An online magazine and opinion leader. No hype, just the reality behind the appearances in and around Albany, New York by a native of the place. Some of it pure opinion but all of it written in the spirit of Truth, good facts-based journalism and freedom of expression!
One of the candidates in the November 2021 elections was Laura Jane Barry (R), who ran for the office of Town Clerk; Barry was opposed by Sherle L. Slingerland (D). Barry received a total of 1,234 votes, while Slingerland received 881 votes; according to the Board of Election tallies, Barry was the clear choice of voters on November 3. Two months later, on January 1, 2022, Barry took the oath of office and officially assumed the elected office of Coeymans Town Clerk. Two days later, on January 3, only two days after taking the oath, Barry unexpectedly submitted her letter of resignation, citing “medical reasons” for her resignation but gave no further details about her alleged medical condition, and according to an article appearing in the January 13, 2022, issue of the Ravena News Herald, “Barry refused to comment further on her reasons for resigning.” According to the News Herald, Barry did not mention any “medical reasons,” even though she could have confirmed McHugh’s statements, but she didn’t. Most if not all readers should find this turn of events not only bizarre, but very suspect. We think Barry’s only medical condition was a severe case of cold feet!
Why bizarre? We think there’s a more sinister reason for Barry’s resignation after months of campaigning, a successful election, two months lead-up to taking the oath, taking the oath, and then, out of the blue, resigning. Something happened in those two days and it wasn’t a medical diagnosis! We all know that the most common cover-ups used by politicians for suspicious resignations are “I want to spend more time with my family” and “health issues.” Does McHugh and his mob really really think we’re that gullible? Well, some of you are because you swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.
Why suspect? Because no sooner had Barry resigned (on January 3) than McHugh had hand-picked his “confidential secretary” and sister-in-law, Candace McHugh, to be Coeymans Town Clerk! McHugh appointed his sister-in-law, who has no experience in the duties of Town Clerk, on January 7, barely 3 days after receiving Barry’s letter of resignation. Sounds like a set-up, doesn’t it? That’s because it is a set-up.
In a sneaky but strategic move to gloss over the glaring political nepotism of Candace McHugh’s appointment to be Town Clerk, McHugh and his puppet Town Board hired Sherle Slingerland, the runner-up in the Town Clerk race, to be part-time deputy clerk, to work under McHugh’s sister-in-law, Candace McHugh. Rather than appoint Slingerland, she was hired to be part-time deputy clerk at an hourly rate of $20.90. It is obvious that McHugh is attempting to distract attention from Candace McHugh, while offering an olive branch to Slingerland and her supporters. Slingerland sold herself pretty cheaply to McHugh and his puppet board. Now we know what she is and how much, as the saying goes.
Because Barry’s story is so bizarre and suspect, we’d expect any news reporting agency or any reporter worth his or her position to have done some serious investigational reporting, and to have gotten the real facts behind Barry’s untimely resignation. We’d like to know the true story. We think Coeymans residents and voters would like to hear the truth, too!
Then, because Candace McHugh doesn’t have a clue what to do in the Clerk’s office, McHugh and his board call Bonnie Keyer, deputy Town Clerk under Cindy Rowzee, out of retirement, to “train” Candace McHugh. Question: Why call back Keyer and not the very popular and competent Rowzee, who just left the position and would provide some continuity. (“Continuity,” by the way, is the new buzz word in Coeymans Town Hall, now that McHugh wants to extend the term of the Town Supervisor from 2 to 4 years! More on that later, when we cover McHugh’s attempt to get his term as supervisor extended from 2 to 4 years!) Or, why not appoint the runner-up in the elections, Sherle L. Slingerland, to fill the position until the 2022 elections? After all, it was a close race, and Slingerland did receive a considerable number of votes; the community sent a message that although Barry was their first choice, Slingerland was a first runner-up for the job. Not Candace McHugh, who is totally obscure, a nobody!
First of all, it should be obvious what is going on here: McHugh wants control of the Clerk’s Office, which is a key function in Town government; the Town Clerk is an elected office in order to ensure that the Clerk is independent and impartial. That’s not the case now.
Editor’s Note: The whole Town Clerk issue is a farce, and if the people of Coeymans put up with this conspicuous slap in the face, they’re in for even more disturbing misconduct. But one hilarious point we enjoyed in the News Herald report was town board member Daniel Baker’s comment, quoted in the report: “Me and Laura spent a lot of time together…” That’s your deputy Town Supervisor speaking hillbilly backwoods English. McHugh appointed Baker to be deputy Supervisor, probably because Baker doesn’t have the brains to put together a grammatical English sentence. McHugh likes his puppets dumb or dumber! Or at least family members…Right, Candace?
Why the Town Clerk is an Elected Office
There are very good reasons why the office of the Town Clerk is an elected office and not an appointed office. Take heed, Mr. McHugh! Here are a dozen reasons off the top of our head:
The office of the Town Clerk fulfills requests made for disclosure of public access information kept by the Town.The Clerk is required to provide that information under the provisions of the Public Officers Law and the Freedom of Information Law (F.O.I.L.). In other words, the Office of the Town Clerk is essential to transparency and accountability in local government, providing everything from minutes of meetings to police reports. Now that George McHugh has the Police Department – and we know how corrupt the Coeymans PD is — in his one pocket and the main source of Town information in his other pocket, his sister-in-law, Candace McHugh, now Town Clerk. How much transparency and accountability do you think you can expect? This is the start to controlling what you get to know under New York State Law.
The office of the Town Clerk is an elected office; that is, it is the choice of the electorate, not the choice of Mr. McHugh or his puppets on the Town Board, at least two of whom are or were McHugh appointees as well (Bruno and Tutay). Polarization appears to be McHugh’s agenda. An elected Town Clerk is accountable to the voters, the electorate; an appointed Town Clerk, Candace McHugh, is accountable to McHugh, who appointed her. Could it get any more arrogant? George McHugh is Candace McHugh’s brother-in-law; she’s married to McHugh’s brother! McHugh is so arrogant that he doesn’t give a damn what Coeymans thinks, he’s going to commit glaring political nepotism right under your noses!
Candidates for Town Clerk campaign for the office based on their credentials and experience. The Town Clerk is elected because the People feel they can trust the candidate. Candidates are elected on merit, not their connections. Being the Town Supervisor’s sister-in-law, and his former “confidential” secretary are not credentials qualifying a candidate or an appointee for the office of Town Clerk.
Elected Town Clerks must remain independent and impartial in their actions and the execution of their duties according to governing law, and service to the public.Their allegiance is to the public, not to the guy who appointed her, who happens to be her brother-in-law! The competent Town Clerk has to be completely familiar with the laws governing the position such as the Open Meetings Law and the Municipalities Laws. In Coeymans, the Town Clerk also manages cemeteries and is the Tax Collector, so the Clerk must be familiar also with the laws concerning those activities. Candace McHugh does not have those qualifications.
The Town Clerk must be independent, impartial, and must have a wide range of knowledge of the law, because the Clerk must sometimes oppose actions of the Town Board. As a McHugh appointee and being confirmed by the McHugh Town Board, made up of McHugh appointees and puppets, as well as being McHugh’s former “confidential” secretary and his current sister-in-law, Candace McHugh cannot perform as required.
It is a well-known fact that nepotism runs rampant and wild in town and village government. An elected Town Clerk largely avoids the potential for politics, corruption, misconduct. The Town Clerk has a very sensitive and responsible role in the administration of elections, town meetings, and generally much of town government operations. The Clerk should not be obliged or beholden to any town official based on kinship or favors, like an appointment!
The Town Clerk can be removed from office every 4 years for good cause or for no cause, most likely because a stronger candidate runs against the incumbent. That’s called an election. In contrast, an appointee can be removed from office only for good cause.
The office of Town Clerk is a hybrid office that combines town, county, and state responsibilities. The office of Town Clerk runs much less efficiently if it is controlled, as it is in the Town of Coeymans, by any single entity, as in Coeymans, by the Town Supervisor and his hand-picked Town Board!
In terms of supervision and management, and in view of the fact that Candace McHugh is inexperienced and untrained for the position of Town Clerk, and further is expected to fill the position only until November 2022, when a replacement can be elected, she cannot be properly supervised. George McHugh is unable to supervise his sister-in-law because he is still running a law practice and is also town attorney for several local towns. The members of the Town Board are all only part-time, most have other jobs, and none are compensated to supervise the operations of the Town Clerk’s office, even if that were lawful! The former deputy Town Clerk, Bonnie Keyer, too, is an insider, her husband, Douglas Keyer, being the controversial Coeymans Police Chief, a McHugh hiree and as close to an appointment as possible.[4] But former deputy clerk Keyer has been brought in to train Candace McHugh! Why wasn’t former elected Town Clerk Cindy Rowzee called in to be interim Town Clerk and save a lot of time and effort, while keeping the Town Clerk’s office honest. We all know the answer to that question, don’t we?
After election, Town Clerks generally attend intensive training, and while in office, are required to attend regular continuing training. More often than not, town clerks are re-elected multiple times and their job knowledge accumulates over the years, resulting in better job performance and service to the community. It is reasonable to expect that an appointee does not go through the rigorous scrutiny by the voting public, and may not be the best choice for the job, as in this case. If appointee Candace McHugh is sent for training, it would be an irresponsible waste of public resources and taxpayer dollars.
The Town of Coeymans is not a private club nor a private business. Even in private clubs, officers are elected by the general membership; they may be appointed or elected by the board of directors in corporations and other private business forms, but they are not required to use democratic process. The Town is a New York state municipality, a service organization, intended to serve the needs of Town residents with whatever it takes, within the provisions of law, not the ambitions, agendas, or whims of the Town Supervisor or the Town Board as alter egos of the Town Supervisor.
The Town Clerk is a key person in maintaining what we know as a system of checks and balances in local government. The Town Clerk serves at the pleasure of the People, not at the pleasure of the Supervisor or any board member. The Town Clerk should have the wherewithal and the courage to step forward and oppose any town official’s act or conduct or anything that stretches the provisions of law, or anything that goes counter to the best interests of the People. Under the circumstances, we do not think that Candace McHugh has the integrity or the qualities to do that, after all, she would be inviting family problems if she were to go against her husband’s brother.
The current situation in the Town of Coeymans offends and abuses any sense of fairness and good government, and the People of Coeymans should rise up in active protest to stop what’s going on in Town Hall at the hands of George McHugh!
Of course, residents in the Town of Coeymans are certainly aware that the Coeymans Town Board annually designates the Ravena News Herald to be the Town’s official newspaper, the place where you’ll find all the news McHugh and his mob want you to know about in your lovely Town of Coeymans.[6] If it seems that incest is best in Ravena-Coeymans, it’s because it is part of the culture; everyone has his or her hands in the other’s pockets or panties.
[1] Coeymans: Poster-Child of the “Sick Community Syndrome.” Part I
Coeymans: Poster-Child of the “Sick Community Syndrome.” Part II
Coeymans: Poster-Child of the “Sick Community Syndrome.” Part III
Coeymans: Poster-Child of the “Sick Community Syndrome.” Part IV
Coeymans: Poster-Child of the “Sick Community Syndrome.” Part V
[2] McHugh and his Town Board take good care of themselves. On January 29, 2021, the Coeymans Town Board gave notice of a Resolution Authorizing the Transfer of Certain Lands Owned by the Town of Coeymans to Albert F. Collins Jr. and Lori Collins, in which two parcels of land were to be transferred to the Collins for $66,300.00, which “represents the amount owed by the Town to Collins & Son, Inc. under a contract for prior cleanup work performed on the property.” That must have been on hell of a cleanup job! How many Coeymans residents knew about this and was it published conspicuously or even reported in the Ravena News Herald? (See our article, “Coeymans: Send McHugh and His Nuggets Down The Tube.”)
[3] The County Legislator’s seat was left vacant in 2021, when George Langdon, representing the Town of Coeymans and previously a sitting member of the Town of Coeymans Town Board, a member of George McHugh’s so-called Comeback Team, was forced to resign in disgrace from the Albany County Legislature. McHugh moved quickly to tap another of his Comeback Team, rookie Town Board member Zachary Collins, son of McHugh appointee to the Planning Board/Zoning Board of Appeals, to run for Langdon’s vacant seat, even though Collins had not completed even half of his 4-year term on the Town Board to which he was elected in 2019! That’s exactly what the Albany County Legislature needs: corrupt inexperienced puppets elected by sheeple.
[4] Chief of Police Douglas Keyer himself is in the hot-seat as we write, since he is named in the pending Claims as having abused his office as Chief of Police, as having knowingly engaged in clear conflict of interest, as having obstructed or impaired a police investigation, and as having conspired with George McHugh to influence the process and outcome of a police accident investigation, among other charges.
[5] “Gabler Realty revitalizes long-vacant Main St. building,” RNH, January 13, 2022, p. 1.
[6] Re: New York Town Law. The promulgation of notice provisions in the Town Law frequently deters effective publicity. Although the Town Law does not suffer from the politically oriented designation procedure of the County Law, its provisions often cause confusion and injustice, however. Unlike counties, towns need not designate an official newspaper but have the option to do so. Being an “official newspaper” does not mean that everything pertaining the events in a municipality must appear in the newspaper but legal notices, notices of hearings, various administrative and legislative actions are examples of what should be published in a municipality’s designated “official newspaper.”
“We can’t distinguish between real news and fake news because we don’t even question the credibility of the source of news … Why would we, when we think of ourselves or our friends as the source?”
This article was inspired by what we read in the January 13, 2022, issue of the Ravena News Herald, a local rag run by Capital Region Interactive Media, and a McHugh associate, Mark Vinciguerra. The RNH was formerly owned by McHugh, bought after previous owner/publisher Dick Bleezarde died, and in which McHugh continues to hold an interest. In fact, McHugh’s law offices occupy the Ravena building on at 164 Main Street in Ravena, the former location of the Ravena News Herald. McHugh uses that address as his primary address on his license and elsewhere. McHugh actually lives; that is, his primary residence address is really at 100 Lawson Lake Road, a Feura Bush address (12067) but on the Town of Coeymans assessment rolls.
We’ve frequently taken issue with the reports printed in the McHugh Public Relations Manual calling itself the Ravena News Herald, and have written about misreporting, incorrect facts, partisanship, partiality, and outright favoritism when it comes to reporting about McHugh or any of his friends or clients (Readers might want to visit our article “George McHugh: Conspiracy, Misrepresentation, Possible Fraud?”, or any of our articles relating to the 2019 elections and McHugh). The front-page stories in the January 13, 2022, issue of the Ravena News Herald did nothing to improve our opinion of the News Herald as a dirty tampon.
Case in point: Not a word was printed in the Ravena News Herald about the September 8, 2021, two-car accident that occurred on Route 9W, in front of Pickers Nation (2530 US Route 9W, Ravena), that involved Coeymans Town Supervisor George McHugh and local Ravena resident, Laszlo Polyak, and which also destroyed the sign at the Capital Care Family Practice medical facility, at 2524 US Route 9W. Wouldn’t that be news? After all it involved the Town Supervisor, was investigated by the Coeymans Police Department, and caused significant damage to a local business? A month later, almost to the day, Rosemary McHugh, 4th wife of Town Supervisor George McHugh, t-boned a vehicle operated by a local Ravena resident, Kayleen Cique, in the Ravena Stewarts Shop parking lot. (See our article, “Rosemary McHugh: Driving While Disabled?”.) Again, not a word in the Ravena rag. Do you think there may be some favoritism or influence at work here?
We then have the report, again a front-page article, about the untimely resignation of a newly elected town official, Laura J. Barry, who was elected to be Town Clerk. The article does nothing but obscure the facts behind the resignation but it does contain hundreds of sugar-coated words reinforcing the incest club calling Coeymans Town Hall its home. Disgusting.
