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School Prank? Enrollment Down, Taxes Up

The Whitehall School Board will have a budget meeting, Monday, March 29th at 7 pm in the large group instruction room. (I have added it to the calendar.)

The Board has been at work cutting some expenses but at this time they are still considering a 6.4% increase in the tax levy next year.

What is troubling about this, is that enrollment figures for the district continue to plummet. So it looks like it could be another year when enrollment goes down and taxes go up, again.

The Whitehall School Board needs to wake up and see that these types of increases are not sustainable when enrollment is falling and the town is dying.

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Interview with Assemblyman Tony Jordan, Part 2


Assemblyman Tony Jordan, from the 112th Assembly District, is Huletts representative in the NY State Assembly. He sat down with the Huletts Current this past week for a wide ranging interview.

Today I post part two of my interview with Assemblyman Tony Jordan.

Could you give us an update on the NY state budget crisis. It seems year in and year out, tax increases far exceed inflation. What are you doing specifically to halt this trend?

I ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and reduced State spending. I have been working hard in my first term to do everything in my power to bring these ideals to Albany. Earlier this month, I, along with Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward, sent a letter to Governor Patterson asking him to eliminate member items, commonly called pork, from the State budget this year. I think the member item system is a perfect example of Albany’s addiction to spending. While many of the projects that are funded through member items are legitimate and worthwhile, there is the potential for misuse and abuse of this system for legislators to distribute member item money in return for votes or support in a particular community. If the projects being funded are truly worthwhile, it is my assertion that they should be funded through the official budget process thus making the awarding of funds transparent and open to public scrutiny.

In addition to member items, I, along with several of my Republican Assembly colleagues have signed a tax-free budget pledge for the 2010 executive budget. The pledge commits legislators to spending restraint and increased transparency, as well as a promise to vote against any proposed tax increase contained in this year’s budget. We as the elected leadership of this state cannot bemoan the economic hardship facing our citizens and our government and then turn around and burden them with increased taxes and fees. This includes the infamous unfunded mandate. Albany needs to realize that passing the spending burden on to local municipalities crushes our citizens and our businesses. There is a reason that New York is consistently ranked as one of the most unfriendly states in the union for businesses. If we want to grow the New York economy and provide our residents with stable, productive, and quality jobs, we have to reduce the tax burden and make this a state where businesses want to do business.

The Pension Reform Bill passed during the extraordinary session of 2009 is another important step for moving the State to a more fiscally viable position, but it does not go far enough. That is why I have joined with my colleagues sponsoring legislation that provides for a radical change to the retirement system. This bill will take all elected officials in the state, from Governor to Town Councilman, and all political appointees, and take us of the “Defined Benefits” retirement program; replacing it with a “Defined Contribution” plan.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done. The outline of Governor Patterson’s Executive Budget makes some good first steps, but we need to go further. We need to be aggressive in our search for areas that can be consolidated and run more efficiently. The State, and its citizens, also have to make hard choices about which services we need the State to provide. I would stress the word need. New York has grown accustomed to large government and the myriad of services it provides. I believe there are some things that either the private sector can do, or that people and communities can do more efficiently than the State. A critical examination of the services provided by the State, and what the citizens and taxpayers of this State can actually afford is a critical component of any plan to steer New York out of the trouble waters caused by decades of overspending and bowing to special interests and unions.

With the 2010 elections fast approaching, do you have any predictions about the year ahead?

I think that 2010 is going to be an eye-opener for many elected leaders across the State. The unprecedented financial situation we find ourselves in did not materialize out of the blue as some have suggested. This is a storm that has been looming on the horizon for decades. The day of reckoning has been pushed further back over the years through increased taxes, fees, and borrowing. We have reached the point where the well is dry. We cannot afford to tax our citizens or businesses anymore, and we cannot afford to borrow more money to support our addiction to spending.

It is my hope that the people are going to vote this fall for representatives at the State level that will champion the tenants of fiscal responsibility. Without a change in the culture of Albany, it will be much harder for those of us who are striving daily to bring reason and fiscal prudence to the halls of the capital. I was recently ranked as the most conservative member of the Assembly based on my voting record this past year. This ranking was based on my votes against the budget bills of 2009 which dramatically increased State spending despite an historic deficit, and my consistent stance on fiscal and personal responsibility. I think my record, as indicated by this honor, will prove to the people of the 112th Assembly District that I am working hard to reduce the crushing middle-class tax burden and spur economic growth in the State and the District. I hope that we will see more people who share my views and goals for the State elected to the legislature in November.

Finally, residents of Huletts Landing are concerned about the decline of Whitehall. Lots of stores and businesses have closed, enrollment is plummeting at the school, taxes are continuing to go up and the population is stagnating. Could you tell us some of the positive things, that you hope for in Whitehall?

