Benzie Johnson|Advocate for All|Speak Up Albany County

Press Release - Formal Public Announcement

2011-07-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

NEWS PRESS RELEASE {For Immediate Release}

Democrat Benzie Johnson to Run for Albany County Executive

in November's Election As A Write-In Candidate

Monday, July 11, 2011

10:00 am

__________________________________

I am publicly and formally announcing that I am running for Albany County Executive in November's General Election as a write-in candidate. One of my issues is Abandoned Buildings throughout the County of Albany. Although I understand there are several levels of government laws that need to be adhered to, I believe that Albany County can be the catalyst of change in this area, starting with changing county laws regarding the time frame for the County to step in. I will also work in conjunction with the state level in revising state tax laws and their time frames, as well as city government, so that every level of government can start the rehabilitation process that much faster. Blighted conditions are a symptom of neglect that gets passed on to the County and due to certain laws, the blight only continues on. I will eradicate blighted conditions, by putting everyone to work on our County's housing stock, roads and beautification of those areas. My administration's plans will cut through the red-tape. Revised laws are the necessary components that will help eradicate the issue of blight and at the same time provide necessary jobs to those who would like to work in their county.

Another one of my issues is wasteful spending. "Demolition by Neglect" is a form of wasteful spending, since your tax dollars could have been put to use for other under supplied services that directly affect you, if they had been efficient in preventative maintenance methods. The residents need to look at the fact that the problems are not being corrected, and one opponent just wants to shift the problems from the city level up to the county level, at the expense & peril of the residents who want to or need to live here.

As Albany County Executive I will address the issues the county residents need addressed, not the political agenda of a political party, political group or politically connected union. I am the only true candidate who will do right by the residents, ensuring their safety and well-being come first, not their wallets. My Administration will transform how Albany County operates, by establishing new levels of standards for a functional, uncorrupted county government and by demanding a level of performance in service that will meet the residents expectations and exceed them. I am not, and will not be part of the status quo.

Facebook

2011-05-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

First Ward Residents and Albany Friends, There will be an AIM FOR PEACE RALLY in response to the homicide/stabbing last Saturday night. It is very important that we have a large turn out for this community event. We want to send a message that we are not accepting of violence in our neighborhood. Please pass this on. MAY 6TH, 2011, 7P.M. Hoffman Park - Near Basketball Courts

Joseph Henry Science Fair

2011-03-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

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My daughter Anndriana won a 3rd place award and trophy winner in the Joseph Henry Science Fair held at the College of St. Rose on March 25, 2011. She won in the Individual Science Fair Project (4-6 grade). Congratulations to all the winners!

MAP: Albany’s new neighborhood beat officers

2011-01-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

Click the link and see if your neighborhood is covered.

MAP: Albany’s new neighborhood beat officers

Christmas Gift FYI

2010-12-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

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Air Hogs Video Cam helicopter can be found at Target across from Colonie Center $49.99 there are on an endcap in the toy section and they have many left

Loopz game Target same as above location - not sure on price many left at the top of a toy aisle

Super Scribblenauts nintendo ds game - Target same as above location. $29.99 several left.

It had come to my attention that many people were looking for these items and could not find them at Toys R Us, so I'm letting every Santa's helper know where they can find them to help continue to spread good Holiday Cheer and Joy and the Spirit of the Holiday season. Happy Holidays to All!! (Disclaimer - I am not promoting Target and have no affiliation with them, I just believe in making sure every child has a christmas they can remember. Let me know if this was helpful. Enjoy!

Albany (NY) Police Ask Motorists Not to Leave Cars Running Unattended

2010-12-10T05:24:00.000-08:00

The Albany Police Department is asking motorists not to leave their cars running unattended so that they don’t become a target of car thieves, particularly during the cold winter months.

Every 26 seconds a car is stolen in the United States. National statistics indicate that 25 to 30 percent of stolen cars had the keys left in the ignition and the car was left unattended. Based on those statistics the average comprehensive insurance rates rose 11.2 percent from 1999 to 2009.

Generally during the winter months the Albany Police Department has seen a rise in the number of motor vehicle thefts. Car owners tend to leave their cars running while going into a convenient store, at a gas station or double parked on the roadway. This presents what they call “a crime of opportunity” in which criminals look for cars that are left in this nature.

Under the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law it is a traffic violation to leave you car running and unattended.

P.O. Matthew Montesano

Albany Police Department

Community Services Unit

(518)447-7875

Public Bath #2 and my proposals to the city of albany e-mail letter

2010-12-08T23:53:00.000-08:00

e-mail sent on 12/9/2010 to:

Hon. Carolyn McLaughlin
Hon. Richard Conti
Hon. Daniel Herring
Hon. Dominick Calsolaro
Hon. Lester Freeman
Hon. Ronald E. Bailey
Hon. Barbara Smith
Hon. Jacqueline M. Jenkins-Cox
Hon. Catherine M. Fahey
Hon. John Rosenzweig
Hon. James P. Sano
Hon. Leah Golby
Hon. Anton A. Konev
Hon. Michael O’Brien
Hon. Joseph Igoe
Hon. Frank Commisso, Jr.
Mayor Gerald D. Jennings

Re: Public Bath #2

This correspondence is to let you know that I am completely opposed to the permanent closure of Public Bath #2. This bath house can be an anchor building which represents a “form of stabilization” to the South End's much anticipated reinvigoration. This historic neighborhood and 105 year old structure “serve as reminders of a prosperous era, that represent an intrinsic, latent value that is difficult if not impossible to re-create from scratch and should be preserved to the maximum extent feasible“. (language taken from proposed city plans as a reminder of what the city said). The residents nor any visitors will benefit from their hard work when you take away a recreational facility. The building is not in total disrepair according to city data “renovations were done to the building 2007-2009“ it just needs to be maintained, monitored and preserved.

You cannot energize an area, nor state that you want to make the South End a "Community of Choice" when their very choices are being stripped from them and stripped out of the budget without a public hearing. Many residents doubt your level of commitment to meaningful citizen participation when they are being excluded from the process. The city's proposed closing of the bath house will be detrimental to the future of our community!

The National Historic Preservation Act mandates the active use of historic buildings for public benefit and to preserve our heritage. Preserving Albany’s historic buildings is essential and it is environmentally responsible by using existing buildings. I believe that local government officials also need to help change the perceived perceptions of the South End. The South End residents can work all they want to with their local leaders, but if these “leaders” are already of the mind that they are against an idea to benefit Mayor Jennings, than it is not going to benefit the people one bit. The people need to be heard, because the business of the people is suppose to be of the utmost importance to you as mayor and council members. You need to do what you were elected by the people to do, and forget any political obligations you have to the mayor. The Common Council needs to ensure equal treatment, so the criteria is not “bent” for any building. I respectfully request that you hold public hearings on the bath house issue. By the mayor and council members not requesting to have a public hearing, it places a severe burden on the public’s and the voters ability to actively participate in it’s local government. How can the South End ever be considered a “Community of Choice” when they are being excluded from their rightful role as resident and voter. You constituents have rights also, rights that should not be ignored, to appease an absentee landlord mayor. All of your decisions effect all residents everyday, whether in your ward or not. Your decision on this and every issue needs to be made without the mayor’s influence, and I ask all council members who voted “No” to reevaluate their choice and replace the funding for public bath #2 and keep it open. The honest people of Albany are insisting that their rights be heard and be protected by you and protected from the mayor’s inadequacies. We are relying on you to restore to a sound state the bath house after the mayor caused its dilapidating conditions through neglect. I along with other residents of the South End and the city of Albany, are fighting for this building, for it represents a piece of that area’s history and culture. I recommend that the common council educate and/or continue to educate themselves in regards to historic buildings and preservation of them, so preservation efforts will be sustained in Albany. I also recommend that ward leaders working on commissions regarding historic buildings should not be on those commissions unless they have preservation as their first priority. I also propose that an ordinance be done to provide for the preservation and protection of historic places, buildings, sites, districts, etc. in that the city of Albany start their own local landmark commission to ensure preservation is sustained, and to safeguard the architectural, historical and cultural heritage of Albany. A preservation ordinance stabilizes declining neighborhoods and protects and enhances property values; so historic preservation is a valid public purpose.

The Common Council has the authority to make sure rules/laws are complied with, and when it comes to Public Bath #2 the mayor did not comply with his own city’s laws/procedures, and possibly the Historic Resource Commission’s, and therefore as council members you should not follow the mayor’s recommendations to close public bath #2. The city’s codes are nothing more than wasted paper unless the city complies with same also. The city needs to repair their faults in order for it to truly be a great city. I propose if one does not already exist a documentation plan for Preservation should be developed using preservation as a treatment developing your own city plan for such, for this building immediately and for all historic buildings in the City of Albany. This bath house is “recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use“. Protection includes the maintenance of historic materials through treatments such as rust removal, caulking, and re-application of protective coatings. The City needs to stabilize. The pool is in need of repair to “stabilize it“ that does not constitute closing of the building.

I propose that the pool and all historic buildings be checked annually for needed repairs. The cracks in the pool are a normal repair most pools require due to movement and lack of reinforcement. Also, in lieu of an exhaust fan connected directly to the wet area to run right out the roof of the building to remove humidity, I propose installing ceiling fans to create steady airflow. The more air movement, the quicker the surfaces will dry. The “ventilation system” the mayor claims it needs, will not give you the air movement that you will get from ceiling fans that can be used in the locker room areas and elsewhere, which are cheaper in cost and more effective in drying surfaces, and will aid in keeping steam from rusting the buildings metal beams. (These metal beams can also have simple steel rods put in behind the beams for support) a simple not expensive way to fix the problem which many historic buildings that used metal beams do. To dry, you need good heat also. Keeping the areas dry also prevent fungal conditions like athlete’s foot. Regular walk-throughs by maintenance staff with hourly removal of any standing water on floors and surface areas also helps. The more time maintenance staff is there to spot problems they can take steps to resolve them. Other immediate remedies I propose to reducing and preventing wet conditions or rusting, is to purchase several Barco Turbo Downdraft dryers that suck in and release air in four directions; or similar unit, it can dry an entire room in 15 minutes, or another cheaper alternative is a Barco blaster with 2 different operating angles to direct air as needed, typically used to dry floors and carpets. Also, if not present you can also add a regular table or two for towels to be set on in the pool area to dry off before entering the locker room, another level of reducing water and wetness. So you see, with much less cost than the mayor claims, the bath house can remain open and these proposed suggestions can be put in place to resolve effectively and immediately routine needs of maintenance and preservation. Using my suggestions is not only cost effective, but it also will keep intact the historic roof, by not installing a ventilation system. The city needs to show it’s commitment to the historic buildings of Albany. This site can and needs to survive under the direction of responsible preservation practices with preservation minded people to enforce those practices. The simple fact that it is listed on the National registry warrants its preservation, it is a building of significance in a historic district. I also propose that a no demolition rule be put into effect, and that Jennings puts it in writing what he proposes to do with the bath house and files same with the clerk’s office for public record. The bath house is earning a “reasonable return” without the work being done to it, and if the building was not safe as the Mayor claims, people would not be in it today per code enforcement laws. The Historic Resources Commission should have laws set in place, so that the city was to ensure its preservation and maintenance thereof, and to propose not just elective work that needs to be done, but also serious deterioration issues that needs to be addressed which did not happen overnight. The city’s neglect of the building not only endangers the building but the historic district it sits in also. The mayor is a neglectful absentee landlord for he only sees a particular community as a place to maximize income without much cost on his part, and has continually shown his total disregard towards historic sites. The Mayor did not satisfy his obligation to this building. A code enforcement officer should have done something about this matter before now. If the building was truly a problem, the necessary tests would have been deemed necessary to determine the safety of the building then in ‘07-’09, which did not happen; and since the mayor admitted he was aware of these problems, then he is negligent for failing to do a written notice of the defective, unsafe and dangerous conditions he complains of, and his willful neglect is what “allegedly” puts public safety at risk, since he had a reasonable amount of time to repair and remove these defects and dangers of public safety and did not. Did the Commissioner of Public Works receive a plan from the mayor since its last repairs to make the remaining repairs? When a permit was necessary for example for the rusting inner beams/supports why didn’t the mayor obtain a permit to make said repairs? Why isn’t the city being penalized for not making said repairs?

The Historic Resources Commission needs to be the powerful force they can be by enforcing their own rules. It is not the mayor’s decision to make and the city should not be exempt from the same laws that a private owner would need to abide by. The city attorney /code enforcement would bring a case against a private violator for the same issues the city ignored. A correct review needs to be done so the mayor cannot continue to subvert the same processes of others. Do not allow the mayor to subvert processes for his own personal or political gain. The mayor is not going to simply move on from this issue, this is not a dead issue and the Historic Resources Commission needs to require the mayor to repair damages, and if he thinks he is going to demolish this structure, he does not meet the criteria to do so. The Common Council needs to make sure that the city is doing what it is suppose to be doing and that means looking into the process to make sure that the city is compliant. The mayor needs to stop trying to get special approvals on things outside intended law; and be reminded that you all have legal responsibilities that need to be adhered to or risk loosing state and federal funding because of it. It does not have to return the most profitable return contrary to Jennings.

The building code inspector should have been inspecting it regularly. Nothing prevented the city from ordinary maintenance and repair. Typical Commission laws have it that no person (including city) owning property within a historic district shall permit the property to fall into serious state of disrepair so as to result in its deterioration effecting the life of the property itself which includes deterioration of vertical supports, roofs or other horizontal members, ineffective waterproofing of roof, or foundation of pool. If Albany does not, I propose similar language to be added regarding enforcement.