A second front-page article discusses the “revitalization of a long-vacant Main Street building” in Ravena.[5] Well, the misinformation starts with the title because the building in question was not a “long-vacant building”! The building is occupied by Mr. Laszlo Polyak who has been living there for 30 years! Polyak also rents three apartments on the second floor, which have been occupied for at least 10 years!That hardly qualifies as long-vacant building!
You say Tomehto We Say Tomahto; They Say Gay-bler, We Say Gobbler.
Yep! Just what we needed in Ravena-Coeymans: Another Land-Gobbler. It’s as if the Michael Biscones and the George McHughs, and their insider friends Carver Laraway, Albert Collins, and Robert Nolan weren’t grabbing everything in sight, we now have a new kid on the block who will gobble up properties or whatever’s left over and worth having. They may pronounce it ‘Gaybler’ Realty but in the tradition of a Josephine Bruno, they’re still gobblers, no matter how you spell it or pronounce it.
Coincidentally, the owner of the building, Mr. Laszlo Polyak, is the second party in the George McHugh accident, and Polyak’s tenant Kayleen Cique, rents and lives in one of the apartments in the “long-vacant Main Street building” – long-vacant according the News Herald’s and Lekocevic’s definition of ‘vacant’ – that’s the same Kayleen Cinque, whose car was T-boned by Rosemary McHugh. Interestingly, we have unconfirmed information that Rosemary McHugh made a deal with K. Cinque to go 50-50 on the repairs needed by Cinque. Now isn’t that interesting? No ticket and no insurance company involvement in that accident, even though the Albany County Sheriff’s deputy S. Hotaling investigated the accident and filed the Police Accident Report.
Nowhere, absolutely nowhere in the article is Mr. Polyak mentioned, nor is the fact that the “long-vacant” — though occupied for 30 years — building also contains three occupied apartments! Nowhere in the article does Lekocevic mention that Polyak spearheaded the renovation of the entire building on the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue. Nor does Lekocevic mention the actual “long-vacant” buildings along Main Street like the old Bushes Hardware, the former offices of the Ledger newspaper — both the Ledger and Bushes have been gone for more than 10 years but their signs are still there —, and the eyesore just across the street from the Gabler Real Estate offices, a large corner building that has had an “Auction” notice posted on it for several years now! Looks like the News Herald’s Executive Editor, Ms Melanie Lekocevic, has a big problem with the facts, but manages to get everyone else’s name in the article from Ravena bar-owner Mayor Misuraca to village untrustworthy trustee Nancy Warren to Delmar realtor Joy Iafallo, none of whom had anything to do with the improvements made to Polyak’s property! Even stupider is the fact that Mayor Moose-Moron Misuraca states in the article that the “building where Gabler Realty opened has been vacant for many years.” Misuraca is mayor of Ravena, has his mayoral offices just blocks away, and his bar is just down the street on Main Street, yet he is unaware that the building has been occupied continuously for more than 30 years! Can he be that stupid? (Answer: Yes!)
Well, Ravena doesn’t have to deal with Misuraca any longer; he lost his bid for nomination by the Republican party and will not be on the ballot for the March village elections.
What we find incredible is that Gabler Realty and its principals, Judi Gabler and Joy Iafallo, knowing full well that the News Herald story was a load of crapola, didn’t get an immediate conspicuous correction of the fake facts in the article. Iafallo is also president of the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Community Business Association, so you’d think that she’d be interested in getting true facts out there. But wait a minute, doesn’t the fake news about the property make Iafallo, Gabler, and Gabler Realty look real good? Even better since the article, although full of misinformation, does paint Gabler as being the hero-savior of yet another derelict building in Ravena? When you actually think about it, the lies do make Gabler Realty look good, so why should they want a correction? Realtors are not really noted for any interest in truth-telling, are they?
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Another instance of the Ravena News Herald keeping silent on the antics of Ravena elites occurred in 2021, when Robert Nolan of Nolan Propane (Ravena, NY) and a McHugh appointee to the Town of Coeymans Planning Board/Zoning Board of Appeals, and Ravena shyster Michael Biscone attempted to bully the neighboring Town of New Baltimore into denying a local business project competing with Nolan. The RNH neither reported on the conspiracy nor did it mention that Coeymans Town Supervisor McHugh was representing the Town of New Baltimore against one of his own board members and a business in the town to which McHugh was elected to be Supervisor! (See our article, “Nolan, Biscone, Miller vs. Albright & Sons: News Herald a Day Late and a Dollar Short”.)
Editor’s Note: We could agree that Judi Gabler is a graduate of the RCS school system when she is quoted as saying, not once, but twice, ”As an alumni of RCS…” The correct term would be alumna, if the speaker is a woman; “alumni” is the plural men or mixed men and women. We can almost forgive such ignorance in a realtor but not in a journalist! But then, we’re talking about the Ravena News Herald, aren’t we? But then, we do live in a gender-identity confused culture, so maybe Gabler’s apparent error is actually a true statement of who she is.
It seems that the author of all three front-page articles in the January 13, 2022, issue of the Ravena News Herald, Ms Melanie Lekocevic, who gets a billing in theNews Herald as “Executive Editor,” really needs a refresher in journalism and reporting, particularly as regards getting real facts and checking those facts! Shame, AGAIN, on you, Ravena News Herald!
Here’s a good idea for a front-page story, Ms Lekocevic: Why is it that Coeymans applies for grants (and is rejected) and Coeymans organizations can get money to repair an old chimney (We’re referring to Lekocevic’s front-page story, “Historic Alcove Chimney: Restoring a local landmark.” (RNH, January 13, 2022)) but can’t find money to revitalize or restore the water mains in the Village and Hamlet so that the Fire Departments can get water to extinguish fires?!? Does Supervisor George McHugh or Mayor William Misuraca or Trustee Nancy Warner have an answer to this question? How about Gabler Realty? Is Judi Gabler or Joy Iafallo or any of the claimed 20 Gabler employees going to disclose to potential buyers that the Village and Town can’t provide a reliable source of water?Are they going to tell their “match[ed] property buyers” how that might affect their property insurance? Or is all that going to be swept under the carpet like so many other things in Ravena and Coeymans?
By the way, as of this date and after an exhaustive search, we cannot find a single word about the two McHugh accidents nor about the Notice of Claim and possible lawsuit against the News Herald’s little friend, Georgie McHugh, or his protégés Keyer, Baker, Collins, Bruno, LeFevre, Seney, or Arnold. The Town is on the brink of a huge legal controversy and the Supervisor and Police Chief are about to be investigated, if they’re not already under investigation, and Coeymans is kept in the dark all this time. Why is that Mark Vinciguerra, Melanie Lekocevic? Aren’t you selling a newspaper, and aren’t Coeymans residents purchasing the Ravena News Herald to get their news?
Of course, residents in the Town of Coeymans are certainly aware that the Coeymans Town Board annually designates the Ravena News Herald to be the Town’s official newspaper, the place where you’ll find all the news McHugh and his mob want you to know about in your lovely Town of Coeymans.[6]If it seems that incest is best in Ravena-Coeymans, it’s because it is part of the culture; everyone has his or her hands in the other’s pockets or panties.
Notes:
[1] Coeymans: Poster-Child of the “Sick Community Syndrome.” Part I Coeymans: Poster-Child of the “Sick Community Syndrome.” Part II Coeymans: Poster-Child of the “Sick Community Syndrome.” Part III Coeymans: Poster-Child of the “Sick Community Syndrome.” Part IV Coeymans: Poster-Child of the “Sick Community Syndrome.” Part V
[2] McHugh and his Town Board take good care of themselves. On January 29, 2021, the Coeymans Town Board gave notice of a Resolution Authorizing the Transfer of Certain Lands Owned by the Town of Coeymans to Albert F. Collins Jr. and Lori Collins, in which two parcels of land were to be transferred to the Collins for $66,300.00, which “represents the amount owed by the Town to Collins & Son, Inc. under a contract for prior cleanup work performed on the property.” That must have been on hell of a cleanup job! How many Coeymans residents knew about this and was it published conspicuously or even reported in the Ravena News Herald? (See our article, “Coeymans: Send McHugh and His Nuggets Down The Tube.”)
[3] The County Legislator’s seat was left vacant in 2021, when George Langdon, representing the Town of Coeymans and previously a sitting member of the Town of Coeymans Town Board, a member of George McHugh’s so-called Comeback Team, was forced to resign in disgrace from the Albany County Legislature. McHugh moved quickly to tap another of his Comeback Team, rookie Town Board member Zachary Collins, son of McHugh appointee to the Planning Board/Zoning Board of Appeals, to run for Langdon’s vacant seat, even though Collins had not completed even half of his 4-year term on the Town Board to which he was elected in 2019! That’s exactly what the Albany County Legislature needs: corrupt inexperienced puppets elected by sheeple.
[4] Chief of Police Douglas Keyer himself is in the hot-seat as we write, since he is named in the pending Claims as having abused his office as Chief of Police, as having knowingly engaged in clear conflict of interest, as having obstructed or impaired a police investigation, and as having conspired with George McHugh to influence the process and outcome of a police accident investigation, among other charges.
[5] “Gabler Realty revitalizes long-vacant Main St. building,” RNH, January 13, 2022, p. 1.
[6] Re: New York Town Law. The promulgation of notice provisions in the Town Law frequently deters effective publicity. Although the Town Law does not suffer from the politically oriented designation procedure of the County Law, its provisions often cause confusion and injustice, however. Unlike counties, towns need not designate an official newspaper but have the option to do so. Being an “official newspaper” does not mean that everything pertaining the events in a municipality must appear in the newspaper but legal notices, notices of hearings, various administrative and legislative actions are examples of what should be published in a municipality’s designated “official newspaper.”
This Just In: Huge Multi-alarm Fire/Explosion, Multiple Injuries Reported, 8 Fire Departments Respond, LifeLine Helicopter Support. Today on January 20, 2022, at about 10 a.m. a fire/explosion occurred at the Coeymans Marina, site of the former Yanni’s Restaurant, to which reportedly 8 local fire departments responded along with County first responders, including helicopter airlift for the injured. At this time the number of injured or dead, the cause of the disaster, and the number of responders is unclear. We have captured initial images below for your information.
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Just last October 27, 2021, there was a serious multiple alarm-fire in the Port of Coeymans junkyard, just outside the hamlet of Coeymans. The fire, which started and burned in the Port of Coeymans. The scrap fire at Port Of Coeymans, started in a large pile of scrap metal, according to Richard Robinson, the general manager of Port Of Coeymans. The fire reportedly started on a scrap metal pile on his tenant’s property at EMR Eastern Metal Recycling. The fire was reported around 6:15 a.m. and seven local fire organizations battled the fire for several hours.
Carver Companies (Carver Laraway, a client of George McHugh), the Port of Coeymans, and the Coeymans Industrial Park, have ongoing problems with pollution and safety, and have been the focus of a number of investigations and fines imposed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Politics and money are like Teflon®, however, and the fines are paid and the abuses continue. Meanwhile, McHugh and his friends and clients continue to carve up the Town — Carver Companies seems sadly appropriate for the Carver Laraway–George McHugh connection — and destroy the environment and community with their propaganda, fake promises, money, and political connections.
Now that Andrew Cuomo has been ousted, we expect that the agencies of the County and State will take a closer look at the corrupt activities in and around Coeymans, since the connections with the Governor’s mansion have at least temporarily been cut off. But sleezy business, sewer rats, and political greed cross party and political lines regularly.
The Town of Coeymans has it all: Corrupt local government, a lying rag for a local newspaper, the Ravena News Herald, polluters by invitation only, an inept NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to oversee the polluters, and a very dubious and dangerous industrial safety record for the Port of Coeymans and other locations in the Town of Coeymans.
The blaze at the Coeymans Marina, which is also the site of a Yanni’s restaurant, one of George McHugh’s hideaways, originated in a workshop where an acetylene tank allegedly exploded, causing the inferno.
Reliable reports inform us that once again the Ravena-Coeymans water infrastructure failed, when an apparent major water main break in Ravena made it necessary to use tanker trucks to convey water to the scene. Fire departments attempted to pump water from the iced-over Hudson for extinguishing purposes, but that was apparently unsuccessful.
Residents in the Hamlet of Coeymans were without water due to the break.
The water system in the Ravena-Coeymans municipal area has been a sore point for decades; it is old and very poorly maintainedbecause of ongoing disputes between Village of Ravena and Town of Coeymans administrations, Coeymans perennially having to battle with the Village of Ravena for its water supply. It’s a great neighborhood to live in, isn’t it?
Well, with the new kid on the block, Gabler Realty, just recently moved into a Ravena location, and having their eyes set on peddling Ravena and Coeymans properties to unwary buyers, how will they explain that homeowners may have problems with insurance because the Village of Ravena and the Town of Coeymans are fixing old chimneys but don’t have a water system to put out fires when the Town is burning down? Any answers to that burning question, Mr McHugh, Mr Misuraca?
When will New York State and Albany County authorities finally wake up and step in to put things in order in this nest of corruption and indifference?
George Deflores McHugh shouldn’t be taking the oath of office on January 1, 2022; he should be read his rights before he’s apprehended and prosecuted! McHugh’s got to face a number of very sticky accusations and charges these coming weeks, and he’s likely to have to answer to the Albany County DA and to the NYS Attorney General. The Albany County Board of Elections should be taking a stand on McHugh’s questionable and scandalous electioneering misconduct this past November!
The best Christmas gift that Coeymans can give itself is to clean out Coeymans Town Hall, starting with George McHugh! He shouldn’t be taking the oath of office to continue as Coeymans Town Supervisor and, even if he does, we’re going to work hard to see to it that he’s forced to resign for his gross misconduct. The best New Year’s resolution the Town of Coeymans can make is to remove the garbage from Coeymans Town Hall. That includes George McHugh and his puppets on the Town Board, and his friends and cronies he’s appointed to the various administrative boards, like the Nolans and Collins fixtures he’s put on the Town’s Planning Board/Zoning Board of Appeals. Robert Nolan (Nolan Propane) and Albert Collins (Zach Collins’ father and owner of Collins Fuel/Collins Excavation) are taking full advantage of the opportunities available by being board members. All thanks to pal George McHugh.
The next resolution would be to get rid of the Coeymans Police Department, which we know is already in the works, and save Coeymans from $500,000 to $1,000,000 a year. The Albany County Sheriff’s Department is already doing the job, and doing it a hell of a lot better than the Coeymans PD has ever done!
Here’s Why…
Nobody in Coeymans Town Hall is talking about this, and with the total lack of transparency and honesty on the Town Board and the Supervisor’s office, or the Police Department, it’s highly unlikely that Coeymans residents would ever know about it. But that’s why Smalbany is so loved; it’s because we tell you the news none of your public servants or elected officials want you to know.
Smalbany has obtained documents that point to George McHugh, his Police Chief Douglas Keyer, members of the Coeymans Town Board, and two members of the Coeymans Police Department, implicating them in a number of civil and criminal acts of misconduct while performing their official duties.
Town of Coeymans, McHugh, Keyer Served with Notice of Claim
Among the charges listed in a Notice of Claim filed on the Town of Coeymans on December 3, 2021, and naming McHugh, Keyer, Daniel Baker, Linda Bruno, Zachary Collins, Brandon LeFevre, Kelly Arnold (Coey PD), and Edmund Seney (Coey PD) are named as respondents/defendants in claims stemming from a motor vehicle accident in which McHugh was involved back in September 2021.
The Notice of Claim charges the defendants with conflicts of interest, obstruction/impairment of justice, defamation, perjury, harassment, abuse of public office, misappropriation of public property, and other misconduct, mainly perpetrated by McHugh and supported by Keyer and the other defendants.
