Dear  Neighbors
 
Thank you for your support in my recent campaign
for County Legislator District 10. 

We defeated the school bond act (for now) and helped elect
Ellen Roach to the School Board.

No time to wallow in disappointment. I offered district
voters a clear choice, with clear issue stands.
As usual, low turnout and party line
voting carried the day. 

The incumbent in County Legislative District 10
was elected with the votes of about 30 percent
of all eligible voters in the district who voted
the straight party line. About 60 percent of the
eligible voters stayed home, not voting.

Incumbents in neighboring wards 8 and 15
were unopposed and received about the same
vote as the incumbent in this district (1,500
votes each).

County Legislators in down and mid town
districts of the City of Albany were elected
with dismally  low numbers- in the hundreds.

1,250 of the City of Albany voters who
voted failed to vote either way on the 200
million dollar school bond act.

While you are celebrating Thanksgiving
Christmas , Hannukah and the New Year
the school board will be plotting a school
bond revote for February when turnout
will be even less than on Election Day past.

Wouldn't it be great if we had a revote
for all County wide and County legislative
district races then?

Better yet, your State Senate and Assembly
Members and Governor Cuomo could and
should, but won't
pass and sign a law that school bond acts
and school budget votes only be held at
General Elections and that the City of
Albany return to a K-8 neighborhood
school system, with one property tax
roll to support both city schools and city
services, and making the Mayor and 
Council responsible and accountable for
the operation/performance of city schools.

The challenges we face in the neighborhood, city
 and daily lives
continue to exist.

Any thinking person can see what lies ahead.

Government can not save us. We must save ourselves
our country and our government.

We have a good neighborhood because of  30 years 
of strong neighborhood association leadership 
and your support.

MORE THAN EVER, YOUR PARTICIPATION
in the neighborhood association is vital.

The days of me hand-delivering the neighborhood
newsletters to more than a thousand households
are over.

Communicating by internet is much more efficient.

READ these websites to keep up to date:

http://bpcnanews.blogspot.com    
(Buckingham Pond Crestwood NA)   

http://lonerangeralbany.blogspot.com   
(read nationally/worldwide)

Share the information and content with 
family/neighbors who are not internet users.

CONTACT me and we can decide on how 
you can participate in our
neighborhood association.                         

THANK YOU.  Happy Thanksgiving to all. 

Remember! 2016 is the year we restore our
Liberty and our Constitutional Republic.

May God watch over and protect us all
in the days, months and year ahead.

                                Joe Sullivan   438 5230

WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT
WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Ted Koppel's new book Lights Out
paints a grim picture of what will
happen when our power grid is
knocked out.

Read:
 http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Cyberattack-Unprepared-Surviving/dp/055341996X

and

 http://professorprepper.blogspot.com/2015/10/book-review-lights-out-by-ted-koppel.html

As I have often said:  Government
can't save us. We must save ourselves
our country and our government.

Begin, now, to prepare for whatever
may come our way in the year ahead.

Anticipate what could happen and how
you and yours will respond.

Start here:  http://www.ready.gov/



                                 Joe Sullivan

NO BIRD WELFARE

Why you should not feed the ducks
in the pond park. They are still
hanging around and looking for a
handout from well intended people
who do not comprehend the result
of their "charity".

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/stop-feeding-bread-ducks-people


                                 Joe Sullivan

SPEEDING TRAFFIC
OUT OF CONTROL 
ON NEW SCOTLAND
AVENUE

Observe and report violations
to the Mayors office 434 5100
until we get action.

The remedy includes announcing
strict enforcement of a 25 mph
speed limit on all residential
streets in this neighborhood as
well as strict enforcement  of
all vehicle and traffic laws, in
particular running traffic lights
and stop signs, passing on the
right in curb/parking lanes.

Some neighborhood genius
lobbied to get stop signs installed
on Buckingham Drive.

Bad move! Just see bumper to bumper
traffic backed up on Buckingham Dr
New Scotland Ave every PM rush hour.

Idling cars in line add to air pollution
and the drivers seeking to avoid the
traffic back up on Buckingham Dr
abruptly veer into the parking lane
on New Scotland Ave, passing on
the right, speeding on their way to
the intersection at Krum Kill Rd.

A strictly enforced 25 mph speed
limit is the answer.  Get rid of the
stop signs on Buckingham Dr that
impede traffic flow and create huge
traffic backups.