I propose that parts of the city’s zoning ordinance be strengthened to encourage the preservation of historic resources. Since the Historic Resource Commission only covers mainly the exterior of the building, in the preservation ordinance there needs to be a provision for the interiors so that no one can allow a historic building to be neglected. A building inspector could have determined if the bath house required immediate repairs or stabilization to protect the building, its contents and the public. Ordinary things could have been done before now and still can be done. If established, the preservation commission should work with the planning board and an experienced preservation lawyer to assure the city and private owners do not fail in meeting its preservation goals. The city should include that approval for demolition should be contingent on the owner submitting an accompanying plan for reuse of the property that complies with the terms of the zoning ordinance.

With the growing rate of childhood obesity, I and others believe that it is absurd to close this facility. I propose better advertising and publicity to attract residents and visitors (previously not done) so this facility could again be a jewel to Albany, by providing healthier children and adults and a lasting legacy in Albany for the next 105 years. In regards to lack of attendance the city’s progress report of ‘07-‘09 states: “Hidden Secrets - …one being Public Bath #2.“ That being said more could have been done to make it more visible by promoting it and educating all residents new and old and visitors about its historical existence by making it a destination to come to. It was and still can be today what it was then, a social center and community meeting place. I propose that the walking tour brochures for the South End and all areas be placed on the city’s website for people to download to promote the South End and increase public awareness.

Therefore, we are all responsible in the protection, preservation, repairs and improvements of our historic resources and to make them accessible for use by all. I respectfully request that you vote Yes to keep the public bath #2 open and take my recommendations into consideration. I thank you for your time and consideration to this matter. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at benziejohnson@yahoo.com.

Send an E-mail to all the Ward Leaders and the Mayor (Albany, NY) to Save the Public Bath #2

2010-12-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

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Calling all Albany New York residents. Send the following message to all below now:

Message:{DO NOT VETO the funding for Public Bath #2. Give it another year to allow grants that have been found to fund the bath, Keeping it open for its intended purpose and start the city programs planned for the South End that never happened. Thank you}

Share this post w/everyone you know.

We need the common council and the mayor's help today to keep the bath open, and they will need our help tomorrow to keep their jobs.

Dominick Calsolaro Ward 1 - dcalsolaro@nycap.rr.com

Lester Freeman Ward 2 - Friends4freeman@yahoo.com

Ronald E. Bailey Ward 3 - Lbailey005@nycap.rr.com

Barbara Smith Ward 4 - BarbaraSmith4@aol.com

Jacqueline Jenkins-Cox Ward 5 - jjenkinscox@yahoo.com

Richard Conti Ward 6 - Rc6thward@aol.com

Catherine Fahey Ward 7 - cathyfahey7@yahoo.com

John Rosenzweig Ward 8 - Rosenzweig8@nycap.rr.com

James Sano Ward 9 - Jsano15@aol.com

Leah Golby Ward 10 - leah.golby@gmail.com

Anton Konev Ward 11 - konevforcouncil@gmail.com

Michael O'Brien Ward 12 - twelfward@aol.com

Daniel Herring Ward 13 - danherring47@hotmail.com

Joseph Igoe Ward 14 - Jigoe19932@aol.com

Frank Commisso, Jr. Ward 15 - commisso.frank@gmail.com

Carolyn McLaughlin (Common Council President) - onlybelv@aol.com

Mayor Jennings - mayor@ci.albany.ny.us

Save Public Bath #2

2010-12-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

Call Mayor Jennings @ 434-5100 & email: mayor@ci.albany.ny.us
Message:{DO NOT VETO the funding for Public Bath #2. Give it another year to allow grants that have been found to fund the bath, Keeping it open for its intended purpose and start the city programs planned for the South End that never happened} Share this post w/everyone you know. Go to the common council meeting 12/6/2010 at 7:00pm at City Hall Thank you.

Homepage | Freerice.com

2010-11-26T16:10:00.000-08:00

During this giving season we can give back by simply a click of the mouse to donate free rice to hungry people and improve your vocabulary at the same time. Have Fun! Let me know if you clicked!

Tales from the Inside

2010-11-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

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Speak Up Albany and speak fast; it's time to fight for the South End Now! see link to view comment. Tales from the Inside

Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA)

2010-11-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

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CDTA announces route changes that went into effect on November 14, 2010.

Save Public Bath #2 Today - Albany NY only

2010-11-15T01:52:00.000-08:00

Click Sign and Save Public Bath #2 - Albany NY residents only. Please sign the petition located at the right of the screen of this blog to save this one of a kind 104 year old building located in a historic district. We only have about one week so please sign today.
To read the petition in its entirety click on the Title of this post.

Public Bath #2 info:
Public Bath contains an indoor pool, providing year-round swimming. The Bath offers an after-school learn to swim program for children and teenagers ages 6-16 Monday through Friday 3:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M.

Its located at 90 Fourth Avenue (corner South Pearl St. and Fourth Ave.)
(518) 434-2656

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Wednesday-Friday 7:00A.M. - 8:00P.M.

Tuesday and Thursday 7:00 A.M. - 4:30P.M.

Saturday 8:00 A.M. - 2:00P.M.

Questions regarding the after-school learn to swim program - contact the Director at the number above

Take Part and Vote - Inspiration to Action Members Project with American Express

2010-11-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

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Just one vote can make a difference in Members Project. Be a part of inspiration to action by helping to decide which five charities will receive a total of $1,000,000 in funding from American Express. Vote for one charity every week with new winners announced every three months. Click the link, can't find your charity of choice on the list suggest a charity. Next winners announced November 29th, 2010.

10/27/2010 is Small Business Saturday

2010-11-12T17:39:00.000-08:00

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Small Business Saturday is a nationwide campaign to spur shopping at small businesses between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2010. As I have said before, small businesses are a key component to sustainability in a neighborhood and it looks like I am not the only one that believes that, so does American Express. Before big box stores these are the businesses that we relied upon, and why neighborhoods thrived in the past. If you click the facebook link for Small Business Saturday, and click "Like" American Express will donate from $1.00 up to $500,000 to Girls Inc. American Express is also giving a $25 statement credit to 100,000 cardmembers who register their card and use it on November 27, 2010 at small businesses. Your link to enroll your card is on the facebook site. At the bottom of the facebook page you can also promote your small business on Small Business Saturday with free Facebook advertising and other promotional tools that is just a click away but you must register your small business before November 18th, 2010. Go to http://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday. I'm In! Won't you join me in supporting small businesses too? Spread the word on Facebook and Twitter about your favorite shops and eateries. Also you can go to the 3/50 project site, and download a postcard or poster to continue to promote supporting small businesses with the "Big Things Come From Small Boxes" campaign up until December 31, 2010. Let's not stop there though, this is something that we need to continue on everyday to help our small businesses and neighborhoods they are in. Click the link for more information. http://www.the350project.net/big_things.html

Court of Appeals 1988 Decision regarding permit parking in Albany

2010-11-06T00:39:00.000-07:00

Let's start where it all began. A little background information on this issue, see this City of Albany decision of 1988 regarding permit parking. Note that the annual permit fee in 1988 was $17.50, it will be interesting to see what they raise it to in 2010. Albany is currently in the planning phase of a permit parking plan, with public hearings to be held before the end of the year. Understand the basis for this decision, because permit parking may be coming to your neighborhood too. Notice that the following statement is taken directly out of the below decision [...the legislative history reveals that the purpose of the statute was simply to allow Albany to phase out parking meters in favor of a permit plan because meters are costly, interfere with refuse and snow removal and are often vandalized].

I stated that I would get rid of parking meters because people are tired of being nickel and dimed to death, and jennings stated he would not get rid of them.

72 N.Y.2d 96 (1988)

New York State Public Employees Federation, AFL-CIO, by its President Rand Condell, et al., Respondents,
v.
City of Albany et al., Appellants. (And Another Action.)

Court of Appeals of the State of New York.Argued May 31, 1988.Decided June 30, 1988.

Vincent J. McArdle, Jr., Corporation Counsel (Madeleine D. Maney of counsel), for appellants.

Rebecca L. Caudle and Richard E. Casagrande for New York State Public Employees Federation, AFL-CIO, and others, respondents.

Jeffrey Armstrong and Marjorie E. Karowe for C. Allen Mead and another, respondents.

Louis N. Kash, Corporation Counsel (Jeffrey Eichner of counsel), for City of Rochester, amicus curiae.

Chief Judge WACHTLER and Judges KAYE, ALEXANDER, TITONE, HANCOCK, JR., and BELLACOSA concur.

99 *99SIMONS, J.

Plaintiffs challenge the validity of Albany City Ordinance No. 5.11.86 which creates a program allowing residents of certain areas of the City of Albany who purchase permits to park in their neighborhoods for periods of unlimited duration but restricts nonresident parking in such areas during weekday business hours to 90 minutes. The ordinance patently discriminates against nonresidents and violates statutory and 100 *100 common-law rules which, we conclude, the City could not modify under existing authority. The ordinance is therefore ultra vires and void.

I Albany residents have for some time complained about parking problems created by the influx of nonresident State employees who work in the downtown area. The situation has been particularly troublesome during business hours when employees sought free parking in residential districts to avoid parking lot charges and by doing so prevented residents from parking near their homes. Residents were also concerned about safety, noting that the shortage of parking space had become so exacerbated that there was a competitive scramble between drivers for spaces in their neighborhoods. Responding to these complaints, the City enacted Ordinance No. 5.11.86 (Albany City Code, ch XXV, div 9, §§ 25-114 — 25-118) vesting discretion in the Albany Chief of Police to designate areas as "prepaid parking permit areas". It is clearly based upon the Arlington County, Virginia, statute which withstood constitutional challenge in Arlington County Bd. v Richards(434 US 5, reh denied 434 US 976). The ordinance provides that residents of parking permit areas may purchase two permits per household for an annual fee of $17.50 each entitling them to unlimited parking in their neighborhoods. They may also obtain permits for their guests, free of charge if they purchased a permit for themselves, or for $2.50 if they did not. Nonresidents, on the other hand, may park in designated areas only for 90 minutes Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. (excluding holidays) and are subject to a $15 fine for overtime parking. After the ordinance was passed, plaintiffs, two public employee unions, and several of their individual members, commenced this action to enjoin enforcement of the ordinance and to have it declared void. Supreme Court upheld the ordinance but the Appellate Division reversed, concluding that because it discriminated against nonresidents, the statute was invalid. We granted leave to appeal and now affirm.

II

The general delegation of power to localities allowing them to regulate the highways within their boundaries is contained 101 *101 in article IX, § 2 (c) (6) of the New York Constitution, Municipal Home Rule Law § 10 and Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1604. The Legislature retains ultimate control over the highways, however, and these provisions are expressly made subject to its power to restrict localities and ensure uniform highway regulation throughout the State. Pertinent here are sections 1600 and 1604 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, which prohibit localities from excluding persons from free use of the highways except to the extent such limitations are expressly authorized by statute. Case law makes clear the types of exclusions foreclosed by these statutes and reveals that in the absence of specific authorization from the Legislature, restrictions on highway use based upon residency — such as that found in the contested ordinance — are prohibited.

Historically, English highways were said to be the King's and impeding their use was proscribed for his right was one of passage for himself and for his subjects (see, Town of Galen v Clyde & Rose Plank Rd. Co., 27 Barb 543, 551; see also, Cohen v Mayor of City of N. Y., 113 N.Y. 532, 536). Tailoring the English rule to democratic concepts, the common law in New York has restricted local regulation by impressing a public trust upon the streets. The right to use of the highways is said to rest with the whole people of the State, not with the adjacent proprietors or the inhabitants of the surrounding municipality (People v Kerr, 27 N.Y. 188, 199;accord, City of New York v Rice, 198 N.Y. 124, 128). This public right is "`absolute and paramount'" (Cities Serv. Oil Co. v City of New York, 5 N.Y.2d 110, 115, rearg denied 5 N.Y.2d 1041, cert denied 360 US 934; Deshong v City of New York, 176 N.Y. 475, 484). Thus, inPeople v Grant (306 N.Y. 258, 262), we struck down an ordinance which prohibited transient or through traffic in the Village of New Hyde Park, reasoning that from the common-law proscription it "follows that residents of a particular area in a town or village do not possess and cannot be granted proprietary rights to the use of the highways therein in priority to or exclusive of use by the general public" (see also, People v Randazzo, 60 N.Y.2d 952; Wiggins v Town of Somers, 4 N.Y.2d 215, 218, remittitur amended 4 N.Y.2d 1045, rearg denied 4 N.Y.2d 1046;Atlantic Beach Prop. Owners' Assn. v Town of Hempstead, 3 N.Y.2d 434, 440, rearg denied 3 N.Y.2d 942).

Noting that our decisions have generally involved traffic restrictions, the City maintains that the common-law rule should only be construed as prohibiting distinctions between 102 *102 residents and nonresidents for matters involving travel; that distinctions may be drawn for parking matters. Neither the case law nor the Vehicle and Traffic Law is so limited, however; both proscribe restrictions on highway "use", which includes use for parking as well as travel purposes. The general rule is clear: residents of a community have no greater right to use the highways abutting their land — whether it be for travel or parking — than other members of the public and Albany City Ordinance No. 5.11.86, which confers special parking advantages to residents of certain neighborhoods, violates this proscription. The Legislature is free to create exceptions to the general rule or delegate the power to do so to the localities (see, Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1604; see also, Mobil Oil Corp. v Incorporated Vil. of Roslyn Harbor, 69 Misc 2d 79, 84 [Meyer, J.]) but we conclude that it did neither here.

III

The City contends that any of three provisions of the Vehicle and Traffic Law supersede the general rule and authorized its enactment of this ordinance. It relies on subdivision (a) (6), (15) and (16) of section 1640.^[*] None of them authorize Ordinance No. 5.11.86.

Paragraph (6) generally authorizes local parking restrictions such as the 90-minute time limit found in the contested ordinance. It does not, however, permit discrimination between residents and nonresidents, a distinction forbidden at common law (see also, Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1200 [indicating parking restrictions should be applied to "persons" generally, and containing no authorization to treat residents and 103 *103 nonresidents differently]). Nor should the power to do so be implied for it is apparent that when the Legislature has intended to authorize exceptions to the general rule, it has done so expressly (see, e.g., § 1640 [a] [17] [sanctioning special parking privileges for handicapped persons]).