You may remember the hullabaloo that came out of a video recorded in Coeymans Town Hall, with McHugh, Baker, Collins, and Bruno seated at the Council Table, discussing the accident in which George McHugh was involved, and posted on Facebook together with the Town Board Meeting of September 9, 2021, (Facebook Video) just the day after the actual accident. McHugh and his puppets have a grand old time using Town resources to spread misinformation and defamatory statements about the accident and the other driver. The video was viewed by almost 500 people at last count.
These are very serious charges being leveled against McHugh and his pals in Coeymans Town Hall, and we’ll be very interested in seeing what the County and State Boards of Election, the Albany County DA, and the NYS Office of the Attorney General are going to do about it.
We will continue to follow these developments and keep the community informed as the case develops.
If County and State law enforcement agencies get off their butts and do their jobs, it’s very possible that George McHugh may not be taking the oath of office in January 2022; he may be read his rights and end up looking for some shyster to defend him and his pals.
Town Board Meeting Fixtures Barbara Tanner and Mary Driscoll as Witnesses
Also present at the September 9, 2021, Coeymans Town Board meeting were fixtures Barbara Tanner, formerly of New Baltimore and now residing in Ravena, and Mary Driscoll, of Coeymans/Selkirk, who contributed to the conversations, and may be called as witnesses, or even named as defendants in a civil lawsuit for defamation. We’d be very interested in hearing what Tanner and Driscoll would have to say as witnesses, when confronted with the Facebook video. Sitting Coeymans Town Clerk, Cindy Rowzee, was also present but made no contributions to the conversation, may serve as a valuable witness in any civil or criminal legal action brought against the defendants.
Rosemary McHugh Hazardous Behind the Wheel
That’s on the public side of the misconduct. Rosemary McHugh, herself involved in a two vehicle accident on October 7, 2021, almost a month to the day from Georgie’s accident, when she T-boned a vehicle, operated by Kayleen E. Cinque, in the Ravena Stewarts Shoppe parking lot. We reported on that tidbit in Rosemary McHugh: Driving While Disabled? (November 17, 2021). Rosemary McHugh may be sued for her part in the defamation disseminated in the Facebook video, in which she corroborates and contributes to George McHugh’s asinine false statements regarding the Village of Ravena resident.
It doesn’t look like the McHugh’s or the Coeymans Town Board are getting a very good start in the New Year. We wouldn’t want to be in their shoes starting a new year out with civil and criminal charges staring them in the face. Would you?
A recent motor vehicle accident involving Coeymans Town Supervisor George McHugh and investigated by the Coeymans Police Department, including Coeymans Chief of Police Douglas R. Keyer,[1] raises a number of questions about judgment, accountability, conspiracy, and trustworthiness.
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Not surprising, the Coeymans Police Department’s taking control of the investigation inappropriately, given the fact that McHugh and his Town Board supervise the Police Department, control the PD’s budget, and have the power to hire and fire members of the PD, including the Chief, sends up red flags pointing to grossly poor judgment on the part of the Chief of Police, Douglas Keyer, and abuse of public office and power by George McHugh.
Smalbany will join with L. Polyak in filing a formal complaint and a demand for inquiry and investigation with the Office of the New York State Attorney General, the Office of the New York State Comptroller, and the Albany County District Attorney.
Chief Douglas Keyer, as soon as he became aware that his boss, George McHugh, was involved in the accident, should have recused the Coeymans PD from the investigation for reasons of conflict of interest and possible impartiality, and handed it over to a neutral, impartial law enforcement agency such as the Albany County Sheriff’s Department (ACSD), who were at the scene. Even if Keyer did not recuse his department from the investigation, it would have been appropriate for McHugh to have at least given the appearance of propriety and good judgment by even informally asking Keyer to hand the investigation over to a neutral, impartial law enforcement body.
Neither Keyer nor McHugh did the right thing; they instead demonstrated grossly poor judgment and opened the flood gates to suspicion of conspiracy to influence the process and outcome of the accident investigation, and unlawfully obstruct justice. The Public must demand that both Keyer and McHugh resign from their positions immediately, since both have shown extremely poor judgment and should not be in positions of public trust, authority, and accountability.
The Accident Investigation Was Tainted; It Was Procedurally Flawed and Favored One Party: George McHugh
Important Definitions
On September 8, 2021, a two-car accident involving Coeymans Town Supervisor George McHugh and a Ravena resident, Laszlo Polyak. The first law enforcement agency to arrive at the scene was the Coeymans Police — Yes! It went to hell in a handbasket from that point on! — the Albany County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene, as did Albany County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Medical Services (ACSD-EMS). The accident occurred on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 2524 US Rt 9W (in front of Pickers Nation antiques) at or about 11:41. When reading our report keep in mind it was a weekday, at about noon, in front of several busy businesses, and in clear weather.
Shortly after the accident — in fact, on the very next day, on September 9, 2021 — at the Coeymans Town Board Meeting of September 9, 2021 (before the unamended Accident Report was even completed and reviewed on September 13, 2021, and “amended on September 16, 2021), George McHugh and his 3rd wife, Rosemary McHugh, and the Coeymans Town Board, revisited the accident and misrepresented numerous facts on the Town of Coeymans Facebook account.
The very fact that George McHugh abused his public office by taking advantage of the Town of Coeymans FaceBook account and the Town’s public resources including the video and the videographer’s time to misuse the video, the purpose of which was to make it possible for the public to participate in local government, NOT to be exposed to McHugh’s self-serving public misrepresentation of HIS version of the accident.[2]
After having reviewed the Facebook video posted on the Town of Coeymans Facebook page, Smalbany demanded, received and reviewed the Police Accident Report(s) (original and amended) created by the Coeymans PD, the Photo Log Sheet in support of the Evidence Report, the photos taken at the scene, the Incident Detail Report, the Police Request for Driver Review, the Supporting Deposition by the Coeymans PD investigating officer (Kelly A. Arnold), and the Albany County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Response (EMS) Incident Report, and after having physically visited the accident site with an eye-witness, and having taken photos of the site and the Polyak vehicle, Smalbany contacted the investigating officer (Arnold) and the detective photographing the scene (E.J. Seney) by email, requesting contact to clarify certain questions listed in the respective emails.
Shortly after having sent the emails, the Smalbany correspondent was contacted by telephone by Chief Douglas R. Keyer, who identified himself as the media contact for the Coeymans Police Department: “I handle media inquires with the police department.”[3]
Smalbany returned Keyer’s call and interviewed Keyer per the questions sent to Arnold and Senney. The statements and conclusions in this article are based on that interview and Keyer’s disclosures in the context of a so-called “media inquiry.”[4] Keyer explicitly and clearly stated that he “was at the [accident] scene” and that he has “direct knowledge of everything that transpired on that day.” Based on those statements, but despite the fact that Keyer’s statement was not entirely true, the Smalbany media correspondent considered him to be qualified to answer questions.
Chief Keyer, in typical law enforcement fashion, attempted to play the tough guy throughout the interview but it didn’t work. At one point Keyer states, “I feel no obligation to respond to you” and at another point stated “you have no right to make an enquiry to either detective Seney or to Officer Arnold,” but the Smalbany media correspondent quickly and summarily corrected Keyer’s mistaken assumptions, and the interview continued.
Chief Keyer does concede that the “Town Board” is his boss, which is a correct statement, and the Town Board is commandeered by George McHugh.
With that background information, we’d like to move on to the specific questions Smalbany had regarding the accident investigation itself, how it was conducted, and why it was tainted. The fact that the accident investigation was conducted by the Coeymans Police Department under the direct supervision of Chief Keyer, and that one of the parties involved in the accident was Town of Coeymans Supervisor George McHugh should be kept in mind, because these facts provide probable cause for the charge of serious conflict of interest and obstruction of justice.
The First-on-the-Scene
According to the Albany County dispatch record or Incident Detail Report, the first call reporting the accident was received at 11:41:35 on September 8, 2021. At ll:43:32 the case was assigned to “1st enroute” and the first unit arrived at the scene at 11:44:45 (CPD Arnold from 2 Park Drive (Mosher Park, Ravena)). The first to arrive was Coeymans PD K.A. Arnold (AL5920) and was noted as primary; Albany County Sheriff’s Deputy Jonathan Pushee (AL3148) also arrived at the scene. At 11:43:32 CPD Arnold requested and received jurisdiction. At 11:53 Arnold reports “tow on scene” without specifying who the “tow” was. It is interesting to note that throughout the Report, the location of the accident is given as Capital Care Family Practice (2524 US Rt 9W), the final location of the Polyak vehicle, whereas the accident actually occurred in front of Pickers Nation, 2530 US Rt 9W).
Problems at the Scene
We have already reported on a number of problems connected with the scene investigation, including McHugh’s several attempts to shift blame to Polyak, and changing his story at least three (3) times. Please read our initial coverage of the accident at “McHugh Tries to Put a Spin on Accident” for details.
Obviously, all vehicles involved in an accident must not leave the scene before the investigation is completed. Since the McHugh vehicle was removed from the scene before required photographs could be made of the vehicle, whether the vehicle left the scene at the direction of the operator, McHugh, the investigator PTL Arnold, Police Chief Keyer, or Det. Seney, the removal of the vehicle impaired the investigation and obstructed justice. We have to ask the question of Why the McHugh vehicle was removed or allowed to be removed before the scene investigation was completed.
We should further note that in addition to the numerous deficiencies in the investigation, deficiencies that clearly benefit George McHugh, no examination of the interior of the McHugh vehicle was made! Nor was McHugh given the standard field sobriety tests by Coeymans Police.
Who Investigated the Accident?
As noted, the Police Accident Report was created and then amended. No real problem with that. It’s the fact content of the Report that raises problems, because it is inconsistent, incomplete, and does not reliably report what actually happened.
First of all, CPD Arnold was the investigating officer; she signed the Report, which was later reviewed by a Daniel Braden. No mention is made in the report that Chief Keyer was there, and the only indication that detective E.J. Seney was there is the fact that he is shown to be the “photographer” signing the Photo Log Sheet. No mention is made that Sheriff’s Deputy Pushee of the ACSD was present nor of the ACSD EMS. No mention is made in the report whether or that the parties were requested to submit to field sobriety testing, which we found unusual, since it is well-known that George McHugh has a special fondness for Truly, a spiked seltzer beverage containing 5% alcohol by volume.
McHugh’s Preferred Beverage
In fact, the Coeymans Police Report appears to be a fairly exact rendition of George McHugh’s fabricated version of the accident, and George McHugh’s version alone, right up to and including the statement that the driver of Vehicle 1 was “sleeping” while driving northbound on US Rt 9W! More on that below.
Given the fact that Chief Keyer admits that he was personally at the scene together with Kelly and Seney, and given the fact that Keyer was aware that George McHugh was one of the parties, Keyer should have turned the investigation over to ACSD Deputy Pushee as soon as practicable. Keyer did not and allowed his department, the Coeymans PD, under his direct supervision and authority, to continue the investigation!
In fact, Keyer, in the interview states, and we quote directly:
Keyer: “We went … above and beyond in this particular accident because…uh…well, obviously because there’s a political official involved, and I want to make sure that any scrutiny upon the police department for not conducting a fair and impartial investigation would be squashed from the onset.”
and this is later confirmed by the Smalbany interviewer, commenting to Keyer:
Smalbany: “[Y]ou have volunteered at several points in this discussion the names and the fact that it involves a political individual, namely Mr. McHugh, who is supervisor and your boss.”
It is obvious from the Police Accident Report and the many defects in the report that the Coeymans PD lead the investigation. One glaring point is that the Report signed by Arnold explicitly and clearly states that
Keyer: “Both parties were evaluated at the scene by EMS with no injuries reported.”
That would be fine if it weren’t for the fact that Arnold writes “both” when there were actually three persons involved — George McHugh, his fourth wife, Rosemary McHugh, and L. Polyak — and in the header under “No. Injured” we read an entry of “1”, but Who? was it? Which was it? One injury or no injuries? Or, in Coeymans-speak, both ways?
Arnold also writes “Parties at the scene stated that the driver of V1 appeared to be sleeping.” Question: Which parties? The McHughs? Had to be, since no witnesses were canvassed at the scene! More on that below.
Can anyone please tell us how it is possible that anyone could have observed that the driver of V1 was “sleeping.” Try that driving down 9W. Just try to watch another vehicle driving in the opposite direction, and say with certainty that the driver is awake or sleeping. But that’s what McHugh insists and what Arnold put in her report. And that’s what Chief Keyer admits.
The Incomplete Photo Log
In the documents Smalbany demanded and received, there is a Photo Log Sheet (PLS) Supplement to Evidence Report dated 09/08/2021 at 12:22 and documenting an Incident: Crash-Property Damage, Case 21-179879, and the Subject: Scene. The PLS gives the “Location Photos Taken” to be 2580 Route 9W, Ravena, and identifies the “Photographer” as Detective EJ Seney, whose signature appears on the form. The report lists 22 digital photos with brief descriptions. Copies of the photos are provided.
The first problem we find with Seney’s PLS Supplement to Evidence Report is that he is at the wrong location. All of the documents place the accident at 2524 US Rt 9W but Seney says his photos were taken at a scene located at 2580 US Rt 9W, which is over 1/5 mi South of the accident scene! Looks like the Coeymans PD detective/photographer doesn’t know where he is or which scene to photograph.
Seney Places the Accident Site fully 1/5 Farther South from the Actual Accident Site!
Put it this way: Say you’re charged with vandalism at 2524 Rt 9W but the police evidence photos per the Photo Log Sheet Supplement to the Evidence Report were, according to the photographer, taken at 2580 Rt 9W, you’d be off the hook! Case dismissed! This is just very sloppy, incompetent police investigation, and you should want no part in it!
But it gets worse, still! The Smalbany correspondent didn’t miss this point and pursued it in the interview with Chief Keyer.
Smalbany: Is this the entire photo log?
Keyer: Yes.
Smalbany: Would it be procedurally correct…that if two vehicles were involved in and accident that photos would be made of both vehicles?
Keyer: Perhaps.
Smalbany: If both vehicles were significantly damaged, would that still be a “Perhaps?”
Keyer: We went … above and beyond in this particular accident because…uh…well, obviously because theres a political official involved, and I want to make sure that any scrutiny upon the police department for not conducting a fair and impartial investigation would be squashed from the onset. So we took photos that we felt necessary to document the accident…Now I understand that the damage to Mr. McHugh’s truck I don’t think we captured on photo.
Smalbany: My question is, well, my statement is that I have only copies of photographs and photo log documenting damage to one vehicle and one vehicle only … the fact remains that photographs were made only of one of the vehicles and not of the other vehicle. I presume that the other vehicle was not available for photography…given your previous statements that such care and scrupulous attention was made to document this because of the sensitivity of the issues … So if the Vehicle 2, McHugh’s were removed from the scene prior to Mr. Seney’s arrival, then, of course, it would be impossible to make any evidentiary photographs in this situation. Would that be a correct assumption?
Keyer: Yes. That would be a correct assumption.
Well, Keyer previously admitted that he was personally at the scene and had direct knowledge of what transpired. So why did he let McHugh’s vehicle be removed so that no photos were taken, while photos were taken in evidence of the other vehicle?
All this was done on Chief Keyer’s watch and right under his nose! Keyer noted several times in the interview that he is “trained,” has more than 30 years in law enforcement, etc. so we would have to accept that there is no excuse for the sloppy police work. Keyer has to accept responsibility if we are to believe what he says at the end of the interview. According to Chief Keyer:
“The legacy of the [Coeymans] police department has been questionable…training is a big component…treating everyone fairly, investigating things that need to be investigated, and having the evidence that leads to a conclusion the evidence takes us to, where we need to go.