Explore, a park n ride solution to
reduce the morning and evening
rush hour traffic on New Scotland
Avenue/Buckingham Dr.

                                 Joe Sullivan
 

PLANT A TREE

Homeowners - do you have
room, at curbside, or on your
front lawn for a tree?

Trees add to your property values
absorb carbon dioxide, emit oxygen
helping to combat air pollution;
act as air conditioners keeping
you cool in summer and beautify
your property and the neighborhood.

Mature trees protect pedestrians from
speeding out of control vehicles.

Curbside trees have a shorter lifespan
because of road salt damage.

Trees planted on front lawns have
a better chance of surviving longer.

The City of Albany has a tree planting
program offered in the Spring and Fall
of each year.

http://www.albanyny.org/Government/Departments/GeneralServices/ForestryServices.aspx

County Soil and Water Conservation
Districts have tree/shrub/plant sales
of young stock at reasonable prices
each Spring.

Choose a tree that is urban hardy
and the right size and shape for your
situation.

Check with your local utility before
you dig/plant to avoid underground
water,sewer and gas lines.

                           Joe Sullivan 

ALBANY CITY
SCHOOL BOND 
ACT DEFEATED

The 200 million dollar Albany City
School District Bond Act went down
to defeat by a mere 103 votes out of
11.000 cast.

Beware, the arrogant school board
will come back to a revote likely
in February when elderly homeowners
are least likely to go to the polls and
when the school board designates one
polling place per ward, both moves
designed to drive down voter turnout.

Our representatives in the State Senate
and Assembly, as well as Governor
Cuomo should pass and sign into law
at the November 17 Special Session
legislation that restricts votes on
school budgets and school bond acts
to November elections, with all
results being final - no reruns!

In the City of Albany, the school
board should be abolished, one
property tax roll established to
fund both city schools and city
services and the Mayor and Common
Council be made responsible and
accountable for the operation and
performance of city schools.

In addition, the city schools should
return to a K-8 neighborhood school
system which is best for students
parents, neighborhoods and property
tax payers.

The Common Council must pass
and send a Home Rule Resolution
to the State Legislature and Governor. 

Ask your Common Council Member
to sponsor and shepherd the required
Home Rule Resolution through passage
and delivery to the State Assembly/Senate.

Ask Senator Breslin and Assembly 
Members Fahy and McDonald to sponsor 
the necessary legislation
to achieve the above reforms.

Do these things without delay.

                               Joe Sullivan

A WALK IN THE PARK
UPDATED 11-20-15

Paddy, Mick and me, took a walk
to Buckingham Pond Park today.

The City will be taking down Ash
trees that have been infected with
Asian beetles, along Lenox Ave
South of the pond park, next week.

While the city crews are in the
neighborhood, perhaps they will
take down dead trees and limbs
that overhang the foot paths in
the park, particularly along the
path from Euclid to Holmes Dale.

These dead limbs and trees pose
a real danger to unsuspecting
walkers, joggers, their children
and pets.

Stand on the North side of the pond
park and look South. The dead limbs
and trees are readily visible now that
the leaves have fallen.

Avoid taking the path from Euclid to
Lenox, South side, particularly on
windy days, until the city takes
action to address this hazard, which
can result in a multi-million dollar
lawsuit, if passersby are killed or
severely injured by falling trees or
limbs.

Perhaps, we can get an inmate work
party to stack cut wood from the
park at the foot of Lenox, for use
as firewood by neighbors.

Waste not want not.

Update 11-20-15

City crews did not take down
the Ash trees on Lenox. The work
was done by contractors.

The pond park dead tree/limb
problem still exists.

Paddy, Mick and me walked
around Greenway, many rotted
limbs fallen everywhere.

The City should bid out private
contractors to cut the dead trees
limbs in both the pond park and
Greenway.

Stack the cut wood and make it
available to neighborhood
residents for firewood.

A particularly good solution
which will enable neighborhood
residents, who have fireplaces/
wood-stoves to prepare for a
loss of heat when the grid goes
down. 

Inmate work crews can help
stack the cut wood and clear
brush/vines around young
trees permitting them to grow
to maturity.

Also, spares a cash strapped
city from unnecessary injury/
death lawsuits due to failure
of the City administration to
address the dead tree/limb
hazard.



                            Joe Sullivan