THE STORY OF SMALL BUSSINESSMAN VS. THE MIGHTY COUNCIL & BONACIO

It seems like the small businessman gets the shaft again when a big contractor like Sonny Bonacio wants the City to quash him.

The small businessman is the owner of the Fortunate Cup building, who for over a year has been trying to get his permanent CO for his building.  Unfortunately for him the City only grants him temporary CO’s.  He gave a reading of how the City has been treating him.

The City demanded that he plant a buffer of hedges and then gave him a credit line (a regular City practice) of $20,000.00.  The building owner wants to purchase the empty lot next door for a parking lot and will make the lot ascetically pleasing.  The City and Planning Board members beholding to Johnson & Bonacio- Cliff Van Wagner, Tom Lewis & Howard Pinsley say no way to the purchase and in fact the owner must remove 16 parking from the existing lot.  Now the kicker, who lives in the back of the empty lot?  Why, none other than Sonny Bonacio’s mother.  Also the City has recalled the credit line (something that has not been done in the last 20 years at least).

 Business in the building creates sales tax money for the City, so there must be a reason for the hard ball game.  The main players, the Planning Board members and Johnson & Sutton-Dowd cannot risk upsetting Bonacio.

MAYOR FOR WATERGATE? FOLLOW THE MONEY

Well, tonight’s Council meeting was filled with presentations.  The Comm. of PS gave his ambulance report along with the Fire Chief and the Mayor could not believe it.  The deal works fine and the Department also updated their 5 year projections based on a solid year of experience.  The Mayor however, drilled the Chief and tried his lawyer best to rattle him by throwing misinformation at him but the Chief did fine and provided all the factual answers to the Mayor.

Then it was the Lame Duck’s turn.  He had to put together a presentation for his failed Comprehensive Plan Committee, because the Council and residents are sick of the Mayor appointing his friends while turning his back on citizens of Saratoga to have representation on a Committee to set the City’s path for the future.  Wait, he did say he was going to set up a web site so citizens could email concerns to be read by the Committee, wow.  He also relented to let the Council choose 1 person each and said he would allow the choices to sit on the Committee; the Council met the Mayor’s presentation with quite as the Mayor was pleading with them to accept the Consultant and his picks.  Skip has already chosen the Superintendent of Schools who lives in Wilton and was an appointee of the Mayor.  The other out of town friend of the Mayor who is on the Committee is from Washington County and works for the State (thinking of running for a State office Mayor Johnson and need some help)?  Remember, this is the same Mayor that said Mayor Keheen’s Comp Plan was DOA when he took office and sits on his shelf to this day.  That Plan was a good one developed by a consultant and more city appointees.  The Mayor also mentioned that the nearby towns should have input in the process because we should be good neighbors, remember that 3 of the Mayor’s picks are from Wilton and that town was granted, by the Mayor and Commissioner Scirocco to buy Saratoga water, water which we can ill afford to sell.  Remember also that it was the Mayor who extended the number of homes getting water from 18 to 25, there is also 180 acres for development there so I guess the homes built will also put a strain on the water we have now, especially since we are losing wells at a scary rate.  Just remember the names and positions of those who did or will allegedly benefit in Watergate, Tom Lewis, D. Harper (attorney for the owner of property and City Republican Chairman) and it is said the owner of our local McDonalds.

Talking about chicken, one hairy blogger posted on an article at the Saratogian’s site, saying that the Rec. Center should be named after Scott Johnson as he will go down as the best Mayor in Saratoga Springs history.  I think that they should put a statue of Johnson on top of the building with him holding a bucket. Forget that, he would look like Col. Sanders and we know how much birds like chicken.

As Thor has said many times: hello, follow the money.