“Well, you know, I’m responsible for the department, and in that particular instance, and forgive my vulgarity, but ‘shit rolls uphill.’ So, if…my people are not doing things the right way, that falls on my shoulders. It’s my job to make sure they do it the right way.
“Yes. I think…I do not mind being held accountable by the public that we serve. I think that keeps us on our toes, it keeps us honest…uh…it’s the way it should be, I wish it worked be the same for politicians but it doesn’t quite.
(Coeymans PD Chief Douglas Keyer, Smalbany Interview, October 19, 2021)
Well, any clear and reasonably thinking person reading those words would have to think that there is some contradiction and inconsistency between what Keyer does and what he says. This is borne out in the statement made by the Smalbany interviewer in the segment above:
Smalbany: It’s important to have somebody with extensive experience, extensive integrity sitting in that Chief’s office, and we have not had it at some points. It makes a big difference. And somebody with the balls…the balls to stand up to the politicians upstairs, which is… walking the tightrope between integrity and budget.
It seems Chief Keyer made the decision in favor of the “politicians upstairs” and the “budget,” while leaving integrity and accountability in the dust.
NO WITNESSES WERE CANVASSED
The situation we have here is a two-car accident involving two parties, Vehicle 1 and Vehicle 2. Each party has his version of the facts, and they differ significantly. I such a situation, the investigator is presented with at least four options to choose from: (1) accept one party’s version of the facts while rejecting the other party’s version, (2) rely only on what is objective evidence, ignoring the inputs of the parties, or (3) ask witnesses what they saw or heard, or (4) consider the parties’ versions, the objective evidence collected at the scene, and witness statements, and then form an impartial factual opinion. . They did not interview any witnesses. In fact, one man who was on the scene stated, “The police weren’t interested in talking to me.” Why? Because they had already made their decisions as to the outcome.
All of the accident investigation guidelines we reviewed emphasized the importance of identifying witnesses, but Chief Keyer didn’t think witnesses were necessary — even though he did not observe the accident and arrived much later on the scene —, because he was “clear” how the accident happened. The Smalbany interviewer pursued this point by asking Chief Keyer directly about the lack of witness support.
Smalbany: It appears to me odd that nowhere in the comprehensive report that I have here…is there any mention of any interview requesting persons, who may have had…who might have served as eye-witnesses or who may have made a statement as to the circumstances of the accident.
Keyer: No. No, there were not.
Smalbany: My concern is that there were several witnesses to the accident, and none of these people claims to have been interviewed. We would assume that it would [be] reasonable to get different statements to determine the circumstances…that you would have seen to it that persons with knowledge…
Keyer: No. Perhaps it would have been, however, the way the accident was explained to us…
Smalbany: By whom?
Keyer: [B]oth subjects were interviewed. The accident scene obviously was documented and based on evidence at the scene, it was clear to me… In this particular instance the interview of witnesses would not, was not, necessary. It was clear, based on the evidence at the scene which vehicle was at fault in the accident…and how the accident occurred.
So Keyer states that both subjects were interviewed and witnesses were not necessary. Keyer wasn’t there when the accident occurred but he was clear how the accident occurred. Witnesses may have seen the actual accident in real time but, according to Keyer, their statements were not necessary, because Keyer was sure how the accident happened. We are not as convinced as Keyer appears to be.
It’s very comforting to know that we have a police chief in Coeymans who has paranormal, supernatural powers and is able to arrive late on an accident scene yet know exactly what had happened with such extraordinary clarity and assurance. Now doesn’t that give you a warm cuddly feeling of security?
If Keyer states that his people went “above and beyond in this particular accident because…uh…well, obviously because there’s a political official involved, and I want to make sure that any scrutiny upon the police department for not conducting a fair and impartial investigation would be squashed from the onset.” All we have to say is that his “above and beyond” was in the wrong direction because the fairness and impartiality of the Coeymans Police Department and Chief Keyer are under scrutiny and the investigation was not fair and impartial from the outset; in fact, it was quite the opposite.
Finding a Scapegoat, Framing and Defaming Him
In our opinion, even considering the conspiracy and political undercurrents adversely affecting this rather minor traffic accident, the accident itself being minor but the implications of the conduct of the Coeymans Police Department and the involvement of Town Supervisor George McHugh make the issues major, one of the most devastating and damaging outcomes of the inept investigation is the fact that given all else, the Coeymans Police Department took an additional step to damage the other party, L. Polyak.
Obstruction or Impairment of Justice
We are using a broad definition of this crime: Obstruction or impairment of justice means that a person who “corruptly … influences, obstructs, or impedes, or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede, the due administration of justice, or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede, the due administration of justice”” is guilty of the crime of obstruction of justice. Two types of cases arise under the concept of obstruction of justice or the concealment, alteration, or destruction of documents; and the encouraging or rendering of false testimony. Actual obstruction is not needed as an element of proof to sustain a conviction. The defendant’s endeavor to obstruct justice is sufficient. “Endeavor” has been defined by the courts as an effort to accomplish the purpose the statute was enacted to prevent. The courts have consistently held that “endeavor” constitutes a lesser threshold of purposeful activity than a criminal “attempt.” Obstruction of justice, in the most general terms is the act of willfully interfering with the process of justice and law. This includes any act that involves influencing, threatening, harming, or impeding a potential witness, juror, legal officer, law enforcement or anybody otherwise involved in the administration of justice. As you may expect with such a broad definition, there are many types of misconduct and criminal activity that constitute an obstruction of justice, anybody can face these charges for alleged illegal acts when involved with law enforcement or criminal court proceedings.
How many forms of obstruction of justice can you identify in this accident investigation?
This was done by fraudulently creating a Police Request for Driver Review that was sent to the Department of Motor Vehicles, and in which two unsubstantiated and totally fabricated statements were included that were said to have been made by Mr. Polyak.
Smalbany: You know, it’s troubling that in one of these sets of documents I have a Police Agency Request for Driver Review signed by Arnold … Does this signatory have any medical qualifications?
Keyer: No. Those statements are based on discussion and statements made by Laszlo about his physical, his mental…er… his medical condition, where he was coming from.
Smalbany: I doubt very much that Mr. Laszlo would have stated that he was “medically incapable of maintaining control of the vehicle” nor that ”he was disoriented because of medications prescribed;” I’m reading directly from the agency request. There is no other signature appearing here. There is no urine, saliva, or blood tests indicated, so I’m just wondering how Arnold made these…and you say that these statements are taken from Mr. Laszlo…but I can’t see a party to an accident making statements like that, unless he was high on something, but you have no evidence of that, either.
Keyer: Correct.
Smalbany: What I am saying is this: This is very serious stuff because this was reported by a law enforcement officer requesting the Department of Motor Vehicles to examine this individual based on these statements. And that’s scary stuff because this can severely and adversely affect this individual’s driving privileges.
Keyer: The last thing I’m going to say on this topic is that that review was done, specifically made because of observations at the scene and statements made by Laszlo, and I’ll leave it at that.
Smalbany: OK. Which raises the question of… Why? is it stated in the Police Request for Driver Review that the licensee appears to be medically incapable of operating a vehicle and the licensee…
Keyer: There was no breathalyzer given to either party. There were standard field sobriety tests done with Mr. Laszlo, which is part of the investigation that goes in to determine whether a driver may be impaired. Based on that testing which was done by detective Senney, we determined that Laszlo did not show signs of impairment that would preclude him from driving.
Smalbany: And you said there was no chemical test, no chemical, no respiratory gases, no blood, no saliva …
Keyer: Correct. Because the standard field sobriety tests did determine that Mr. Laszlo was not impaired to the point where that would be necessary.
Again, it seems that the Coeymans Police are treating the parties differently, giving favorable treatment to the ‘Boss’ and prejudicial treatment to Mr Polyak. First of all, given McHugh’s alleged drinking habit and his constant companion, a can of Truly hard selzer, we feel it would have been good investigation procedure to routinely administer sobriety tests to BOTH parties; instead, and probably to appease McHugh, only Polyak was tested by Seney, even though he appeared and acted, for all intents and purposes, unimpaired! What’s even more suspicious is that no mention is made of the field sobriety testing nor of the fact that Polyak was found to be unimpaired!
So, we have to ask Why? was the Police Request for Driver Review submitted to the DMV, and Why? were such damaging and untrue statements made in that Request regarding Mr. Polyak’s condition, when Chief Keyer clearly admits that the tests administered by his detective Seney showed that Polyak was not impaired? No chemical tests at all were done. The Albany County Sheriff’s Department EMS personnel gave Polyak a clean bill of health after examining him at the scene.
The glaring fact remains that, although Det. Seney administered the field sobriety tests, and the Albany County Sheriff’s Department EMS personnel at the scene found Polyak to be unimpaired and completely OK, ‘no serious medications on board‘,’ absolutely no mention of this is made in the Police Accident Report. Now, don’t you find that to be a bit bizarre?
How can the Coeymans Police officer, Kelly A. Arnold, make such a stupidly ridiculous statement that Mr. Polyak said that he was “medically imcapable of maintaining control of the vehicle, due to pre existing medical condition,” and was “disoriented from medications prescribed?” Anyone would have to be totally insane to make such statements about himself after being involved in a traffic accident. But that’s what Arnold and Chief Keyer seem to want us to believe, even after both the Coeymans Police and the Sheriff’s EMS determined that Polyak was not impaired and that no further tests were required!
Editor’s Note: We must note that the allegation that Polyak was “drunk” or affected by medications or asleep are taken almost verbatim, word for word, from George McHugh’s statements made in the video of the Coeymans Town Board meeting of September 9, 2021, in which McHugh states, “He was asleep, and I guess he’s on some pretty serious medications, and was just coming back from UrgentCare” (Town of Coeymans Board Meeting of September 9, 2021, position 00:27–00:37). None of this was or is factually true according to our investigation, and was totally fabricated by McHugh, and accepted by the Coeymans Police Department in their Police Accident Report. Polyak denies making any of the statements included in the Police Request for Driver Review or in the so-called Supporting Deposition made by CPD Arnold.
By this point in the interview it was abundantly clear that Keyer was backpedalling at warp speed and that there was no useful purpose in continuing to confirm what was already conspicuous and obvious: The Coeymans Police Department did what it does best: They screwed up yet another investigation. As the Smalbany interviewer put it: “the guy who holds the purse strings calls the dance steps…the fish stinks from the head down.” McHugh and the Coeymans Town Board, packed with McHugh’s puppets hold the purse strings and called the dance steps in this investigation, and Chief Keyer and his Department danced to McHugh’s tune.
This sort of misconduct by a public elected official and by a chief law enforcement officer is absolutely unacceptable, and indicates a standard of conduct that falls far below what the public is justified in expecting of their elected public officials and law enforcement personnel. The conspicuously poor judgment shown by both Town Supervisor George McHugh and his Chief of Police, Douglas Keyer cannot be tolerated, particularly since both officials are entrusted with power and authority that requires honesty, integrity, objectivity, impartiality, fairness, and crucially good judgment.
Given these horrible and damning facts as stated by no less than the Chief of Police, Douglas Keyer, and documented in the official documents relating to the subject accident, the Public must demand that both Town Supervisor George McHugh and Chief of Police Douglas Keyer resign immediately from their respective positions. The People of Coeymans cannot rely on the Coeymans Town Board to do what is ethical and lawful, because every member of that Board is deep in McHugh’s pockets. This may require concerted and sustained public effort to clean up the garbage in Coeymans Town Hall.
Editor’s Note: Why wasn’t the accident reported in the Ravena News Herald? An accident involving Coeymans Town Supervisor George McHugh in an election year certainly must be newsworthy. But it becomes clear if you know the history of the relationship between the Ravena News Herald and George McHugh. We have done a thorough search of the Ravena News Herald over a period of six weeks dating from September 2 to the present, and have not found a single word about the accident in that newspaper. It must be noted that George McHugh owned the Ravena News Herald prior to selling it to Mark Vinciguerra, who is a close friend of McHugh’s. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the Ravena News Herald was silent about McHugh’s involvement, particularly since McHugh is seeking another term as Supervisor in the November elections.
Interestingly but not surprisingly, a the Organizational Meeting of the Coeymans Town Board on January 1, 2021, the Ravena News Herald was designated the “official town newspaper.” We find it particularly questionable that a newspaper with such close ties to McHugh and with a paltry subscriber rate of about 1,500 subscribers or far less than 25% of the population of the Town of Coeymans should be designated the “official newspaper” for the Town. According to New York State Law, since the purpose of designating an official newspaper is to ensure that notices reach as many people within the town or village as possible (see Myers-Brooks Publishers v Board of Supervisors, 68 Misc 2d 1033, 328 NYS2d 741), the office of the NYS Comptroller has expressed the opinion that a town or village’s official newspaper must have a general circulation within the town or village (Opn No. 84-58, supra; Opn No. 82-173, supra; see also NY Const, article I, §11). Since the Ravena News Herald reaches less than 1 in 4 residents in the Town of Coeymans, it clearly does not reach a substantial number of persons in the Town, and cannot be considered to have a general circulation in the Town of Coeymans.
Postscript: Almost one month to the day, on October 7, 2021, George McHugh’s third and current wife, Rosemary McHugh, was involved in yet another two-car accident. McHugh was pulling out of a parking slot at the Ravena Stewarts Shop on US Rt 9W and, while backing out, she T-boned a vehicle operated by Kayleen Cique of Ravena, causing considerable damage to Cique’s vehicle. Cinque opted not to call the Coeymans Police and instead contacted the Albany County Sheriff’s Department, and one Deputy Houghtaling responded. No ticket was issued to McHugh. Kayleen Cique was not available for comment.
Notes:
[1] Douglas R. Keyer was hired in January 2021 to be Chief, Coeymans Police Department. Keyer retired from the New York State Police with the rank of major, a promotion received shortly before he retired, a common trick in state service to ensure maximum pension benefits. Keyer’s state pension is $108,924.00, exempt from New York State income tax, plus benefits. In addition to his pension benefits, Keyer, as Chief of Police, receives an annual salary of $65,000.00 plus benefits from the Town of Coeymans. Keyer’s wife, Bonnie Keyer, is employed by the Town of Coeymans as a Deputy Town Clerk with a salary of $37,380.00 plus benefits. It should be clear that the Keyers stand to risk a great deal, to the tune of more than $100,000/year if they don’t play their cards right and rub the Supervisor and Town Board the wrong way.
[2] Based on witness statements we have claimed that the “official” Coeymans Police Accident Report is phony, and that McHugh was exiting the Pickers Nation parking lot, is supported by the fact that in the video the audio of Rosemary McHugh discussing the “antiques parking lot” is suspiciously deleted! The video goes silent as soon as she starts talking and after she mentions the “antiques parking lot.” Now isn’t that convenient? The actual video can be accessed at https://ne-np.facebook.com/CoeymansNY/videos/150240583956353/, and the segment in which McHugh is discussing the accident goes from the beginning to about position 04:41. The video goes silent from position 02:13 to 04:20, with Rosemary McHugh mentioning the “antiques parking lot” at position 02:13, where the audio suspiciously goes out again.
[3] Text enclosed in quotation marks (“…”) are direct quotations taken from the interview.
[4] This is the term used by Chief Keyer in the course of the interview.
George McHugh is living proof that if you have enough losers supporting you, you can be a winner.
Supporters of George McHugh going to Polls
What species of depraved animal life could have spawned a creature like George McHugh? I often wonder what kind of community would be so ignorant or evil to have elected such a miscreant to be their town supervisor, and put him in charge of local government and law enforcement?
