What Goes Around

Local Albany area terrorist and union hit man, Steven Raucci has gone to jail. And the man who may have been pulling his strings, or at least, KNEW who really was pulling his string, Schenectady school superintendent Eric Ely was able to walk away from his job and get away Scott free. In fact he received an awesome severance package from the school board after resigning.

HT YNN

But those of us who believe in “The Law of sin and death”, (Aka Karma) know better.  It’s a law more sure than gravity.  Or to put it another way.

What goes around comes around.

In this life or the one to follow.

The Trial of the Century Begins

It’s the trial of the century as far as the City of Schenectady is concerned. The jury selection process has begun in the case of Steve Raucci former Bulding Services Director of the Schenectady School District. He’s facing 26 charges of arson and even terrorism.

(Hat Tip Daily Gazette)

From left, School Superintendent, Eric Ely, School District Lawyer Shari Greenleaf and former

School Board President, Jeff Janiszewski.

Today the list of witnesses was red and it’s a who’s who of people working for the school district, former and current.  The most interesting name is Superintendent Eric Ely who  according to The Daily Gazette is looking for another position anywhere in the country.  That’s not a good sign for him is it?

Schenectady-The Reality Show

Sometimes I think they ought to travel around the city of Schenectady following the police and other city officials with a camera.  It would make for an interesting reality show.

The problem is that no one would believe it.  They’d say it was way too far fetched to be reality.  Like the saying goes truth is far stranger than fiction.  How ironic.

Daily Gazette pundit Carl Strock would be the main producer for the show.  One of his latest pieces talks about a bizarre coincidence regarding two recent arrests made on the same night.

Folks, you just can’t make this stuff up!

Recently Schenectady Police Officer John W. Lewis was arrested for drunk driving and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.  This was Lewis’ 6th arrest in just under two years.  The fact that he’s just being suspended and not being terminated is unbelievable enough, but we’re just getting started with this tale!

It turns out the scene of this accident was at the Ellis Hospital Emergency room parking lot.  That’s where Officer Lewis was getting his drunk on!

It makes you wonder.  Was Lewis on duty while at the ER?  Was he really hitting the old sauce and no one noticed?  Or was this just another night for him drinking on the job?

But wouldn’t you just know it!  Of all the rotten luck!  Lewis goes and whacks a car in the parking lot on the way home.

“DOH!”

Unbelievable enough for you?

But wait!

There’s more!

While John Lewis was under arrest for hitting a parked car and DWI just six blocks away there was another arrest was taking place.  Sheri Greenleaf was under arrest for driving with a suspended license and operating an unregistered vehicle.

Ms. Greenleaf just happens to be the attorney for the embattled city school district.  The same district where a member just resigned for conduct after hours.  It seems he and his wife held a wild drinking party with plenty of underage teens present.  We know this because they put the whole thing up on facebook.

And of course there’s the whole matter of having a known domestic terrorist on your pay role working for the school district as a glorified janitor.

They must be smoking crack!

There’s certainly enough to keep attorney Sheri Greenleaf busy.  So busy she even forgot to renew her license.

Sometimes real life is wilder even than the TV series NCIS

or even a reality show called

Schenectady.

Let the Games Begin!

Nintendo via last.fm

As Mario of Nintendo fame would say,

“HERE WE GO!”

The Daily Gazette and The Albany Times Union Newspapers have filed a joint lawsuit against The Schenectady School District for withholding information regarding the investigation of former school facilities manager Steven Raucci and his alleged terrorist activities.  HT Daily Gazette.

When the school district released the report most of it was blacked out.  So now the papers are suing the district to get the full report.  Clearly the district and superintendent Eric Ely have something to hide.  They’re covering their own backsides and perhaps some others as well.

So now that the suit’s been filed, “Let the games begin!”

A Big Step In The Right Direction!!!

Image via Wikipedia

A new citizens group has formed in Schenectady to recruit new members to the school board.  (HT Daily Gazette)

And as anyone who follows this blog knows

THE SCHENECTADY SCHOOL DISTRICT NEEDS HELP!!!