For the past 6 years I have had the honor of representing the Village of Whitehall as their Attorney. This has allowed me the opportunity to get to know the people of Whitehall and the community. The Village of Whitehall has a tremendous amount of upside. Its location on the canal should provide the catalyst necessary for economic opportunity in the future.

Given its physical location, however, it has struggled with attracting and keeping businesses with competition from both Rutland and Glens Falls. The leaders of Whitehall are working diligently to upgrade and improve the infrastructure of the Village with little impact on the taxpayers as possible. I will continue to work with the Village and State seeking efficiencies and consolidation where appropriate. It is my hope that between the Canal Corporations commitment to the community, the location on the waterway and the proximity to the lakes that Whitehall is able to enjoy the success it is capable of achieving.

Thank you Assemblyman Jordan for speaking to the Huletts Current. Please stop by sometime during the summer when the “Landing” is in full swing.

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Interview with Assemblyman Tony Jordan, Part 1

Today, I post part one of my interview with Huletts Assemblyman, Tony Jordan.

Thank you Assemblyman Jordan for agreeing to be interviewed by the Huletts Current. You are the Assemblyman for Huletts Landing and the Town of Dresden. While you are a relatively new Assemblyman, you have strong roots in the Adirondacks. Could you tell our readers about yourself?

I grew up in North Creek in the heart of the Adirondacks and graduated from Johnsburg High School in 1982. I received my Bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in finance from the University of Notre Dame in 1986. After working for eight years in Glens Falls as a corporate lender, I went to law school receiving my Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania School of law, graduating in 1995 Magna Cum Laude.

I now live in the Town of Jackson in Washington County with my wife Wendy and our four children: Gabrielle, Tricia, Luke and Eliza. In addition to being the Assemblyman for the 112th Assembly District, I am a Partner in the Law firm Jordan & Kelly located in the Village of Greenwich.

Right now you are pushing for some broad ethics reforms that are much needed. Could you tell us what you’re hoping to accomplish?

Ethics Reform has been a much discussed topic in Albany and necessarily so. Whether it is the Joe Bruno trial, Governor Patterson’s current distractions, including charges of ethical violations, or a litany of prior legislators who are under investigation or have been removed for inappropriate conduct, it is important that we pass strong and effective ethics reform to begin restoring confidence in New Yorkers in their elected officials. To me personally, the most important element is to look at the causes for ethical violation and how best to address the conduct.

One would hope that a person’s own moral compass would guide them properly. For the vast majority of the legislators in Albany that is the case. Unfortunately, the few who lack a solid moral compass have caused a black eye for the whole.

One of the primary contributing factors to the recent instances of apparent ethical violations all seem to stem from power and money. In the Albany political system currently, the leaders of the respective houses of government control all of the power both in terms of allocation of monetary resources and staffing allocation. Additionally, the majority also control what Bills are advanced through committees and make it to the floor for vote. With this disproportionate control and power comes great opportunity for abuse and attempted influence by special interest groups. One way to address this problem is to allocate resources, including both monetary, staffing and movement of Bills, equally rather than based on ones membership in a particular party.

Another issue being addressed is outside employment. Many suggest we should go to full-time legislators banning outside employment. Our founding fathers never intended our legislators to be full-time. In fact it is the proliferation of full-time professional legislators that has contributed to our ever-growing government. If we were to restrict the length of legislative session to perhaps two months, as many other states do and have done successfully, reduce the pay to legislators correspondingly and then require all legislators to disclose not only their outside income but also the amount of time they commit on a monthly basis to that outside employment, we could go a long way toward reducing influences of Special Interest groups through employment opportunities. At the same time by reducing the legislative season, we reduce the number of Bills that become law that frustrate and limit business opportunities in the State.

In April of 2009 the Assembly passed an Ethics Reform bill that introduced many important new safeguards. Regrettably, neither the Senate nor Governor acted on that legislation. Earlier this session both the Senate and the Assembly passed an Ethics Reform bill that was not as strong as it could have been but was widely regarded by watch dog groups as a vast improvement over current law. Unfortunately, the Governor vetoed the Bill. I imagine because of the Governor’s current personal crisis and the fact that we are in the budget negotiation season the Ethics Reform Bill has not received the attention it should. It is my hope that once we move through the budget season that we are able again to pick up this important piece of legislation to find an appropriate compromise to insure its passage.

Presently, the Huletts Volunteer fire department is trying to obtain approval for a cell phone tower that would cover a major part of the northern basin of Lake George. The public would benefit and the volunteer fire department would also receive much needed income. You must hear many comments about the slow approval process for cell phone towers in the Adirondacks. The Adirondack Park Agency has moved from protecting the environment to actually working against Adirondack communities. Is there anything that can be done to encourage high tech investment in Adirondack communities and make the APA accountable for nonsensical delays?