How can a community trust a man and his co-conspirators, who use a public Town Board Meeting to spread misinformation about an accident? At the Coeymans town board meeting of September 9, 2021, George McHugh and his wife made public statements regarding the September 8, 2021, accident caused by McHugh’s unsafe turn out of the Picker’s Nation/Changing with the Times auction center parking lot. McHugh’s remarks and the misinformation he spread have no factual basis whatsoever; McHugh’s underhanded misconduct is an unscrupulous, deceitful, and desperate attempt to save his own cojones. It’s also a flagrant abuse of public resources.
McHugh Misuses Public Resources to Publicize His Lies…
McHugh: So he careened off me, and went back across 9W, right into the sign, and stopped and that’s where he skidded. He’s lucky he didn’t get killed.
Unidentified woman (Tanner?): No kidding. You’re lucky you didn’t get killed.
McHugh: Well, I have a truck and my truck is pretty big. So even if he hit me head-on I might not get hurt. [inaudible]
Rowzee (Clerk): Is that the one you have out there?
McHugh: Until tomorrow. It’s my father’s… my daughter’s.
McHugh: He was asleep, and I guess he’s on some pretty serious medication.[1] He was just coming back from the Urgent Care.[2] He fell asleep, he was falling…he was asleep; and I guess he didn’t have a phone on him.
Male voice: Rosemary got just a little bit of seatbelt bruise but nothing major. He was one lucky individual; if he was in front of a tractor trailer…he was gone, he would have been crushed.
McHugh: If I wasn’t paying attention…I moved over so far that when he hit me the impact was in the middle of my lane, half of my truck was off the shoulder. If I didn’t move over to the right we would have hit him head on…and that would have been different. Probably for him, because his car is a lot…[Inaudible male voices]
McHugh: Well, he was asleep.[3] He was so far asleep he didn’t even realize he hit somebody. When they said to him where’s the other vehicle,[4] he said “What other vehicle; it’s just me. I didn’t hit anybody.” He did not know he hit somebody.[5]
You were there…we’re talking about the accident with Laszlo [inaudible]
Unidentified male voice: Do you know who the driver was? [Multiple voices] Lazlo?
Rosemary McHugh: It’s, it’s not funny but it is funny now, because I’m like looking back, I’m like I can’t remember just holding on to the side of the door and he’s like, I think he’s going to hit us. I think he is, too, but he’s going to the right, so I’m, like, [sound goes out in the video]
Rosemary Mchugh: In the antique center parking lot…it was in the antique center… (audio fails)[6]
[Indistinct overtalk about “little old lady”…]
McHugh: He didn’t hit his brakes until he got to the lawn.[7] There are no skid marks until he got to the lawn.[8]
Rosemary McHugh: He must have woken up at some time … [McHugh interrupts]
McHugh: John… [McHugh calls the meeting to order.]
One outraged local wrote to the Coeymans Town Clerk, expressing outrage at the fact that McHugh and his wife commandeered Town resources to get their lies out to the public. S/he writes:
“I cannot believe that the conversation relating to the McHugh-Polyak accident of September 8, 2021, was part of the ToC Board Meeting video posted on Facebook!
“That conversation should never have been recorded, much less posted as part of the ToC Board Meeting; it should have been redacted prior to publication, since it publicises one side of a story and unduly and unfairly influences public opinion in favor of McHugh. McHugh is prejudicing public opinion in his favor and doing so in an unethical and inappropriate manner. Mr Polyak does not have the opportunity to commandeer Town of Coeymans resources to get his side of the story out, which is patently unfair and unconscionable.
“I realize you had no control over the recording but I am certain you were privy to the plan to get McHugh’s message out. I hope you agree that it was inappropriate and out of order.”
The Coeymans Town Clerk, Cindy Rowzee, a very professional public servant with integrity to spare, responded:
“My office, by order of the Town Supervisor, has nothing to do with the Town Facebook page or the Town webpage.”
McHugh and his puppets have marginalized the Clerk’s office, and appear to have total control of the Town FakeBook page and the town website. No wonder there’s so much abuse!
After hearing this banter and the lies and misinformation being broadcast by McHugh and his wife, it seemed almost blasphemy, sacrilege for McHugh and his cronies to have pledged allegiance to the flag, saying “justice for all”; it was even worse when board member Zachary Collins intoned an incoherent prayer asking for blessings for the “supervisor” and the “board.” Such hypocrisy makes you want to vomit.
Here are the Facts Smalbany obtained from Witnesses — Witnesses the Coeymans PD Refused to Interview:
On Wednesday, September 8, 2021, at about 1 p.m., George McHugh was exiting the parking lot at 2530 US Rt. 9W, Picker’s Nation/Changing Times auction center, and attempted to make a left-hand turn out of the parking lot onto southbound 9W, according to witnesses. McHugh and his wife were exiting the auction center parking lot and McHugh, driving, allegedly was on his cell phone, made a miscalculation when entering 9W, causing the accident. The driver of a passenger car, Laszlo Polyak (Ravena, NY) heading North from Coxsackie to Ravena, struck McHugh’s pickup truck in the rear on the driver’s side, veered into the oncoming lane after his airbag had deployed, and narrowly avoided hitting a utilities pole in front of the AMC Urgent Care, taking down the Urgent Care sign before coming to a stop.
Both rear tires of McHugh’s pickup blew out; the passenger vehicle driven by Polyak was totaled.
McHugh Does His Best to Confuse the Facts…
When Coeymans Police Departmentresponded, McHugh attempted every trick in a shyster’s book to shift the blame for the accident on the driver of the passenger car. McHugh started off telling the responding Coeymans Police patrolperson:
He’s drunk, meaning Polyak, the driver of the passenger car. Breathalyzer proved negative.
He was on his cellphone. Sorry, Georgie, the driver didn’t have a cellphone on his person or in his car. Try again, Georgie!
Finally, all else failing, Georgie tells the police officer that the other driver was sleeping (!). Georgie, if he were sleeping, how did he manage to control his car with an airbag in his face, and avoid serious injuries while careening into the CapitalCare sign.
Apparently, George McHugh was desperately trying to shift the blame from himself on to the other driver, but the physical facts are undisputable.
Polyak was returning to Ravena from Coxsackie, where he purchased several silver dollars at Miller’s Mint. That fact is easily verifiable since, according to New York State tax law, Miller’s Mint would have had to document the sale and the collection of NYS sales tax on the merchandise sold. Most sales receipts not only describe the items purchased and their price(s) but also the tax collected. Moreover, most receipts show a date and a time the receipt was printed out. Using that information, Polyak can prove that he was at Miller’s Mint purchasing the coins shortly before returning to Ravena, and the date and time on the receipt would prove the timeframe between leaving Miller’s Mint and the accident.
As for McHugh’s fake and fabricated claim that Polyak was at some unspecified UrgentCare, there would be records showing that Polyak was not there and did not have an appointment there.
McHugh claims that Polyak was asleep when the accident occurred. Another fabrication that can easily be exposed as a lie. The salesperson at Miller’s Mint can testify as to Polyak’s mental state when purchasing the coins. Furthermore, Miller’s Mint has video recordings of activity in the shop. Those recordings can demonstrate that Polyak was not impaired or somnolent. Are we to believe that in the few minutes between leaving Miller’s Mint and the accident, Polyak decided to take a nap at the wheel? He made it to Ravena with no mishap, why would he have fallen asleep at the particular moment of the accident. The obvious answer is clearly that he was not asleep. The suggestion is ridiculous.
According to witnesses, George McHugh was exiting a private property parking lot onto US Route 9W. George McHugh was attempting to make a left-hand turn into the southbound lane of 9W, and in order to do that he had to cross the northbound lane, in which the oncoming vehicle operated by Polyak was approaching. McHugh obviously miscalculated or was distracted by his passenger, his wife, Rosemary McHugh, or by his cellphone, because upon entering 9W, he was unable to make the turn into the southbound lane safely, and caused the oncoming vehicle to collide with the rear of his (McHugh’s) truck. (See the reconstruction diagram, above.)
The physical evidence shown in the images below of the passenger car prove that McHugh was in the turn but couldn’t make it. The severe damage to the left, the driver’s side of the passenger car, and the damage to the rear of McHugh’s truck clearly show that McHugh attempted the turn unsafely, and caused the accident.
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Now, as most of our readers know, George McHugh is town supervisor of the Town of Coeymans, and the Coeymans Town Board is packed solid with McHugh’s lackies.
Coeymans Police Department up to Their Old Corrupt Tricks Again?
For several years now, the Coeymans Police Department had been considered for elimination, until McHugh and his board decided they could take advantage of a town police department for their own purposes. The Coeyman’s PD had and continues to have such a scandalous reputation for corruption and incompetence that three years ago, the Crandall Town Board had to ask for assistance from the Albany County Sheriff’s Department. Coeymans is now regularly patrolled by Albany County Sheriff’s deputies operating out of a substation in Coeymans.
Of the three most recent police chiefs, two, Gregory Darlington and Daniel Contento, went into retirement in practical disgrace; the current Coeymans Police Chief is Douglas Keyer, a former NY state trooper, and many of the patrol personnel are out-of-towners, part-timers. The Coeymans PD continues to be a Keystone Cops act, and they continue to botch investigations but McHugh can use them to his advantage, as he’s doing in this accident case.
You see, George McHugh and his Town Board have hire-fire authority over the Coeymans PD, including its chief, Keyer, so the clowns must dance to McHugh’s tune. And they do!
Coeymans Police Department on an Investigation.
Why is this important, you may well ask?
Answer: The responding officer called in to get guidance from Coeymans police chief Keyer, who allegedly instructed her to issue a ticket to the driver of the passenger car, Laszlo Polyak, and the officer obeyed. The ticket was “failure to keep right.” Yes, you are reading correctly: the driver with right-of-way was issued the ticket for “failing to keep right.” McHugh was not ticketed for his unsafe turn, which caused the accident. Surprised?
Well, if your job depended on not rubbing George McHugh the wrong way, what would you do?
McHugh called a buddy of his, Charlie Martinez of Martinez Auto Body, in Coxsackie to come to remove his truck. Apparently, McHugh knew he had to get the truck out of sight and fast, because any examination of the truck would have raised questions about McHugh’s cooked up version of what happened.
Another question is: If Burns + Sons Auto Repair & AAA Towing was just across the street, Why did George McHugh call a towing company (Martinez Autobody) located more than 12 miles away, in another county, deep in Greene County, to remove his vehicle almost immediately? Answer: In order to conceal incriminating evidence.McHugh had to get the truck out of Albany County, out of the jurisdiction of the Coeymans Police Department, so that they couldn’t complete an investigation of the damage to McHugh’s vehicle, and McHugh could cover up any culpability in the accident. Even the Coeymans Police Department couldn’t miss or fail to question McHugh’s story in light of the reported damage to his truck!McHugh fans should ask their dirty darling what he’s trying to hide.Do you think you’d get away with such criminal obstruction?
Charlie Martinez and Martinez Autobody Conspire with McHugh to Conceal Evidence…
Charlie Martinez is the owner of Martinez Autobody on Flint Road in Coxsackie. Martinez, a rabid Republican, is also a sitting Greene County legislator. You’d think he’d be running an honest game. You know: fair play, truth, justice, the American way? Really? Wake up and guess again. Martinez and McHugh are cut from the same cloth: both self-serving and crooked, on a power trip at public expense.
When a correspondent/reporter went to Martinez’s auto body shop and asked to see McHugh’s vehicle, Martinez called McHugh. McHugh ordered Martinez not to have anything to do with showing the vehicle. Martinez ordered the correspondent/reporter off the premises. Martinez opted to cooperate with McHugh to conceal the evidence of the damage to McHugh’s vehicle. That’s Coeymans government and a member of the Greene County Legislature doing what crooks do: cheat the public.
McHugh belongs behind bars, not behind the Supervisor’s desk.
So, there you have two elected government officers, McHugh and Martinez, the one a lawyer and Coeymans town supervisor and the other a business owner (Martinez Auto Body, Inc.) and county legislator, concealing evidence to obstruct justice. Nice place we live in, right?
Charles Martinez, owner of Martinez Autobody, Inc., and a sitting Greene County Legislator, denied access to McHugh’s vehicle.
Editor’s Note: Martinez earned his Judas label, when he and his playmates in the Greene County Legislature handed Nolan Propane, an Albany County propane gas supplier, the contract for Greene County Government locations, ignoring the fact that a historical Greene County business, C.A. Albright & Sons, had spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars on the creation of a modern propane distribution facility right in Greene County, in New Baltimore. It was a slap in the face of Greene County business and development; a betrayal, in fact. This blog reported extensively on those developments. So Martinez’ behavior in this case is no big surprise. Charlie Martinez and Martinez Autobody should be boycotted, and Martinez removed from the Greene County Legislature!
The Coeymans Police Department showed what puppets they are and how incompetently they conduct law enforcement and investigations.Only the faces have changed since Jerry “Dirty Hands” Deluca and Gregory “Dumplin'”Darlington were bullying Coeymans. Now we have a new bunch who will persecute the innocent at the whim of their boss, George McHugh. Car 54, Where are you?
Coeymans PD Official Incident Report Delayed…Surprised?
The “official” police report was supposed to have been completed on Monday, September 13, 2021, but was not ready; it still wasn’t ready on September 14th. The reason given was that “some parts had to be tweaked.” I’ll bet they do! Translation: “Facts have to be falsified.” McHugh probably ordered his pocket-police-chief Keyerto give it a “clean up” before it goes out, just in case he has to make any changes. We’ll certainly get a copy and dissect it for you. Or maybe the Coeymans Police under Keyer’s guidance will get smart and honest, and report the true facts, not McHugh’s fantasy facts.
Our advice to the driver of the passenger car, Mr. Polyak, was to immediately plead “not guilty” to the fraudulent ticket issued by the Coeymans Police, and to demand a supporting deposition by the investigating police officer.
McHugh is not electable because of his scandalous misconduct…
In the meantime, this is an election year, and George McHugh appears to be running for a second 2-year term as Coeymans Town Supervisor. Seems he’s not done setting Coeymans up for himself and his cronies and clients. Coeymans made a mistake putting him in the Supervisor’s office two years ago. Let’s see if they’re that stupid to give him another 2 years to make fools of Coeymans residents. His conduct in this accident should put a damper on his political hopes.
McHugh has shown his true colors AGAIN. We warned Coeymans two years ago that McHugh is bad news but his lies and his thugs apparently won the first round, and he got himself elected two years ago. Will Coeymans let it happen again, after this exhibition of lies and abuse of public office?
George McHugh and his lies and misconduct have hurt his chances for re-election. That’s fortunate for the Town of Coeymans, because a very experienced and intelligent woman will be running against him in November.
Notes on the Town Board Video Transcript
[1] McHugh has no way of knowing what medications Polyak is taking. Furthermore, McHugh has no way of knowing whether Polyak was asleep or not! Is McHugh trying to say that Polyak was driving down US 9W asleep?!? As an attorney, regardless of his low standard of ethics, McHugh should know that his statements are inappropriate and inadmissible HEARSAY!
[2] McHugh apparently has no sense of direction. AMC UrgentCare is 7 miles South of the accident site. Polyak was not at UrgentCare prior to the accident.
[3] McHugh idiotically continues with his claim that the driver was asleep! It was 1:00 in the afternoon! Not 1:00 a.m. Polyak had driven about 6 miles from Coxsackie to Ravena AWAKE; why would he be asleep in the few seconds McHugh may have been able to observe him.
[4] Why would anyone ask Polyak where the other vehicle was? It’s stupid to even suggest that such a question was asked. It was obvious where the other vehicle was; no need to ask the question.
[5] This statement is totally moronic! First of all, how would McHugh know what Polyak said to the personnel from CapitalCare or the police? Second, Polyak had a face full of airbag! When the airbag deployed it would have likely obscured his vision if it didn’t knock him into next week. Polyak had the presence of mind to be able to regain control of his vehicle despite the airbag, and get it back into the right lane, even if he didn’t have complete control of his vehicle due to the extensive damage caused by the collision.
