Chemung County officials hope a new purchase option will lay the groundwork for a meeting between the county and the owners of 90 acres in the town of Chemung where a warehouse/distribution center wants to locate.

I would love to be able to walk into a car dealer and pick a $100,000.00 car, and tell the sales manager, I will take that one, then whip out my checkbook and write a check for $10,00.00 - When they tell me No, I just use the law to take it at that price. God I love that law. The law that allows me to steal whatever I want, with complete impunity.

How about a novel concept for these thieves in office, how about pay the owner what the owner wants for his property? I know, I know, novel idea.

If Elmira is not successful in persuading the state to allow the city to sell the Mark Twain Golf Course, city officials say they will need to look into fixing up the facility.

This is called the Whammy. It is the scare approach. “If we can’t get that new car, we will have to spend almost as much on fixing the old one dear”, or, “But honey, my old computer can be upgraded but it would cost more than a new one”.

Do they think we don;t know what’s going on here? Do they think we are that stupid?

Burin announces restructuring of City Hall operations, new deputy
02/28/2008

City Manager John Burin announced a series of organizational changes that will continue to improve and streamline City Hall operations, including naming a new deputy city manager who is a member of a new generation of city government leaders.

The changes come as long-time Director of Community Development, Cheryl Box, prepares to retire, the outsourcing of tax collection through a recent shared service with Chemung County has streamlined the Chamberlain’s office, and expanding citywide economic development responsibilities has increased the workload for the City Manager, Burin said Thursday.

“I’m realigning our personnel to not only provide adequate service delivery, but also to look to the future and place many of our young professionals in decision-making positions,” he said.

Burin will re-establish the position of Deputy City Manager for Operations, and appoint Kimberlee Balok Middaugh to the role. Middaugh previously served as the City’s personnel director…

The agenda for the next City Council Meeting is now available. The workshop for this meeting will be held at 10:00am on 02/28/2008. There are no public hearings scheduled for this meeting.

All City Council meetings and workshop meetings are open to the public. Each City Council meeting has two opportunities for the public to speak: one to speak on any item on the agenda and the second to speak on any item that is of the City’s concern. The public may also speak at a public hearing when they are scheduled.

City Manager John Burin announced a series of organizational changes that will continue to improve and streamline City Hall operations, including naming a new Deputy City Manager who is a member of a new generation of city government leaders.

All the staff changes and salaries are covered in the 2008 City Budget, passed by City Council in January, and require no new spending, Burin said. “I fully expect the City to save money through new efficiencies because of these changes,” he said. “It’s an investment in the future to keep services at a high level, and keep modernizing City government.”

Is Running Your Car On Used Cooking Oil Cheaper Than Gasoline?

Just a heads up, it is called WVO or Waste Vegetable Oil, and yes, it is much cheaper, I run it in the Hummer, and get a mpg greater fuel efficiency, but the WVO works out to about $1.34 per gallon (discounting my time).

Board decides on a short-term solution to alleviate the overcrowding problem at Hendy Elementary School.

HALPERIN’S TAKE: Things McCain Can Do to Try to Beat Obama That Clinton Cannot
(From Time Online)
by Mark Halperin

Nomination fights are tribal matters. There are certain lines candidates from the same party cannot cross when trying to win. In general election battles, there are fewer rules and constraints.

If Clinton is not able to come back and beat Obama, there will be a fair amount of (to borrow one of her phrases) coulda-shoulda-woulda on behalf of her campaign: things she could have done that she chose not to do -– or was not able to do.

The McCain campaign is staffed with savvy, experienced operatives who have closely watched the rise of Obama, and they have learned from Clinton’s failure to take down her Democratic rival.

Things McCain can do when running against Obama that Clinton has been unable to do well or at all:

1. Play the national security card without hesitation.

2. Talk about…

Monroe County To Appeal Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

In a case with national implications, Monroe County officials said yesterday morning that they will appeal a state appellate court ruling in Rochester earlier this month that said New York must recognize same-sex marriages legally consecrated elsewhere.

The ruling is considered the first of its kind in the country.

The ruling comes from a recent case against Monroe Community College employee who sought medical benefits for her same-sex partner. The couple had a civil-union ceremony in Vermont and later married in Ontario, Canada, where same-sex marriages are legally recognized.

The couple demanded the foreign marriage be recognized in New York and that
they receive medical benefits from the college. But the county contends that state law mandates that marriage is an institution that exists strictly between a man and a woman, and foreign marriages are recognized so long as they are not contrary to state law.

“This…

From Newsmax.com

The Real Barack Obama

Thursday, February 21, 2008 10:06 AM

By: Ronald Kessler

Michelle Obama’s comment that, for the first time in her adult life, she feels proud of America helps crystallize who Barack Obama is.

To be sure, the wife of a candidate is perfectly free to have views that are distinct from her husband’s. But on a matter that is so fundamental to one’s being as love of country, it is difficult to imagine that Michelle Obama would publicly twice make such a statement suggesting disdain for America unless she felt it comported with her husband’s views.

Equally important, her statement aligns perfectly with the hate-America views of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s minister, friend, and sounding board for more than two decades. On the Sunday following 9/11, Wright characterized the terrorist attacks as a consequence of violent American policies. Four years later, Wright…