Paladino takes a 'Titanic' shot at Cox

Last week, Essex County Republican Committee Chairman Ron Jackson told WNBZ he was completely disgusted with state GOP Chairman Ed Cox. Jackson is openly calling for Cox's resignation.

And Jackson is only one of dozens of Republican officials from across the state angered at Cox at the moment.

What, you might ask, would prompt such intra-party anger towards the state party boss?

Cox has openly endorsed Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy for Governor.

The problem? Levy is a Democrat.

Now, GOP Gubernatorial long shot Carl Paladino has gotten artistic with the rage, distributing this dandy little piece of campaign sniping aimed directly at Cox.

Oh, and GOP nominee-appearent Rick Lazio hasn't stopped throwing haymakers at Cox since he endoresed Levy almost two weeks ago.

Paterson to push back school aid payments until June

Governor David Paterson announced today that he will be pushing back school aid disbursements that were supposed to be distributed tomorrow until June 1.

In December, Paterson got slammed by Superintendents from across the state when he delayed payment of $750 million in school aid until January.

The move could be just another kick in the gut for districts like Tupper Lake, which is quickly running out of cash.

Here's the statement from the Governor's office.

“The only way our State can put its long-term fiscal house in order is through significant, recurring spending reductions. In the short-term, however, plummeting revenues and record deficits have once again forced me to take extraordinary cash-management actions in order to ensure the continued orderly operation of our government. New York State is facing severe cash-flow difficulties at the close of the current fiscal year. This requires immediate action, and as a result, a $2.1 billion School Aid payment originally planned to be made on March 31, 2010 – but not statutorily due until June 1, 2010 – will be made at a later date. The State intends to meet the June 1 statutory deadline for making this payment, assuming sufficient cash is available at that time.

Branch to serve as deputy mayor

We received word this morning that Saranac Lake Village Trustee Jeff Branch has accepted a request from Mayor Clyde Rabideau to serve as deputy mayor.

Earlier this month, Rabideau edged out Branch in the race for mayor. Both candidates have since pledged to work together as new officials prepare to take the oath of office.

In a release issued by Rabideau, the mayor-elect called Branch "an experienced and earnest trustee to whom we will confidently entrust the duties of Deputy Mayor."

Counterfeit state OPRHP press release - Adirondacks closing?

Well this was mailed to us at WNBZ. It's pretty damn funny, but entirely false.

It details a fake plan by Governor David Paterson to save the state parks and historic sites tagged for closure by shuttering the Adirondacks and displacing the locals. They (we) would be given tent cities to use temporarily.

I get the feeling that whoever wrote this thing has more than just a sense of humor, but also a background in PR.

It's worth a read.

OPHP-- Counterfeit press release

Schumer in Plattsburgh tomorrow

Senator Charles Schumer will be in the North Country tomorrow to discuss jobs.

The Democrat will arrive at the Nova Bus facility in Plattsburgh at 2:45 p.m. today, where he’ll tour the manufacturing plant and meet with local business and community leaders.

Schumer spokesman Max Young said the Senator will hear from constituents about how the recession has impacted the economy and get ideas from officials as to how best to put people to work here in the North Country.

Franklin County Conservatives announce endorsements

The Franklin County Conservative Party has endorsed a trio of candidates for public office ahead of this fall’s elections.

Party Chairman Robert White issued a series of press releases over the weekend announcing that his party will support Rick Lazio, Doug Hoffman and David Kimmel.
Lazio, a former Long Island Congressman, is running for governor as a Republican – but he’s gained endorsements from county Conservative Party committees throughout the state.

Comptroller: Open space pays off

Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released this report today, arguing that open space protections have statewide economic benefits.

He points to a reduction in demand for services and community attractiveness as two of the benefits.

I think everyone is familiar with the never-ending controversy surrounding the Forest Preserve in the Adirondacks. So, I will leave the contextualization alone and just provide the report.

Here it is:

openspacepreserv10