Friday, May 16, 2008

Wilcox embarrasses GOP Community

Photo to left is one of the rogue executive committee members. In this case it's disgraced treasurer Hugh Burke who TV 13 reported ADMITTED using taxpayer paid for county attorney office equipment to run his political operation.



05/16/2008
Republican Committee renounces council members
By:GLENN GRIFFITH Community News


Story Link http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19697109&BRD=1668&PAG=461&dept_id=7135&rfi=6


CLIFTON PARK - The town's Republican Party Committee May 9 renounced four of five Town Council members in a brief and succinct press release saying they no longer spoke for, or represented, the Republican party.All five members of the town board are members of the Republican Party. The four renounced were supervisor Philip Barrett, councilwoman Lynda Walowit and councilmen Tom Paolucci and Scott Hughes.

The notification by the Clifton Park Republican Committee states the four were renounced for failing to show up to a committee meeting where they were expected to explain recent actions. The press release was unsigned but listed town Republican Party Chairman Robert Wilcox as the contact person.

Town Republican Party Committee vice chairman and committee communications director Adam Kramer disapproved of the action, calling it a hasty maneuver, counter productive, and a potentially suicidal move. He said he was sick and tired of divisions within the local party's ranks. Kramer was out of town on a family vacation when notice of the action was released. "If I had been given the courtesy of a heads-up as to the committee's actions before-hand, I would have strongly counseled against such a counterproductive move," he said. "I understand emotions have run very high, but this serious action should not have been done in such haste. It was not the right thing to do and I strongly disagree with it."

Requests to Kramer and Wilcox for a tally of the commit tee's vote to renounce the four party members were unsuccessful. Each political party in Clifton Park is allowed two committee members for each of the town's 34 election districts.The committee's action comes two weeks after the four Town Board members unanimously appointed John Ryan to the Clifton Park Water Authority's Board of Directors. The four refused a request from absent fellow board member Sanford "Sandy" Roth to table the appointment.Roth returned to the board April 28 and reprimanded the four for failing to allow others to be interviewed for the water authority appointment.

This is not the first time the Clifton Park Republican Committee has turned on one of its own. In the early 1980s, Kevin Dailey was ousted from the party. He was subsequently elected supervisor with support from the town's Democrats. What Griffith doesn't add is that it was some of the same politically deaf, dumb and blind players who were involved then as now - namely Linda McNab, Elaine Kelly, Bob Wilcox, and Jasper Nolan - proving the definition of insane is correct as they expect different results from the same bone-headed hate filled decisions. Dailey remains VERY popular and his crime? It was creating THE CLIFTON COMMON the most popular recreation park in the REGION.


In the late 1990s, incumbent Walowit was victorious in a primary to determine who would run for office under the Republican banner in the general election.Reaction from the four board members to the committee's actions ranged from muted to humorous.

Barrett had little to say. "It is what it is and we'll move forward," he said. "I wasn't contacted to be at the meeting. I wasn't told to be there or else, or told you should be there."Barrett said he did not know of anyone else ever being renounced by their political party's committee for missing a meeting.

Walowit said she and the other board members were asked to attend illegal meetings and to support financial contributors to the party. "Now they've reached the core of having to explain to the people of Clifton Park why we're being punished," she said. "If Mr. Roth had shared our concerns about water, the people who came to the April 21 meeting wouldn't have bothered coming."

Paolucci said he was proud to be a Republican, one who believes in small, fiscally responsible government that can improve the quality of life for the town's citizens. He noted the present administration's fiscal record of retaining the no town tax policy."I am dismayed that a small group of local Republican leaders have determined that they can undermine the governmental process in Clifton Park by threatening political support in exchange for votes that forward their agenda," he said.

WILCOX NEEDS A LOOONG TIMEOUT - A RETIREMENT PARTY

"Bob Wilcox's statement and actions are very much like that of a small child throwing a temper tantrum when things do not go their way, and then picking up their toy truck and stomping home, stating if you don't play by my rules then you won't play at all," Paolucci said.Paolucci believes Wilcox is under pressure from county Republicans to deliver a signed contract from the Clifton Park Water Authority to buy water from the county. He called he county water expensive and something the town doesn't need.