So mega kudos to  Schenectady Citizens for Openness in Public Education

(aka SCOPE)

“One of the group’s founders, Marjorie Karowe, said the idea started from a letter to the editor she wrote, seeking a citizens’ coalition to improve the schools. She said the group, which has about 15 members currently, is looking for people who will bring transparency and integrity to the board to improve its “tarnished” reputation.

Karowe said among the issues are the arrest of former facilities director Steven Raucci in September. Raucci faces a 26-count indictment charging him with arson and terrorism for allegedly planting explosive devices at the homes of people he viewed as his enemies. Authorities say the acts were part of a pattern of intimidation. Allegations have been made that Raucci curried favor with school officials to consolidate his power in the district.

“We have to turn around what has been a downhill slide of the perception of the school board,” she said.”

You can tell she’s understating her case to be be diplomatic.  It’s more like a runaway train to perdition, but hey!  Whatever they can do to help is fine with me.

Where’s Elliot Ness When You Need Him?

Image via Wikipedia

Things are piling up in the case of Steve Raucci and the Schenectady School District.  Now we know how much overtime he was getting.

HT Daily Gazette-and Carl Strock

Seems this guy was set for life.  He could claim all the overtime he wanted and not provide proof.  Since his position was supervisory he should have been on a salary not hourly.  And it’s one that requires a civil service test.  So to get around this they invented a working supervisor’s position just for Raucci.

Since pension is based on the last year worked the man is set for life even in prison.  Seems like quite the deal to me.  All for a man who’s accused of 26 acts of terrorism.

So who’s pulling Raucci’s strings?  Is it just the school board and Eric Ely the superintendent?  Or does it go farther than that?  This has mob and union markings all over it.

Who knows who got the proverbial “offer they couldn’t refuse?”  Unless someone goes into a witness protection program we may never know.

Where’s Elliot Ness when you need him!

Political Schizophrenia

Image via Wikipedia

If anyone ever decides to follow this blog (Hey!  I can dream can’t I?) they’ll soon discover there’s three ways I role.

1) Mega-churches Rule!  (Religion)

2) Democrats and Wimpy Republicans are evil! (Politics)

3) Schenectady NY is cursed!  (Local Topics)

Today it’s a cross between two and three.

This is about as off, as an off year election cycle can get.  It’s not just all the focus on the mid terms next year. It’s that there really is not much going on this year.

There’s a special election going on in New York‘s 23rd congressional district but I’m in the 21st.  The biggest thing we have down here is the mayor‘s race in the city of Albany.  Since I’m in Schenectady that won’t effect me.

I get to look forward to the big race for county sheriff!

(Cue the crickets)

Well actually there is something notable here.  It seems so many Democrats control this area they even have control of the so called Conservative Party.

“It’s an alliance that has “a school board feel about it,” according to one Schenectady Republican who wishes not to be identified, referring to the local Board of Education that has been so much in the news.”-Hat Tip Carl Stock Daily Gazzette

(Don’t get me started on the school board!)

Of course it helps that Judy Dagostino, the mother of Democrat Party candidate for Sheriff Dominic Dogostino, is a Schenectady County legislator, a former Republican, now a Democrat allied with the state’s Conservative Party.

Meanwhile Dominic (No Surprise here) is also a Conservative allied with the Democrats.

But it gets better!

Democrats in New York, also get piggy backed by the Working Families Party.

Which means we have the Democrat for sheriff getting the Right Wing Conservative party nod as well as the Far Left Working Families Party.

Total Political Schizophrenia!!!

And totally a good reason to add Joe Lazzari, a registered independent allied with the Republicans to my opposition section.

Now somebody please shut those crickets up!!!

A Moses For My City

Cover of Moses (Young Readers Christian Library)

Most of us know the story of how The Children of Israel were slaves in Egypt. They suffered and suffered and continued to cry out to God. At long last He sent them a leader, Moses.

My city of Schenectady could sure use a “Moses” right now.  The people in my city are slaves to an incompetent government.

We all know what’s going on at the federal level.  Things aren’t any better at the state and city levels either.  But at the school board level they’re at their worst.

Graduation levels have been just over 50%.  Last year several students committed suicide.  The police were called in several times to quell incidents of violence, during and after school hours.  One melee turned into a riot.  Then there’s the behavior of the school board members themselves.