Nor does paragraph (15) serve as a basis for the ordinance. It empowers the City of Albany to enact a prepaid parking permit program, but not one which confers preferred status to those in the community. The language of the statute makes no mention of a distinction between residents and nonresidents and the legislative history reveals that the purpose of the statute was simply to allow Albany to phase out parking meters in favor of a permit plan because meters are costly, interfere with refuse and snow removal and are often vandalized (see, e.g., Mem in support of legislation, Bill Jacket, L 1979, ch 435).

The City's reliance upon the catchall or omnibus provision contained in paragraph (16) is similarly misplaced. Paragraph (16) authorizes enactment of "reasonable" local highway regulations but local restrictions generally are deemed reasonable only if they pertain to matters of public safety (7 McQuillin, Municipal Corporations § 24.610 [3d rev ed]). More importantly, the authority conferred under paragraph (16) is expressly made "subject to the limitations contained in the various laws of this state" and our decisions have narrowed its scope even further.

In People v Grant (306 N.Y. 258, supra) we considered a similar omnibus clause in section 90 (4) of the predecessor statute. The prior statute, like the modern version, prohibited exclusions limiting the People's right to use the streets unless the exclusion was specifically authorized. We expressed concern in Grant that if all "reasonable" regulations were authorized by the catchall, the proscription against excluding persons from using the highways could be swallowed by the omnibus clause. In that case the challenged ordinance precluded nonresidents from traveling through the Village of New Hyde Park. In a broad sense the ordinance fostered the reasonable purpose of ensuring tranquility within the village, but this "reasonable" restriction was the very type at which the proscription against exclusionary rules was directed. To prevent the omnibus clause from overriding the paramount purpose of the statute, we indicated the "reasonableness" of local enactments would be judged "by comparing them with 104 *104 the particular powers that were delegated expressly [to the localities] by the other subdivisions" of the Vehicle and Traffic Law (id., at 263). Doing so, we held that excluding nonresidents from traveling through New Hyde Park was not "reasonable" within the meaning of the omnibus provision because it was a "more drastic" restriction than those specifically permitted (People v Grant, supra). From the Grant analysis both the majority and dissenting members of this court concluded in People v Randazzo (60 N.Y.2d 952, 953, supra) that the omnibus provision only authorizes rules which are "reasonable and nondiscriminatory"([emphasis added] citing 7 McQuillin, Municipal Corporations, op. cit., § 24.618).

These judicial limitations of the omnibus paragraph defeat the City's reliance upon it here. Paragraph (16) does not authorize regulations at odds with the laws of the State and our common law forbids according local residents priority in the use of the public streets. Moreover, no provision in section 1640 differentiates between residents and nonresidents, and such a "drastic" distinction should not be upheld based upon the omnibus provision. Finally, because the ordinance patently excludes nonresidents it violates the prohibition against discriminatory restrictions.

IV

Two of the City's remaining contentions require comment.

First, the City stresses the similarities between its plan and that upheld against constitutional challenge by the Supreme Court in Arlington County Bd. v Richards (434 US 5, supra). However, whether the contested plan could be enacted consistent with the Federal Constitution is not at issue here. The question is one of power. While the Legislature could delegate to the localities power to enact such a plan, it has not done so and the ordinance is ultra vires.

The City also relies upon People ex rel. Village of Larchmont v Gilbert (137 NYS2d 389) andWhite Plains Automotive Supply Co. v City of Peekskill (115 AD2d 728, affd 68 N.Y.2d 933,appeal dismissed 481 US 1026). Gilbert involved the designation of off-street parking for residents, and thus, unlike this case did not entail use of the public streets. White Plains Automotive upheld a traffic ordinance restricting access to residential streets to vehicles under 27 feet in length because the ordinance was reasonable under the facts of that case and, more importantly, because Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1640 (a) (5) 105 *105 specifically authorizes excluding trucks from local highways. Such specific authorization is lacking here.

Accordingly, the order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed.

Order affirmed, with costs.

[*] Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1640 (a) (6), (15) and (16) provide:

"(a) The legislative body of any city or village, with respect to highways * * * in such city or village * * * may by local law, ordinance, order, rule or regulation:

"6. Prohibit, restrict or limit the stopping, standing or parking of vehicles * * *

"15. Provide for the establishment, operation, policing and supervision of a prepaid parking permit system, establishing parking time limits for such permits and fix and require the payment of fees applicable to parking where such a prepaid permit parking system is in operation * * * The provisions of this paragraph shall only be applicable for the city of Albany.

"16. Adopt such additional reasonable local laws, ordinances, orders, rules and regulations with respect to traffic as local conditions may require subject to the limitations contained in the various laws of the state."

Recipes

2010-10-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Look to the right side bar to enjoy a new feature of this blog, the Kraft Recipe Assistant. See featured recipes for the week, or search for your own main ingredient recipe. It offers new recipe ideas for the upcoming holidays and for everyday meal planning. In light of our busy lives, we don't always have time to skim through a recipe book, but here are some suggestions just a click away while you check out the blog. This feature has been added to improve the quality of life issue "What's for Dinner?", which can be very time consuming. Here on the recipe assistant you can search for recipes according to total time or prep time to make it, great for busy people on the go. When you get ready to print the recipe the print button may or may not work for you, so just do control p to print. So go Ahead, click and enjoy.

Twitter and Facebook

2010-10-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

Please take a moment to Follow benziejohnson on Twitter and Like the Speak Up Albany Facebook group page too!

Your voting rights after release from prison in NY

2010-10-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

In New York State voting rights restored automatically after release from prison and discharge from parole (probationers may vote).

Additionally, individuals on parole may have their voting rights restored by a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities or a Certificate of Good Conduct. When you are clear from everything be sure to re-register to vote.

Facebook (1) | Sustainability I

2010-10-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Answer this question on Speak Up Albany on facebook.

Facebook (1) | Sustainability I

Facebook (1) | Sustainability II

2010-10-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Join me on facebook to answer this question:
Facebook (1) | Sustainability II

Facebook | Top 5 Issues Need

2010-10-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Join me on Facebook, post your comment and get invited to become a member of "Speak Up Albany" let's start to make the changes Albany(NY) needs.

Facebook | Top 5 Issues Need

National Family Literacy Day is November 1st.

2010-10-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

FYI - National Family Literacy Day (November 1) is coming up and in case you did not know it your click can support the National Center for Family Literacy by searching online using GoodSearch.com. Go to http://www.famlit.org/search-goodsearch-com-to-support-ncfl/ to learn more.

Project Vote Smart's VoteEasy

2010-10-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Click on the title of this post - Project Vote Smart's VoteEasy, and it will bring you to their home page all you need to do is enter in your zip code and click to find out information on candidates in your area in that race. Keep in mind that some of the candidates did not answer questions, so it can make it difficult to truly choose based on questions alone, you can click on each person to view their information also if they submitted any. Even after voting yes or no, and the next screen pops up, you can click back and forth between yes and no, to see how the percentage rate changes for each candidate for each individual question. If all candidates answered the questions, it would be a much fairer assessment tool. After you have finished answering your questions click the finished tab. Have fun with it and I hope it helps you.

The Dignity for All Students Act

2010-10-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

Although many of us already know that this is now a New York State law, it has come to my attention that many do not actually know what the law entails. Speak Up Albany is here to do just that, and this post may serve as a quick reference guide for you. Other states who do not yet have a law, they need to follow suit.

Summary: This law was signed into law by the Governor on September 8, 2010. It will address bullying motivated by weight, gender, sexual identity and expression, race, religion, national origin, and disability. It requires bullying to be reported to the New York State Department of Education, and will force policies to be developed to prevent and handle biased violence/hate. It requires training for school staff, including administrators and classroom curricula material. This law does not address cyberbullying, and it only covers public school students.

The law states it will afford public school students an environment free of discrimination and harassment (including bullying, taunting or intimidation). Their definition of Harassment means the creation of a hostile environment by conduct or verbal threats, intimidation or abuse that has or would have the effect of unreasonably and substantially interfering with a student's educational performance, opportunities or benefits, mental or emotional or physical well-being, conduct, verbal threats, intimidation or abuse that reasonably causes or would be expected to cause a student to fear for his or her physical safety. That no student shall be subjected to harassment by employees or students, nor discriminated against; and that any such policies created include instructional and counseling methods and requiring at least one staff member at each school to be thoroughly trained to handle human relations in the areas of race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion and its practices, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex. The Commissioner's responsibilities may include development of model policies and to the extent possible, direct services, to school districts related to preventing discrimination and harassment and to fostering an environment in each school where all children can learn free of manifestations of bias. An age-appropriate version of the policy shall be included in the code of conduct. That any incidents of harassment or discrimination be reported to the NYS Department of Education at least on an annual basis. This law also provides for the protection of people who report discrimination or harassment to school officials, the commissioner, or to law enforcement authorities, or initiates, testifies, participates or assists in any formal or informal proceedings shall have immunity from any civil liability that may arise from the making of such report and no school district or employee shall take, request or cause a retaliatory action against such person. That Section 801-a of the education law, was amended to read as follows: S 801-a. Instruction in civility, citizenship and character education. The regents shall ensure that the course of instruction in grades kindergarten through twelve includes a component on civility, citizenship and character education. Such component shall instruct students on the principles of honesty, tolerance, personal responsibility, respect for others, observance of laws and rules, courtesy, dignity and other traits which will enhance the quality of their experiences in, and contributions to, the community. Tolerance, respect for others, and dignity, shall include awareness and sensitivity to discrimination or harassment and civility in the relations of people of different races, weights, national origins, ethnic groups, religions and religious practices, mental or physical abilities, sexual orientations, genders and sexes. A minimum suspension period, for students who repeatedly are substantially disruptive of the educational process or substantially interfere with the teacher's authority over the classroom, provided that the suspending authority may reduce such period on a case by case basis to be consistent with any other state and federal law. The definition for "repeatedly are substantially disruptive" shall be determined in accordance with the regulations of the commissioner; a minimum suspension period for acts that would qualify the pupil to be defined as a violent pupil pursuant to paragraph a of subdivision two-a of section thirty-two hundred fourteen of this chapter, provided that the suspending authority may reduce such period on a case by case basis to be consistent with any other state and federal law. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.

Albany County, NY Voter Info

2010-09-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

Need to know where your polling site is for this year's primary click this link.

Albany County, NY Voter Info

Join The HUDDLE TO FIGHT HUNGER - End Hunger & Donate Meals - Food Donations Feeding America

2010-09-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

T.G.I.Friday's Coupon Print & Enjoy by 9/15/2010!

2010-09-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

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T.G.I.Friday's�

Free download of Celeb cookbook to benefit Feeding America

2010-09-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

The Pampered Chef, Ltd.

September is Hunger Action Month - take the pledge on the right

2010-09-02T00:10:00.000-07:00

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September is Hunger Action Month, and they really need your help. When you sign up and take the pledge on the right hand side of this blog, you will be helping to earn a free truckload of food for a local food bank in your community.

The Cheesecake Factory is also Supporting Feeding America

2010-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

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Feeding America is excited to partner with The Cheesecake Factory in the fight against hunger. Beginning July 29, 2010 for each slice of The Cheesecake Factory’s new Reese’s® Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake sold, $0.25 will be donated to Feeding America. The campaign runs through January 31, 2011.

The Cheesecake Factory is also supporting Feeding America as a Lead Sponsor of Hunger Action Month. Through the “Share Your Voice” campaign, running July 29 – September 30, 2010, The Cheesecake Factory is encouraging consumers to take action to help feed Americans at risk of hunger. Anyone who donates $5.00 or more to Feeding America from the Share Your Voice microsite will receive an e-Slice redeemable for a free slice of cheesecake at any Cheesecake Factory restaurant. In addition, site visitors who take a pledge to do something to help fight hunger in their community will receive a thank you video message from the American Idols. For more information, visitwww.thecheesecakefactory.com/share. (Information obtained from Feeding America)

Shop for a Cause passes available at Macy's from 9/1/2010 - 10/16/2010 to support Feeding America. Event is on October 16, 2010 at Macy's

2010-09-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

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Join Macy’s in support of Feeding America and Hunger Action Month. Feeding America will be a beneficiary of Macy’s 5th annual Shop for a Cause fundraising event on October 16, 2010. Shop for a Cause passes are available at any Macy’s store for $5.00 from September 1 – October 16. On October 16, the shopping pass entitles Macy’s guests to exclusive 20% (or 10%) savings* in most departments all day long plus an additional 25% off a single purchase. Shop for a Cause passes are valid in store and online. A portion of all Shop for a Cause passes sold will benefit Feeding America. *Exclusions and restrictions apply. See savings pass for details.
(Information obtained from Feeding America)

St. Jude and Chili's 9/27/2010

2010-09-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

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Mark your calendars. Dine at Chili's on September 27th and 100% of the profits go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Support a good cause.

Celebrate Women's Equality Day Today!

2010-08-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

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Let's all celebrate Women's Equality Day Today. August 26th marks the 90th anniversary. I ask others to join me in paying tribute to those women then and women and many others of today who continue to take a stand and fight for women's rights. Click on the link below to see President Obama's Presidential Proclamation and links to other related articles.

Presidential Proclamation--Women's Equality Day, 2010 | The White House

Related articles:

Stop Bullying Now - (Give Me Your Feedback on this issue)

2010-08-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Click the Stop Bullying Now graphic on my home page to watch animated short stories to learn how KB, Josh, Milton and their friends deal with kids who bully at their school. After watching the Webisodes, use the discussion questions to talk through how you can Stop Bullying Now!

With the start of a new school year right around the corner, now is the time to inform yourselves and your children how to handle the potential problems of bullying. These webisodes may become very helpful for your young family during the upcoming school year.