Expanded agency control and regulation is one of the biggest issues facing our state right now. Many State agencies have run wild and wandered far from their original purpose and intent. The APA is a prime example. Instead of focusing on protecting and/or enhancing the natural beauty of the Adirondacks, the APA has created a bureaucratic machine that has stifled any meaningful economic development in the park since the late 1970’s. Much of what the Park Agency does is important and well intended. Cell phone towers and the current wind project at Barton Mines are examples where the Agency has lost its way. Projects that should be completed in 6-10 months take years. As an example, cell tower projects outside the park are generally subject to 2-5 photo simulations as a part of the balloon tests. In the Park, they have to perform up to 50 photo simulations which can more than triple the cost of the application to the company.

The State Legislature and Governor must reign in these out of control agencies and get them back to working toward their primary goals. In addition, a modicum of common sense needs to be exercised by these agencies rather than an endless pursuit to render business and manufacturing opportunities in New York extinct.

…. to be continued. I will post part two of my interview with Assemblyman Jordan on Saturday.

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An Interview with Assemblyman Tony Jordan

I had the distinct privilege and honor this week to conduct a wide-ranging interview with our NY State Assemblyman, Tony Jordan. We discussed many interesting topics, ranging from Assemblyman Jordan’s deep roots in Washington County, his work on ethics reform, the growing problems at the Adirondack Park Agency, to even the dysfunction of New York state government as a whole and his predictions for the 2010 elections.

We covered so many topics I will break the interview out over two days. I expect to post part 1 of our interview later on Friday afternoon and part 2 on Saturday.

So stop back later to the Huletts Current for an interesting look at local issues with our Huletts state representative in the NY Assembly, Tony Jordan.

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Your Address is Needed

Approximately 3 years ago the Outreach Committee of both Huletts churches compiled an address and phone directory of all Huletts residents with winter and summer addresses. They sold these during the summer months as a fund raiser.

Well this year they are at it again.

Louise Davidson and Trudie McMaster are in charge of compiling this year’s directory.

So if you are a Huletts resident and would like to have your address included in the directory for other Huletts residents, they ask that you email your information to them at:

LouiseLDavidson@yahoo.com

TrudieMcMaster@gmail.com

They plan to get the directory to the printer soon, so they’re requesting that people send them their addresses by April 15th. They plan on selling this year’s directory in July.

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Jean Cooper, R.I.P.

I am sorry to report that Jean Cooper, the long-serving former Postmaster of the Huletts Landing Post Office, passed away on Sunday. Jean was a friendly presence for many years in the Post Office, welcoming residents and visitors alike. She always went above and beyond the call of her official duties and did much to foster community spirit in Huletts. She worked tirelessly over many years to make the Post Office a beautiful, welcoming sight to all entering the Landing.

I am searching for a picture that I took long ago of Jean standing in front of the Post Office.

Our condolences go out to her family.

The Post Star has her obituary here.

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That Would Make a Great Desktop Background


The Huletts Current now has a new page entitled; Wallpaper, where you can download pictures that make great computer desktop backgrounds.

A couple of people have asked for this feature so I’ll be adding pictures throughout the year that make great backgrounds for your computer desktop. Feel free to download and enjoy. You’ll think of Huletts every time you sit at your computer!

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An Interview with Lake George Author, Anne White

Today the Huletts Current is happy to sit down with Anne White, author of many Lake George mystery stories. Her most recent novel, Cold Winter Nights, has just been released. All of her books take place in the Lake George region. They’re all great reads for the entire family.

To begin I understand you grew up in Whitehall, daughter of Helene and Bernard Murphy, and spent many happy hours in Huletts Landing. Could you give us some of your earliest recollections of Huletts?

“I grew up in Whitehall and loved visiting Huletts, which always always seemed so serene with its beautiful views of the lake. As an adult, I enjoyed going to the Casino. Several friends spent summers there as cooks, waiters or waitresses and visiting them was always fun.”

Are there any spots from Huletts Landing that you’ve included in your novels?

“My last four Lake George Mysteries take place in the fictitious town of Emerald Point just north of Lake George Village. (I consider it not far from Diamond Point, as you might suspect) My first book, An Affinity For Murder, involving paintings which may have been left behind by Georgia O’Keeffe, is set near the Village. I live in Glens Falls now, so I’m more apt to visit the southern end of the lake. I confess I haven’t included scenes from Huletts yet. Maybe next time.”

The Lake and how it changes during different seasons of the year, plays a central role in your stories. For people who perhaps only visit during the summer, can you explain how you see the Lake change during the year?

