Upon Reflection

"Uncle," I asked myself, "don't you have one nice thing to say about Ralph?"

Yes!

As far as I know he is not currently under indictment for cannibalism.

Roxanne Likes People Too

The Uncle Doesn't Play Favorites

He plays least favorites.

Sutz seems to be a fine fellow, but the Uncle is primarily motivated by how bad a choice Ralph Caruso would be.

These people are the ones playing favorites.  

And good on 'em.

It must be nice to like people.

Found at the Post Office

Who knew OCEAN is still a thing?

Gubernatorial Goobers

Governors Christie and Cuomo have tightened the rules for their quarantine of health care workers returning from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.  They have added, Guinea-Bissau, New Guinea and Guyana.  “The names are too similar to take any chances,” said Gov. Cuomo.

            Gov. Christie added that they were looking at the Sierra Nevadas, Sierra Madre, the High Sierras and the Kings of Leon.

What Went On At The Democratic Committee

From our friendly, neighborhood correspondent, the Pieman:

Jonathan Swiller	9:06 PM (1 minute ago)
to me

The meeting started at 7:45.

Manny was not there and there didn't seem to be a quorum, though those who were there were uncertain about how many members there were on the committee and how many made up a quorum.  Those who were there were open and friendly (which is nice).

I asked if there were members who never come to meetings and who only send in their proxies.  It seems that there are.

I asked if someone can remain on the committee without ever coming to another meeting after being appointed.  The members present said that it was a good question, but that none of them had the bylaws.

I'm hoping that they follow up and tighten their rules if need be.

The Great Debate

Ralph's little "David Sutz refuses to debate" fib seems to have backfired on him.  Once people saw that David was asking to debate, Ralph couldn't hide any longer.

So now the debate will be happening.  Thursday, October 30th, 7 P.M.,upstairs at the Highland Mills Fire House.

Bring popcorn.

The Democratic Committee In Action

Ooops! I meant The Democratic Committee Inaction.

In any case, I do believe that they meet tonight.

7 PM at the Senior Center.

Come see what they do best. Nothing.

But at least they do their nothing out in the open (well, except for their frquent, closed door, executive sessions). Ralph's Committee meets at mysterious times, if at all, and always behind locked doors.

Feel free to ask Manny anything. Feel free to hear him say: we are letting you sit here as a courtesy, but you may not speak or ask us questions.

OOO, fun!

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside a rich chocolaty coating

So, here is the conundrum: 

Stephanie Berean-Weeks has written a letter that states "I have seen first hand that he (Caruso) is a facts based person, presenting his information and positions backed up with proof and documentation, not smoke and mirrors.  Ralph is what you see, and what you get, a person with integrity and principles, a Rare Breed in government."

OK.

But Ralph also sent out his people to tell us that Stephanie was being paid off by K.J.

So, either Ralph's integrity is something newly minted, or Stephanie is admitting to a somewhat problematic past.

Debate Is On

Apparently sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.

Watchers In The Dark

On the one hand, I know you're out there.  The Uncle has had almost 1,100 page views.

On the other hand, you're all being awfully quiet.

Since when have Woodburians been so reticent with their opinions?

You should be able to comment, anonymously even.

Mullooly got your tongue?

Everything Old Is New Again

The Uncle has been spending time in the cellar looking through the archives and one thing is quite apparent, Caruso hasn't changed at all.

He used to connive with Bob Donnelly when Donnelly was Woodbury Democratic Committee chair just as he is now conspiring with Manny Mangual (the Democratic Committee put up no candidate to oppose Caruso).

He used to send out Don Siebold and Carol Mullooly to lie for him, just as he does now (They're telling people "David Sutz refuses to debate."  When, in fact, Sutz began his campaign asking for a debate and it took Ralph until last night to respond.).

He used to pad his resume with ridiculous and meaningless credits just as he does now (People of Woodbury Association, a long extinct, phony creation of Ralph's, for example).

All of these are part of Ralph's bag of dirty tricks.  Another gem in that bag is the last minute, unsigned, lying attack letter.   Expect that one the weekend before the election.

But if you want to learn more about why those of us who oppose Caruso are so vehement about it (or just need to refresh your memory) have a look for yourselves.  Copy or click:
http://meetunclebetty.blogspot.com

Read the comments too.  Some are as illuminating as the posts.

Associating with the People of Woodbury

Could someone please tell me about the People of Woodbury Association?

A Little Reminder

Just a reminder that Caruso tried to sell us the idea of creating a village by saying it would prevent annexation and wouldn't cost us anything - - before he decided that he never said it.

This is from Yeshiva World, an orthodox, but not Satmar, news service, back in August 2006.

ROL: Campaigning and cajoling have risen to a fever pitch as residents brace for a momentous referendum next week on whether to turn most of the town into a village.