You may have read in a previous post that I said "A special note to all other students who had to deal with bullying during their school year or years, it is your strength that will bring you through the coming years. You don't need to change for them. Never give up on yourself. You are a very important person, no matter what your obstacles may be, don't forget that. Accomplish your goals and dreams despite their actions." This was said because my son was being subjected to bullying at school and on the school bus last year, and I will do what I can to help him and other families deal with an unnecessary problem many schools overlook or downplay the seriousness of bullying.

What you can Do:
   In order to reduce bullying, it is important to change the social climate of the school and the social norms with regards to bullying as Stop Bullying Now stated. I say you do not have to handle bullying in silence. Speak out about it. Talk about bullying at your PTA meeting and with the principal. Don't stop there, tell teachers, other administrators, counselors, protect yourself and your child by your notifying the school nurses, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and other parents. Do not rely on the principal to do this for you, they want to keep it hushed up. Notify the school bus company and driver, and have a meeting with them about the situation. Have the bus tapes pulled so that the school can view the bullying. Keep on top of the school, and do not accept the answer they didn't view the tape, they had problems viewing it, or they didn't receive it. You only have a limited amount of hours (each district may be different) to view the tapes. These other answers are used only to run down your time to prove there is a problem, and then when the time expires, there is no video to support your claim, hence they do not have to do anything about it. Don't back down. Unfortunately you have to do their job for them in certain situations to protect your child. If a punishment is to occur when a bullying incident is found, follow up on it; and Never accept the answer from any school personnel or administrator, "that boys will be boys", or "it's a phase they go through" or "I think he or she likes your child and that's why they are doing this", this will tell you loud and clear that it is now your mission to rectify the problem, for if they said that to you, they are allowing it to happen and it will only continue to happen. Also do not accept the answer "we didn't have these problems last year, so therefore we did not have any assemblies on it". Bullying is an ongoing problem, and as Stop Bullying Now states, "there should be no 'end date' for bullying prevention activities. Bullying prevention should be continued over time and woven into the fabric of the school environment. Anti-bullying messages also can be incorporated throughout the school curriculum.

Fight for your childs' rights. Don't always trust and believe what the school is telling you, they have a special knack for using very descriptive language for an incident that was not even close to what they told you, because they have to protect themselves at all costs. Listen to your child and truly listen to what is and is not said to you by the school. Your child has a better insight than those trying not to get sued and they will always try to blame the parent to take the light off of them and what they did not do to prevent it.

   As a parent, I wanted the bullying to end, but I also wanted the bully to learn about themselves and why they are bullying in order for them to evolve as a person, punishment by the school alone is only half of it as far as I'm concerned. My wife recommended that peer mediation be done with a twist, that the principal or administrator who handles these issues, be present to facilitate the mediation, to help and assist with the verbal back and forth, and for apologies to happen, showing both are human beings with feelings and they are equal because of it. Recommend peer mediation with adult intervention at school, also recommend bullying prevention assemblies at school. Don't let the school tell you they can't do that, or they don't see this as a big scale problem, they can do it if they truly want to prevent bullying they should be doing more in preventing it. Zero children should be bullied and my child had enough self-esteem and it still happened.

   School rules should be enforced to protect the victim not the bully. We also suggested more adult supervision on the playground and actually have them watching, watching the hallways and stairwells, and the lines.   Children should feel safe in school not fear going to it.

Intervene consistently and appropriately when you see bullying. Observed or suspected bullying should never be ignored by adults. All school staff should learn effective strategies to intervene on-the-spot to stop bullying. Staff members also should be designated to hold sensitive follow-up meetings with students who are bullied and (separately) with students who bully. Staff members should involve parents whenever possible.
Devote some class time to bullying prevention. Students can benefit if teachers set aside a regular period of time (e.g., 20-30 minutes each week or every other week) to discuss bullying and improving peer relations. These meetings can help teachers to keep their fingers on the pulse of students' concerns, allow time for discussions about bullying and the harms that it can cause, and provide tools for students to address bullying problems.

I feel that New York needs to follow Texas by passing a law allowing students who are bullied to be able to transfer to another school or school district. I would also want the law to require school districts to address the problem in their discipline plan using specific language that prohibits bullying in the code of conduct. What is the school and district going to do to prevent it from happening. Specific language also needs to be put in the code of conduct for when individual responsibilities not performed by any and all school personnel, administrators and teachers is considered unacceptable and/or their behavior is considered unacceptable and specific language set in place for appropriate disciplinary actions to happen against them. We would like the District’s code to be revised so that maybe concern with the welfare of the individual and the school community as a whole was truly recognized; and to make a reality promoting a close working relationship between parents, the school and the school district staff; for the school to be able to truly distinguish between minor and serious offenses as well as between first time and repeat offenders of students; to provide timely action on an issue and timely disciplinary responses for staff, administrators, teachers and students, that are fair and appropriate to all of their misbehaviors; to truly have consistency and fairness to both student and parents by school personnel; and to truly have the schools comply with the provisions of Federal, State and Local law; and also to implement new provisions for the Safe Schools Against Violence Act, not just incident reporting.

Click this link to read more information on bullying and what you can do http://www.eyesonbullying.org/pdfs/toolkit.pdf

Information obtained from Stop Bullying Now

Absentee Ballots - Military Voting - Federal Voting

2010-08-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

Qualifications to Vote by Absentee Ballot

absent from your county or, if a resident of the city of New York absent from said city, on Election Day;
unable to appear at the polls due to illness or disability;
a patient in a Veterans’ Administration Hospital;
detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony
How to Vote by Absentee Ballot
Applications for Absentee Ballots are available at your county board of elections.
You may also click this link of the New York State Absentee Ballot Application Form http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/download/voting/Absentee06152010.pdf
Upon completion, applications must be mailed to your county board no later than the seventh day before the election or delivered in person no later than the day before the election.
You may also request an Absentee Ballot by sending a letter to your county board of elections. The letter must be received by your county board no earlier than 30 days and no later than seven days before the election.
The letter must contain the following information: the address where you are registered; an address where the ballot is to be sent; the reason for the request, and the signature of the voter.
An application form will be mailed with your ballot. The application form must be completed and returned with your ballot.
If you cannot pick up your ballot, or will not be able to receive it through the mail, you have the right to designate someone to pick it up for you. Only that person designated on your application may pick up and deliver your ballot.
If you are permanently ill or disabled, you have the right to receive an Absentee Ballot for each subsequent election without further application. Simply file an application with your board of elections containing a statement which describes the particulars of your illness or disability. The Board will review the facts stated, and if satisfied, will mark your registration record. You will then automatically receive an absentee ballot for every election until your registration is canceled.

Military Voting

Persons serving in the military may vote from their designated 'home of record', regardless of where they may be stationed or for how long.
If that 'home of record' is in New York, you may register and vote in local, state and federal elections by completing an application and sending it to the board of elections in your 'home of record' county.
Your application will register you and also serve as your absentee ballot application, and will be valid for 2 federal elections.
Applications are available from your Voting Assistance Officer on base, or you can visit http://www.fvap.gov/ for forms and information.
Always be sure to share any change of address information with your Board of Elections http://www.elections.state.ny.us/CountyBoards.html
Questions? Call the State Board of Elections at 518-473-5086 or the Federal Voter Assistance Program at 1-800-438-8683, or contact your Voting Assistance Officer or US Embassy office.

Federal Voting

United States citizens living outside of the United States are entitled to vote from their last United States address. If that address was in New York, your completed application should be sent to the board of elections in the county in which you lived, prior to moving overseas.http://www.elections.state.ny.us/CountyBoards.html

Your application will register you and also serve as your absentee ballot application.
You may vote for federal offices:
- President/Vice President
- United States Senate
- Congressional representatives
In years in which presidential conventions are held, you may also be eligible to vote for those convention delegates. Once registered, you will receive ballots by mail for each of these elections in which you are eligible to vote.
Your application will be valid for 2 federal elections.
Once registered, you will receive forms directly from your board of elections, on which you must update your overseas address. Always be sure to share any change of address information with your Board of Elections http://www.elections.state.ny.us/CountyBoards.html
If you move back to the US, contact your board of elections, to have your registration reflect that change.
Visit http://www.fvap.gov/ for forms and information.
Questions? Call the State Board of Elections at 518-473-5086 or the Federal Voter Assistance Program at 1-800-438-8683, or your United States Embassy office.

Information obtained from the New York State Board of Elections

Voter Registration and Change of Address Deadlines

2010-08-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Image by Brande Jackson via Flickr

2010 PRIMARY ELECTION DEADLINES

MAIL REGISTRATION - Application must be postmarked not later than August 20th and received by a board of elections not later than August 25th to be eligible to vote in the Primary Election.

IN PERSON REGISTRATION - You may register at your local board of elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act, on any business day throughout the year but, to be eligible to vote in the Fall primary, your application must be received no later than August 20th.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS - Notices of change of address from registered voters received by August 25th by a county board of elections must be processed and entered in the records in time for the primary election.
2010 GENERAL ELECTION DEADLINES

MAIL REGISTRATION - Applications must be postmarked not later than October 8th and received by a board of elections not later than October 13th to be eligible to vote in the General Election.

IN PERSON REGISTRATION - You may register at your local board of elections or any state agency participating in the National Voter Registration Act, on any business day throughout the year but, to be eligible to vote in the November general election, your application must be received no later than October 8th except, if you have been honorably discharged from the military or have become a naturalized citizen since October 8th, you may register in person at the board of elections up until October 22nd.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS - Notices of change of address from registered voters received by October 13th by a county board of elections must be processed and entered in the records in time for the general election.

NYS Voter Registration Forms

English
http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/download/voting/voteform.pdf

Spanish
http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/download/voting/spanishvoteform.pdf

Once they are filled out completely, print it out, and drop it off in person (by dates specified above) or mail it in (by dates specified above) to your local Board of Elections. Click this link to find the right one in your area. http://www.elections.state.ny.us/CountyBoards.html

You may apply to register to vote in person at these New York State Agency offices:
Department of Motor Vehicles
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services
City Universities of New York(CUNY)
Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities
Department of Health - WIC Program
Department of Labor
Department of Social Services
Department of State
Division of Veterans’ Affairs
Military Recruiting Offices
Office for the Aging
Office of Mental Health
Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
State Universities of New York(SUNY)
Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities
Workers’ Compensation Board
and at your local board of elections in your area:
http://www.elections.state.ny.us/CountyBoards.html

Information obtained from the New York State Board of Elections

Visit our New Mobile Site

2010-08-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

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Just Added You can now visit our site from your iPhone or Android phone.
The address is:

http://m.wbx.me/mobile-site-benzie

SeeClickFix: Albany : Loitering, Littering and ignoring the No Tresspass signs

2010-08-01T03:55:00.000-07:00

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SeeClickFix: Albany : Loitering, Littering and ignoring the No Tresspass signs

See two closed issues that I resolved on SeeClickFix.

Click the above link, then click on the "Find Issue" tab, next look for the heading "Squatting" Click and Read.

Also look for the heading:

"Alleyway being used as a landfill/drug stash area" Click and Read.

800 families fed in Albany, NY: Americans Feeding Americans, a project o...

2010-07-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

My wife and I have supported this organization, and I am glad to see much needed resources for our Albany residents being given to them. This is what it is all about, helping each other even with daily basics, and I plan to continue.

End of the School Year

2010-06-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

Now that the end of the school year is drawing near, I would like to take this time to congratulate all the students for their hard work and efforts in making the grade from Pre-K to College graduates here in Albany. A special note of congratulations to all the students who won judging at their schools to move on to the Joseph Henry Science Fair; that is quite an accomplishment indeed; I know because my daughter was one of them. Special note of congratulations to all the spellers who spelled in the District Spelling Bee, the Regional Spelling Bee and the National Spelling Bee, another great accomplishment. My son won for his District and placed 19th out of 112 in the Regionals. A special note to all other students who had to deal with bullying during their school year or years, it is your strength that will bring you through the coming years. You don't need to change for them. Never give up on yourself. You are a very important person, no matter what your obstacles may be, don't forget that. Accomplish your goals and dreams despite their actions.

Benzie Johnson For Albany's Mayor 2009

2010-03-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

All information pertaining to the issues and my resolutions for the problems follow after this entry. I will run again for mayor in the future.

Thank You

2009-11-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

I would like to say thank you to all of my supporters over the years, and to all my campaign volunteers who worked so hard in achieving our mission and we did just that. We definitely had the best campaign of them all this year, and I personally feel that we won, based on the fact that we did our best, and made even more people aware of the problems that face our residents. We won because even more residents now know that I had the resolutions to the issues; we won because we did not cave in and quit running due to the wrongdoing that was done to my campaign and family, and yes this is all true, we held strong over these past five years and still ran. No one can take that away from us, no matter how hard they tried to threaten us, and my campaign workers jobs. We won, because we had the strength and courage to continue on and that is the sign of a true leader, none of my other opponents would have been able to do that; and to those who said "over my dead body will you run for mayor again", well I did it, and your not dead yet. My message here is clear to all young people and everyone alike, that if you want to do something in your life, because you want to, do not let anyone stand in your way of it. Those that knock it, mock it and make fun of you for it, are just jealous and insecure with themselves that they would not be strong enough to do something like that, and so they can't have anyone else do that either, for it makes them feel uncomfortable and bad about themselves and gives them a false sense of control and superiority by degrading you about it. Be strong and fight on; you never know who you will inspire by your positive actions. I hope that I have inspired many residents. Even though the election is over, my fight for the residents will never die, and I will be venturing into another avenue for the residents. Any future candidates that want to run for mayor or any position who need assistance, advice, etc. please contact me at speakupalbany@yahoo.com. Thank you again, but unfortunately, I have to say this, now you are once again in the hands of a reprobative city government.