[6] McHugh’s current wife, Rosemary McHugh — he’s had several so far — isn’t the sharpest tack in the box. She does state that they were in the antique center parking lot, which contradicts McHugh’s statement that Polyak was asleep and hit them while they were in the left, southbound lane. See our reconstruction diagram for what witnesses saw.
[7] Of course Polyak applied his brakes! You don’t leave skid marks unless you apply the brakes. The first thing you do in such a situation is apply the brakes! If he hadn’t braked he’d have landed in Alcove! See the accident site photographs above.
[8] But there were skid marks right near a piece of Polyak’s wheel on the edge of the southbound lane, before Polyak guided his car onto the Urgent Care property. See our images, above.
In the face of outrageous challenges brought by R. Nolan of Nolan Propane (Ravena, NY), represented by “old-man balls” Michael Biscone, arch-shyster, (Ravena, NY), and supported by fake businessman, heir to the John Flach fortune, Aaron Flach, waffler par excellence, New Baltimore stands up for its own. Mr Randy Lent, operator of Albright’s Garage (more than 100 years in the Town of New Baltimore), prevailed. The New Baltimore Planning Board, under the chairmanship of Mr R. vanEtten, and co-chair Ms. AnnMarie Vadney, stood by the New Baltimore businessman, and his application for Special Use Permit was unanimously approved by the Planning Board.
Albrights prevails against the Coeymanazis. Puts an end to an alien monopoly out of Ravena, NY, Nolan Propane.
On the evening of September 10, 2020, there was standing room only at New Baltimore Town Hall, where, at 7:00 p.m., theNew Baltimore Planning Board was to hear public comment on the Albright’s Garage application for a Special Use Permit to install a two-tank propane distribution site at their location at the junction of County Route 144 and US Route 9W in the Town of New Baltimore. The installation would create a new opportunity in the Town of New Baltimore and break a strangle-hold monopoly on delivery of propane gas in the Town of New Baltimore.
The Albright’s project is spearheaded by Mr Randy Lent, and was strongly opposed by R. Nolan, owner of Nolan Propane of Ravena New York, who was represented by one of the most hated and notorious of local lawyers, Michael J. Biscone. Nolan was also supported by Aaron Flach, heir to the late John Flach’s money and enterprises.
On September 10, New Baltimore sent three clowns Biscone, Nolan, and Flach back to Ravena-Coeymans!
The public comment part was opened by a local resident with a brief but scathing indictment of Biscone, Nolan, and Flach. Click Full Text Resident’s Comments to read the complete transcript of the resident’s remarks.
The public comment part of the meeting was anything but boring, that is, until long-winded M. Biscone took the podium, and recited a mudslide of bird-shot attempts to move the board. He was pitifully unsuccessful and had to retreat, old-man balls and all, to his corner where he kept his head down as much as possible. Nolan was seated at the back of the room, head down, probably wondering what he was doing there, except to be embarrassed and sent out on a rail.
No More Monopoly in New Baltimore!
Biscone’s performance was typical for the lying sack of Coeymans untreated sewerage that he is. He first presented letters, one of which was forged, and another of questionable origin. He claimed he represented several local residents, none of whom appeared at the meeting, saying that they were his clients. Again, his statements were shown to be phony.
Attorney George McHugh. Coeymans Town Supervisor with questionable motives and business connections.
Bisconeranted on, citing New Baltimore local law, but that was shot down. His last-ditch effort was to demand that restrictions be imposed on the permit, but that was shot down by Mr James Warren, CEO/President of Nat’l Bank of Coxsackie, who set the record straight contradicting Biscone’s every statement. Biscone’s response to the speaker: “I’m very disappointed in you, Mr Warren.” That’s probably what Nolanwas thinking in the back of the room, “Mikey, I’m very disappointed in you.”
[Editor’s Note: It should be noted that Aaron Flach was supporting Nolan Propane but then promised to support Albright’s, but hid in a corner when it came to pubic comment. Flach is on the board of directors of the National Bank of Coxsackie, where James Warren is President/CEO. The National Bank of Coxsackie is financing the Albright’s Garage Project, which would explain Aaron Flach’swaffling, and attempts to play both sides. We don’t feel that sort of conduct is what we want to see in a man who is on the board of directors of a financial institution. Do you?]
Brendan Baynes, an exile from Biscone’s and George McHugh’s*captive and hostaged community , Ravena-Coeymans, representing Mr Lent and Albright’s Garage, clearly questioned the credibility of Biscone’s presentation as well as the authenticity of the statements Biscone submitted. The Board refused to hear any more of Biscone’s wretched attempts to mislead the public body on behalf of Nolan Propane.
It shouldn’t go unnoticed that both Biscone and McHugh have close ties with large business interests in the Town of Coeymans. In fact, one of McHugh’s first moves upon taking office was to abolish the Coeymans Town Planning Board, thus eliminating an important democratic process available to Coeymans residents and property owners. That move was no doubt made to benefit McHugh’s main clients, also catered for by Guess who? You got it, Michael Biscone!
* Editor’s Note: McHugh, an attorney in Ravena-Coeymans, was elected in a scandalous campaign in 2019 to be Coeymans Town Supervisor.
The Coeymanazi Thugs tried to muscle in on New Baltimore but were given the boot with no hesitation by residents and Planning Board alike!
The deal was sealed when the representative of the engineering firm hired to design and install the propane distribution facility took the podium, and explained in clear terms the extensive work that goes into such a facility, particularly safety and security provisions. His presentation concluded that Albright’s far-exceeded the safety and regulator requirements, and even made an offer to provide expert training for workers and fire department personnel at no charge.
The Board voted on the application and gave their unanimous approval of the permit application but not before Ms AnnMarie Vadney, in the interest of clearing any questions, read out each and every question presented by Biscone, and the board examined each to clear any questions. This was a brilliant move on the part of the Board, since it clearly demonstrated that the hearing and consideration given to Bisconeand his presentations on behalf of Nolan Propane was more than thorough and fair.
Prior to moving to vote on the Application, the resolutions were read out in their entirety giving a complete history of the application and all New York State regulatory and oversight agencies’ approvals, including the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Transportation, as well as approval by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Every Federal, State, County, and, of course, Town authority had no objection to the Application. Albright’s had more than complied with every regulation and requirement.
Needless to say, this was a catastrophic defeat for Michael Biscone and for Nolan Propane, who has lost his monopoly in the Town of New Baltimore, and stands to face quite a legal services bill from Biscone, who needs to support his expensive appetites, including the Biscone Bloodmobile, his precious Bentley, that is reputed to run on the blood of Biscone’s clients like R. Nolan and Nolan Propane.
ALERT! Who does King Georgie McHugh work for in the Russian Federation? Someone has been searching this blog specifically for articles on George McHugh. What’s McHugh’s Russian Connection? Is it the drug kingpin Boris Alexei Jordan, the Russian CEO of Curaleaf canabis growers and who has intimate ties with Russia (Jordan still has a stake in Renaissance Insurance, a leading insurer in Russia); Curaleaf is Carver Laraway’s marijuana-growing tenant at Coeymans Industrial Park? Interesting that someone in Russia is so interested in George McHugh. Maybe the Feds should be asking him Why? After all, this is an election year, isn’t it? Come on, Georgie, come clean. Who are your Russian friends? (Editor’s Note: Search this blog for our articles on McHugh’s connections with Russian Boris Jordan and the Curaleaf conspiracy! Better still, click the links below to go directly to the articles:
And George McHugh and his thugs are the ones Coeymany, New York, “elected” to safeguard their interests? DUH!!! Well, it might be too late to do anything now; just as he did in his one term back in 2001, he’ll put in one term and cash in on his setup while in office.
The story of Coeymans, NY.
Ravena Shyster Attorney Michael Biscone Calling New Baltimore Residents Asking for Support. What Nerve!
Biscone asks for support; NB residents refuse!
We’ve received information from several local New Baltimore Residents that Michael Biscone, the shyster representing Robert Nolan and Nolan Propane of Ravena, NY, has been making calls to New Baltimore residents, allegedly “clients” of Biscone, asking them for their support in Nolan’s opposition to Randy Lent’s (Albright’s Garage) application now pending before the Town of New Baltimore Planning Board. We have also received information indicating that several of those called have refused to support Nolan’s underhanded scheming with Biscone’s misguidance and representation.
If it wasn’t bad enough that Robert Nolan of Nolan Propane and Michael Biscone, Nolan’s attorney, had the balls to appear before the New Baltimore Planning Board asking the Board to deny Mr Randy Lent’s application to open a propane station in the Town of New Baltimore, this takes the cake! Michael Biscone, we are informed, has been contacting New Baltimore residents, allegedly clients of Biscone, asking them for their support in opposing Lent’s application. Apparently, several of those called have flatly refused to support Biscone and Nolan. New Baltimore shouldn’t expect anything less from is residents!
Michael Biscone sure has a pair of old man balls calling New Baltimore residents asking them to support Ravena’s Nolan!
If Rob van Etten has marshmallow balls when it comes to standing up and pushing back, Michael Biscone has a pair of big old-man’s balls calling our friends and neighbors asking them to betray New Baltimore and a New Baltimore business. Anyone in New Baltimore who does support Biscone and Nolan should be tarred and feathered, and run out of New Baltimore. Banned and shunned. Treated like the traitors they are if they turn their backs on their Town and their neighbots!!!
It’s obvious that Biscone and Nolanhave a lot at stake in this conspiracy but they’ve gone scared now that New Baltimore residents are pushing back; Biscone and Nolan are desperate and are grasping at straws to keep themselves afloat. Well, it’s not going to work. New Baltiomore is sick of monopolies and sick of outsiders coming into OUR TOWN and taking advantage of our residents and neighbors. Defend your neighbors and local business in New Baltimore. Tell Biscone and Nolan to take a long walk off a short pier.
If you get a call from Bisconeor Nolan, or hear of anyone else in New Baltimore getting calls from Biscone, Nolan, or Flachasking for support against Randy Lent and Albright’s Garage, we want to know about it. We want NAMES!
We say support Randy Lent’s application and once he’s up and running, cancel your accounts with Nolan Propane and support your local New Baltimore Business!
We’re wondering where the Town of New Baltimore Town Board stands on all of this sneaking around by Biscone and Nolan. Shouldn’t Supervisor Jeff Ruso and his so-called Deputy Supervisor Nick Dellisanti be taking a stand on this? Shouldn’t they be standing up for local New Baltimore business? Or are they in Biscone’s, Nolan’s, and Flach’s pockets like Planning Board chairman Rob van Etten seems to be? Here are the New Baltimore Town Board members’ and their contact information
Jeff Ruso, Supervisor Note: Ruso was NOT ELECTED, he ran unopposed and took office by default! No need for elections when you have only one candidate!
3809 CR 51
Hannacroix, NY 12087
(518)337-9238
jruso@townofnewbaltimore.org
Nick Dellisanti, Deputy Supervisor Note: Dellisanti was Supervisor before Ruso ran for his first term. They’re in bed together. Dellisanti is appointed by Ruso, NOT ELECTED, and has been deputy supervisor in both Ruso’s terms in office (the first term Ruso was elected; the second term he was not).
ndellisanti@townofnewbaltimore.org
Pat Linger is the Greene County Legislator for New Baltimore and serves as chairman of the Town of New Baltimore Zoning Board of Appeals. So there is no excuse why he shouldn’t be well aware of Biscone’s and Nolan’s interference in New Baltimore. Where is he standing on these out-of-town invasions and interferences in New Baltimore business? Contact Linger as ask him what his position is on the Biscone-Nolan interference. You might also want to ask him about the vanEtten-Brandt connection and the apparent conflict of interest. Contact Linger at: plinger@discovergreene.com or 518-496-8399
Rob van Etten, chairman of the New Baltimore Planning Board, was NOT ELECTED by NB voters, he was appointed by Ruso and Dellisanti. Interesting connections here. Maybe Ruso and Dellisanti are in bed with Biscone, Nolan, Flach, and vanEtten?
Bill BoehlkeNO CONTACT INFORMATION ON TOWN WEBSITE!!! You might call the Town Clerk ans ask why Boehlke cannot be contacted.
The Capital District YMCA – a fake charity hoarding more than $58 million in real-estate assets and paying no property taxes. Special treatment for a tax-exempt corporation too crooked to fail. Other tax-paying organizations are filing bankruptcy during CoVid-19, but when you have no obligations to the state, country, people, and you have huge assets to pay your oreo CEO J. David Brown more than $350K/year + benefits, And where are the member’s dues and the donations, the state and federal grants going? Well, first to pay the big salaries at the top, and then some may trickle down. It’s a SCAM and it’s called the Capital District YMCA! Time for state and federal tax and finance departments to chime in and do some justice for taxpayers.
A resident, Randy Lent, of the Town of New Baltimore is seeking approval to open a business in the Town of New Baltimore. His application is currently before the New Baltimore Planning Board, and Mr Lent’s application is being considered. The Town of New Baltimore is in Greene County, NY. How is it that Robert Nolan, Aaron Flach, and Michael Biscone of Ravena, in the Town of Coeymans (Albany County), are appearing before the New Baltimore Planning Board opposing a New Baltimore resident’s plan? What business do these well-known thugs and bullies from the Town of Coeymans and the Village of Ravena have pushing New Baltimore Planning Board chairman, Robert vanEtten around like the marshmallow he is? The Town of New Baltimore is a sovereign, municipality independent of Albany County, and particularly independent of the Town of Coeymans and the village of Ravena. New Baltimore can handle its own business, Thank you! New Baltimore doesn’t appreciate the interference of the Thug Squad from Coeymans, Biscone, Nolan, Flach, or McHugh. Furthermore, if the New Baltimore Planning Board chairman, Rob van Etten can’t keep his sights on New Baltimore and avoid his own business interests and pals in Coeymans, we think he should resign from the Board or, failing that, he should be fired by the New Baltimore Town Board, and replaced by someone who can do the job honestly and ethically. Now that would be a 180º turn for New Baltimore, wouldn’t it? Honestly and ethically? Now thatwould be news. New Baltimoremay be a little backward but some more evolved residents will not put up with the invasion of the Coeymanazies! One resident stood up and addressed the New Baltimore Planning Boardat the public meeting on August 13, 2020, and, directing his no-nonsense comments straight to shyster attorney Michael Biscone of Ravena and his lapdog Robert Nolan with some pretty clear words:
“It’s not right that thugs from out of town are allowed to come to New Baltimore and tell New Baltimore what to do. Just because people think they have money…doesn’t mean they can come bully us in our town. If the Board is not able to push back, they need to be replaced.”
Residents came out in big numbers in support of local businessman Randy Lent of Albright’s Garage, a landmark historical business in the Town of New Baltimore and in Greene County. Residents spoke out against the unprecedented invasion of the so-called Coeymanazis, the thugs from the Town of Coeymans, and the Village of Ravena. The thugs’ mission: to bully the New Baltimore Planning Board, under the chairmanship of the marshmallow-fluff chairmanship of Robert Van Etten, owner of VanEtten Excavating, a well-known collaborator and business associate of the thugs. Van Ettan was recently accused of official misconduct (see below). Marshmallow-man vanEtten offered no resistance to the thugs — Why would he? Too much to lose if he does his job for New Baltimore and the residents of New Baltimore! That is, until the courageous New Baltimore resident and business owner stood up and put vanEtten, the Planing Board, Biscone, and Nolan, the in their kennel crates à la mode.
Resident puts two dogs, two mutts in one crate and ships them out.