“I love seeing the changes and trying to capture them — the lush beauty of summer when the lake and all the places around it seem to be bursting with life; the unbelievable colors in the fall, that breath-taking panorma as you drive down the west side and look across at the mix of orange and gold with dashes of fiery red and the cool accents of the evergreens; the frosty blue, gray and white of winter; then the burst of life as spring comes on. Lake George has been called one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, and for good reason.”

Your characters are quite colorful and when I’ve read some of your books, it’s clear that you portrait the essential elements of Adirondack living quite well. Without naming names, are there some people from your everyday life that you use for inspiration?

“My characters are a mix. I might start with the idea of somone I know, or knew, then change age, job, family connections, even appearance. I like to recast my characters the same way I do with locations. It’s fun when people guess. In the last couple of books I’ve tried to create characters who are closely tied to the locale — the man who studies bats in Secrets Dark and Deep and now the Adirondack Woodsman in Cold Winter Nights.”

I remember a good writing instructor once saying a great novel “has lots of conflict”. I don’t want to give any of your plotlines away but this is actually harder to do than it sounds. Are there any local conflicts that you’ve used that you’ve gotten positive feedback on?

“Because Loren, my leading character, is the mayor of the town, she’s pulled into whatever is going on. But Loren’s biggest problem is that she doesn’t know when to quit. She is a “buttinski”, but then so are most other amateur detectives in fiction. She’s often at odds with the Sheriff’s Investigator and increasingly with her fiance. So there’s built-in conflict there. My teenage character, Josie, serves as a kind of Watson. She’s more apt to be in conflict with her mother, Loren’s friend Kate. As for feedback — now with the Internet and e-mail, I sometimes hear from people who’ve visited Lake George, not about (political) conflicts, but to say how beautiful it is and how many happy memories they have of staying there.”

Anne, one character that would make sense in a future book, is an intrepid blogger who stumbles upon a sensational local news story and ultimately saves the day. You’re more than welcome to use this idea in your next book. (Big smile.)

“I love this idea since one of my goals is to do more blogging myself. Of course, someone would have to try to murder the blogger at some point.” (Big smile also.)

Anne’s Lake George Mysteries are available in Red Fox Book Store in Glens Falls and Dog Ate My Homework in Saratoga Springs. They can also be found on Amazon.com and her website, www.annewhitemysteries.com also.

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Bits of Everything

Budget Cuts (& Falling Enrollment) Mean School District Must Reduce Spending

The Post Star reports on the cuts that the Whitehall School District is facing.

Some Rest Stops to be Closed

It looks like those on the NY State Thruway will be spared but others won’t. Read about it in the Times Union.

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Is It A Date?

A number of people have requested this, so I’ve gone ahead and added a Calendar to the top menu which will bring you to an embedded Google calendar on its own page. I’m going to be testing this over the next couple of weeks. If you single click an event, you will get a pop-up box with more details of the event.

I just have some Town Board and School Board meetings in it so far but hopefully this will grow. If you have an event that you want me to add, just drop me a comment.

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It’s Been Slow

I received an email today which basically said; “Why has everything been so quiet on the Current lately.”

Well, please don’t forget that January is not the time when things are really busy in Huletts.

I know it’s been quiet recently, but I’ve been working on some stories and interviews which I’ll be posting shortly. I’ve also been working on a calender page, that I hope to debut soon.

I’ve also been getting ready to migrate the site to our new “green server” which will take place in February.

So don’t worry, things will start to pickup soon and the summer is definitely getting closer!

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A Birthday Worth Remembering


January 20th is the anniversary of the birth of Philander Hulett, who is widely credited with building the steamship landing in the hamlet that now bears his name.

I thought today, being January 20th, would be a great time to reflect on the life of Philander Hulett. As the caption above notes, today is the 184th anniversary of his birth. While there were other Huletts living in the area before him, he is widely credited with undertaking those things which literally put Huletts Landing on the map.

He built the steamship landing and the original Post Office. He was the first Postmaster and he expanded the Hulett farmhouse and brought tourists to the area.

Any of these things would have been a lot for one person but he did them all. I think it’s safe to say he was a person who got things done. By today’s standards he died relatively young at the age of 64 but during the 1800’s this was considered to be quite an advanced age.

He lived during an age when people admired those who accomplished great things. The time in which he lived was a time of religious fervor with many intriguing religious happenings going on locally. His father, Harvey Hulett, served as Town Supervisor of Dresden for a short period of time. He would eventually sell his property, move to Florida, but would return before he died. We can only imagine what the area was like when he lived here but the cemetery in which he is buried was at one time, the Hulett family cemetery.

While nothing is known about his temperament, his actions would directly and indirectly lead to the beautiful community which exists today on the east shore of Lake George. To accomplish what he did, it took initiative, hard work and motivation. So today, on the anniversary of his birth, it is only proper and fitting to honor the man, Philander Hulett.