in early june, i posted about a wee coup i had, getting a letter printed in the poughkeepsie journal. well, apparently, i made at least one person quite upset. last friday steven found this letter in the pojo:
Mayor did not cause eatery controversy
This is in reply to Leslie C______ of Poughkeepsie (”Mayor should focus on city, not Andy’s Place,” June 6). C______, during this stupid incident created by the male Democrat members of the Common Council, Mayor John Tkazyik did not make one comment.
The plans for this sale were brokered under the last administration, going through the proper officials. This controversy is only to harass the mayor and his family.
You also have the gall to say Tkazyik should make his resources free during the next four years for the common good of the city. Well, you better tell your Democrat stooges to cooperate and work for the good of the city and not as a means of harassing the mayor.
Just remember, the good people of the city will remember in two years who lost the city thousands of dollars in tax money and harassed a businessman whose business brings in much sales tax money – they will.
Also, remember who brought the complete operations of the city to a stop or crawl – the male Democrat members of the Common Council.
Now, C______, the next time you decide to attempt to dirty the name of a fine young man, try to remember to at least get all your information straight.
Phillip A______, Poughkeepsie
WHOA! … the vitriol! … the vengefulness! … the emotion!
this is emblematic of the letters written in support of our current mayor: a lot of flag waving, a lot of “well i never”, and woefully little fact or logic …
of course, phil’s letter needed an immediate reply from me … i tried to go to sleep friday night, but i couldn’t stop tossing and turning, honing and buffing my rapier wit and — apparently — superior understanding of property tax policies … i was up at 3:00 a.m., writing my reply.
I am replying to Phillip A______’s response to my letter regarding the contested land sale to Andy Tkazyik (”Mayor did not cause eatery controversy,” June 27). According to the City’s current multi-year financial plan, non-homestead property will be assessed at $8.48 per $1000 in 2008, with an average increase of 6.4% per annum through 2011.
At this rate and assuming an annual 6% increase in assessed value, it would take eight years for the City to amortize Councilmember Parise’s proposed $600 investment to clean the parcels.
To generate $1000 in taxes of the “thousands of dollars” A______ claims the council is depriving the city, the two land parcels would have to increase in value by nearly $118,000, or 2000%.
A______’s April 15, 2008 letter to Journal editors estimates a lower “gain … [of] $200-$400 per year in taxes” from the sale. To earn $300 in property-tax income, the necessary increase in parcel value is approximately $35,000 (600%).
Certainly Mr. Tkazyik is savvy enough to make a $6000 investment with such sunny anticipated ROIs.
Since 2006, over 60% of city-land sales sold at asking price. Why should Mr. Tkazyik expect a deal different from the majority of these transactions?
Mr. Tkazyik would be wise to pay the $6000 assessed value, if not for the ROI forecasts then certainly to garner the goodwill of the city. Finally, I find Mr. A______’s characterization of me wildly presumptuous; his sweeping generalizations, ignorant; and his overall tone, inordinately rude.
i sent it into pojo. who knows if they will print it. though, if they do, it will likely take a couple of weeks. i am sure you are all on the edges of your seats.
July 2, 2008 at 12:15 pm
You are correct in pointing to the excessive vitriol of this Tkazyik cheerleader. It typifies the Limbaugh-type comments posted on candidate Tkazyik’s blog aimed at his presumed opponent, Mayor Cozean. Of course, alter boy Tkazyik disavowed having anything to do with that Rove-like trick.
As for the parcel behind Andy’s, it is of no real value to the city as long as it remains landlocked. Bull heads on both side of his petty matter help explain the gridlock in this city. Another larger example is Luckey Platt which Tkazyik supporters slowed to a crawl so John could preside over the ribbon cutting of what should been acknowledged as a Cozean accomplishment. That building should have been fully occupied months ago.
We can thank the Knapp faction of the Common Council for adding fuel to partisan bickering that is slowing our City’s progress. We need real bipartisan leadership that puts Poughkeepsie first. But, it looks like we’ll be waiting a long time for that!
July 2, 2008 at 12:36 pm
well, i hope pojo prints my letter. i am pretty sick and tired of all of the arm-waving and finger-pointing, when what we need is fact-based decision making.
i moved here almost two years ago, and when i came, the big stink in the pojo was whether cozean would have her face painted in some mural downtown.
PULLLLEEEZE! the city has a poverty rate of 23% (2000 census), and THAT is what everyone was fighting about?!
having witnessed and (now) experienced the rabid and ridiculous partisan hatred in this city, i don’t doubt the luckey platte delays are part of some grand republican feint.
i know the land is useless to everyone except daddy tkazyik, but i have to side with the dems on the council for rejecting his paltry offers. they’re insulting. and i find it amazingly short-sighted that he didn’t offer to pay full-price to bolster his son’s political image. (and you are SO right about the “altar boy” shtick … GAG!)
(by the way, thanks for coming back to visit us!)