New Hartford to use eminent domain to fund adler

[Swimmy]

I cannot believe the town board is still supporting this developer! And I cannot believe that the town board is still making taxpayers foot the bill for HIS development plans. And it's reasons like this that I wish Beyer was never allowed to practice law, let alone be appointed to the US Supreme Court! Because, thanks to that asshole, this is perfectly legal for the town to do.

[lioneljoe]

Yup, land pirates strike again. Most surprising, Don Backman, the man who ran as a reformer, is joining in the pillaging. Afterall, we have no choice.

[WestmoGuy]

Wonder what Larry Adler got the members of the Town board for Christmas?

Has he really spend anything on the development of that park of his OWN money? Did he pay for any infrastructure at all?

Remember when the town thought Kazanjian was a nut job for wanting a business park up there and how they were not willing to spend any money on it at the time?

[lioneljoe]

WARNING: the OD is now deleting any comments on its online site that are critical od the paper and critical of the Town of New Hartford Board. Several posts have disappeared under the articles for the Eminent Domain and the article on the town collecting the insurance premiums

[Deleted]

The OD could give lessons to China on how to limit what people write.

[Clipper]

I am not surprised. Donna is a resident of NH and her hubby, Jerry, is on the planning board. They are more than likely a part of the problem, not an advocate for the cure. I am just thankful that I am not a vested property owner in that town, held hostage by all that shady crap.

[lioneljoe]

Clipper, It gets worse....
Here is just one of the posts that was removed from the OD's website:

I have no doubt that what we are seeing is a systematic failure all around the OD. Why? Is it because the OD believes that they need to be a regional cheerleader? Is it because they are trying to protect certain groups or people? Is it because financial constraints limit the OD's ability to hire and retain high quality staff? Is it just the complacency that comes from being the only printed news source in town? Is it a combination of all of them? I don't know... but I do know that in the day of the internet and new media no paper can long hide its shortcomings.

[Swimmy]

Dirty D makes no attempt to hide her personal agenda and her loyalties. From the sweet deal she got her baby boy to the news about fairbrother. You can rest assured that those who are consistently critical of the town board, or dirty d will be facing lawsuits. There is no other purpose for requiring names, addresses, and phone numbers of all commentators on that site. She has been overly defensive of fairbrother's illegal actions. But failed to report that fairbrother retired until it she had to when she lambasted Tysinski. Notice that there was no follow-up article about the veracity of fairbrother's frivolous lawsuit. There was no article following up that the town is still paying for her attorney, even now that she is retired and no longer working for the town! The defamation suit is a personal suit of her's, not the town's.

[lioneljoe]

Swimmy, I have had firsthand experience on the "New Hartford protection racket" going on at the OD. I personally witnessed OD New Hartford Beat reporter Bob "Jimmy Olsen" Brauchle deliberately fail to report the embarrassing behavoir of New Hartford Town Attorney Herb Cully at a town boad meeting Brauchle was present. He even acknowldge to me he witnessed the behavoir first hand! However, it was not mentioned his his report of the town board meeting in the OD. Brauchle did do a report on what a success the New Hartford Town Dog Park is though a week later. The latest incident with Brauchle failing to mention the Eminent Domain issue until the Concerned Citizens posted it on their Blog. I am absolutely convinced that Donna and her editors have given guidance that only “good and Happy” news is to be reported about New Hartford.

[clarencebunsen]

Swimmy,
No particular arguement or challenge but I am curious why you think this use of eminent domain was enabled by the recent Supreme Court ruling (I assume the New London case). I thought in that case the city took land by eminent domain and awarded it directly to a private party. In this case if I am reading correctly the land would be used for a public roadway.

I could see the problem if it were to be used for a private driveway and the primary beneficiary may be a private development but it seems to be a traditional use of eminent domain. Am I missing something?