But nothing could be as disturbing as the growing scandal over the school hiring a known terrorist and union hit man Steven Raucci.  What did the school board and the superintendent know and when did they know it?

Some were talking of the state completely taking over the school system.  That happened once in the state’s history.  Perhaps things aren’t that bad yet.

But as more stories come out about Raucci’s behavior, and as details from the latest probe are released, that may soon change.  But given New york state’s track record I’m not holding out much hope.

Some wonder why it took God so long to send Moses.  Was God waiting for Moses to be ready or was He waiting for the people to be ready?

God had to make sure the Israelites hated Egypt so much they’d be willing to do whatever it took to leave and never ever want to go back.

Are we willing to do what’s necessary to save our schools, our cities, and our county?  Maybe then God will send us the leaders we need.

-May God Bless America (and the world)

-In Jesus Name AMEN

This Should Be a Boring Post

No, really.

This is supposed to be my mandatory new school year post.

I want to take a moment and remind everyone about all our nation’s schools. Since allot of kids start school this week, (Schenectady, where our two go, started on Tuesday) it’s a good time to think about all our hard working teachers and administrators and to say a prayer for all the school boards out there since they’re the ones who determine policy.

Also let’s remember everyone who works at all the Christian and private schools out there where allot of us send our kids to. And I can’t forget all the parents blessed enough to home school their children either.

Then I want to list all our local school board members like the ones at my old alma mater in Ballston Spa NY. (Go Scotties!)

So here they are. (And since a few of the kids in my Sunday School class go there this is a good idea anyway)

Please feel free in the comment section to list all the members of your local school board as well.

Ballston Spa Central Schools

http://www.bscsd.org/

Dr. Joseph P. Dragone Superintendent

Board Members

Kathy Jarvis, President,

Jeanne Obermayer Vice President,

Keith Stewart,

Nancy Fodera,

Daniel Cramer,

Kevin Schaefer,

Frank Townley.

“May all those responsible for our children’s education, fear God and seek His wisdom. May they realize it’s the people they serve (Not the other way around) and to put aside politics and self serving agendas. In Jesus Name AMEN!”

There! That’s how this post was supposed to look. Nice and boring. But no.

I don’t live in Ballston Spa anymore. I live in Schenectady.

Now please don’t get me wrong. My family is very blessed. We live in a nice house in a quiet neighborhood. Our kids are thriving in one of the cities magnet schools.

But there are issues. ISSUES!

They could make a reality series about The city of Schenectady NY. First there’s all the corruption in the police department. Then there’s the out of control drug and prostitution crime of the inner city. There’s the love/hate relationship between the city and The General Electric Corporation. And of course there’s taxes. (and MORE taxes)

If that’s not enough there’s all the scandals in the school board.

If someone were to look at my blog on a click and run they’d see me ranting on and on about my school board. So to then see a list of board members appear they might think I’ve got a vendetta against them. They might want to alert the city about a nutty blogger!

So let’s set the record straight. This is supposed to be a boring post about our school board members. So let’s start over . .

******************************************

Even though our heads are still spinning from Obama’s speech last night I want to take a moment and remind everyone about all our nation’s schools. Since allot of kids start school this week, (Our two started on Tuesday) it’s a good time to think about all our hard working teachers and administrators and to say a prayer for all the school boards out there since they’re the ones who determine policy.

Also let’s remember everyone who works at all the Christian and private schools out there where allot of us send our kids to. And I can’t forget all the parents blessed enough to home school their children either.

Please feel free in the comment section to list all the members of your local school board as well.

Schenectady City Schools

Superintendent Eric D. Ely

http://www.schenectady.k12.ny.us/BoardofEducation.htm

The Board of Education
2009 – 2010

Maxine Brisport
President
Diane Herrmann
Vice President
Linda Bellick
James Casino
Gary Farkas
Jeff Janiszewski
Lisa Russo

Central Park International Magnet School K-8
Tonya Federico, Principal
421 Elm Street, Schenectady, NY 12304

“May all those responsible for our children’s education, fear God and seek His wisdom. May they realize it’s the people they serve (Not the other way around) and to put aside politics and self serving agendas. In Jesus Name AMEN!”

Have a great school year everyone!