after Bruno's retirement in 2008, was not immediately returned.
Attempts to reach several other local economic development officials, elected leaders and past Bruno associates were also unsuccessful Monday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted in Local on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 1:00 am Updated: 11:15 pm. | Tags:
Spa City reaction is mixed as Bruno guilty of corruption
Story Discussion By DREW KERR - dkerr@poststar.com | Posted: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 1:00 am | (2) Comments
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Mike Groll - Associated Press Former New York Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno, right, leaves federal court in Albany on Monday, with his son, Kenneth, at left. A federal jury found Bruno guilty on two counts of corruption and not guilty on five others after a landmark trial that exposed Albany's practice of influence peddling by lawmakers.
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Related: The trial's eight charges
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The sign hovering above the mineral water spring at the Saratoga Spa State Park has long been a source of frustration for Saratoga Springs resident Louise Goldstein.
Now she thinks she might finally be able to do something about it.
That's because former state Senator Joe Bruno - the man memorialized on the park placard - was found guilty on Monday of two federal corruption charges in Albany, the result of a three-week trial in which prosecutors alleged he illegally intertwined state and private business to enrich himself.
With Bruno now out of office, and his reputation seemingly on the ropes, Goldstein said she sees an opening to press her case that the sign should be removed, perhaps replaced with one that honors another elite Saratogian, such as Spencer Trask.
"People were always afraid to speak out against Joe Bruno because they didn't want to lose out on the money that he was able to give out," said Goldstein, reached at home shortly after the verdict was announced. "But I don't think he's got a whole lot of money to be giving out anymore."
Not everyone in the region reacted so coolly to the news that Bruno had been found guilty on two of the eight counts brought against him by federal authorities.
Local officials reacting to the verdict said Bruno's contributions to the region - among them, helping to coax GlobalFoundries to build a $4.2 billion computer chip manufacturing facility in Malta and securing $12 million for an expansion at the Saratoga Springs City Center - would not be diminished by the trial's outcome.
Jasper Nolan, chairman of the Saratoga County Republican Committee, said his support for the man he first met 50 years ago, as each was entering the political fray, was unwavering.
"I know my enemies can call me a lackey, but I've never been on Joe Bruno's payroll," he said. "As an individual, I will do whatever I can, and I'm assuming many of the people who have known and worked with the senator will continue to support him as well."
Nolan said he was "very disappointed" in the trial, which he described as a display of prosecutorial hubris.
The judge's demeanor toward Bruno during the trial and the fact that the case was not postponed until after the U.S. Supreme Court has a chance to take up the legality of the "honest services" law - under which Bruno was prosecuted - were concerning, he said.
The federal statute is based on the belief that an official can "deprive another of the intangible right of honest services." The law's legality will be taken up by Supreme Court Justices on Tuesday, following complaints that it is too vague.
"I firmly believe that Joe is innocent, and I'm not doing so blindly," said Nolan, who has served as the party's chairman in Saratoga County since 1986. "I'm looking only at the facts."
That empathy seemed to cross party lines, too.
Larry Bulman, chairman of the Saratoga County Democratic Committee, said he "took no joy" in seeing the conviction, given all the work Bruno has done to promote economic development in the county.
Many of those developments have benefited South Glens Falls-based Local 773 of the Plumbers & Steamfitters union, of which Bulman is president.
"I certainly don't take any glory in seeing a guy who did so much for this area - even though he was not from my party - end his career under this kind of a cloud," Bulman said.
Bulman was also one of 70 witnesses called to testify in the case.
Prosecutors questioned him about the union's association with Wright Investors Services, a Connecticut firm for which Bruno worked. Bruno allegedly failed to disclose the association.
Bulman said he was vindicated by Bruno's acquittal on the charges related to that interaction and pointed out that Wright is now one of the union's best performing money managers.
"It was nice to go in there and tell the truth and tell your story," said Bulman. "I respected him more when I found he was involved but that he didn't use that to put pressure on us."
Bulman dismissed speculation that his role in the trial might lead him to step down as the county's party chairman later this week.
State Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, testified in the case as well, and she also said she felt the verdict showed there was no wrongdoing on her part.
Prosecutors had asked Little why grants given to Local 773, used to fund training programs for union members, were sought through her office despite the fact that the union's headquarters are outside of her district.
The union does, however, have a training center in the northern end of her territory.
Despite some sense of relief, Little said she thought the trial should prompt her and her peers to work harder on state ethics reform in the future and to make legislators' outside business affiliations more clear.
"I think this trial showed that Albany, and really government on all levels, needs to be held more accountable to the public and to be as transparent as possible," said Little, who serves on the regional advisory board of directors for Glens Falls National Bank and so precludes herself from serving on the Senate Banking Committee.
Assemblyman Tony Jordan, R-Jackson, said the case also shows that ethics laws need to be made clearer so there is no confusion about what a lawmaker should be compelled to disclose.
