The Real Ken Runion

Mark Grimm participated with Warren Redlich in hurtful behavior when I was appointed police chief

I saw the comments made in a letter from Town Board member Mark Grimm in last week’s paper. I won’t comment on most of them, but I do have something to say about the one that directly involves me.  Mark Grimm says that he found Warren Redlich’s comment that Captain Curtis Cox and I were political flunkies inappropriate, and that it made the selection of a police chief more difficult.

If that remark is by way of an apology, I of course accept it, but I really have to question the timing. At the meeting referred to in Mark Grimm’s letter, he and Warren Redlich both questioned my education, my intelligence, my experience, my leadership capacity, and my integrity, as I sat there in a room that contained a very large number of my family members, friends, and professional associates.

Mark Grimm made no effort to get his associate Warren Redlich to tone down his negative commentary during the course of the meeting. Instead, he participated in the negative comments, although not in as openly aggressive manner. In fact, it appeared to some of the people who were with me at that meeting that their approach to commenting on me had been arranged in advance.

I’m not sure if that was the case, but I do know that the way that I was spoken to and about that night was truly hurtful, and that it took something away from the pleasure I felt at being chosen that night as Guilderland’s new Chief of Police.

I hope that in the past year my work has earned me the respect of Mark Grimm and Warren Redlich. I certainly have tried to succeed in this role, both for my own sake and for the people of the Town. However, I cannot pretend that the hurtful behavior of that meeting did not happen, and I will not allow it to be said that Mark Grimm did not participate with Warren Redlich in making it happen.

Carol J. Lawlor

Chief of Police

Guilderland

Mark Grimm is like Warren Redlich

In his letter to the Enterprise of March 26, Mark Grimm stated that he is not like Warren Redlich.  However, there are surely enough similarities to indicate at the very least that they are joined at the hip.

This was first clear during the culmination of their campaign for Town Board membership in the fall of 2007 when they distributed the now infamous “postcard” on the eve of Election Day. Both Grimm and Redlich refused to seek clarification from the town’s tax assessor how the property owned by one of their opponents, Mike Ricard, was assessed. At the Town Board meeting on July 8, 2008, Mike Ricard, the gentlemen that he is, explained the legitimacy of the assessment. Mr. Redlich asked why he hadn’t debated him and explained the assessment.

At that same meeting, three of the leading business men in Guilderland spoke (Angelo Serafini, Jack Gade and Joe Abbruzzese) asking both Grimm and Redlich why they hadn’t researched this matter before wasting everyone’s time. In my view, it’s called win at any cost. When Mr. Ricard finished his presentation, Mr. Grimm’s response was “Thanks for coming, Mike”. What Grimm was really saying was, you’re down there, I’m up here, and that’s what counts.  Both Grimm and Redlich joined in their attack on the reduction of the tax assessment of the Walgreens property. Mr. Serafini researched this assessment by contacting other municipalities; Guilderland’s tax assessment of Walgreens came up clean. Mr. Serafini asked Grimm and Redlich why they hadn’t done their homework. Again, it’s called win at any cost.  Their collaboration on the tax assessment issue was probably the single most important reason for Carol Wysomski, one of the leading municipal tax assessors in New York State, to seek retirement.

Another collaboration between the two relates to their apparent opinions of Town employees; they seem reluctant to advance highly qualified candidates. This was obvious with the unnecessary delay in supporting the appointment of the new police chief. What should have been a “slam dunk” vote resulted in contentious, lengthy and meaningless postulating by each of them. What should have been a joyous event resulted in everyone leaving town hall sick and disgusted.

Both have little knowledge of Town Departments and how they operate. One example was during a recent Town Board meeting when they asked the most simplistic questions about how the Seniors Program works. For instance, what was the schedule of activities and how many and which vehicles are operated by the program. Both have long been charged with making no effort to improve their knowledge in this area. It’s my understanding, only lately, that Mr. Grimm is visiting various departments presumably in preparation for his pending run for Supervisor; these visits should have been conducted a long time ago if he were really interested in advancing the Town’s interests. These delayed visits can now only be characterized as advancing Mr. Grimm’s self-interests.