Two years after residents petitioned to form a village, hoping to prevent neighboring Kiryas Joel from taking control of Woodbury’s rural western fringe, the issue is finally coming to a head – attended by a cacophony of arguments and last-ditch pleas.

One plea came in the unusual form of a letter signed by Kiryas Joel Mayor Abraham Wieder and mailed to Woodbury homes this week. His message paints Kiryas Joel as a good neighbor and urges voters to reject “the formation of a new layer of bureaucracy.”Another Kiryas Joel angle: A village official who lives in Woodbury recently mobilized other Hasidic residents and signed up more than 200 to vote in the referendum. Three-quarters of them live in Brooklyn but have summer bungalows in Woodbury.

Meanwhile, the two Woodbury factions that fought bitterly over Bill Brodsky’s 451-home development plan are now battling over the village proposal – again accusing each other of misleading residents and harboring ulterior motives.

Proponents, led by Ralph Caruso, have formed the “Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury” and distributed a seven-page flier arguing that a village would hinder Kiryas Joel’s expansion aims, without disrupting services or driving up taxes.

OCEAN, the citizens’ group led by Jonathan Swiller, disputes those claims and has urged people to vote “no” because the consequences of creating a village haven’t been adequately explained.

Suspicion is rampant. In fact, Kiryas Joel’s efforts to stop the vote – it has a pending court challenge – or defeat the proposal at the polls has made some wonder if the village’s leaders are protesting just a little too much.

Is it actually in their interest for Woodbury to form a village? After all, the thinking goes, why would the mayor of Kiryas Joel ask residents to vote down the village – unless he wanted them to do the very opposite?

Kiryas Joel Administrator Gedalye Szegedin dismissed this line of argument yesterday, pointing out that the village’s officials and real estate interests have consistently opposed the proposal since it surfaced in 2004.

“Everybody has been singing with the same voice now for two years,” he said.

In a final twist, it turns out the roughly 200 voter registrations turned in on Monday were too late to make the voting rolls. The deadline was Friday.

But town Clerk Desiree Potvin said yesterday those voters could still vote. They would have to come to Town Hall on Tuesday, two days before the referendum, and present a property deed, utility bill or other evidence that they spend at least part of the year in Woodbury.

The question being put to voters on Thursday is whether to incorporate a village encompassing all of the Town of Woodbury except its portion of Harriman. The result would be a 36.8-square-mile village whose borders would be virtually the same as the town’s. It would have its own elected leaders and control Woodbury’s zoning.

The proposal sprung from a desire to prevent the expansion of Kiryas Joel, Woodbury’s densely populated neighbor. But whether it would truly do so or merely create a costly extra layer of government is the crux of the debate raging in town.

- See more at: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/uncategorized/2273/kiryas-joel-village-vote-drawing-near.html#sthash.1qSmmXsC.dpuf

Emphasis by the Uncle.

Hi Ralph, Hi David!

Meet and Greet the candidates this Thursday at the Central Valley Firehouse at 7 p.m.

No Comment

The Uncle is hearing that the comment function ain't functioning.

If you run into a problem let me know about it.

WoodburyyUncleBetty@Gmail.com

The second "y" is for "You gotta be kidding!"

Some Housekeeping

First: Line breaks have gone a bit off kilter and words are being chopped up.  Life's like that at times.

Second: Anonymous comments should now be accepted, so feel free to denounce the Uncle.

Third: Should you want to denounce me in private send email to
WoodburyyUncleBetty@gmail.com
Note the two "y"s in Woodburyy.

There is nothing to fear, but ARRRRGH!!!!!

This came over the CNN Wire:
A middle school principal in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, who went to his brother’s funeral in Africa is now on a weeklong paid vacation. Why? Because parents pulled their kids out of school Friday once they learned of the trip. And where in Africa did the principal go? Zambia.

Zambia is 3,000 mile away from ebola.

We are closer to Dallas.

Should we lock down Texas?

Or just cool it?

The Uncle Explains Why

A nephew recently said: “Uncle, you don’t seem to like Ralph Caruso.  Why is that?”

 
The truth is that it really isn't personal.  What I don’t like is what Ralph would do if he ran our town.
 
There was a time, not too long ago, when Ralph had a good deal of control over what happened here, and he used that control very badly.  He ran, and still does, the Woodbury Republican Committee.  And unlike most other political committees, Ralph's meetings are held in secret.  Politicians he helped elect were told that they were to check in with him on issues of importance to be instructed on how to vote.  

He also led the Zoning Board of Appeal and saw to it that a majority of the board's members were his followers.
 
He ruled through fear.  If you displeased him then you or your spouse or your brother-in-law or your cousin who worked for the town might suddenly be out of a job.  Ralph had his little eyes and ears all over and if someone said the wrong thing in their hearing, very quickly Ralph would know and you would find out if he was displeased almost as fast.
 
