Stop The GOP!

We have seen over the recent past with many revelations about the corruption in Washington: the Abramhoff scandal; Tom Delay's resignation; the Scooter Libby resignation and scandal; the illegal wire tapping scandal; Duke Cunningham bribery plea; and on and on and on. The corruption we see in Washington may be the most visible evidence of the decay of Republican values, but, to be clear, it's simply evidence of a wider spread epidemic of immorality plaguing the Republican Party. Here, in the Town of Hempstead, the largest Town in America, the Republican Party has ruled with a crooked iron first for over 100 years! We are here to say one hundred years is enough. Under GOP control, the Town of Hempstead has sanitation districts paying six figure salaries to Republican committee people with no show jobs and giving them free Ford Explorers to drive and justify the expense as being necessary in the even "garbage emergencies". We have Mondello, Murray and Santino using the Town of Hempstead bureaucracy as a mechanism for running their campaigns at the tax payer's expense. We have a Town Superisor and Counsel that float bonds to cover up poor fiscal management skills and fuzzy accounting. We have GOP contractors getting no-bid deals to pave our streets using inferior materials and charging the tax payers top dollar. If your teenagers wants a job working in one of the Town of Hempstead parks, you better make sure you're a registered Republican with a close Republican committeeman friend. You want a put a dormer on your house, you better make the right "contribution" to your local GOP machine greaser. The Town of Hempstead Republican Committee is the model for a political machine that exists only to perpetuate itself and uses the tools of government to advance selfish and corrupt motives. One Hundred Years of TOH GOP Corruption is Enough!!!As a conservative, the degradation and corruption of my former party sickens me. We must facilitate a true two party system in the Town of Hempstead that will hold politicians accountable for their actions and misdeeds. Democrats come in all shapes and sizes. Some, like me, hold moderate-conservative fiscal/social views, while others lean more towards the progressive end of the spectrum. Although we may debate amongst ourselves, we share certain common values and beliefs and expect a: (1) government that is fair and equitable and a political system that holds politicians accountable; (2) government that will lower taxes by shrinking wasteful bureaucracy without sacrificing services that we expect from local government; (3) government that protects traditional American values by respecting its limitations and staying out our family, home and religious lives (and also staying out of our wallets); (4) government that respects the importance of a clean environment so our children can safely swim at our beaches and drink our water; and (5) a government that is representative of the diverse religious, social and ethnic groups that make up the town of Hempstead. Join us and with your help, we can build a new vision for the Town of Hempstead's future.

Town's Financial Statements

The Town Comptroller's Annual Financial Statement for the Year Ending Dec. 31, 2006, is by NYS municipal law, required to be made available to the public. The Comptroller, John A. Mastromarino, has filed the Financial Statements with the Town Board. Why then isn't this important document available for viewing by the public on the Town's website? I wonder why???

SINGLE PARTY RULE

The Town of Hempstead is the most populous town in the state and the nation with a population of 755,924 at the 2000 Census (estimated to be 763,822 in 2006). It is comparable in population to San Francisco or Jacksonville. It is larger than Boston, Baltimore, or Seattle. If it were a city, it would be the 14th largest city in the nation. If it were a state, it would be the 44th largest in the nation. The town government is still controlled by the Republicans (and has been for almost the entire history of that party). The Town is headed by the Supervisor, currently Kate Murray (R-Levittown). The Town Council comprises six voting members, elected from councilmatic districts. That is 127,000 citizens to each part time council person.

San Francisco
San Francisco is constituted of two co-equal branches. The executive branch is headed by the mayor and includes other city-wide elected and appointed officials, and the civil service. The 11-member Board of Supervisors, the legislative branch, is headed by a President.

Jacksonville
Jacksonville is the most populous city in the state of Florida and the thirteenth most populous city in the United States. Jacksonville uses the Mayor-Council form of city government, also called the Strong-Mayor form, in which a mayor serves as the city's Chief Executive and Administrative officer. The mayor holds veto power over all resolutions and ordinances made by the city council, and also has the power to hire and fire the head of various city departments. The city council has nineteen members, fourteen of whom are elected from single-member districts, and five who are ostensibly elected at-large.

Boston
Boston has a strong mayor system in which the mayor is vested with extensive executive powers. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by plurality voting. The city council is elected every two years. There are nine district seats, each elected by the residents of that district through plurality voting, and four at-large seats

Baltimore
Baltimore has a mayor and a city council. Grassroots pressure for reform, voiced as Question P, restructured the city council in November of 2002, against the will of the mayor, the council president, and the majority of the council. A coalition of union and community groups, organized by ACORN, backed the effort. The Baltimore City Council is now made up of 14 single member districts and one elected at-large council president

Seattle
Seattle is a charter city, with a Mayor-Council form of government, unlike many of its neighbors that use the Council-Manager form. Seattle's mayor and nine city council members are elected at large, rather than by geographic subdivisions. The only other elected offices are the city attorney and Municipal Court judges. All offices are non-partisan.

After 100 years of single party rule we have a government that is structured to cease and hold power. The council people work part time and are too few in number. There are only six council people compared to similar sized populations who have recognized the need for proper representation with more representatives. It is the lack of representation that produces a lack of accountability and allows the ruling party to maintain a strangle hold of control. There is simply no one to complain to and if you do complain nothing happens. The most that may happen is a new person to represent you is chosen for you. Citizens do not have a say in our leadership because of the cesure of power. This undemocratic government can be stopped by a change in power and a more competitive government with a compilation of ideas brought forward by dedicated people.

After 100 years our government has done little to manage growth and plan for our future and the future of our kids. We live in one of the wealthiest areas of the nation, pay some of the highest taxes, and have the filthiest streets and out of control development. How can a government even begin to function when there is no access to those who represent us? Where are the leaders we have chosen and why do they not respond to the obvious problems of high taxes, lack of housing, and mismanaged development facing our town? We need better leadership.

After 100 years of growth under single party rule we are a town filled with patronage jobs and limited access to government for the everyday citizen. "Everybody knows if you want your kids to have access to summer programs or if you want a town job you better be registered as a republican" is a common statement heard around TOH. If you want your building permit to be processed you must hire an expeditor who knows there way around the system. This has been the way things are for so long in the Town of Hempstead that the people have given up and now have the attitude that they are powerless to change the system. The time has come for an overhaul of our tolerance for bad government. This year don’t accept the status quo, instead step up and make the change happen.

100 YEARS IS ENOUGH! GET OUT AND VOTE!