Write In Vote Directions For Old Voting Machines

2009-10-26T10:49:00.001-07:00

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When voting on November 3rd, be sure to bring a black or blue pen with you. If you forget to bring a pen, and there is no pen in the booth, ask a poll worker for a pen. Upon entering the voting booth please do your write in vote first. 1. Press and hold in the silver button at the top of the left hand column of the voting machine. At the same time, slide the silver door slot open that is directly to the left of the title/label for mayor. 2. Once the door is slid open, hold it open with one hand and then release the silver button. (If the sliding door accidently closes on you, just start again). 3. Once the door is open, there should be paper exposed in that slot for you to write on. (It is important to remember that the candidates' name must be spelled correctly and written in full, including both the first and last name for your vote to be counted as valid). 4. Write on the paper in the slot, Benzie Johnson. Let go or reslide the door closed, and your write-in vote is complete. Remember to bring these directions with you, and program your phone now, with my Speak Up line number (518)512-1329 to hear a recording of these directions over the phone on Nov. 3rd, and my Direct Access line (518)253-1028 to call if you encounter any problems voting. Need a ride to the polls call (518)438-8282. I thank you.

The Budget - The connection between reduction in services and your tax money

2009-10-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

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Ask yourself this question: What is the maximum city debt allowed by a mayor, before the party starts to hound you out of office? If you understand politics, you will understand what I am saying here. We need to reduce the city's budget deficit. Jennings is always shifting focus off of the fact that he caused most of our budget problems to begin with due to his excessive tax and spend plans for 16 years and that the state and federal financial strains just compound on top of it, since Jennings relies so heavily on that money and landfill money which has given us a reduction in services for our money. We are paying more for less services, you cannot believe Jennings when he says there is no reduction in services. Let's take a look, beat cops were put in place per the residents and then removed, eliminating a service, two police stations were closed reducing a service, Livingston school was closed and certain teachers were fired from their jobs, and we still have children who cannot receive services they need to further their education. CDTA has eliminated many bus stops supposedly to reduce travel times, but it's reducing a service to you, by having to walk several long blocks out of the way to get to a stop, and keep in mind that snow is on the way. The recycling that is not picked up during the winter until the following week because the incumbent needs those people for snow plowing is a reduction in service; and the political fad of wanting to reduce the common council to save money is reducing a service by having less ward representatives to fight for you. The message that is being sent to you by them is that since you are consenting to less by who you voted for and have lived with it, they do not plan on returning these services to you and are continually looking for further reductions in services working against you in the name of saving money. The reality of it is your taxes are being constantly hiked up and so are fees and fines, and even more so in the incumbent's proposed 2010 budget, giving them even more of your money for their use and even less in return for you from your money. That is why we need to vote for new elected officials who have no ties to the incumbent, like myself, who will work for the residents and not against them or the problems will continue on. This trend needs to end and the people need to wake up. Due to Jennings inept practices, many residents and businesses left the city and taht due to the population decreasing it puts Albany in a different size category, which in turn will also decrease the amount of federal and state aid to begin with. Jennings is lying to all the residents when he says "we have provided a high level of services to ensure a high quality of life to our residents". Quote from 2010 proposed budget letter to the common council. Jennings goes on to say "...tried to make the cuts in such a way so as to not impact the quality of essential services critical to public safety and quality of life." As you read above, Jennings words to not coincide with the reality we have had to deal with because of him; and Ellis's only money cut was the salary by 20% if elected. We need a mayor who will be able to make the hard decisions and make cuts something that Ellis obviously would not due, given his answer, and as we have seen Jennings has not done it either to not upset his political cronies, all at the taxpayers expense. Under Johnson's administration we will increase services to our residents and here is where the money is going to come from. We need to look into contractual expenditures, especially under contracted services, in every department, to see what can be done in house. Jennings says he is "going green" but in his budget he is estimating making $820,000.00 from the acceptance of petroleum contaminated soil which they are using as cover material, $20,000.00more than 2009, while he has the hopes of making $1,035,452,00 off of it like he did in 2008. This is totally not acceptable. This compounds on top of the already growing problem we have, and I did not see Ellis say anything about this. You cannot be pro pine bush during an election year Corey, and not understand the connections and causes of the problems. On page 10 under Sale of Recyclables in 2009 and in 2010 it is the same amount $200,000.00, $45,629.00 less than in 2008. This shows yet another area of lack of vision on jennings part. This figure should not have gone down but increased due to new innovative plans, such as mine, for example, that will sell bottles to New York State bottle manufacturers who make wine bottles, to increase revenue to reduce taxes for the residents. Steal that idea Jerry, just ask me first how to do it correctly. We need a mayor who will be able to make the hard decisions and cut the fat. Ellis never made mention of anything he would cut out of the budget, which will not save money. The Johnson administration will save the residents $476,600 over 4 years, by elminating the Deputy Mayor's position. The common council president is who is next in line to be mayor if anything happens to him, and that position needs to be utilized more effectively for such purposes. Elimination of one deputy treasurer saving $319,712 over 4 years, elimination of the special deputy city treasurer saving $184,064.00 over 4 years. Eliminating one position from the corporation counsel's office saving $245,256.00 over 4 years. Total savings so far over 4 years: $749,032.00. Worker's compensation needs to be looked into as to what is causing the problem and in what departments. Many city workers have complained about working 14 hour days and also working on Saturdays too, while other city workers cannot get the overtime they want in the same department. We need to make sure that fatigue is not causing unwanted injuries, we need a functional well rested crew to defray these costs. Police officers seem to be hired only when Jennings gets grant money, which is part of the problem. Only 10 police officers will be hired through a federal grant specifically designated for that purpose. The amount of the grant is $622,000.00. The point here is if every entry level police officer makes around $44,000.00 a year that is about $440,000.00. Since this is specifically for hiring what is Jerry planning on doing with the other $182,000.00? We could hire a couple more officers with that money to help reduce crime, but he's not. There is also police federal aid of $154,000.00. What is this money allotted for, how will it be used to increase our safety? Quite a bit of money for police, lets make sure it is used correctly. The priority needs to be on being able to pay all officers overtime when needed especially on our streets, that needs to be budgeted for, not just OT for cops on detal work at sites such as the Pepsi Arena. The city needs to reduce borrowing through bonds for the amount of interest is killing us. Interest payments on bonds will be $24,735,975.00. We also need to reduce the amount of leasing, that interest is $433,057.00. The city should not be using $5,261,000.00 of the fund balance towards the 2010 budget. Central Maintenance is costing us in contractual expenses alone $1,255,000.00. Central Garage is way out of hand, costing $4,109,557, and $3,634,000.00 for contractual expenses. If we have that many vehicles that need that much repair, it is in the city's best interest to purchase new vehicles, which I would do to reduce these figures, also the $68,000.00 grant Jennings got to retrofit vehicles is basically a waste of money, and several vehicles are very old and need to be sold at auction and new ones purchased. Why is no one on the common council asking for itemization for these things. Why is no one asking for an itemization for A1900 Special Items - Contractual Expenses are $4,255,000.00, for what? For A5182 Street Lighting, it can be in better working order than it is for having a contractual expense of $4,175,000.00. Under my plans, we would be installing small solar panels on the tops of these lights to save money. Here are other problems that need to be addressed. Under Income, pg 10 under licenses and permits, #2553-board up fees, $0 in 2008, $15,000.00 in 2009 and up to $18,000.00 in 2010. You cannot expect Jennings to eliminate blight when he is choosing to use it as a source of income for the budget; also his vacant building registry was $45,000 in 2009 up to $110,000.00 in 2010. Again, making money off of blight, Jennings will never solve it, when it is profitable for him. A1670 - Central Services provides copying and mailing services for city departments, than why not the Common Council, it would save the common council $8,000.00? Even the budget itself could have printed on every page and formatted differently to save paper. Postage in central services is up by $3,000 in 2010 to $118,000.00 and the Common council is paying $50,000.00 in postage alone. Why can't the common council use central services and try to reduce costs for printing/binding/postage overall. What is being farmed out that the city can purchase supplies for and do it in house. Page 11, Fines and Forfeitures under miscellaneous in 2008 $107,081, in 2009 $0, but in 2010 $100,000, what fees is Jennings looking at increasing or bringing back, and why isn't anyone questioning what Jennings is proposing in this budget except for me. The Common Council needs to wake up and fully read the budget and think about it. A3410 Fire Emergency and Bldg. Services - $1,309,000.00 for contractual expenses and A3120 Police Department $1,743,000.00 for contractual expenses. Professional/technical services in each department that uses this category needs to be looked at to see how to consolidate services or reduce it down. Don't believe that since they did away with the comptroller's office and relabelled it the City Auditor's office, that they will help reduce expenses either, because they are bringing in their own auditor to monitor their problems and contain them, not eliminate them. If the common council really believed that there was a problem with the budget in years past, or even this year, they could have called upon the state to audit every city department and they did not. that is why it is very important to vote new people in, who will not continue on this bad and dangerous path for our residents, but at the same time, when voting in new people, make sure they have no connections to the incumbent, did not just switch parties within the past 5 years just to run for public office, and make sure that they are not people who run for any and every position they can, they usually are plants put in by the very same people that you want out.

Crime

2009-10-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

Crime needs to be eradicated today. Ask yourself why is crime so rampant in our city under Jennings administration? First, crime is general nonviolent crimes such as burglary, car crimes, fraud and similar crimes; and violent crimes are typically murder, rape and muggings. Listen carefully when the incumbent tries to appease the residents so they feel more at ease when he deceives you by giving the illusion that crime is down, because violent crime is listed separately and is on the rise. Crime happens in a city because of two people, the incumbent mayor and the chief of police. These two work hand in hand, and in any city you live in where there is crime, you now know who to blame. That is why you need to know the viewpoints of the candidates that are running for any office, because it will give you insight on the road they will lead you down. Thousands of residents need to and want to get off of the road Jennings has us on by electing a new mayor, especially when Jennings has repeatedly told us, he is staying the course and not changing and is continuing on that course saying he is moving Albany forward. Albany cannot move forward until the issues that anger the residents are addressed and eradicated. Jennings is saying that he is looking past the problems, stepping over them by moving forward. There must be some political or personal gain for him in doing so, because no rational thinking person would continue on that path. This is how things work as shocking as it is, you need to look at the fact that crime and hospitals go hand in hand. Hospitals are in the business of making money, and it shows by their expansions and bonds for parking garages to allow even more people. The point is that violent crime has a positive affect on racial tension, which can lead to stabbings, shootings, and even death. That same violent crime has a positive affect on hospital overcrowding because at some point, everyone will need medical attention ASAP. Violent crime affects everyone and especially the retired due to hospital overcrowding, due to violent crimes. You, parents and retired residents are losing out, especially if you have to come by ambulance, causing longer wait times for you and you end up waiting in the hallways when they get to the hospitals because rooms are taken. We need to have either more ambulances to cover every senario with the one ambulance company, or my plans that the city needs to purchase their own ambulances that can be dispatched out at the same time with the fire/ems crew or police call; it will save time and more importantly, it will save the lives of all our residents, plus save money by not contracting out for that service. We also have community policing issues, which is suppose to encourage the police to work with the community and to integrate more with and understand the needs of the community and is typically used in areas with ethnic minorities. Ellis says we need community policing out once side of his mouth, and the other side is saying that we need the residents and officers to build trust with each other. Well then, since there are currently trust issues with a large percentage of residents with police, this should tell him that community policing is not currently working, and that he needs to come up with a plan B, which he has none; and now is not the time for him to become nostalgic because they had it when he was young. Based on where he says he lived, those areas had something which is known as neighbhorhood police, which is something totally different, and many other areas in the city never had neighbohood policing, so don't confuse the two. Community policing may work in certain areas, where the residents do not fear retaliation and would typically talk to an officer anyway, but not in all areas especially when residents are fearful of retaliation for snitching which is not currently working, which is the current mode of operation of Jennings and company. I would focus more money on more direct methods to cut crime. Studies have shown that community policing when done in higher crime areas, has caused an increase in non-violent and violent crimes. We need to have the "beat cop" officers back on the streets, more patrol cars/officers working around the clock to protect our city's borders as well as inside the city, we need a city budget that allocates sufficient monies for overtime of patrolling officers, and not just for detail work officers who may be working at the Pepsi Arena. We need more police dogs in higher crime areas patroling with the "beat cop" officers as well. The crime is having a negative impact on our city's earnings, so if we reduce the crime we increase our money usage for other things saving the residents money. We also have the issue of internet crimes that are on the rise with computer viruses that no longer simply break the target computer, but hide themselves and steal the users private information until detected, often to steal bank passwords or commit identity fraud, or by hijacking that computer and using it to perform further crime that's difficult to trace back to the original source. Many of us here have experienced problems when our banks notified us of a problem and needed to get new debit cards. This is a growing area of concern that needs more focus, and I will provide for that with my plans as well. We ultimately need to establish order and a state of safety and protection for all our residents, and a new mayor and chief of police is the only way this will happen. Tuffey only recently stepped down, but the problems are still here. We are all connected to each other one way or another and so are the issues in our city. You cannot say anymore that it doesn't affect me, its not in my neighborhood, because it does affect you. That is why I ask you for your write-in vote on November 3rd. If we don't start seeing things differently, we will never truly see what is happening. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors to bullets." Please come on out to vote on November 3rd to change your city to the better.

