This post is not political.

It’s not about controversy in town government.

It’s not raising questions about leaders or their decisions.

This post is about a tragedy.

It is about being a community that cares which is what Parma is.

Today, in this small space on the Internet, in this section of this blog we at Changing Parma honor and mourn: Daniel Andrews Jr.

We’ve all by now read the news, the stories can be seen on TV and on the D&C website so there is no comment here - this is simply a small memorial to him and a message to his loved ones that your town mourns with you at your loss.

Daniel Andrews Jr. May his rest be a peaceful one.

Rochester, New York – June 13, 2008.  Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature are blasting the Brooks administration for a failure to exercise sound fiscal management of child care aid received from New York State. Yesterday, County Executive Brooks attacked Governor Paterson in an attempt to lay blame for her mismanagement on someone else.
 
            For years the Monroe County administration has allowed child care funds to pile up, reaching $7 million at one point. The County jeopardized child care subsidy aid by failing to fully use the State aid that had been made available.
 
            Over the past few years, the Democratic Caucus repeatedly attempted to raise the income eligibility level for child care subsidies, which currently stands at 165% of the poverty level. This would have increased the County’s ability to utilize State aid. Such attempts were repeatedly blocked by the Republican Majority in the County Legislature. Also contributing to the County’s inability to use all allocated child care subsidy funding is an alarming upward trend in the denial rate for child care subsidy applications. Democrats will oppose any attempts to reduce the eligibility rate for families in need of child care benefits.
 
            A recent report from the Center for Governmental Research (CGR) found that the child care subsidy application rejection rate in Monroe County jumped from 11 percent to 50 percent over six years, while the total number of children served plummeted from 13,575 to 8,400 during the same period.
 
           Democratic Leader Harry Bronson (D-Rochester, Henrietta & Brighton) said, “We are very concerned with the County Executive’s failure to utilize all of the child care funds in the past. Part of the problem here is that when the State looked for ways to cut back, it factored into the situation the County’s failure to use the funds. Child care funding is necessary for struggling working families and we are in support of the giving them the funds they need to succeed.”

Assistant Democratic Leader Carrie Andrews (D-Rochester) said, “If this administration had chosen to use its full allocation of State aid for child care subsidies over the past few years it’s possible we wouldn’t be in this situation today.  In the past few budgets, the County Executive has chosen to rollover unused child care subsidy funds instead of expending them on eligible families. For the County Executive to blame anyone but herself is disingenuous at best.  We need to ensure that families in our area have access to affordable, quality child care services.”

The senior residential development being proposed by Joe Sciortino called North Parma Station was brought before the town board at the May 20th meeting. The proposal would require a rezoning of the land in question in order to allow for the development to move forward.

A public comment meeting was scheduled for June 3rd - (anyone who attended please share thoughts in the comment section) the minutes of which should be available shortly.

On Rte. 259 signs in opposition to the proposal are beginning to pop up, reading among other things “No Hilton sewers for Parma”

It appears yet another development debacle is on the way - the question is how loud will the voice of the residents be as we continue down the road to becoming the westsides next Greece?

The Bill Press Show presents 101 reasons not to vote for John McCain.

Check it out here: The Bill Press Show

The site is updated daily with a new reason so check back often.

Now that the Democrats have a nominee and Hillary is going to suspend and endorse this weekend we can officially say, “Let the games begin” - Changing Parma wants to encourage you to help Change the Nation!

Dear Friends:
As you may have heard, Governor Paterson has instructed all state agencies to revise their policies to respect legal out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples performed in places like Canada, and very soon, California.
 
This is wonderful news for our families and is another big step forward for marriage equality in New York.  
 
Please take a moment to call the Governor at 518-474-8390 and thank him for issuing this directive to state agencies.  When you place your call be sure and provide your name and your zip code. 
 
While this move by the Governor does not legalize marriage for our families here in New York, it does mean same-sex couples with out-of-state licenses will have access to many of the 1,324 rights and responsibilities that New York State provides to two people when they marry.
 
In taking this step, Governor Paterson is simply following the law, which was recently reaffirmed in an appellate level court decision in Western New York, saying that couples with legal out-of-state marriages are married here in New York. 
 