Like Walowit, Hughes said he was asked to attend meetings he believes contradict the state's Sunshine Laws. Wilcox, Hughes said, speaks for a small minority on the town's Republican committee.He described Wilcox and others on the committee who supported the renouncment as the gang that can't shoot straight.

"Bob Wilcox does not get to choose who is and is not a Republican," Hughes said. "I'm proud of the record I'm creating in support of the citizens of Clifton Park. Bob Wilcox is having a temper tantrum because he can't control the Town Board through political pressure.

He thinks he's Boss Tweed and Clifton Park is Tammany Hall."Hughes said when Wilcox was elected committee chairman of the town Republican Committee, he promised everyone would have a voice. "Now it seems the executive committee seems intent on doing things in back rooms," he said. "I refuse to compromise my support for open ethical government."

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Clifton Park officials may offer GOP a "deal" they can't refuse


Sources in Clifton Park are suggesting that the elected officials may be working on a deal with the Clifton Park Republican Party to re-establish a partnership broken by the new Chairman, Wilcox.
Details are still not clear but there is quite a bit of talk that there are a number of issues that the Party Executive Commmittee would have to agree to.
Sources who have seen a "draft" copy think that the number one agreement, which is listed as #1 on the paper, is that the Chairman, Wilcox, would have to agree to step aside and off the executive committee.
This would seem obvious as Wilcox could not possibly put the genie back into the bottle of his fatal pronouncement/press release.
#2 similarly would be the quiet resignations of the treasurer and secretary of the committee. Although both sides would stay silent on these 3 departures they must occur in 30 days.
#4 was to allow the current two Vice-Chairmen to serve as co-acting chairmen until the new executive committee could run as a team.
#5 Immediate cessation of volunteer board members from engaging in politics either at town hall meetings or lurking in the shadows as a puppet for county interests.
#6 Take County Chairman Jasper Nolan at his "word" that he has no influence or involvement in local committee activities and he signs an agreement to that effect.
#7 Committee takes the official position that this year should be Nolan's LAST year as County Chairman, time for new blood.
There were 10 in all but the source could not see the second page.
All in all, this sounds like the reasonable approach to mending the fences and moving forward from what everyone admits has been a disasterous last 6 months.
Stay tuned as we will report if the Clifton Park GOP takes these common sense actions or continues to be a public circus.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

BOB WILCOX



Republican rift grows over vote on water board

Committeemen split with leader
Monday, May 12, 2008

By Cari Scribner (Contact)Gazette Reporter

CLIFTON PARK — Adam Kramer, vice chairman of the Clifton Park Republican Committee, voiced strong disagreement Sunday with a move by Chairman Bob Wilcox to cut off several town officials from the party’s long-standing network of political support.

Last Friday, Wilcox announced that Town Supervisor Phil Barrett, and Town Board members Scott Hughes, Tom Paolucci and Lynda Walowit should no longer expect the support of the town’s Republican Committee and are no longer welcome at committee meetings.

The surprise announcement came after Wilcox and some other members of the committee openly and repeatedly criticized a unanimous vote by Barrett, Hughes, Paolucci, and Walowit to give a vacant seat on the Clifton Park Water Authority to resident John Ryan.

One Town Board member, Sandy Roth, was absent when Ryan was interviewed and had asked the board to delay action until he could be present. But the board made the appointment without Roth’s input.
"This was a blatant show of disrespect for [Roth]," Wilcox wrote in a memo urging Republican Committee members to attend the Town Board meeting and protest the board’s decision to move ahead with the appointment and not wait for Roth’s return.