My literature minus the graphics

2009-09-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

Hello, I'm Benzie Johnson. You may remember that I am a Democrat who ran for Mayor in 2005. The Bottom Line is that Albany cannot move forward until the issues that anger the residents are addressed and eradicated and as your mayor I will do that and more. The residents needs, well-being and safety come first, not their pockets. My administration will transform how Albany operates from the inside out, by establishing new levels of standards for a functional, uncorrupt city government and demanding a level of performance in service that will meet the residents expectations and exceed them. I will not be part of the status quo. I have no ties to the incumbent and will not continue his methods of operation like my opponents. I, like thousands of you are ready for life after the incumbent and having a safe, prosperous life in an affordable Albany and that's why I'm running for Mayor to make that a reality; to give peace of mind back to our residents; establish a state of order, safety and protection for all, in a newly rebuilt city now, not 20 years from now. I have great concern for the needs and welfare of the residents, not a political agenda like my opponents. I bring innovation, strong leadership qualities, and self-motivation to the table. I have the dedication, vision, commitment and responsibility necessary to represent our diverse residents and to get the job done once and for all. Your vote for a new effective mayor will welcome new opportunities and possibilities for a functional administrative body in city hall and a thriving self-sustaining community, that has not been in existence for the past 16 years. We need to be more than just residents of Albany, we need to become active participants in our own life's course with the city's government. We are worthy of much more, than what the incumbent has dished out to us. Maybe residents aren't angry enough, because they keep on complaining about the same problems they are accepting, by becoming complacent with them, standing by and allowing them to continue. Ask yourself, what course of action do you plan on taking to improve your life's situation, to change your experiences within the city? Let's start by electing a new mayor who will reopen the police stations, like I will. Do you keep gettin angry with the same problems under the current mayor? Then on Nov. 3rd, take your anger to the voting booths and turn it into a positive experience; vote by writing in Benzie Johnson. I will be a mayor who will satisfy the residents expectations, so the residents will be able to satisfy their ambitions. We cannot keep electing/appointing people repeatedly, who are on all the same committees and task forces and expect a different end result; it's not going to happen. One can make a difference, change how and what you do, to get the end results you need. See the contrasts between the candidates and vote accordingly. Write in your vote - Benzie Johnson! Life after the incumbent is only your vote away on Nov. 3rd show your power by writing in your vote for Benzie Johnson. ____ You already have certain expectations of how you want your city to be for your, and how you need to be treated by a new mayor. I ask that you take action on your expectations, by writing in your vote for Benzie Johnson. My innovative plans of action will make the necessary improvements in all areas, to turn this city around from its downward spiral, putting an end to an era of political strong-arm tactics and the roadblocks that impeded Albany's progress. By my running for mayor, I have reinstilled hope and the "will to win" in the residents because the residents know they will win, when I am mayor. I am the optimum choice for mayor, the one who understands that the residents are the key and that I back the residents, not a political organizations agenda. Don't let your choice be made for you by not voting. Choose to have a new positive experience, vote Benzie Johnson, the clear choice for mayor with the optimal direction for Albany. Win one for yourself. Obtaining it starts with the power of your write in vote. ______ After tomorrow, I will post easy directions on how to do a write in vote. ______ One Can Make a Positive Difference Change How and What You Do To Get The Result You Need! ______ Have you already made plans for what your new mayor is going to be accomplishing for You? ______ Remember What top 5 issues anger you about the city that needs to be addressed to help your personal situation in Albany. The incumbent's "Better Albany" is not good enough and his promises aer empty and unfulfilled, leaving the residents dissatisfied - it's simply not working. It's one reason I'm running for For Mayor. All residents in favor of a "Safe, Prosperous Life in an Affordable Albany" let me know. I invite you to e-mail, speakupalbany@yahoo.com, and call my "Speak Up" voice message line, (518) 512-1329, to acknowledge your support, give suggestions and voice your concerns. When you call, the "Speak Up" line will give you an informational message about where I will be during My Community Forum Tour. My Direct Access line, (518) 253-1028, will give you the accessibility and convenience you need to speak directly with me on the city's issues, now and throughout my entire term as mayor. Choose a positive mayoral experience that will leave you with more money in your wallet, satisfied with service, safer, plus no strong-arm tactics are required with Johnson as Mayor. Let's Make History Together Elect Benzie Johnson Our Mayor. _____ This is my literature, including the previous post of reasons to vote Johnson, that has been handed out, minus the write in instructions that I will post after the primary. For all those that did not receive it, I am making it readily available here to read, and I thank you for your support and efforts. May your Choice be Johnson.

The Optimum Choice for Mayor w/ the Optimal Direction for Albany

2009-09-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

Reasons to Vote Benzie Johnson our Mayor: 1. Transform How Albany Operates from the Inside Out 2. Establish new levels of standards for a functional, uncorrupt city government and demand a level of performance in service that will meet the residents expectations and exceed them. 3. Rebuild the entire City within a 4-8 year window. 4. Eliminate the "red-tape" for getting in on bids & make it easier for entrepreneurial plumbers, electricians, etc. to obtain permits to work in Albany. 5. Open an employment training center for all ages. 6. Partner up with residents to start up businesses in each neighborhood. Entrepreneurship is one key to a thriving self-sustaining community. I will not wait for businesses to come to Albany, together we will start them ourselves. Responsibility Gets the Job Done! 7. I will give peace of mind back to our residents by establishing a state of order, out of the current chaos within our city and by establishing a state of safety and protection for all residents in our neighborhoods, by appointing a new chief of police and reopening both stations; and hiring more police officers to cover all shifts. (Even though Tuffey has since stepped down as of this post, I will still appoint a new chief of police). 8. Equip all police vehicles with audio and video dashcams. 9. Bring on board more police dogs that sniff out other materials, such as gunpowder. 10. Change the officers daily operations; and have more effective supervisors on all levels and implement a new level of standards for officers to abide by that will be enforced. 11. Resolve neighborhood flooding using permeable pavers, installing a combined pipe system, (where needed), and "greening" our rooftops and curbsides which gives another layer of water absorption, and putting in cutouts in curbing to allow another outlet for rainwater absorption. (I am the only candidate speaking about this, Jennings administration in a TU article on Elberon Place stated that there was nothing you could do about it, it was going to continue to happen. Once my literature circulated, jennings people flip-flopped on this issue and said that they would get federal money to solve the problem, and put in water retention ponds. When I talked to the media about this issue, then jennings administration was going to then put in the now water basins. It seems that I always have to show the solutions, in order to get jennings to say or act upon anything. 12. Snow removal - the city under my administration will clean the sidewalks, roads and corners for year long accessibility for everyone. 13. Together we will refinance you household budget deficit caused by the incumbent's irresponsible and excessive tax and spend plan, by lowering property taxes, reducing fees and fines and eliminating many parking meters and paid city lots. 14. I opposed the landfill expansion; we need proper recycling methods of household and construction waster materials, along with shredding it; have a materials recovery facility and enforcing our recycling methods with other municipalities intake to eliminate early fill up, or no more outside intake. This information is on my literature, and I will post the rest in the coming days.

Formal Public Announcement

2009-08-17T13:36:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, August 19, 2009, I will be holding a press conference with Channel News 9 and the Times Union to announce formally, that I am running for mayor of albany in November's 2009 election as a write-in candidate. This is to squash all rumors and misinformation that is on the web, stating that I dropped out of the race when Shawn Morris did. This is totally untrue. If people look back at my announcement in April, it clearly stated that I was not running in the primary, I was running in November 3rd's election. The best way to beat the machine of politics, is to run as a write-in candidate. They cannot challenge your petitions, or try to knock you off of the ballot. The best way for fair, honest candidates, who truly have the best interests of the residents as their priorty number one, is to run as a write-in. In the coming few weeks, I will have the instructions on my blog to let everyone know how to do a write-in vote. A new change for Albany, needs to start with a new way of voting. Write in Benzie Johnson on November 3rd for Mayor. The residents still have their choice for mayor with myself. Again my phone lines continue to be there for you, Direct Line 253-1028, and my Speak Up line, if you would like to leave a message about the city's issues 512-1329. Again I Thank you.

Choices and Experiences - Part II

2009-06-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

Image by compujeramey via Flickr

Food for thought: Experience #1: Can you park in front of your own house? Do you have to pay to park your car overnight; or if you live downtown, and you were home sick for the day, did you have to find an alternative spot to park, just to avoid a ticket? Is the incumbent trying to get parking meters installed in your neighborhood, in front of your house? Have you ever parked you car in a legitimate parking space, only to come outside to see that your car was towed anyway, and possibly while you were not looking, no parking signs were put in place, because of an event, snow removal, or overnight work, and then the incumbent's people lie to you when you inquire about it? Are you tired of being parking metered to death at every turn? Experience #2: Have you ever called the mayor's office, and you could not believe the unprofessional manner in which your call was handled? Are you tired of the run around? Are you tired of messages never reaching their destination? Experience #3: Do you wish you had the authority to do something about those boarded up buildings on your block? The incumbent did, and you see where we are today, because of it. Experience #4: Have you ever been harassed by certain police officers? Have they ever said to you that you don't look like you live here, you better go home, move along, and you were standing in front of your own house the whole time? I will put cops out on the street that know their job and can apply that knowledge in any situation. I am here to serve and protect the residents civil liberties. Experience #5: Has your car or walkway ever been plowed in by the City after you just shoveled out? Has it ever made you miss an appointment, or make you late for work or school because of it? Did it cause you to feel frustrated and angry? Are you tired of waiting for the bus out in the road, putting your safety at risk, because the snow banks are too high, and the pedestrian walkway or corner is not shoveled out? Are you tired of missing the bus, because of high snow banks and because the bus driver won't wait until you find a way around the snow bank, just leaving you there out in the cold? If the snow banks weren't there, you would have made the bus right? Remember that I am aligned with the residents and the issues that affect their personal situations. Safety of the residents is a priority. Experience #6: Has your car ever been towed without advanced public notice due to an event, an emergency, or snow removal? Is this the only way the city can generate revenue, off the residents" backs? Are you tired of getting parking tickets during snow emergencies? Are you tired of the inconveniences the incumbent is putting you through, just to make a buck off of you? When I am mayor, towing will be a last resort during the winter months for snow removal, the plows will go around your car, and the city is going to remove the majority of the snow from around your vehicle also. I, like thousands of you are tired of the incumbent and his ways. The incumbent always has a blind eye, or a deaf ear too conveniently to what his people are doing. If a plow comes through four times during the day on your street, and the snow stopped falling, then the job was done during the day right? So why would a plow come through again for a fifth attempt in the evening to redo a side that is already done? The answer, wasteful spending, unnecessary overtime payments, and also so the police could write tickets to get even more of your money. The police car in my area did not use a bullhorn to let residents know to move their cars, contrary to what the incumbent says happens, it's not happening. The message from the incumbent is buckle under or pay the price. The tickets are just a blatant abuse of authority with flagrant disregard to the residents. Fight back by booting the incumbent out of office. Your wallet will thank you. I have the perception necessary to eradicate many aggrieved residents grievances. I think about the people and their situation first. The incumbent has done nothing about many of these experiences I have heard about, or experienced myself for 16 years. People are through with the incumbent and his snail's pace, they are not going to wait anymore. You have the authority with the power of your vote, to change these experiences into positives ones. It is time to elect a person people trust to get the job done once and for all. Don't let your choice be made for you by not voting. Choose to Vote! Choose Benzie Johnson, he is the optimum choice for mayor, with plans for the optimal direction for Albany.

Image by Bird Eye via Flickr

Sustainability and Our City Streets; and Solving the flooding issue:

2009-06-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

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The incumbent may be redoing some streets now, during an election year only, by adding in a curvature on the street, just to have the street show movement, but he failed in his overall mission to the residents. His campaign this go around is about "going green and being environmental". The incumbent had the opportunity and the federal stimulus money to get the job done, but he still did not. My innovative plans of action will implement an objective of "greening our city", along with creating a new design of sustainability for our city streets, to show movement, connecting with the community in that area, and to show ecological balance by using nature to help our residents with our city's heat island effect, eliminating sewer overflows, rainwater flooding, along with transportation needs, (i.e., bus, bike, or places to lock up your bike), just to name a few. We need to connect design features of our streets, not just for looks, but with functionality, to help our city streets become sustainable, by providing for the needs of the residents today, that will not negatively impact the future of the city. The incumbent's work that has been done will not promote "being green" or provide for sustainability. For example on Central Avenue, the incumbent had a chance to "keep it green" and did not. Instead, he wasted money blacktopping the once grassy area on the Avenue; and wasted money spreading an adhesive on the blacktop to decorate it with pebbles. Being decorative, is not functional or productive thinking. Grassy areas that once could soak up the rain, are now resurfaced with an impenetrable product. Where is the rainwater going to go? The areas it had to be soaked up by are now gone, which in turn will now increase water on the roadways, not decrease it. The flooding of streets and the residents homes and basement apartments is one of my priorities, as part of my "strategic plans to rebuild Albany". My plans/designs will eliminate this issue, by integrating new storm water pipes, to convert the single pipe system into a combined pipe system, one for sewage and a separate one for rainwater, that can be filtered and reused to water plants, etc., in the city. We will remove the blacktop in these high flood areas, and put in permeable pavers to resurface the roadway. These pavers will allow the rainwater to pass through them and down to the ground. To help further reduce rainwater in our streets immediately, we will do cut outs along the sidewalk curbing at road level, at different intervals, so that rainwater can have a new outlet to go into. In doing this, it will reduce rainwater flooding and functionally utilize the water at the same time, by having it water the newly planted trees, and the different types of fibrous plants that absorb alot of water that will be planted along the sidewalk's edging as well. In addition to the plants, and permeable pavers, we will also have planters with weep holes in them, so that the rainwater can absorb through the soil, pass through filtering material, exit the weep holes and drip down onto the permeable pavers to seep into the ground. These pavers and planters can also be used at bus stops, and in parking lots, to help reduce puddling. We can also have businesses green their rooftops, many businesses have flat roofs which can be supplied with the proper supports to hold the new green rooftop, with small plants and grasses, providing yet another level of water absorption; these green rooftops also help insulate the building below, helping again to save on energy bills. I currently do not see any of this happening in Albany, and the incumbent is not addressing the issues that directly affect the residents; but my plans do. My plans will also change the center island that was just put in on Everett Road, because minimal landscaping and blacktopping it, is not the answer. You have a high traffic area of cars in this area. Plants that can absorb carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen and release oxygen back into the air, can be planted to reduce our carbon footprint, and help reduce air pollution and improve our city's air quality. Many of our senior residents, and those suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems would benefit greatly with cleaner air. I am the only candidate addressing these problems, and speaking about how to solve the flooding problems. It's not just in some areas, it's all around the city. Rebuilding the city to accommodate more residents, also means that you need to change how you monitor and maintain your sewer lines, something that the incumbent is not doing, but I will. To help reduce our city's heat island effect, neighborhood streets will be tree lined streets; preserving our existing trees as well as planting new trees. The tree canopies, help provide shade and cooling in the summer, and help block the winter winds, both protecting your house and saving you money on your energy bill. The incumbent currently cuts down trees, and also uses small trees as decoration, not thinking about their functional use. We need to think about all of our residents, and we need to design our streets with everyone in mind, from the blind/physically challenged, to the walker/jogger, to the new mothers with baby strollers, by having level and even sidewalks and wheelchair/stroller accessibility on all corners; we need to think about the bicycler who needs space to ride and a spot to park/lock their bikes; to the dog owners who need greener places for their pets to walk on and to relieve themselves. My winter plans will also accommodate everyone, including the above-mentioned by having the city remove the snow and ice from the sidewalks in front of your house (creating new jobs), so that everyone can walk on the sidewalks without threat of injury from slipping or falling on the ice, including our dogs. Without the large snow banks at the sidewalks edge, dogs will not have to climb into a snowbank to relieve themselves; this clearing will also provide for a flat empty space on trash night, and will provide for a clear walkway the next morning, by the cans and bins not being thrown onto the sidewalks in the way of many pedestrians, especially for those children walking to school. Residents should not have to go out into the road to get around trash cans, simply because they could not be stood up, and this problem is even worse in the wintertime under the incumbent. Safety of our children comes first, many still walk to and from school. These are issues that needed to be addressed, along with others mentioned in my previous posts. Quality of Life even for the simpliest things are very important to all our residents. I will be a mayor that has both short term and long term goals to resolve the city's problems, not knee-jerk responses like the incumbent.