"The rules and the guidelines about what is admissible ought to be very clear," said Jordan, an attorney. "I don't think it's an insurmountable task."
The legislative session, which typically runs through January and June, could also be shortened to lessen the likelihood that legislators could intermingle private and state business, Jordan said. Bruno's work as a consultant and his solicitation of union pension investments provided the basis for many of the charges against him.
Prosecutors said during the trial that he made more than $3 million during the course of his three-decade career, including 13 years as the Senate majority leader, by wielding his power and influence.
Bruno argued that New York lawmakers are entitled to engage in outside business activities because they are part-time legislators. The court, he and his legal defense team argued, was the wrong venue to provoke changes to the system.
Jurors ultimately convicted Bruno on two corruption charges while acquitting him of five other charges. They failed to reach a decision on one count of mail fraud - a charge prosecutors said they may pursue again.
The charges on which Bruno was convicted relate to accepting compensation for consulting services from firms owned by area entrepreneur Jared Abbruzzese.
Bruno later sponsored state grants for another company in which Abbruzzese was an investor.
The other conviction related to the $80,000 sale of a "virtually worthless" horse to Abbruzzese - a transaction prosecutors said served as a "disguised gift" to compensate Bruno for consulting fees.
Abbruzzese sad at the trial that he sought Bruno's support in order to lend his businesses credibility and stature.
The 80-year-old Bruno now faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000, according to federal prosecutors.
Sentencing was scheduled for March 31, but Bruno told reporters after the verdict was revealed in an Albany court room that he was "very, very disappointed," and that the "legal process is going to continue."
His defense team said they will move to dismiss the verdict and will file an appeal if necessary.
"In my mind and in my heart, it's not over till it's over," said Bruno, who was released on his own recognizance after the verdict was delivered.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Andrew Baxter said the verdict reflected the jurors' "unanimous determination" that Bruno "deprived the citizens of New York of his honest and faithful services, contrary to federal law."
Bruno had a "fiduciary relationship with the State of New York and its citizens requiring disinterested decision making and candid disclosure of the potential motivation behind his official acts," Baxter said in the statement.
Prosecutors, Baxter said, "take no pleasure from what the trial revealed about the culture of New York State Senate, under the leadership of Joe Bruno," but will "continue to strive to ensure that public officials who breach their public trust will be held accountable."
A call to state Sen. Roy McDonald, elected to Bruno's seat after Bruno's retirement in 2008, was not immediately returned.
Attempts to reach several other local economic development officials, elected leaders and past Bruno associates were also unsuccessful Monday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted in Local on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 1:00 am Updated: 11:15 pm. | Tags:
Monday, December 07, 2009
Bring down the Bruno sign on the spring in Saratoga Spa State Park. What do you think?
Breaking News!! Bruno convicted of 2 felonies.
MICHAEL VIRTANEN -- Associated Press | Posted: Monday, December 7, 2009 4:45 pm | (0) Comments
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Mike Groll Former New York Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno, right, leaves federal court in Albany, N.Y., Monday, Dec. 7, 2009 with his son, Kenneth, at left. A federal jury finds Bruno guilty on two counts of corruption and not guilty on five others after a landmark trial that exposed Albany's practice of influence peddling by lawmakers. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
ALBANY, N.Y. - A jury convicted former New York Senate leader Joseph Bruno of two corruption counts Monday, determining that he illegally traded on his position as one of the state's most powerful politicians to enrich his personal fortune.
Bruno, 80, faced eight fraud charges in a corruption trial that exposed Albany's practice of influence-peddling by lawmakers. The jury convicted Bruno of two counts of mail fraud; acquitted him of two counts of wire fraud and three counts of mail fraud; and could not reach a decision on another mail fraud count.
Prosecutors accused Bruno of denying New Yorkers his honest services while making $3.2 million by using his state influence. He consulted for three businessmen and solicited union pension investments from labor unions on behalf of two companies.
"It goes without saying that I'm very, very disappointed in the verdict I just heard. The legal process is going to continue," said Bruno after the verdict. "In my mind and in my heart, it's not over till it's over."
Bruno was a state senator from Rensselaer County for 32 years, the last 13 as leader of the Senate's Republican majority, until retiring in 2008. As majority leader, he was one of Albany's oft-criticized "three men in a room," a potent trio that includes the governor and Assembly speaker. The three control patronage hiring, the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars and all legislation.
Prosecutors argued that Bruno was required to publicly disclose his business interests and associates, who benefited from positions Bruno took on legislation and grants.
Many of New York's 212 lawmakers, who make at least $79,500 in their part-time jobs, have outside employment. Bruno and his attorneys argued that the federal court was the wrong place to put on trial that entire system, where conflicts of interest are inevitable. They said Bruno did not put his own interests before the public's and that any conflicts or perceived conflicts were insignificant.
