Democrats: the people who give you good government
Rensselaer County Democrats pick Jennifer Sober to run for county judge![]() Report from Town Board member
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Town board member tracey rex helps schodack dems to clean up miller road![]() RensCo Legislative Chair Martin Reid illegally collected unemployment benefits, Abelove refuses to charge him with felony"The chairman of the Rensselaer County Legislature "wilfully and intentionally misrepresented the facts" when he collected more than $15,000 in state unemployment benefits while being paid $30,000 a year for his government work.
That assessment of legislative Chairman Martin T. Reid's improper receipt of unemployment benefits was made last year by a state administrative law judge in a decision that was never made public. The state Labor Department recently turned over copies of the judge's ruling, and other records in the case — including Reid's county time slips and his certifications to the state that he qualified for the benefits — to the Rensselaer County district attorney's office for review as a potential criminal case. Despite the referral, it's unclear if newly elected Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove will pursue the case." More at the Times Union UPDATE The Times Union once again took Rensselaer County DA Joel Abelove to task for failing to do his job.The way Mr. Abelove took charge of the probe after Mr. Thevenin’s April 17 death is exactly what the governor’s order was intended to prevent. Just a day after the shooting, Mr. Abelove stood next to the Troy police chief and declared that police Sgt. Randy French, who fired eight bullets at Mr. Thevenin’s windshield, acted “in line with the law.” Sgt. French fired after being pinned by Mr. Thevenin’s car, police said. Mr. Abelove also denied that police weren’t cooperating with the attorney general’s office – an assertion the police chief contradicted.Before the week was out, Mr. Abelove presented the case to a grand jury, which declined to indict Sgt. French. Case closed, he implied.
Now we learn that there were eyewitnesses to the shooting who weren’t called before the grand jury. And a civilian has stepped forward saying he captured the scene on video, contradicting police claims that there was no such video. Whatever Mr. Abelove’s intent, it appeared that he was trying to shepherd the case through to a quick disposition. His sloppiness speaks volumes about the need for a thorough investigation by Mr. Schneiderman." Read more: http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/mr-abeloves-rush-job/35146/ "THE ISSUE:
The new Rensselaer County district attorney faces potential conflicts of interest. THE STAKES: He should take every step possible to ensure such cases are handled scrupulously. Not two months into his administration, we're seeing troubling signs that Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove doesn't understand the importance of avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Since taking office on Jan. 1, Mr. Abelove has already faced a couple of tests of how to handle cases that pose questions of propriety. Regrettably, he has failed both." More at the Times Union |
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