The reality is that a number of state agencies, cities, counties, labor unions and companies in New York have been doing this for several years now when it comes to gay couples with marriage licenses.  The NYS Comptroller began doing this in 2004 as it related to New York’s retirement system, and last year the NYS Civil Service Department did the same and began offering spousal benefits to state and local LGBT employees who have out-of-state licenses.  Governor Paterson in his May 14 memo simply instructed all state agencies to do on a uniform basis what an agency like the Department of Civil Service has already been doing for some time now.
 
While state agencies have until June 30 to report back on actions they have taken to implement the law, it is clear the consequences of this for our families will be significant.
 
While the Pride Agenda Foundation and the New York City Bar Association have cataloged up to 1,324 rights and responsibilities the state provides to two people when they marry, here’s a quick overview of which of these rights and responsibilities are enforced or administered by New York State’s agencies and how they can affect you.
 
In general, the rights and responsibilities of marriage that flow through New York State’s agencies fall into five general categories:
 

• Benefit programs: Probably the biggest and most important category, eligibility and requirements for most state relief programs are affected by martial status.  For some purposes, this means that spouses have access to programs that non-spouses don’t, including the ability to receive workers’ compensation death benefits, inheritance of public housing, receiving lifetime payments from the pension of a deceased state worker, eligibility for line-of-duty death benefits for police and firefighters, the ability to apply for certain college scholarships for police, firefighters, armed service personnel and others who die in the line of duty, etc. In other purposes, the couple’s income must be pooled to determine eligibility or amount of payments for programs, like Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (E.P.I.C.).
• Licensing: (e.g. vending licenses, commercial fishing licenses, food processing licenses, alcoholic beverage licenses, bingo operator licenses, etc.) There are certain abilities of spouses to use each other’s licenses or inherit them, as well as some restrictions on licenses based on a spouse’s past record (e.g. a criminal record).
• Conflicts of interest: Throughout the law, various types of officials (state and local legislators, state and municipal officers and employees, even a bank’s board of trustees) are required to disclose certain types of employment or financial activities of spouses (e.g. contracts or stock holdings), or are prohibited from serving in certain capacities.
• Voting: Spouses have certain abilities to obtain absentee ballots for each other in certain circumstances (e.g. illness or disability, accompanying the spouse out of the country, military service, etc.)
• Taxes: Certain transfers of property between spouses are exempt from state taxation, such as changing the title on a car from one spouse to another, whereas domestic partners incur the same taxes as selling the car to a stranger.  It remains to be seen how the state Taxation & Finance Department treats filing status (i.e. whether same-sex spouses will be able to file jointly on state income taxes), since that has traditionally been tied to the federal file status.  The federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prohibits any same-sex married couples (even those in Massachusetts or California) from filing as married on their federal income taxes.
  It is important to realize that many of the state rights and responsibilities of marriage are not administered through the state agencies, but through the courts.  These include inheritance, child matters (adoption and custody), divorce, testimonial immunity, medical decision making and others.  Whether or not the governor can direct the courts to respect marriages of same-sex couples for these purposes is unclear at this time. 
   
  While the coming days and weeks will bring much more clarity to today’s exciting development, I wanted to be sure you heard today’s good news.
   
  Ultimately, though, this issue will only be settled when we have a law saying that same-sex couples can marry here in New York State.   That means getting the State Senate to do what the Assembly has already done and the Governor has promised to do, and that is to support marriage equality for our families. 
   
  By continuing to work with you, we will make that happen!
   
  With hope,
   

 
Alan Van Capelle
 
P.S.  Just hours after Governor Paterson’s announcement was made public, Senate Majority Leader Bruno threatened legal action to block the Governor’s directive.  Be sure and call Senator Bruno at 518-455-3191 and ask him to stand up for all New York families, including LGBT families.  Provide your name and zip code when you make your call.

No we’re not talking about the small salary board members receive for their part time service, no we’re not referring to the NYS pension system they may enroll in, and we’re not even mentioning the health insurance options afforded them for their service. What is the issue then? How about a yearly payment to a local business owner and council member for services rendered…$1224.96 paid out to Carm Carmestro to be exact for catering service at the Senior anniversary dinner held annually at the Fire exempt hall.

This payment came up for approval at the May 6 board meeting and was met with serious questioning by Ken Blackburn over the ethical issues involved in paying out monies to a board member from the town pot. See the debate here: Minutes May 6th.

