Schenectady cops are improving reputation

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Schenectady cops are improving reputation

Police are not always wrong. Many will remember my name from a road rage in Glenville a few years ago when an off-duty Schenectady police officer pointed his gun at my son and myself. Reason being, my under-aged grandson was going too slow for this ex-officer. I can’t speak on this issue other to say the sweet deal given to him and the weakness of the town justice to not do the right thing. It is still in a higher court.

But the main reason is to tell all that. The Schenectady Police Department is well on the way to make us all proud again. Commissioner Wayne Bennett and Chief Brian Kilcullen have fought the weakening grip of the police union and have been very careful quick appointing good solid new officers.

As for Mr. Shaquille Parker, it appears even to people that he was in fact responsible for his actions. Sgt. Dean DeMartino is a fine, straight-forward, good officer. In fact, he gave my son a ticket, but treated him with total respect. Maybe if Mr. Parker gave this officer respect, it would been returned.

Anyway, the Schenectady police department is as fast as possible becoming a class act.

Jeff Arnow

Scotia

Princetown politicians put the people first

On June 7, something happened in a little upstate town that should be seen as an example of how politics should work in this country.

Democrats, Republicans, independents and conservatives all met under a pavilion at the Briar Creek Golf Course. They met to share the bright sunny day, some hot dogs and cookies, and the desire to have a good, honest workable government.

Attendees included Republican and Democratic candidates for council and supervisor. They belong to the Princetown Coalition for Honest Government, which is an organization formed to ensure that Princetown remains a friendly, rural community governed by common sense.

OK, I admit, a friendly hot dog roast sounds corny. So does the proposed ice cream social that the group is planning this summer. But compare this to the bitter and divisive politics that we see nationally and statewide.

In Princetown, when neighbors and friends see that change is needed, they work together, share ideas and do that in a civil and reasonable way.

James Pavoldi

Princetown

Democrats sell phony issue of early voting

Hillary Clinton states that Republicans are against early voting, which puts “minorities,” the poor and anyone who might vote Democrat at risk of not getting the opportunity to vote. Hogwash.

In New York state, a state that’s owned and operated by the liberal left — the Democrats — early voting is not available. I guess the Democrats have been too busy pointing the collective finger at the Republicans. The Democrats have such an overwhelming majority in New York state that their victory is assured. So why bother to change the law? It is all about them, not you the voter.

As a voter who chooses to vote independent of party label, my vote for president is of no value more often than not. The Electoral College ensures that. Get rid of the Electoral College and institute early voting. The system, as it is now in New York state, ensures the status quo is maintained. That means Democrats and fake Republicans get to keep their jobs.

The early voting non-issue is a lie Democrats know you will accept. The Electoral College is a vestige of the past. Guess what, non-land owners can vote in America. Even illegal aliens vote. So “what difference does it make?”

Edmond Day

Rotterdam

Conduct toward black jaywalker is shameful

Imagine the unthinkable. Willie Nelson arrives in Schenectady to perform at the Van Dyke. A police officer observes him crossing Union Street and apprehends him for jaywalking. Willie is pepper-sprayed and Tasered, pinned to the ground, illegally searched, accused of possessing a small amount of marijuana and imprisoned for six days with no hearing.

Consider the reality, as reported by The Daily Gazette on June 10 and 11. A 22-year-old black man, who happens to work for The Daily Gazette and lives with his mother and helps take care of her grandchildren, is apprehended for jaywalking in his own neighborhood. He is pinned to the ground, pepper-sprayed, Tasered, illegally searched, accused of having a small amount of marijuana, and imprisoned for six days with no hearing.

Every elected official and concerned citizen should be outraged at this kind of targeting of the poor and minorities. Corrective action is much needed. Mayor Gary McCarthy should publicly apologize to the victim. Police Chief Brian Kilcullen, who can be seen on video observing the brutality and apparently allowed the illegal search, should be fired.

Citizens should also have the ability to oversee their police, and thus distinguish between the good ones and the unfit. It will require police officers to wear large recognizable numbers. A roster with the number, name, picture and brief profile of each police officer should be available online, with provisions for citizens to rate their individual police officers on the basis of their experiences and observations.

Frank Wicks

Schenectady

No excuse for delays between track events

Kudos to Section II for hosting the state track and field championship. Section II did a tremendous job hosting at UAlbany their first New York State Track & Field Championship since 1974, when it was conducted at Mont Pleasant.

The competition was riveting and the Section II boys and girls more than held their own against the best in New York state.

I heard only one complaint. Whoever makes up the time schedule should be relieved of that duty. The interminable wait between some events caused a good portion of the audience to leave before the end of the meet.

Frank Myers

Colonie

The writer is the Colonie track coach.

Tilted Kilt not a good addition to Niskayuna

After an eight-year wait for the Mansion Shopping Square Center to be completed located on Balltown Road in Niskayuna, residents are now faced with an ill-suited restaurant called “The Tilted Kilt.”

There are other restaurants in our Niskayuna shopping centers that also provide alcoholic beverages with family menus. Unfortunately, this type of restaurant appears to be out of place.

As I remember a few years back when this shopping center plan came before the Planning Board, many residents opposed the sale and rezoning of the 12 bucolic acres — with its historic Standford Mansion, known as “The Ingersoll Home for Men” — for this purpose. At the time, John Roth, CEO of Highbridge Corp., pledged a unique and beautiful center preserving the grace, landscaping and the mansion, along with quality retail shops and family-style restaurants.

The builders did keep the Mansion that had to be moved several times to find its present location and has now been converted to a bank.

Sorry to say, this center has seen many site plan changes since the original plan was approved by the Town Board. I urge you to check the web site for the “Tilted Kilt.” You may be as surprised as I was.

Lorene H. Zabin

Niskayuna

Drug war on heroin dealers won’t work

Your June 14 editorial [“Strengthen penalties for heroin dealers”] about increasing penalties for heroin dealing is old and tired.

The only success the drug war has had is to make drug prices higher and overload the courts and jails, as well as making prison architecture, both public and private, a booming industry paid for by tax dollars.

If addicts could get their unfortunate “fix” (Why do you think they call it that?) from clinics, taken on the spot, there would be next to zero overdoses and no shared needles, and unfortunates would not have to steal to afford their habits. The drug war and your well-intended support of it have backfired and metastasized.

Ken Bress

Scotia

Letters

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Categories: Letters to the Editor