Choices and Experiences - Cut Jennings Out

2009-06-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

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Would you like to experience all the good things life had to offer, the way life is meant to be lived? It is a reality that you have the choice of choosing your next mayoral experience in Albany, be it good or bad. Wouldn't you want yourself, your children, and your family, to experience opportunities and a quality life starting now? YES! Each time I posed this question to residents, the answer was always YES! It breaks all barriers. So then I asked, why are you waiting? You must believe that the situation is not hopeless, the chance and the choice is there for the taking, so take it. The freedom of choice should not be bought or threatened, by anyone. The threats of loosing your job if you vote for someone else other than the incumbent days are over when a new mayor gets into office. The fear that is instilled in people if they don't vote for the incumbent and his chosen people, is an unacceptable and unnecessary way of life. There are many people who are living everyday under this political persecution, and it is a violation of their rights. Another issue is the inability for a person to get a problem fixed by the city. Have you ever called city hall to report a problem, only to be given the run around? Has your phone message been thrown out or not forwarded, or not returned? Have you ever called to speak with the incumbent who is never aware of your problem and he doesn't listen either. Detailed explanations are given to him, and he still asks if you called the party you already mentioned. If he was listening he would have heard that you did, and this matter is 1-3 months old by now. Push it away it might go away is how the incumbent operates, or out of sight out of mind. You need to be strong and press the issue with him, which then gets him aggravated, and he gives you a "shut up answer" just to get you off of the phone, for example, just put it in writing to me if it's that important to you, and send the letter directly to me. Why, so it can get lost on his desk, prolonging the problem longer than necessary; and don't think that today's technology will get you an answer any faster, because people have sent the incumbent e-mails to address their problems, and he did not read the e-mails either. There is gross lack of communication in city hall at best. All these problems are fixable with myself as mayor. These are the complaints I have heard the residents talk about and address with me. These unprofessional and unacceptable practices will cease immediately when I am mayor. The common council would be glad to have me as mayor, things can finally get done for the people, the council members could get their FOIL requests answered, and obtain information they need in a timely fashion. With the incumbent out, it's a win, win situation for everybody. Let's not lose sight of the fact that many common council members, complain about the mayor prior to their own re-election year, or election for a new position for themselves, making it look like they have removed or distanced themselves from the incumbent, when in reality they did not. They do it because they know that the residents are fed up with the incumbent, and the common council members need the residents to vote themselves back in. Once they are re-elected, back to the incumbent they will go. Not anymore. This political tactic will not be necessary when Johnson wins Mayor of Albany, and it makes good business sense as well. The Times Union newspaper would be glad to have a new mayor, then they could finally get their FOIL requests and information they needed to report the entire story. Here is something else. Residents and businesses are aware that the city's accounting practices are deplorable. But did you know, that certain businesses who rendered services to the city did not get paid and are still owed money years later. The incumbent doesn't talk about that. These businesses would finally get paid for their services from me, when I am mayor. All of the city's current problems could have been solved by the incumbent, he had over 16 years to do so, and he chose not to. The problems are never addressed and they still remain today. It has been proven with his record, that he failed the residents miserably. The next question is why would you want to experience it any further in your life? Would you not want a better experience with a new mayor in office. Do you want to continue living in hardship, with no opportunities at all to help your life; dirty streets with crime running amuck, while the current administration continues to ignore and neglect the needs of the residents and the city? Must be, if you do not vote a different mayor in who can perform and deliver; it will only continue to get worse with the incumbent in office. Save yourself the agony. Give yourself permission to start living that life now, by voting me as your mayor. You are worthy and deserving of having good experiences in life, no excuses. Life is too short to live in fear, or fear of retaliation from the incumbent or anyone. You can erase many of the negative aspects of the city from your life by electing myself, Benzie Johnson. Remember, I do not answer to the incumbent, I answer to a higher authority, and therefore my actions are and will be as mayor extremely different from those of the incumbent, ensuring that quality of life we all need, through actions, not awards that someone pays hundreds or thousands of dollars to apply for.

My Direct Access Line (518) 253-1028

2009-06-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

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For all those who have been getting in touch with me, I would like to say thank you. For ease and convenience of everyone, and to make sure that I am able to speak with you, (I work during the weekdays), I will try this, 4:30pm-7:30pm during weekdays, and Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm. This way I will be able to get to speak with everyone. If the line is busy, or you reach the voicemail, you may leave a message and I can get back to you, or feel free to call again, and I apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you. Thank you again, and I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Get to the root give the mayor the boot

2009-06-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

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The incumbent failed in his mayoral responsibilities to all the residents and children of Albany to do his duties, period. If you or I do not perform our job adequately, we are fired and removed from our position. The incumbent is not different. The mayor can be fired too, by not voting for him and electing a different mayor. Simple as that. Your vote for a new effective mayor, will welcome new opportunities and possibilities, a functional administrative body in City Hall, and a thriving self-sustaining community, that has not been in existence for the past 16 years under the current administration. I think about the residents, and what affects them personally, not their wallets.

Blight - Part II

2009-06-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

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The incumbent says homeownership is the key. I disagree with him. A mayor doing their job is the key. The city is in dire need of residential living for the city apartment dweller and homeowner alike. This is a city, not a suburb. We have renters that may not be ready to own their own homes yet, or they choose not to own a home. Many residents have just lost their homes due to foreclosure and there is not sufficient affordable housing stock to rent or own for these residents either. We also have renters with larger families that currently many of the city's apartments cannot accommodate. Many students just starting college and those graduating from college are not ready to own their first home. Most college graduates do not purchase a home right out of college, they rent. Many single residents rent. We can't ignore people. We cannot forget about all those who do rent. The incumbent has said he blames absentee landlords as the problem. I blame him for being an absentee mayor. What if those deep pocket potential residents the incumbent keeps trying to get to come live here, wanted to purchase a home in Albany just as their summer house, or their winter home only. Would he blame them too, since they do not live here full time; and many of them purchase a home and seldom use it. Does he really think that the city looks inviting to lure in the type of people he wants in here, (the wealthy professionals, the nanotech people). I understand that many people want to make money in real estate, but if my opponent was on his game, and did his job, blighted conditions would never be an issue. He cannot keep having a blind eye to everything, and blame everyone else for his failings. These and many other problems, my plans will fix. I have new innovative residential interior design/contract work plans for single residents, couples and families. Our plans will redesign some of our row houses, abandoned and boarded up houses and salvage many aesthetic aspects of the home for that neighbhorhood. Saving homes that are almost historic and are historic is a very important part of my plans also. The incumbent tears them down, because he said its just easier. If people didn't fight to keep what is historic now, the city would have nothing, and I also know that in the case of one school building the city bought, it was stated that if they had known his real intentions, that he was going to tear down the building, they would have never sold it to him. The easy way out is not the best solution, it is destroying the very fabric and essence of our city; and tearing down buildings is also costly. Many of these older buildings were built better than they are today. My plans are different from what the city already has. They will allow for comfortable living space for a family of four or more; for example apartment living that provides 1 or 2 apartments with 1-2 bedrooms each, and 1 apartment that has 3-4 bedrooms all within one house; it will provide versatility for spare room storage space or home office space. They will provide room to grow for singles and couples. They will provide the basic needs of each renter within their own apartment. All will include a washer/dryer, or just the hook-up for those who own their own; and air conditioning and the cost of heat will be included in the price of the rent. This will help residents save money. These designs will also help those people who are physically challenged, through easy accessways and easily accessible sinks, cabinets, faucet handles and doorpulls, also convenient for many of our seniors. Designing with all the residents in mind is key to quality of life for all of our residents. Currently the incumbent tears down a 3 story dwelling, and replaces it with a one/two family unit, which in order to live there, you have to purchase the house, and then who owns it, will most likely have their family or friends living in the other unit. That process has now displaced two floors of residents from their chosen neighborhood, and if you did not have the money to purchase the house, you are just out all together. We need rental property with no strings attached. We also need more affordable homes that residents can purchase also. We need to get back to basics in building our new Albany, and return to what the true meaning of a neighborhood is. People picked their neighborhoods typically because it was close to work, to the grocery store, to their place of worship etc. We need to stop the suburban sprawl, it is reducing our city's population and it is not wisely utilizing every inch of the city. We need a better more reliable bus system also, and although they say you can only have one transit system in the city, I will change that too. Residents should not have to deal with inefficient, unreliable service. There are many places that a people mover could take you, and it is not just for tourists, its for everyday use. For example, if you wanted to have a day out in Washington Park with friends or family or the children, we would have a route direct to the park and back that would run all day long and into the evening, (especially if there was an event going on), and this would be for all neighborhood areas. We need a mayor who is thinking about accessiblity to all parts of the city for all it's residents, our youth and our seniors. People movers will cross over across the city too, that the buses are not doing. Need to go to the hospital, people movers are there with an express route. There is much more, but I'll leave it at that for now. I will also, together with the residents, open up those much needed businesses in these neighborhoods that will make them thrive. You cannot do block by block and have everything going to downtown. You need to radiate out circular from a center point in each neighborhood, providing the necessary elements for it's sustainability. Mixed use buildings need to be done correctly in order to work, and currently I do not see a good use of mixed use buildings that are geared to the residents that currently live here today. The incumbent has wasted years waiting for retail, etc. to come to Albany, and it didn't, a spokesperson of his was quoted as saying "they just won't come here". That is such a lazy excuse. My plans will provide for that also. My plans together with the residents will open up the much needed stores, utilizing the foot traffic in these areas. It takes a true leader to lead. I am that leader, because it takes someone to take that first step in order for others to follow. You do not keep letting a neighborhood flounder and do nothing about it, because you don't want to be the first one to do it, for fear it will fail. Be the leader invest in your city and in all our neighborhoods, because as soon as I start businesses in an area and other businesses sees it works, they will be next in line. I will not wait for someone to save our city, we have to do it ourselves. The residents will take back their city, own their shops, and live in their neighborhoods in safety, without chaos as it should be. I will not carbon copy plans from another city or county and make them mine, like the incumbent's administration has done. No originality, no long-term vision once again. It's not going to work, because our city's demographics are different. The incumbent had plenty of opportunity to control and contain the conditions of the city and he did not. He also says that on Saturdays he drives around the city; he obviously missed 3/4's of the city, because one look is all it takes to see the problems. The unfortunate thing about it, is that the residents are the ones who have paid the price for his lack of responsibility to do his sworn oath job to the residents. Remember what 5 issues anger you about the city and vote accordingly.