He also understood that knowledge was power and wanted to control that knowledge as tightly as possible.  When he was pushing for the creation of the Village of Woodbury he tried as hard as he could to prevent any public forum on the subject that he didn't control.  And at the forum he did control he presented half truths and out-right misinformation. 
 
With Ralph, all his mistakes are forgotten.  All bad ideas are made to retroactively disappear.
 
Ralph told us that forming a village would protect us from annexation.  When we all learned that wasn't so, suddenly Ralph had never said it.  Ralph loudly and repeatedly insisted that the Woodbury Fire Department would be unaffected by our becoming a village.  When that was shown to be false, history changed.  Time and again the pattern was: put out false information, shout down any disagreement and, after the fact, deny any of that took place.
 
Another problem is that while Ralph is, at best, of average intelligence, he is convinced of his own staggering genius.  And there is no way that his little band of sycophants will tell him anything to the contrary.  Former town board member Michael Aronowitz, before he finally broke free, used to call Ralph “the brilliant one.”   He wasn't being sarcastic, merely blind.
 
To which you might well say: “Gee Uncle, maybe you aren't nearly as bright as you think you are either.”  And that might be true.  But luckily for all of us, I’m not interested in running anything more complicated than this blog.
 
I was more than happy to ignore Ralph while he was ignoring us.   I look forward to his going back to being a ridiculous little man of no consequence to anyone.  But if he wants to take over Woodbury, then I’m one of many who is going to object. 

And Then Ralph Freed the Slaves and Invented Pennicillin

Veronica Quercia has written to our various newspapers praising Ralph for keeping Route 44 out of the clutches of the mighty KJ.

That sounded vaguely off, so the Uncle scoured the archives and found this:

44 Noninterruptus
PHOTO NEWS

Compromised reach on County Route 44 easement
(Is that like "Compromise Reached'?)

By Tony Houston
Goshen - Back in 2004, the Village of Kiryas Joel requested that Orange County allow the village to take possession of part of County Route 44. The segment at issue was the 1,800 feet (one-third mile) that runs through the northwest knob of Kiryas Joel.

In its entirety, County Route 44 connects state Route 208 in the west in Blooming Grove north of the village of Monroe to state Route 32 in the east in Woodbury north of the hamlet of Highland Mills.

The County Legislature took up the matter earlier this year. The transfer of ownership was approved by the Physical Services Committee and the Rules Committee—then placed before the full legislature this summer.

“There wasn’t much activity on the issue going into that meeting,” said Orange County Legislator Jeff Berkman, D-Middletown, in a telephone interview. “Other legislators were telling me it was a routine matter and it looked like Kiryas Joel was about to take over that section of Route 44. In general, turning over a county road to a municipality would reduce county expenditures.”

Several members of the public addressed the Legislature on the subject of transfer of ownership of part of Route 44—all in opposition. Among those was Jonathan Swiller, Chairman of Orange County: Equity Among Neighbors (OCEAN).

Swiller said OCEAN had done legal research and made drawings of Route 44 and he presented the findings and proposed a compromise that would enable Kiryas Joel to have the desired crosswalks, sidewalks/walkways and signal lights—the County could grant an easement to Kiryas Joel. The village would then make the improvements—provided that they are funded by the municipality and reviewed by the county commissioner of public works.

“Before the public comments it was sailing through as a transfer of ownership, but I was concerned with public safety,” said Berkman. “Swiller expressed opposition to an outright transfer, but he was open minded and urged doing this by way of an easement.

“Jonathan Swiller has a lot to say regarding his neighborhood near Kiryas Joel,” said Berkman. “He is very involved and tries to be objective in providing information to the Legislature.”

Berkman referred to a law stating that projects within 500 feet of a county road need to be reviewed by the Orange County Planning Department. “Giving up control of a road gives up a degree of control over any projects within 500 feet of that road,” said Berkman.

With a change in form from “transfer of ownership” to “granting of easement,” the Route 44 issue went around the legislative horn again in August. This time, however, 1,080 feet (one-fifth mile) of Route 44 in the Town of Monroe was added. The Physical Services Committee and the Rules Committee approved the new “easement” form.

“Many contributed to the compromise—including Jonathan Swiller,” said County Legislator Frank Fornario, R-Blooming Grove—chairman of the Physical Services Committee. Berkman said he was—“glad the item went back to committee(s) where County Legislator Roxanne Donnery, D-Highland Falls, Swiller and others urged that the County maintain ownership of the entire Route 44.”

The new-and-improved version of Route 44 improvements showed up on the agenda of the full legislature on Sept. 6 as resolution numbers 14 and 15—one for the segment in Kiryas Joel and one for the smaller section in the Town of Monroe.

In each case, the County assumed lead-agency status under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and issued a negative declaration. Such a declaration is a determination that the action (resolution) will not have a significant adverse effect on the environment.

