By Jim Willis on Dec 31, 2007 in Exec Barbara Fiala, Government & Politics | 0 Comments
Broome County Executive Barbara Fiala muses in today’s Press & Sun-Bulletin that her greatest accomplishment and frustration for 2007 was the George R. Harvey Justice Building. She fought to use Broome County’s slice of tobacco settlement money (money the states stole from legitimate businesses in a massive shakedown and later split amongst their counties) to [...]
By Jim Willis on Nov 21, 2007 in Exec Barbara Fiala, Government & Politics, Law & Order | 0 Comments
Broome County Sheriff David Harder has crafted a masterstroke against the ever-whining “it’s everyone else’s fault” County Executive Barbara Fiala. In what appears to me to be “the nuclear option,” Harder called in the New York State Commission of Corrections to do a review of staffing levels at the county jail. By doing so, he [...]
By Jim Willis on Oct 10, 2007 in Exec Barbara Fiala, Government & Politics, Taxes & Spending | 3 Comments
A few weeks ago County Executive Barbara “The Whiner” Fiala released her 2008 proposed budget. In her address to the County Legislature, she found it necessary to blame just about everyone else for an increase in the property tax rate. First of all, it’s Jeff Kraham’s fault–the man who held the position prior to Fiala–two [...]
By Jim Willis on May 16, 2007 in Exec Barbara Fiala, Government & Politics | 1 Comment
Whatever happened to statesmanship? I won’t repeat the trite phrases (OK, maybe just a few chestnuts) about how “politics is a blood sport” and “the public discourse has coarsened these past few years.” Frankly, it’s always been that way. It was when I worked in the federal government in the 1980s, and it is today. [...]