[Clipper]

Having been employed at the OD, I can tell you that Donna is a tyrant to work for. She intimidates everyone who works there. She micromanages, and any deviation from her express wishes result in immediate firing on the spot. People that work there fear for their jobs, that is why there is no reporting on NH issues. I am sure that the newsroom people know better than to even think about reporting anything negative since Jerome Donovan has been involved in the NH political scene.

When I quit there I notified them I was leaving and would give a two week notice. Donna said that she did not want a notice and that I could be done that day, and said that I would not be having an easy time finding a job. I already had a job. I told her I would be working the next day. I simply called and told my new employer that I was available to work right away and the next night I drove by there with a tractor trailer, bound for Iowa, just knowing that it would get back to Donna. It was a job that paid me between $1300 and $1400 a week, as opposed to the $900 gross that the OD paid me.

Not only was I an experienced transportation manager, over qualified for the job at the OD, I also had retained my Commercial Driver's license and could get a job anywhere that was hiring with my excellent safety record. It gave me great pleasure in dropping by that night to rub Donna's nose in it and to let her know that ONE employee was not intimidated by her bullshit.

I have to believe that the OD would do much better, even in a shrinking market, if they were to change publishers. She obviously has the corporate world snowed.

[Deleted]

Way to go Clipper! Just wondering, how were the benefits over at the OD? Just curious as Donovan in her ed pieces is always bitching about employee benefits. Is she as tight fisted as she sounds when it comes to the rank & file?

[Swimmy]

Dec 27, 2010 17:56:25 GMT -5 clarencebunsen said:

Swimmy,
No particular arguement or challenge but I am curious why you think this use of eminent domain was enabled by the recent Supreme Court ruling (I assume the New London case). I thought in that case the city took land by eminent domain and awarded it directly to a private party. In this case if I am reading correctly the land would be used for a public roadway.

I could see the problem if it were to be used for a private driveway and the primary beneficiary may be a private development but it seems to be a traditional use of eminent domain. Am I missing something?

I hear ya. For all intents and purposes, the property, as it stands now, is worthless. No businesses will locate because of so-called access problems. So Adler is sitting on a money pit (well, actually the taxpayers are). In order for Adler to make a profit, he needs better access. To achieve this, he needs private property from another person. Adler has a "better" use for this private property than the current private property owners (this is where I think the New London case comes into play). Outside Oneida County, the developers pay for all the infrastructure and then grant an easement or some set of rights to the road to the town or county (for liability purposes and so that the developer does not have to bear the expense of maintaining the roadways). So, you have a government stealing (or taking) private property from one private property owner and gifting it (or giving it) to another private property owner for a "better" use.

At least, that is how I see this situation. I could be wrong, but it is not similar to the rail roads or putting a highway in. This is a private access road for a private lot.

[clarencebunsen]

I thought the original intent was to connect the access road at Lowes to Woods Hwy as an extension of Clinton St. (That's what I recall from the original permitting process for Lowes, but memory is certainly fallible.) Has there been any public change in the plans or am I remembering it wrong?

[Clipper]

The benefit package when I was there was pretty decent and included medical and dental insurance at no cost to the employee, but I was there back when Gannett still owned the OD. I have no idea how it is now, under the new corporate management. I know they did away with their company drivers and company vehicle fleet for the most part, and use contractors to deliver bundles.

When I was there they were paying company drivers, the majority of which were part time, $6.35 to deliver bundles and work from about midnight until daylight on nights when the old antiquated press was down half the night. That was in all kinds of weather. Delivering papers with the rain running down the crack of your butt while you bend to take a bundle out of the truck is not a pleasant task. Many drivers had over 100 bundles to deliver. Then management wondered why we could not keep drivers and why myself and my assistant ended up delivering papers and running the loading dock by radio sometimes. It really sucked. I spent many of my days and stayed after my night shift many times to interview for new drivers. Many of whom laughed at me when I told them the pay.

Had they paid drivers better, my job would have been managing the fleet and drivers, and not simply hunting for and hiring drivers to replace those that didn't show up or quit. Under those conditions, the pay and the job would have been bearable.