Duke's Record Makes Us Cringe

The Freeman published an article on the Supervisor's race in Rochester (click here to read). Here is the response I posted on the Freeman's forum:

I find it unfortunate that the article on the race made no mention of the controversy in which Supervisor Duke has embroiled our Town. Almost every major official act of the Supervisor's seems designed to divide the Town into two classes: those whose personal desires and political agendas are advanced by the Duke Regime and those whose rights are not only violated but such violations are enshrined in Town Law.

Some examples:

Jon Dogar-Marinesco was denied a place on a Town Committee after a Town Board member publicly stated that - as Republican Club webmaster - he should not be allowed to participate.

Marinesco's wife Manuela Mihailescu was denied a place on a Town Committee after anonymous allegations were made that she runs a porn site. No proof was ever presented to the public or to the Court when she sued the Town. The Court ruled in her favor.

Townspeople - upset over the Mihailescu incident - jammed the Town Hall for the February 2007 meeting. Roughly 100 people (some elderly, some disabled) were forced to stand out in the bitter winter cold. One Councilman made a motion to move the meeting to a larger venue. Supervisor Duke's allies on the Board refused to do so.

During the meeting, one Town Board member told the public that "Public comment is not a right. It is a privilege granted at the sufferance of the Town Board."

When I was recognized during public comment, I was told by the Town Attorney that my remarks on the Town's handling of the Mihailescu situation were on a topic that was forbidden and that I would not be permitted to continue. Following a very short exchange between myself and the attorney on Robert's Rules of Order, the Town Board adjourned the meeting without doing any business whatsoever.

The next Town Board Meeting was a Special Meeting at which no Public Comment was permitted.

Subsequent Public Hearings have been jammed with Townspeople, the vast majority of whom have been highly critical of Supervisor Duke's actions vis-a-vis our civil rights. In particular, by better than a 2-1 margin, the Townspeople have been very vocal in their opposition to the new Zoning Code (as well as the Comprehensive Plan and other precursors and related laws), which seems to be designed to fulfill the interests and desires of a small group of elitists who stand behind the Supervisor.

Supervisor Duke convinced the Town Board to grant her a major pay hike, saying that the job was now a full time job and deserved a greater salary. No mention of such a pay hike was made during her last run for re-election. The Townspeople were not consulted. Perhaps the job is not really a full time job. Rather, it may be that Supervisor Duke requires full time hours to perform the tasks previous Supervisors performed on a part time basis. That, in itself, calls into question whether the Supervisor is fit to continue in her job.

Supervisor Duke was permitted to seek the Republican nomination in 2005. Her Party was invited to have their candidates interview and seek the Conservative nomination this year. Yet, she finds it acceptable that her own Party's rank and file was denied the opportunity to present alternative candidates, including her Republican challenger, at the 2007 Democratic Caucus. In response to these circumstances, half of all Democrats present at the Caucus walked out in disgust. Many of those who remained later expressed their opposition to the lack of openness.

Supervisor Duke's record speaks for itself. All signs point to the fact that her record will come to an end shortly. The voters in Rochester will speak and send her packing.