Each resolution passed by a vote of 20-1 The single vote of “no” in each case was cast by Greg Townsend, R-Monroe. Townsend is the only member of the Legislature up for re-election this November.

We Interrupt This Tirade...

Oh NERTS!  Here's what the Uncle missed while away.

If only I'd been in town last April I might have been at the front of the line of those wishing to smell like One Direction.

Now if I wish to be a trend setter I'll have to wait for the release of

Eau De Pearl Jam.

Encountering Grayness

Back just a week and the Uncle had the good fortune to encounter the Gray Man in the flesh (or whatever that gray covering of his is).

There he was, almost as big as life and twice as colorless, outside the Central Valley Post Office. 

The Uncle had forgotten the joy of Ralphie's cold dead fish handshake.  Purel, don't fail me now!

I was reminded, also, of how difficult it is to make eye contact with the man.  He's like one of those magical portraits whose eyes avoid you no matter where you stand.

And then, as if that weren't wonderful enough, I raced over to see what thrill awaited at the Highland Mills Post Office.  And there she was, as magnificent as ever, the Rump Roast!

She was doing superb work as Ralphie's surrogate, lying her head off.

"Sutz refuses to debate Ralph"

Projecting a little Team Ralphie?

Sutz started off his campaign challenging Caruso to a debate and has already accepted the League of Women Voters' invitation to debate on October 30th.

Has Ralph?

Crickets.

Messages From the Gray Man

Here's something to look forward to.

If Ralphie starts to feel threatened by David Sutz's write-in campaign we're almost certain to find an unsigned note taped to our trash cans and mail boxes on the Sunday or Monday before Election Day.

It will tell us that David is a commie spy or terrorist or extraterrestrial.  That he's being paid off by the ghost of Saddam Hussein and will sell us out to the muslim-papist-chasidic-atheists.

We'll be told that he's poisoning our wells and being overly friendly with our live-stock.

These little love letters have a habit of showing up whenever someone who displeases Ralphie has a chance of winning an election.

Quite a coincidence.

The Uncle is heading downstairs to the archives to find past examples of this poison penmanship.

Stay tuned. 

Booga Booga Booga!

As long as we're on the subject of fear allow me too say:
Ebola. Ebola, ebola, ebola, ebola, ebola, ebola, ebola, ebola, ebola, 
ebola,  ebola, ebola, ebola, ebola, ebola, ebola, ebola, 
ebola, ebola, ebola,
 EBOLA, EBOLA, EBOLA, EBOLA!

Oh, and by the way, since 1976 perhaps 6,090 people world-wide have died of ebola.

In just one year (2010, the latest year for which statistics exist) in just the US of A, 53,826 people died from flu and pneumonia.

Isn't reality boring?

The Perils of Campaigning at Halloween

I'm not saying that Ralphie is frightening,

but how come whenever he knocks on someone's door they give him candy?

A Fly In Caruso's Ointment

Who says the Uncle doesn't read your comments?

Well, no one, actually.

But as kind reader Shari points out, we do have a choice!

Hurray!  Huzzah!  Yippee and the like!

We don't have to either vote for Ralphie or not vote at all.  We can actually, oh my sweet Lord, vote AGAINST Ralphie.

How so and huh?

WRITE-IN!

Does that ever work?

It did in Alaska.  Lisa Murkowski won by write-in, and her name was MURKOWSKI.

Village Trustee David Sutz is running as a write-in candidate.

And, at his website he is so helpful as to supply an explanation as to how to write him in.

Apparently when you get your ballot...

you go to the column for supervisor and line for write-in and where the two intersect you write David Sutz.

And no, those little red lines will not be on your ballot.

So, if Alaskans, who all grew up in the wild, raised by polar bears, can elect Lisa Murkowski (MURKOWSKI!) then we clever Woodburians can figure out how to spell DAVID SUTZ.

Hi Mom, I'm Home

So, there the Uncle was, relaxing on a sun-drenched beach in Sierra Leone, when word arrived that things were getting interesting back in little old Woodbury.

It seems that, just in time for Halloween, the undead one has again emerged from his oubliette.

Wow, Caruso redux (whatever that means), and running for town supervisor.

After being shot down at the polls again and again and again, Ralphie has finally figured out what went wrong in all those campaigns. He'd had opponents.

D’oh!

Of course he lost.

All he had to do was run unopposed and he’d have a chance.

So Ralphie, head of the Woodbury Republican Committee that he is, called up his pal Manny Mangual, head of the Woodbury Democratic Committee and asked “Pretty please with sugar and sprinkles and little chocolate jimmies, don’t nominate anyone to run against me.”

And those were the right magic words.

Who would ever have thought that Manny would roll over for Ralphie? Well, who, other than anyone who knows Manny?

How could the Uncle resist such fine entertainment?

So here I be.

Fun!