Blighted Neighborhoods and the loss of the Lawson's home because of it

2009-06-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

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My administration together with the residents, will rebuild the entire city, starting now, not 20 years from now. Blight is a symptom of neglect on the incumbent's part & his administration. I will eradicate that problem, by putting everyone to work on our city's housing stock & beautification of our neighborhoods. First step, I will change things to make it easier for qualified contractors and even different developers who have a hard time "getting in on bids" due to red-tape to get in and make their bids. I would also open up the field for many of our entrepreneurial plumbers and electricians by eliminating the red-tape in obtaining a permit to work in this City. I have heard from many different people regarding this issue, and it will be changed under my administration. Everyone is welcomed to help change the face of Albany and to join in the rebirth of Albany, by helping to put Albany in the optimal direction - a positive one. We will start working on the interior core of our city's neighborhoods, (instead of only on the perimeter or downtown) through rehabilitation of existing houses and historic preservation of our older buildings. When applicable, newly built homes will be added in, and those unsalvageable will be knocked down, but if there is architectural detail on those buildings that can be reused for the newbuild, it will be used. Many of Albany's homes are a direct look into all of our ancestors lives from the "old world", they brought those elements of their homeland here, and we will do our best to ensure that this is not forgotten, destroyed, or overlooked. There is a place for everything, just like new builds. These plans will help provide jobs to those who would like to work in their city but can't due to red-tape. Three of my opponents could have already made that change but chose not to. We would include all people to work, including entrepreneurs, the unemployed and the homeless, not just unions, in different phases of the rebuild that they may be qualified to do, and if not qualified, they will attend my training center to help them in a second career opion, prior to building. The incumbent only talks about training, but it never comes to fruition. I, unlike the incumbent, would also bring on supervisors to watch closely those building projects to contain construction, to ensure it is done timely and does not go over budget. I believe the incumbent gives carte blanche of our tax dollars to developer/construction companies and are ending up costing more than estimated. I will be a hands-on leader to oversee the aspects of many projects. I will know what the floor plans look like, unlike my opponent, the incumbent, who was not aware of what the floorplans looked like at the condos on Broadway before building; there is no oversight in trusting someone else to take care of it. It is not acceptable for the City to look the way it does for as long as it has. The block by block program is going to take 20 years to complete. My opponent Ellis thinks that plan is the way to do it, which shows he has no other vision except for what someone else has done, or what someone tells him; and the city will remain a shambles with no new growth areas because of it. He is the same as the incumbent & will continue the incumbents methods of operation. I won't. My plans will rebuild the entire city in a very ambitious plan with a time frame of 4-8 years, in which I will have people who are willing to be dedicated to the residents, working to accomplish the same mission, putting the residents back to work & by not using "the one developer" the incumbent uses. The city did not step in with code enforcement to improve quality of life for residents for over a decade, because of the incumbent. Quality of life for these residents has nothing to do with the quality of life the incumbent refers to. His criteria refers to the same criteria used for a city to receive an award, for example how many colleges a city has, or how many people with degrees live in that city, etc. So you see, you cannot believe what the incumbent says, when the residents & the incumbent are referring to two different criteria. Blight is definitely a quality of life issue. The residents need to look at the fact that the problems are not being corrected, they are just being shifted around the city at the expense & peril of the residents who want to or need to live here. My criteria and the residents criteria are in-line with each other; we understand each other. The incumbent is out of touch with the residents and what they need, or the problems would have been resolved, period. On another note, a news article awhile ago, said "Partnership aims to evict blight." The residents are the only thing that has been evicted & the blight has been in the city for 16 years surrounding our residents. Three of my opponents (Ellis, Morris, the incumbent) say they fought against blight, but it won against all three of them. It's time the residents surround themselves around a new mayor & evict the incumbent. When you have a ward leader in the south end admitting to deplorable conditions in their ward, & for years it stayed that way under the incumbent, that's a serious problem of negligence on all their parts. So when the same ward leader states in the media, "the city has the money, we can rebuild houses whenever they wanted to", (a direct quote), WHY DIDN"T THEY. The face of the city is not going to change until you change the faces in those positions, to ones who will do what is necessary for the residents. The city as a surplus of vacant & run down buildings, and it has been that way for years with the current people in office. Think about it. Last night, I continued my community forum tour, and held a press conference at the former homesite of the Lawson's home in the south end, which was damaged by flooding from the vacant building next door. The incumbent can't get much money for a vacant lot, so for tax reasons, he keeps the delapitated houses on them. That is until it causes a problem for a resident living next to it. This is not the type of leadership residents want. The incumbent did nothing for the Lawsons, but use them for his own media exposure, at their expense. Responsibility gets the job done, and if the incumbent and the ward leader did their jobs, it would never of happened in the first place. Ten years had lapsed between the time of the last fire department inspection (per the fire chief in the media) and the day of the tragic event. Numerous complaints were made, no return phone calls, police were called to the abandoned homes because of the activity going on in them, and the city did nothing to help protect the Lawsons and their home; and the incumbent had the nerve to he didn't know about the complaints, this was the first time hearing about it. The incumbent says on his radio show that on Saturdays, he drives around the city, I guess this is a part of the city for over 10 years he never drove through to see. Retired residents need to enjoy their retirement in their homes without fear of loosing their home due to the negligence of a mayor & his administration. Retirees have other things to think about, and that should never be one of them. I will be a mayor who will act in the best interests of all residents. Together we will have a city government working to inform our residents through transparency, accessibility and responsibility. We will put an end to an era of corruption and strong-arm political tactics against the residents. We need a mayor with true leadership abilities who will be dedicated to all residents, not certain voters. The time has come for us to stop wasting our lives & valuable time with the incumbent & invest it in one that truly does care about the residents and include them in the healing process of what has become our fallen city. One building here, a couple of houses there of improvement the year before an election year and there it stops. The residents are fed up with the false hopes and the improvements never seem to continue after the election is over. The incumbent gives illusions that his committees and task forces (on any issue), have worked the entire year on one idea/project. They have not, they have only worked for approximately two full weeks in that one year time frame on it. We need my administration that will be working on ideas/plans and projects on a full time basis. Two weeks is not enough time to even wrap yourself around the whole possibility of an idea. We will have people employed and elected who are willing to be dedicated to a project/idea, that will put forth the effort truly and completely, not sometimes show up at a meeting, that needs to be reminded from minutes where they left off. You cannot continue to keep the same problematic people in city elected positions and expect a different end result. It's not happening. The reason why is the same problematic people are serving on the very same committee and task forces that are suppose to rectify the problems. Change Albany by getting them out of office.

Community Forum Tour - Site Info

2009-06-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

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The next stop in my Community Forum Tour will be on Alexander Street, Monday, June 15, 2009 at 5:00pm. The location will be in front of the now vacant lots which was once the Home of The Lawsons. I will be discussing how the incumbent should have done his job for all those years residents complained about the houses that caused The Lawsons their home. I will also discuss the issue of blight, and my plans to eradicate it once and for all. I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Responsibility

2009-06-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

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The residents can and will bring about new opportunities to experience right here in the City of Albany, just by voting responsibly. Responsibility is not just a word, it requires actions to utilize it. Elected officials who are not capable of utilizing their responsibility to the people, should have that responsibility taken away from them, and not be voted back into office. People are the key. Responsibility is not passing the buck, but being capable of taking the blame for something that has happened, and not sweeping it under the rug. Responsibility is also having the authority to act and being able to make decisions independently. When you are in a responsible position, it means that you are in charge; you are reliable and able to be counted on to get the job done; your rational and accountable for your actions; to be conscientious and trustworthy enough to hold that position. You are elected to be diligent in performing your tasks. That you are deserving of the residents trust, and that you are able to be trusted. Certain elected officials have the title and status they wanted, but they lack the characteristics necessary to fill that job. All of the residents in Albany are the important key factors when it comes to elections. The residents have the power to elect or reject the candidate that is put before them. We need to be reminded of that periodically. If you feel that you have been ignored, neglected or done wrong in any way, by the incumbent or his administration, then reject them and elect Johnson. The residents of Albany should not feel resentment, powerlessness or hostility, because they feel they cannot change their situations. They can, with the power of choice plus their vote on a new mayor. They can finally feel relief and feel empowered. The current administration has missed the mark on all counts and failed to successfully complete their mission for the residents. It does not take 16 years to get settled in to a mayoral position to start acting upon your duties to the residents. The residents are through with the excuses. It's the voters duty to vote for a candidate who will obtain a successful outcome in completing the mission for the residents. I have the ambition, determination and commitment to fulfill the goals of the residents today, not 15-20 years from now. The residents have served a long hard sentence under the current administration, and it is time the residents were released. The residents and I, together will have Albany functioning at its most efficient way in years. We need to maximize efficiency and proficiency in City Hall on every level of operation. Accountability of all will return only when a new mayor is in office. The mayor to the council members on down will be held accountable to act on behalf of the residents and voters; they will be required to explain their actions, or lack thereof to all the residents, or expect not to have that position much longer by being asked to leave that position. My administration will establish transparency. We will eliminate political roadblocks and "neighborhood boundaries" to get something done in the city. Our innovative plans of action will link the city together and put an end to political abuses against the residents. Together, Albany will function efficiently and proficiently by transforming how Albany operates on all levels; that's progress in action. Responsibility gets the job done and accountability will also be established. I actively listen to all the residents and respond positively. My open door policy and Direct Access line (518) 253-1028; and our Speak up message line (518) 512-1329 are instrumental in expanding the lines of communication and information. Our residents, walkability, restoring order and establishing a state of protection and safety, are the key factors for a quality life. We all want Albany to be a place that people want to live in and come to, to relax, to play and to enjoy a pleasing moment in life; something that we all live for; but unfortunately, because of the incumbent and his administration, we are surrounded by our disorderly, out of control urban city. My administration is here to restore order, establish a state of protection and safety in our schools and in our neighborhoods. Ask yourself these questions and vote accordingly:

Is the incumbent running the City satisfactorily, meeting an adequate standard?
Is the incumbent and his administration showing consideration or thoughtfulness to the residents in voicing their opinions in relation to the city?
Is the incumbent committed to improving the lives of all residents in Albany?
Does the incumbent have concern for the needs, well-being, and interests of the residents first?
Is it necessary for you to vote for the incumbent because you are obligated to, or you will lose your job within the city or elsewhere or you will lose certain privileges to use within the city? If you answered yes to any part of that question, then you need to free yourself from the chains that you are binding yourself with.
Is the incumbent an impractical person, who rejects the considerations of the residents in pursuit of his own personal and political agenda - in which his ethical decision making needs to be questioned?

The incumbent has neglected his responsibility to serve the people. This election send a message to City Hall that says we will not be neglected another nanosecond. It's time to wake up, take charge of your life, and stop the abuse of authority by the incumbent and his administration. The freedom of choice is yours, lets start using it! If you answered no to one or more questions, then the answer is clear. May your choice be Benzie Johnson.

The Bottom Line

2009-06-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

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Albany Cannot Move Forward until the issues that Anger the residents are addressed & eradicated, and as your Mayor I will do that and more. The residents' future and the future of our City are dependent upon that happening. I believe that the residents needs, well-being and safety come first, not their pockets. More of your money will stay in your wallet when I become Mayor. My Administration will Transform How Albany Operates from the Inside Out, by establishing new levels of standards for a functional uncorrupt city government & demanding a level of performance in service that will meet the residents expectations & exceed them. I have no ties to the incumbent and will not continue his methods of operation. I, like thousands of you, are ready for life after the incumbent and having a Safe, Prosperous Life in an Affordable Albany, and that's why I'm running for Mayor, to make that a reality.

My Innovative Plans of Action Will Make the Necessary Improvements the incumbent hasn't in 16 years.

We need to be more than just residents of Albany. We need to become active participants in our own life's course with the City's government. We are worthy of much more, than what the incumbent has dished out to us. Maybe residents aren't angry enough, because they keep on complaining about the same problems they are accepting, by becoming complacent with them, standing by and allowing them to continue. Ask yourself, what course of action do you plan on taking to improve your life's situation, to change your experiences within the city? Let's start by electing a new mayor who will reopen the police stations, and who will appoint a new chief of police, like I will. Do you keep getting angry with the same problems under the current mayor? Then, take your anger to the voting booths, and turn it into a positive experience and vote Johnson. Remember What Top Five Issues Anger You About The City and Vote. All residents in favor of a "Safe, Prosperous Life in an Affordable Albany" let me know. I invite you to e-mail me any questions you may want answered privately, and call my "Speak Up" Message Line to leave a message to acknowledge your support, give suggestions & voice your concerns. When you call, the "Speak Up" Message Line will give you an informational message about upcoming events, meetings and where I will be during My Community Forum Tour, which will let you know when I will be in your area. This blog will also give you this information. My Direct Access line will give you the accessibility and convenience you need to speak directly with me, now and throughout my entire term as Mayor.

E-Mail: speakupalbany@yahoo.com

Call: (518) 512-1329 "Speak Up" message line

Call: (518) 253-1028 Direct Access line

Hello

2009-06-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

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I'm Benzie Johnson. You may remember that I am a Democrat who ran for Mayor as a write-in candidate in 2005 and 2009. There are a multitude of issues that need to be addressed in our City, all of which are important. I will be addressing many issues that face our city's residents, and those that affect the city as a whole. I have been out talking with the residents over the years and currently about issues that are personally affecting their quality of life in Albany. Many of these issues are not even being discussed by other mayoral candidates. The most important factor in our city are the residents, for without them there would be no city. Due to the incumbent's irresponsible methods of operation many residents who were able to leave did, and those of us who choose to stay are demanding Quality of Life Now, not 20 years from now. I want all of our residents to know, that I will not be part of the status quo, and I will not continue the incumbent's inept, irresponsible methods of operation, like my opponents will. I believe that Responsibility Gets the Job Done, and I, as Mayor, will get the job done once and for all. The residents are not waiting anymore. It's long overdue for a new mayor, and a new administration. Shawn Morris & Corey Ellis had their years in office working under the incumbent, and they did not bring about the necessary change for Albany. They also could have made mention of the issues they are talking about now during their terms as council members and chose not to, instead they waited until they were running for mayor. If these issues were known before now, then why did they not discuss them. Would you want someone to be mayor who waited for years to address a problem? I think not.

Benzie Johnson|Advocate for All|Speak Up Albany County

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Send an E-mail to all the Ward Leaders and the Mayor (Albany, NY) to Save the Public Bath #2

Calling all Albany New York residents. Send the following message to all below now:

Message:{DO NOT VETO the funding for Public Bath #2. Give it another year to allow grants that have been found to fund the bath, Keeping it open for its intended purpose and start the city programs planned for the South End that never happened. Thank you}

Dominick Calsolaro Ward 1 - dcalsolaro@nycap.rr.com

Lester Freeman Ward 2 - Friends4freeman@yahoo.com

Ronald E. Bailey Ward 3 - Lbailey005@nycap.rr.com

Save Public Bath #2

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Benzie Johnson For Albany's Mayor 2009

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Hello

New York State Public Employees Federation, AFL-CIO, by its President Rand Condell, et al., Respondents,
v.
City of Albany et al., Appellants. (And Another Action.)