The speaker went on to ask Mr Biscone, a known local shyster attorney operating in the Town of Coeymans and Ravena, asking Biscone, “Did Nolan pay for your nice car?” He was referring to the local scandal that Bisconelikes to drive his ostentatious and overdone Bentley around town like some juvenile with an expensive toy. Some locals call the Biscone Bentley the Biscone Bloodmobile, probably because his scurrilous and leechlike law practice paid for his toys with the blood and tears of local residents.
Bisconeis a mercenary and would sell his mother — but not his Bentley — for a price. His loyalties are well known in the area and he’s a legal whore, professional harlot who would do anything for a buck. Now that his pal George McHugh is sitting in the Town of Coeymans Supervisor’s office buttering his coneys’ bread, Biscone is kissing Carver Laraway’s hairy butt (Carver Companies/Port of Coeymans) as counsel, a post George McHugh held before stepping down to run for Town Supervisor. More on that scandalous plan below.
Robert Nolan is another thug. Nolan runs a fuel business and has a basic monopoly in the region supplying propane gas to businesses and residences. He is opposing the New Baltimore resident’s plan to establish a propane distribution business in the Town of New Baltimore, apparently feeling that the NB resident might break Nolan’s strangle hold on the propane business in the region! Local consumers might have a choice; God forbid!
Michael Bisconeof the Biscone Bloodmobile is Robert Nolan’s attorney. The question that raises its ugly head is this: Why is Nolan interfering in New Baltimore business, and why is he bringing in a shiftless, evil shyster like Michael Biscone? This isn’t the Town of Coeymans or the Village of Ravena, where they run and hide when the thugs appear. This is New Baltimore where we eat thugs for breakfast, and then deposit them properly by flushing in the local sewerage treatment plant.
New Baltimore Resident Tells them To Get Lost; Stay out of New Baltimore’s Business!
Editor’s Note: The Town of Coeymans (Albany County) and the Town of New Baltimore (Greene County) are pretty much one-horse towns. Local town governments grant franchises to local providers, who then suck residents dry because there’s no choice, no competition! The area is looted by a single telecommunications company State Telephone, cable services are provided by a single provider, MidHudson Cable, who regularly up rates and drop services, most recently discontinuing email services but not adjusting local residents’ and businesses’ bills to reflect the loss of service.Electrical power is supplied by a single company, Central Hudson. With no competition, the infrastructure is constantly failing. It’s Third World at best.
It gets better. Aaron Flach, local parasite so-called businessman, the guy who got seed money from his father, and now tries to make the impression he’s self-made. Flack would be sleeping under some bridge if his father, whose methods were not always the most ethical or honest, didn’t make the money that Flachboys later used to go into their businesses. Anyone who knows the local history and characters will laugh in Flach’sface if he were ever to try to say he made his money by the sweat of his brow!!! He’s a phony, and like Bisconeand Nolan, is sucking the area dry. Flach is chairman of a local business association (surprised?), on the board of directors of a local bank (still surprised?), and is a member of the local Rotary Club. Don’t let the Rotary Club thing fool you; the local RC is a farce and a hotbed of hypocrisy and backstabbing; just another beaverly hillbilly country club.
The problem we see is that Robert Nolan — Yes! The same Nolan of Nolan Propane and the same Nolan bullying Robert vanEtten on the New Baltimore Planning Board — is also on the Town of Coeymans Planning Board/Board of Zoning Appeals. That’s an unusual name for the Town board that oversees development and land use, zoning, the comprehensive plan, and other matters in the Town. There’s a story of corruption behind that, too. Here’s what happened:
Coeymans Center for Un-American Activities
And Michael Biscone, Robert Norton, and Aaron Flach want to do the same for New Baltimore. With a little help from their friends Rob vanEtten, Jeff Ruso, and Nick Dellisanti, they may succeed!
HAS NEW BALTIMORE TOWN HALL BECOME THE NEW BALTIMORE CENTER FOR UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES?
Say what you like about Phil Crandall and Tom Dolan and the Crandall Board, at least they didn’t have their hands up LaFargeHolcim’s and Carver Laraway’s butts up to their shoulders. At least Crandall and Dolan were unbeholden to big business and did not stand to profit by any official actions they took while in office. At keast Crandall and Dolan gave residents a voice in how the town was run and there was an independent Planning Board and a separate Zoning Board of Appeals. That can’t be said of George McHugh. What can be said about McHugh is that this is a replay of his last one-termer, and the scandal after his first term in office back in 2000-2001, when he set himself up to make big local real estate deals and remap Ravena-Coeymans to his advantage. And it can’t be said about McHugh’s current term, when he’s already taken steps to benefit his former clients, who will still be his clients when he leaves office, and they’ll be owing him big time. We’re watching and biding our time; we expect the Feds are, too.
Flag as flown at King Georgie’s Coeymans Town Hall.
In November 2019, after a scandalous and tumultuous local election, the Coeymans Town Hall became the Coeymans Center for Un-American Activities. With the election of local shyster attorney, Georgie Deflumer McHugh, backed by a number of local thugs calling themselves the Friends of Coeymans, but actually three local bullies, and with the glamour of two young, inexperienced local boys — pet puppies — George Deflumer McHughran for the office of Coeymans Town Supervisor. McHughwas elected, as were his two puppies. The writing was on the wall but the illiterate sheeple of Coeymans couldn’t read it. So then, McHugh crowned himself King Georgie of Coeymans.
Lefevre, McHugh, Collins, Langdon They’re The McHugh Puppet Show..
Shortly after being elected, McHugh, not yet supervisor and not yet sworn in to office, announced by letter on his law firm letterhead, that he, McHugh, intended to abolish the Town of Coeymans Planning Board. The letter was dated December 20, 2019, and sent to the incumbent members of the Coeymans Planning Board. He also advised the Town of Coeymans CAC, the Conservation Advisory Council, that they, too, would be abolished. The Coeymans Planning Board’s responsibilities included reviewing of proposals for development and land use, and developing the town’s comprehensive plan. The CAC, or Conservation Advisory Council, was a panel who advised on and planned environmental issues.
The Ravena News Herald, the local rag formerly owned by McHugh and now owned by close McHugh friend, Mark Vinciguerra, reported in its January 1, 2020, issue:
“Incoming town officials hit the ground running New Year’s Day with several changes, including dissolving the Coeymans’ Conservation Advisory Council. The new Coeymans Town Board voted Jan. 1 to abolish the CAC, to propose a law to dissolve and combine the Coeymans Planning Board with the Zoning Board of Appeals, approved a five-year Payment In Lieu of Taxes agreement for an incoming business … Three men [McHugh, Lefevre, Collins) were sworn in 9 a.m. New Years Day to a packed room at Coeymans Town Hall, 18 Russell Ave., Ravena, for their new term on the town board.”
McHughwasted no time in keeping his promise made even before he took office, that he would abolish the Planning Board and the CAC; both actions would pave the way for McHugh’s handlers to have free reign over the Town of Coeymans. McHugh and his Coeymans Town Board, now packed with his Republican puppets, passed Local Law 1 of 2020, which reads:
“The purpose and subject of this Local Law is to: 1) Abolish the Town Planning Board, 2) Transfer all Planning Board functions and duties to the existing Zoning Board of Appeals, 3) Rename the Zoning Board of Appeals to the ‘Planning Board/Zoning Board of Appeals”, and 4) Amend the Town of Coeymans Code where necessary to effectuate these changes.”
With that one law, the people of the Town of Coeymanslost any say in how their Town was to be developed, how land was to be used, how zoning and re-zoning was to be done. The power was transferred to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which was then packed with McHugh supporters and local thugs, including Mr Robert Nolan of Nolan Propane. We see a conflict of interest here. Now the Board and local McHugh supporters and clients had nothing in their way. Even the Conservation Advisory Council was abolished; there’s nothing to stand in the way of how land is used, zoned, or developed. The people of Coeymans have no say!
Since McHugh increased the number of members on the Board from 5 to seven (?!?!), he also ensured that his clients now and in future have a packed board to do their bidding. That’s because the members on the board serve terms for the number of years that there are members on the board. How’s that for a sucker punch, Coeymans?
McHugh’s setting himself up to make big bucks after serving this term, and setting up his recent and future clients to have their way in Coeymans. He’s also setting up residents and small businesses in the Town of Coeymans for the ride to hell. Just keep an eye on the Port of Coeymans (McHugh/Biscone), Carver Companies (McHugh/Biscone), Collins & Son Fuel & Hauling (Zach Collins, VP, Collins & Son, fuel and hauling), LaFargeHolcim (watch Daniel Baker, who works for LaFarge), Yannis, Trickey’s Scrapyard, and others in the Town of Coeymans, including Nolan Propane (Rob Nolan is a member of the Town of Coeymans now combined Planing Board/Zoning Board of Appeals). And then there’s board member Ken Burns, Wimp-Waffler, who’s anybody’s for a price.
McHugh and his thugs didn’t stop there. They then passed laws requiring permit applicants to post escrow to cover the experts’ and consultants’ fees for reviews done by the Planinng Board/Zoning Board of Appeals, in order to have a permit application reviewed. What this does in practical terms is prevent many landowners from developing their properties because of this new requirement to post escrow to pay for experts and consultants to review the permit applications. Why do we need a Board if we have to pay for their experts? Well, that’s not the point, really. The only ones who can afford that kind of money have that kind of money and they’re names are Biscone, McHugh, Collins, Nolan, Carver Laraway, and a handful of others! Oh, did we forget to mention the Yanni’s restaurant extension and how that got pushed thru thanks to Carver Laraway (owner of the property), Michael Biscone, and George McHugh. They’re all in bed together, even picking up leftover wives (McHugh and Laraway).
McHugh and his thugs then passed laws redefining what a garbage disposal facility and a transfer station are. Remember the Clean Air Act? McHugh and his thugs hate it but said they would not repeal the law but they didn’t say they wouldn’t redefine it! Just another shyster lawyer trick with languageand Coeymans fell for it — flat on their sheeple faces!
Bullies LaQuire-Hagen-Boomer
McHugh and his thugs passed laws in early 2020 putting a moratorium on solar energy development in the Town, a new law on how citizens can gather and assemble, a law controlling what noise can be produced in the Town, and the list of new laws limiting freedoms in the Town of Coeymans and favoring big business goes on and the first year isn’t even over yet!!!
A new law passed by McHugh and his puppets, LOCAL LAW 7 OF 2020 (Adopted July 23, 2020), regarding how citizens can meet and assemble, is Mini-Me McHugh’s version of a scandalous law passed in England in 1714 that prevented groups of more than 12 persons to meet; it was King George I — King George of England, not King Georgie of Coeymans — way of preventing public expression. The act allowed local officials to declare any gathering of more than 12 people “unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled.” The Riot Act, if ignored by the assembly, was punishable by death. King Georgie McHugh’s — now isn’t that ironic that McHugh’s name is George, too — new law reads in part:
“No person shall take part in or join or aid, assist or abet any riotous or tumultuous assemblage or unnecessary crowds upon the streets or in doorways or stairways adjacent thereto or loiter about such places.”
It’s the responsibility of the drafters of laws to be very plain and clear about what they mean; when they make a law that’s vague and ambiguous, it’s probably so that it can be very freely interpreted and abuses. Watch out! Other than that, the law as written, is a pretty serious violation of people’s protected Constitutional right of freedom of assembly. The problem with McHugh’slaw is that it does not define any of the terms it uses. This means that the vagueness and ambiguity of the terms make the law open for abuse or, if challenged, useless! Read more about the historical Riot Act here: What Does It Mean to ‘Read the Riot Act’?
McHughand Bisccone, together with their handlers Aaron Flach and Carver Laraway, and a handful of others including Rob Nolan, have the Town of Coeymans tied up, bagged, and slung over their shoulders.
We are watching this scenario very closely because we see charges of abuse of public office in the making and possible corruption and conspiracy activity that might land some of these guys either in professional limbo or in the new county jail.
Now they have their eyes on the Town of New Baltimore, the neighboring town to the South. it’s not enough that they have bullied and controlled Coeymans, they’re now trying to tell New Baltimore what to do and how to do it.
Rob Van Etten whenever Michael Biscone is in the Room.
Some residents won’t stand for that, particularly those residents of New Baltimore, who have businesses and property in the Town of Coeymans, and who know what’s going on there. The resident we quoted above is one of many who are up in arms at the arrogance and nerve of Robert Nolan and Michael Biscone skipping into Town Hall thinking they can call the shots. Well, at the public meeting on August 13, 2020, both Nolanand Biscone, were shown the door, and told not to let it hit them in the ass on their way out.
The Town of New Baltimore has it’s own serious problem: Robert vanEtten, owner of a local excavating company, and the chairman of the New Baltimore Planning Board. As we mentioned above, he has marshmallows for balls, and marshmallows don’t secrete testosterone. It’s pitiful how he lets himself be pushed around and doesn’t push back. What’s he doing on the Planning Board anyway if he can’t defend the interests residents of the Town of New Baltimore?
Van Etten has some skeletons in the closet and isn’t as honest or ethical as we’d like to expect a public servant to be. He’s running a business and is voting on proposals coming before the Board, and in which he has an interest. He stands to make money on some of those projects if they go through. We caught him in 2018 doing work for a local developer, William Brandt, who is developing a senior housing project in the Town of New Baltimore, and, incidentally is represented by Michael Biscone.
What do you think is going on here?
We demanded records of the operations of the Town of New Baltimore Planning Board in another matter and, in the course of our investigations, came upon documents that showed that Robert VanEtten, while on the New Baltimore Planning Board, had done work for Brandt, and vanEtten had participated in Board voting on the Brandt project!!! Michael Biscone also represented Brandt. That’s not only unethical, it’s illegal, and we notified the Town of New Baltimore Town Board and Supervisor Jeff Ruso but vanEtten was never fired and never resigned. Was that because his wife, Shelly van Etten is a sitting board member. We guess he has too many friends — one of them his own wife, Shelly van Etten, on the NB Town Board —, and stands to make more money before he leaves the Board. Not if we have anything to say about it! We reported on our findings in our article, “New Baltimore: Pick up rocks, find snakes. Part I.”
Marshmallow Balls!
Robert vanEtten is limp, impotent, a man with marshmallows for balls. He does’t and won’t stand up against thugs like Nolan, Biscone, Flach, and others, and he let’s himself be pushed around like a jailhouse bitch! The resident addressing the New Baltimore Planning Board hit the nail on the head: If you can’t do the job, if you can’t push back, if you don’t have the cojones to stand up for New Baltimore, get the hell out of Town Hall, vanEtten, and take your dummies with you!
Our advice to Mr Robert Van Etten, Chair of the New Baltimore Planning Board.
The Editor And the People of New Baltimore
Totally Ridiculous!
What are we paying these people for? It’s as bad as paying the Town of New Baltimore Dog Catcher, Joe Tanner, more than $4,000 a year when he can play dog-catcher only after he gets off his other job! Even if we wanted to vet the information we have, it should be noted that only limited information is available, since the minutes of the Planning Board are not up to date and appear not to have been transcribed or posted for some time now. Although New Baltimore has half the population of the Town of Coeymans, New Baltimore has approximately twice the number of town employees! Still, not a lot seems to be getting done in NB Town Hall. It’s ridiculous that with so many people taking up space, they can’t keep the public informed or minutes properly transcribed and published.?!? It appears, if the Town of New Baltimore website is correct, that the last transcribed/published meeting minutes was for February 14, 2019 Pacheco et al. Public Hearing Minutes. That’s ridiculous and unconscionable! (Much of the Town of New Baltimore website is out-of-date, and poorly maintained.) The situation is similar in the case of the New Baltimore Zoning Board of Appeals!!! One Ms Marjorie B. Loux is the clerk/secretary for both the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. We think she has some explaining to do, as do Supervisor Jeff Ruso and his deputy/croney Nick Dellisanti. What is going on in Town Hall or should we say, Town Country Club?