Two weeks after the controversial appointment, Wilcox said he anticipated the four elected officials giving an explanation for their vote to the GOP Committee at its meeting last Thursday night. They did not.
Friday morning, in communications now regularly taking the form of e-mails and press releases, Wilcox issued a short statement saying "the [Town Republican] Committee regretfully must inform the community that these elected officials no longer speak for, or represent, the Republican Party in Clifton Park."

However, despite his insistence that no major political moves be made without input from all colleagues, Wilcox released this statement about severing the GOP affiliation with the four board members while the Republican Committee’s vice chairman, Kramer, was in Arizona for a long-planned family vacation.

Kramer criticized Wilcox and said he had not been authorized to speak for the entire committee.
"I was not made aware of the committee’s actions to disown four of our Town Board members before the meeting occurred and found about it after the fact via press release ," Kramer wrote. "If I had been given the courtesy of a heads-up as to the committee’s actions beforehand, I would have strongly counseled against such a foolhardy and potentially suicidal move. I understand emotions have run very high, but this serious action should not have been done in such haste. It was not the right thing to do and I strongly condemn it."

On Sunday, Town Board member Hughes said he had not been received a copy of the e-mail from Wilcox stating the Republican Committee had severed ties with the board members.
"While I’m sad to see that the new GOP Executive Committee is busy self-destructing, the fact is that Bob Wilcox does not get to decide who is and who is not a Republican," Hughes said.

Squabbles among members of the traditionally strong Republican Party have risen to the forefront as the town continues to weigh its options for buying into the Saratoga County Water System.
The majority of Town Board members have said they need more information before forming any opinions about whether or not they support the county water system, a decision that ultimately rests in the hands of the five-member Clifton Park Water Authority. However, any open seats on the authority are filled by the Town Board.

Water Authority Chairman Helmut Gerstenberger said as negotiations with the county now stand town residents could pay as much as 40 percent more for water piped in from Moreau than they currently pay from the town’s sources.
Clifton Park Republican Committee member Michael Dudick also released a statement Sunday saying he was not at the GOP meeting last week, and was surprised to read Wilcox’s statement in the newspapers. "I think it odd to be a member of a group that works to promote Republican ideas, images and candidates and have some other members and leadership make public comments against any Republicans in office," Dudick wrote. "I personally support all Republican town officials, and I stand by my previous statements and actions when I, along with all other members of the [committee] campaigned for all the Republicans who were on the ballot in Clifton Park in the last four years of elections."

Monday, May 12, 2008

Kukuk's sneak atttack on Barrett

Clifton Park Town Highway Superintendent, Rick Kukuk pictured here, making move on Clifton Park Town Supervisor Phil Barrett. Reports have Kukuk secretly conspiring with County GOP Chairman Jasper Nolan to dig up dirt at town hall on Phil Barrett.

When asked about this Barrett responded by saying "Kukuk is a great friend and it's O.K. if they make me look silly, I'm going to take this sitting down as I am tired of sitting on the fence blowing in the wind."

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Saratoga Times Gazette - REPRINT



The Saratoga Times Gazette is reporting that Clifton Park GOP Chairmain, Bob Wilcox pictured above, has issued a major press statement telling the community he has disowned himself. Sources close to the story have told our reporter that following his statement he went out drinking with his friend Steve and downed 10 beers in 10 minutes and put it on video for later broadcast on YOUTUBE.

When contacted about the story, County Chairman Casper "the ghost" Nolan stated he had never heard of Wilcox and never once spoke to Steve about secretly undermining the town committee and never ever met with the soul-less cowards at Elaines, a popular NYC eatery.

Once given their marching orders, clueless and brainless members of the executive committee decided without consulting their members that Wilcox would plan secret illegal meetings, attempt to trick the elected officials into attending so that he could get them to do Casper's bidding.

Wilcox agreed because he was given a high paying patronage job. Steve said he would go along if people would simply stroke him and call him a "big man" now and then to soothe his guilty conscience and lack of integrity.

The story does not end here, the series will continue next week with Part Two titled: "The Big Man threatens a sixty year old woman and feels powerful afterwards".