While there are many other examples, let me close with the “www.kenrunion.org” website issue. While the site was created by Mr. Redlich, Mr. Grimm is fully supportive of this type of campaign tactic. I was extremely disappointed to read a letter to the Enterprise a few weeks ago from Mr. Ted Danz, the Republican Party Chair, in which he declared his support of this tactic as well. In that letter, Mr. Danz compared the “kenrunion.com” site with a number of other websites, all with “Guilderland” in their website addresses. Apparently, these other sites include similar partisan propaganda from the political other side. I say, apparently, as I do not read partisan political blogs or websites; they are not intended to inform but to propagandize and spread misinformation, left or right.

In all due respect, Mr. Danz has missed the point. The creation of a website using a man’s name, uploading his picture to the site and then proceeding to deliver what many would agree are nasty even libelous remarks about that individual is entirely different from placing the word “Guilderland” in the website address. I would ask Mr. Danz what his position would be if someone created a website, www.TedDanz.com, uploaded his picture and proceeded to write terrible things about him and his professional services.

Is it in our best interest to treat politicians with the same courtesy and respect as we all expect to be treated? I think it is; otherwise qualified people will no longer seek elective office. As a result, we as a society, will continue to be presented with default candidates who are neither qualified to govern nor have sufficient statesmanship and character to bring citizens together who have differing points of view.

Gerard Houser

Guilderland

As Guilderland's Sole Assessor I Work Without Interference from the Supervisor

     I would like to clarify the actual facts surrounding some of the remarks made by Guilderland Councilman Mark Grimm in a letter in last week’s Enterprise, something I feel compelled to do because of their inaccuracy.

     Councilman Grimm states, “The real assessment issue centers on how Supervisor Runion manages the assessment process”. The reality of the matter is that I am the sole assessor of the town of Guilderland, a position I was appointed to by a vote of the entire town board, not merely of the Supervisor. I, not Supervisor Runion, manage the assessment process, and I do so under a clearly defined system of rules and regulations established by the New York State Office of Real Property Services, which reviews the adherence of my office to those rules and regulations on a regular basis.

     Property owners who have questions or concerns on their assessments may deal directly with me at any time. If I am unable to resolve their concerns, they are free to request an appearance before the Board of Assessment Review, which is also appointed by the entire Town Board. 

     They are also free to seek relief in Small Claims Court, and either my office or the NY State Office of Real Property Services will provide them with information on how to pursue this method. There is indeed an assessment process, and it is clearly defined. It is also clear that this process is in no way subservient to the personal wishes of this or any other Supervisor.

     Mr. Grimm was appointed upon his election to the town board as the board liaison to the assessor’s office. Over the past 15 months, he has visited the office only once.

     I do not know whether his inaccurate statement was based on limited knowledge or was politically motivated, but I wanted to take the opportunity to set the record straight.

     Residents have the right to expect equitable assessments, and my staff and I work hard to provide them with that fairness. Under the current administration, we do so without interference in any manner from the Supervisor’s Office.

John J. Macejka, Jr.

Assessor, Town of Guilderland

The importance of a man’s good name

It was surely no surprise reading Mr. Redlich;’s opinion of Supervisor Runion on Redlich’s newly created Ken Runion web site. It has been obvious even before his and Mr. Grimm’s election that their priorities were first to self- promote regardless of whomever they needed to take down and, at the same time, to pay little respect to or support of what once were the traditional values of the Republican Party. Nor have they contributed in any positive way to the improvement of the Town of Guilderland.

My disgust with this most recent example of Redlich’s lack of common sense and poor judgment is his use of Ken Runion’s name as the web site address and then, to vilify the Supervisor on the site. In this, Mr. Redlich once again crosses the line. For what is more important to any person (especially a business man) than his good name? Mr. Redlich, take down this web site or, at least, change its name. "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"

Gerard Howser

Guilderland