For Our Readers’ Information, Here are the Members of the New Baltimore Planning Board
Rob VanEtten, Chair (12-31-20)
Patricia Bruno (12-31-20)
Robert Court (12-31-20)
Frank Orlando (12-31-21)
Lee Salisbury (12-31-23)
Michelle Stefanik (12-31-23)
Ann Marie Vadney (12-31-23)
Marjorie B. Loux, Clerk
Here we are in the middle of a pandemic! Meetings, group assemblies, even church gatherings are forbidden. No public meetings. You’re made anonymous and invisible because you have to hide your faces! The supermarket shelves are bare. Government and utilities are forgiving or suspending payment obligations, and providing safety nets! But George McHugh and his puppets in Town Hall are sticking it to you when you’re down, hurting, and unable to gather to protest. Lousy sneaks!
Looks like Coeymans Sole Assessor, Dawn DeRose, has either joined the rat pack or has been bullied into supporting their plans.
Reactions: Scott Searles, Repubican Highway Superintendent, chimes in to defend his keepers saying that Smalbany is blaming and lying. Mr Searles was instructed in what an anus is: ” The anus has eyes to see but is blind to reality; ears to hear but is deaf to truth; a nose to smell but can’t find the rats under his own nose; a tongue to taste but has none; and fingers to feel but has no sense and so has no feeling.” We’re guessing Mr Searles doesn’t know what an anus is.
Trevor Walsickdoesn’t address the assessment problem but rants that “the residents of the town Coeymans realized by aligning with someone sick as yourself that Crandall and Dolan were a lost cause! Record turnout sealed the deal… The residents have spoken and you again solidified the win!!” Record turnout? The only “turnout” was residents’ stomach contents when they found out what the few voters who went out did to the Town of Coeymans. Mr Walsick is true to the second half of his name: SICK! But that’s fine because Trevor Walsick is a fake and a coward. His Facebook page features a car photo as the profile picture and he doesn’t have the balls to provide profile information. What that means is that Trevor Walsick is probably a nobody being impersonated by one of the Fiends of Coeymans, McHugh’s neonazis. Even if Trevor Walsick actually existed, he doesn’t own any property in the Town of Coeymans, so he wouldn’t have much to say, would he? That’s if he were real.
Neither Searles nor the fake Walsick seem to recall their darling McHugh during his single term as supervisor in 2001, left Coeymans with a 16% tax increase. Most of the fools who voted for him probably weren’t even in the area at the time; those who were probably drink Ravena water, which would explain the brain liquefaction.
But George McHugh, his puppet Coeymans Town Board, Zachary Collins, Brendon Lefevre, Daniel Baker, and Kenneth Burns, and their town employees under their control are taking scandalous advantage of Town residents!
McHugh
Property owners are being slammed with incredible increases in their property taxes! Have you gotten your property tax bill yet? Some assessments have tripled. All of this during a pandemic when you can’t even go to a town board meeting to complain. All of this being done behind closed doors by your Friends of Coeymans!
You need to protest in numbers! You need to hit the streets! You need to organize! You need to put signs on your over-assessed properties pointing the finger at McHugh and his Town Board puppets!
Phil Crandall and Tom Dolan WARNED you about these bastards! Now you’re seeing it happen. Get ready for mass rape!
Flood Town Hall with Grievances! Send letters to your tenants telling them that because of the massive increases in property taxes, you’re going to have to massively raise their rents! Those tenants who are leasing, give them notice that their leases are going to be massively increased because of the Town of Coeymans sneaky, villainous behind closed doors robbery during a pandemic!
NOW THEY WANT A NEW TOWN HALL!!! WHY??? WHO’S GOING TO PAY FOR IT??? WHO’S GOING TO GET THE CONTRACTS??? Anyone who benefits from the McHugh mob’s corruption should be shunned by the community. No one needs their money enough to have to sell his or her soul!!!
We warned you well in advance of the elections! You saw the Friends of Coeymans thugs in action at Town Board meetings! You knew all about McHugh’s lies and his puppets, Collins and Lefevre’, we warned you about Daniel Baker, sockpuppet and turncoat polecat!.
Maybe you should be asking if Carver Laraway’s properties have been massively reassessed. Or Lafarge’s. Or Aaron Flach’s? Perrine’s. Misuraca’s. How about Zachary Collin’s family’s business properties? Ask Questions. Get answers!
If you are outraged at the dishonesty and sneakiness in Coeymans Town Hall, we want to hear from you at rcs.confidential@gmail.com. We’re prepared to organize and coordinate protest actions against McHugh and his pack of thugs and liars. Contact us about your property, how much your assessment has increased, and what you think of this scandalous breach of trust!
Yeah! They’re business friendly all right! That’s how they attract new residents and businesses: raise property taxes 300%. That’s the McHugh plan! Then when people cant pay their taxes, McHugh, Carver Laraway, Michael Biscone, the Collins fuel and excavation business, and all their coneys will be there to get your property real cheap, after the tax sale!
You all need to get Phil Crandall and Tom Dolan on your team and advising your committees! They knew what was going on and what was going to happen! They tried to tell you but you listened to the thugs and liars instead. Nice going, dumbasses!
Contact us at rcs.confidential@gmail.com and tell us your story. Then storm the News Herald and force them to print the truth for once!
And start writing to your fascist Coeymans Town Board and let them know what you think! And don’t forget your Coeymans Sole Assessor, Dawn DeRose. Ask her what she thinks she’s doing? Ask her why she’s jumped ship to join the McHugh mob? Ask her if she’s been bullied by McHugh and his mob or if she’s just one of them?
Now’s the time to get on Facebook and start getting the ball rolling for mass protests and flooding Town Offices with complaints!
You need to get the word out about what McHugh and his mob are doing in Coeymans!
You need to file your complaints and grievances with the Town; let them know how unhappy you are with them.
Let your tenants know their rents are going to way up, thanks to McHugh and his thugs raising your property taxes!
Ask McHugh and his mob if that’s what they call business friendly. You know, their slogan to get themselves re-elected. How does raising property taxes help small businesses and encourage people to settle in Coeymans? Wasn’t that what McHugh, Collins, Lefevre, and Baker promised to get elected.
Ask yourself who McHugh’s tax hike is most likely to hurt? You or Lafarge? You or Carver Laraway? You or Collins Fuel (Zachry Collin’s company)?
Ask yourself how McHugh’s backstabbing is going to encourage families to buy [overtaxed] property and settle in Coeymans. Wasn’t that one of their campaign promises?
Ask yourself how many Coeymans businesses McHugh’s, Collins’, Lefevre’s, Baker’s and Burns’ lies are going to benefit.
Here is their contact information:
George D. McHugh – gmchugh@coeymans.org
Current Term Expires December 31, 2021
YOU’RE SCUMBAG LIARS!!!
Secretary to the Supervisor (Isn’t this McHugh’s wife?!?) Candace McHugh – cmchugh@coeymans.org
Daniel D. Baker – Council – dbaker@coeymans.org
Current Term expires December 31, 2021
Kenneth A. Burns – Council – kburns@coeymans.org
Current Term expires December 31, 2021
Zachary S. Collins – Council – zcollins@coeymans.org
Current Term expires December 31, 2023
Brandon L. LeFevre – Council – blefevre@coeymans.org
Current Term expires December 31, 2023
YOU BETRAYED US!!!
Sole Assessor Dawn DeRose
Phone (518)756-8927
E-mail – assessor@coeymans.org
As most of our readers know, we interviewed Mr Crandall and Mr Dolan several weeks before the elections, and we posted the full-text transcripts of the interviews. As for the reval of Coeymans properties, Mr Crandall had this to say:
“We, looked into a “reval” And it was due; it was overdue. It should be done every 10 years so now it’s 12 years. However, the businesses in Town were at approximately 85% of true market value (TMV) and home ownership was at 95% of TMV. That should all be at 100 percent. So, in essence the homeowners were partially subsidizing the businesses in the Town. So, with the reval coming through that will all be taken care of, there will be a fair tax rate for everyone. Some will go up a little bit, most will go down a little bit. But businesses will definitely have to come up with their fair share, where they should be.” [My underlining for emphasis]
For those of our readers who do not know what “reval” means, it’s short for revaluation. Revaluation rates are market rates from a specific point in time that are used as a base value to assess whether rates are too high or too low for certain categories of property, activities, etc. Revaluation rates are often referred to as “reval rates.”
Mr Crandall was up front in saying that the reval of town properties was overdue, and that businesses were going to carry their fair share. He also was honest when he said that some properties will increase “a little bit.” He emphasized fairness.
Mr Crandall also emphasized that larger businesses sucking the community dry and repeatedly asking for tax breaks and consideration under the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) program were no longer going to get a free ride. Again, Mr Crandall emphasized fairness to property owners and small businesses.
This is all water under the bridge now but the complete interview transcripts are still available for anyone who wants to read them and learn what Mr Crandall and his Town Board planned to do. That was black letter commitment, and Mr Crandall knew that once he said something and it went on record, there was no turning back.
No one can say the same for Mr McHugh and his mob. McHugh refused to be interviewed and refused to debate. That should say it all. Now Coeymans residents and taxpayers have to deal with the reality of what’s happening in the town!
Our question would be to Mr McHugh: “How do you expect to attract more small businesses and new families to Coeymans when you have increased Full Market Values and Taxable Property Values?”
We will be watching the grievances and the final tax rolls very closely and we’ll compare 2018 and 2019 property values and assessments with the 2020 finalized tax rolls, and report on what we find.
Albany NY a.k.a. Smalbany 
Albright’s Garage Permit Application Unanimously Approved
Local Business Prevails
In the face of outrageous challenges brought by R. Nolan of Nolan Propane (Ravena, NY), represented by “old-man balls” Michael Biscone, arch-shyster, (Ravena, NY), and supported by fake businessman, heir to the John Flach fortune, Aaron Flach, waffler par excellence, New Baltimore stands up for its own. Mr Randy Lent, operator of Albright’s Garage (more than 100 years in the Town of New Baltimore), prevailed. The New Baltimore Planning Board, under the chairmanship of Mr R. vanEtten, and co-chair Ms. AnnMarie Vadney, stood by the New Baltimore businessman, and his application for Special Use Permit was unanimously approved by the Planning Board.
Albrights prevails against the Coeymanazis. Puts an end to an alien monopoly out of Ravena, NY, Nolan Propane.
On the evening of September 10, 2020, there was standing room only at New Baltimore Town Hall, where, at 7:00 p.m., the New Baltimore Planning Board was to hear public comment on the Albright’s Garage application for a Special Use Permit to install a two-tank propane distribution site at their location at the junction of County Route 144 and US Route 9W in the Town of New Baltimore. The installation would create a new opportunity in the Town of New Baltimore and break a strangle-hold monopoly on delivery of propane gas in the Town of New Baltimore.
The Albright’s project is spearheaded by Mr Randy Lent, and was strongly opposed by R. Nolan, owner of Nolan Propane of Ravena New York, who was represented by one of the most hated and notorious of local lawyers, Michael J. Biscone. Nolan was also supported by Aaron Flach, heir to the late John Flach’s money and enterprises.
On September 10, New Baltimore sent three clowns Biscone, Nolan, and Flach back to Ravena-Coeymans!
The public comment part was opened by a local resident with a brief but scathing indictment of Biscone, Nolan, and Flach. Click Full Text Resident’s Comments to read the complete transcript of the resident’s remarks.
The public comment part of the meeting was anything but boring, that is, until long-winded M. Biscone took the podium, and recited a mudslide of bird-shot attempts to move the board. He was pitifully unsuccessful and had to retreat, old-man balls and all, to his corner where he kept his head down as much as possible. Nolan was seated at the back of the room, head down, probably wondering what he was doing there, except to be embarrassed and sent out on a rail.
No More Monopoly in New Baltimore!
Biscone’s performance was typical for the lying sack of Coeymans untreated sewerage that he is. He first presented letters, one of which was forged, and another of questionable origin. He claimed he represented several local residents, none of whom appeared at the meeting, saying that they were his clients. Again, his statements were shown to be phony.
Attorney George McHugh. Coeymans Town Supervisor with questionable motives and business connections.
Biscone ranted on, citing New Baltimore local law, but that was shot down. His last-ditch effort was to demand that restrictions be imposed on the permit, but that was shot down by Mr James Warren, CEO/President of Nat’l Bank of Coxsackie, who set the record straight contradicting Biscone’s every statement. Biscone’s response to the speaker: “I’m very disappointed in you, Mr Warren.” That’s probably what Nolan was thinking in the back of the room, “Mikey, I’m very disappointed in you.”
[Editor’s Note: It should be noted that Aaron Flach was supporting Nolan Propane but then promised to support Albright’s, but hid in a corner when it came to pubic comment. Flach is on the board of directors of the National Bank of Coxsackie, where James Warren is President/CEO. The National Bank of Coxsackie is financing the Albright’s Garage Project, which would explain Aaron Flach’s waffling, and attempts to play both sides. We don’t feel that sort of conduct is what we want to see in a man who is on the board of directors of a financial institution. Do you?]
Brendan Baynes, an exile from Biscone’s and George McHugh’s* captive and hostaged community , Ravena-Coeymans, representing Mr Lent and Albright’s Garage, clearly questioned the credibility of Biscone’s presentation as well as the authenticity of the statements Biscone submitted. The Board refused to hear any more of Biscone’s wretched attempts to mislead the public body on behalf of Nolan Propane.
It shouldn’t go unnoticed that both Biscone and McHugh have close ties with large business interests in the Town of Coeymans. In fact, one of McHugh’s first moves upon taking office was to abolish the Coeymans Town Planning Board, thus eliminating an important democratic process available to Coeymans residents and property owners. That move was no doubt made to benefit McHugh’s main clients, also catered for by Guess who? You got it, Michael Biscone!
The Coeymanazi Thugs tried to muscle in on New Baltimore but were given the boot with no hesitation by residents and Planning Board alike!
The deal was sealed when the representative of the engineering firm hired to design and install the propane distribution facility took the podium, and explained in clear terms the extensive work that goes into such a facility, particularly safety and security provisions. His presentation concluded that Albright’s far-exceeded the safety and regulator requirements, and even made an offer to provide expert training for workers and fire department personnel at no charge.
The Board voted on the application and gave their unanimous approval of the permit application but not before Ms AnnMarie Vadney, in the interest of clearing any questions, read out each and every question presented by Biscone, and the board examined each to clear any questions. This was a brilliant move on the part of the Board, since it clearly demonstrated that the hearing and consideration given to Biscone and his presentations on behalf of Nolan Propane was more than thorough and fair.
Prior to moving to vote on the Application, the resolutions were read out in their entirety giving a complete history of the application and all New York State regulatory and oversight agencies’ approvals, including the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Transportation, as well as approval by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Every Federal, State, County, and, of course, Town authority had no objection to the Application. Albright’s had more than complied with every regulation and requirement.
Needless to say, this was a catastrophic defeat for Michael Biscone and for Nolan Propane, who has lost his monopoly in the Town of New Baltimore, and stands to face quite a legal services bill from Biscone, who needs to support his expensive appetites, including the Biscone Bloodmobile, his precious Bentley, that is reputed to run on the blood of Biscone’s clients like R. Nolan and Nolan Propane.
Well Done! New Baltimore!!!
Posted by Principal Editor on September 11, 2020 in Albright's Garage, Brendan Baynes, Chris Hagen, Coeymans Clowns, Dan Baker, Daniel Baker, Fiends of Coeymans, Friends of Coeymans, George McHugh, Ken Burns, Kenneth Burns, Michael Biscone, Nate Boomer, New Baltimore Planning Board, New Baltimore Town Board, Nolan Propane, Pat Linger, Patrick Linger, Public Comment, Zach Collins