Now we’ve seen this before with Lemcke’s hydro seeding services being paid for at over the $750.00 yearly allowable payment to an elected official/business owner for services rendered. Here is yet another example of the benefits of membership in the good ole’ boys club of Parma A.K.A the Republican Party. The payment to Carmestro’s also exceeds the allowable amount and once again brings the question of ethics in town government to the forefront of the collective minds of Parma residents.

Blackburn, who remained opposed to the paymet voted NAY when the roll was called - the rest voted AYE with Carmestro abstaining - why not vote for it Carm? you’re getting the money anyway…

In this political cycle we have seen moments come and go, comments made and retracted, music videos made about Obama’s hope-filled campaign style and many, many parodies flashing constantly on our computer screens.

You may remember the hollywood style music video that brought out many stars aligning themselves with Barack Obama’s “Yes we can” slogan and now we present for your viewing pleasure John McCains “No you can’t”

Barack Obama has Yes, We Can. John McCain is here to give you the straight talk. So deal. (from www.barelypolitical .com)

SEE VIDEO HERE

Friends,
Historically, Memorial Day in Western New York was the kick-off to the summer. Many of you will enjoy a day off to attend picnics, barbecues, and parades. On this Memorial Day weekend, I ask that you take some time and reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day.

On Memorial Day 2004, I was an Army Captain in Najaf, Iraq. My soldiers and I sat in our mortar scarred headquarters and watched the television screen as CNN scrolled through a list of those who died in combat. We were able to point out our friends who would never return home with us.

That solemn experience will always remind me that this celebration is about much more than picnics and parades. It is about honoring the service of soldiers who sacrificed what President Abraham Lincoln once termed “the last full measure of devotion” in service to their Country.

Please take some time this weekend to view the faces of the fallen and say a prayer or reflect with a moment of silence for the men and women in uniform who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Never forget the sacrifice these brave men, women and their families made in order for you and me to live with the very freedom we enjoy today.

Many of your newspapers may run a list of the fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan this weekend, but we need to do more. As one who has seen first-hand the misery of war, I can assure you, an annual memoriam for those fighting the third longest war in American history is not enough. Please take the time to write to your local newspaper and request that they run these names weekly.

When you see veterans marching in your neighborhood parade or the families of our current military this weekend, please salute them for their sacrifice to our nation.

Have a safe Memorial Day weekend.

Thank You,
 

Jon Powers

www.powersforcongress.com

Some readers of CP have recently expressed (via e-mails) some concern over a proposed development behind Unionville Station called in the proposal North Parma Station. In fact if you drive out 259 heading to South Hilton (AKA Spencerport) you’ll see a large sign on the right side of the road opposing any such development.

Back in April of 2007 (see: minutes here) this proposal was brought before the town planning board by Shultz associates. And prior to that in March of the same year it was brought before the town board (see: minutes here).

We here at CP have searched high and low and cannot find any more current info regarding this proposal so it is unclear what its status is.

There are of course pro’s and con’s to a development like this one. First, senior housing is in high demand and as baby boomers begin to reach the golden years that demand will only increase. Of course more housing like this brings in a desirable demographic and if the property is taxable (there was some question about that raised in the town board minutes) it would expand the tax base which ultimately is good for all tax payers in Parma.

However, there are drainage issues and traffic flow issues to consider, there are easement issues and accessibility issues as well. In the proposal there is no access from Burritt Rd. which could hamper emergency services from getting to a property in a timely manner. There also the impact of increased travel through the already expanding Unionville Station to consider.

It appears that this proposal is related to the rezoning proposal we covered in the blunder on Burritt Rd. piece. Are these the same properties and the same proposal’s? They appear to be related but it remains unclear if they are.

As always with these development proposals citizens are left wondering if they can trust their town leaders to do what is in the best interest of the town or worry that leaders are more concerned with maintaining friendly relations with the developers who want to use up the open space in Parma to make a buck.

Big issues of open space and development this year, how will they turn out? With no local elections this year the only recourse residents have is to speak out, write the board members and spread the word about their feelings on this type of development in Parma. But once again in 2009, if we maintain our memory of how our leaders act in these matters we will have another chance to choose new leadership who might answer the call the “serve” Parma.