The jury heard three weeks of testimony from more than 70 witnesses. Bruno declined to testify, instead standing in front of cameras on the courthouse steps confidently repeating that he had done nothing wrong.
Bruno was released on his own recognizance. U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe declined requests by prosecutors that Bruno turn in his passport.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Pericak declined immediate comment.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 31. Defense lawyer William Dreyer said he would file a motion to dismiss the conviction and, if that fails, would appeal.
Prosecutors have said they want restitution but haven't yet calculated the precise amount, or the potential prison term. Authorities initially said he could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
Bruno was convicted of mail fraud for checks sent by Communication Technology Advisors and Capital & Technology Advisors to Capital Business Consultants, Bruno's later consulting company. The companies' majority owner was Jared Abbruzzese, a Bruno friend and business associate. Bruno sponsored state grants for Evident Technologies, a company in which Abbruzzese was an investor.
Bruno also was convicted of mail fraud for a $40,000 check sent from Bazaguma LLC, Abbruzzese's thoroughbred business, to Business Consultants, Bruno's consulting firm, for a foal that came from a joint breeding venture by Bruno, Abbruzzese and a third partner.
The jury failed to reach a decision on a count of mail fraud for checks mailed by VyTek Wireless Inc., a company partly owned by Leonard Fassler, addressed to Business Consultants.
Posted in National on Monday, December 7, 2009 4:45 pm Updated: 5:25 pm. | Tags:
MICHAEL VIRTANEN -- Associated Press | Posted: Monday, December 7, 2009 4:45 pm | (0) Comments
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Mike Groll Former New York Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno, right, leaves federal court in Albany, N.Y., Monday, Dec. 7, 2009 with his son, Kenneth, at left. A federal jury finds Bruno guilty on two counts of corruption and not guilty on five others after a landmark trial that exposed Albany's practice of influence peddling by lawmakers. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
ALBANY, N.Y. - A jury convicted former New York Senate leader Joseph Bruno of two corruption counts Monday, determining that he illegally traded on his position as one of the state's most powerful politicians to enrich his personal fortune.
Bruno, 80, faced eight fraud charges in a corruption trial that exposed Albany's practice of influence-peddling by lawmakers. The jury convicted Bruno of two counts of mail fraud; acquitted him of two counts of wire fraud and three counts of mail fraud; and could not reach a decision on another mail fraud count.
Prosecutors accused Bruno of denying New Yorkers his honest services while making $3.2 million by using his state influence. He consulted for three businessmen and solicited union pension investments from labor unions on behalf of two companies.
"It goes without saying that I'm very, very disappointed in the verdict I just heard. The legal process is going to continue," said Bruno after the verdict. "In my mind and in my heart, it's not over till it's over."
Bruno was a state senator from Rensselaer County for 32 years, the last 13 as leader of the Senate's Republican majority, until retiring in 2008. As majority leader, he was one of Albany's oft-criticized "three men in a room," a potent trio that includes the governor and Assembly speaker. The three control patronage hiring, the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars and all legislation.
Prosecutors argued that Bruno was required to publicly disclose his business interests and associates, who benefited from positions Bruno took on legislation and grants.
Many of New York's 212 lawmakers, who make at least $79,500 in their part-time jobs, have outside employment. Bruno and his attorneys argued that the federal court was the wrong place to put on trial that entire system, where conflicts of interest are inevitable. They said Bruno did not put his own interests before the public's and that any conflicts or perceived conflicts were insignificant.
The jury heard three weeks of testimony from more than 70 witnesses. Bruno declined to testify, instead standing in front of cameras on the courthouse steps confidently repeating that he had done nothing wrong.
Bruno was released on his own recognizance. U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe declined requests by prosecutors that Bruno turn in his passport.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Pericak declined immediate comment.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 31. Defense lawyer William Dreyer said he would file a motion to dismiss the conviction and, if that fails, would appeal.
Prosecutors have said they want restitution but haven't yet calculated the precise amount, or the potential prison term. Authorities initially said he could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
Bruno was convicted of mail fraud for checks sent by Communication Technology Advisors and Capital & Technology Advisors to Capital Business Consultants, Bruno's later consulting company. The companies' majority owner was Jared Abbruzzese, a Bruno friend and business associate. Bruno sponsored state grants for Evident Technologies, a company in which Abbruzzese was an investor.
Bruno also was convicted of mail fraud for a $40,000 check sent from Bazaguma LLC, Abbruzzese's thoroughbred business, to Business Consultants, Bruno's consulting firm, for a foal that came from a joint breeding venture by Bruno, Abbruzzese and a third partner.
The jury failed to reach a decision on a count of mail fraud for checks mailed by VyTek Wireless Inc., a company partly owned by Leonard Fassler, addressed to Business Consultants.
Posted in National on Monday, December 7, 2009 4:45 pm Updated: 5:25 pm. | Tags:
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