A new blog for you to peruse and add to the ol’ Google Reader or whatnot.

(Apologies for the fact that this is essentially a verbatim press release regurgitation, but I’m busy. - BP)

Rock-n-roller Nelson Starr, who was featured on the Travel Channel trying to woo celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain to Buffalo, has plenty to be excited about. According to Bourdain’s official blog, the host of the hit Travel Channel program has decided to pay a visit to Buffalo after all! And Nelson Starr will be whetting Bourdain’s appetite with the debut of his own Buffalo-centric food show entitled, All Access Pass with Nelson Starr.

“The show is a fresh take on Buffalo food and dining” said Starr, “both in terms of how the food is presented and the unique production style used to showcase that content.”

Directed by award-winning filmmaker John Paget (”Almost Elvis” and “Alcatraz Reunion”) All Access Pass with Nelson Starr is the spin-off to Starr’s nearly successful bid to bring the hit program, “Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations” to the Queen City as part of a Travel Channel contest. Starr and Paget’s submission video became a runaway success at the Travel Channel website. Consequently, Starr was asked to appear in the “final four” elimination episode last year - a contest Starr ultimately finished as runner-up.

To build on that success, Paget and Starr have decided to launch their own food, dining, and music program entitled All Access Pass with Nelson Starr which will be available online starting this Friday, January 9, 2009. The premier episode will feature Starr’s visit to the relatively new Bistro Europa and the old-school lion of Buffalo fine dining, Oliver’s.

To help celebrate the launch, Starr will be making a special musical appearance this Sunday, January 11, 7 PM at Nietzsche’s (248 Allen St., in Allentown). Other very special guests and musical acts will be featured.

Starting this Friday, Paget and Starr’s new show All Access Pass with Nelson Starr can be viewed at http://www.truebluebuffalo.com/tv/. Additional programming will be phased in at their truebluebuffalo.com/tv site over the course of 2009.

For those wondering when the popular Travel Channel host Tony Bourdain will make it to the Queen City, Starr can only say that he “is sworn to secrecy” and that the episode may be filmed “sooner rather than later.”

Nelson Starr is a Buffalo musician, composer, author, and educator who is a member of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame (see: www.nelsonstarr.com).

John Paget, also in Bufflalo, is an award-winning filmmaker (www.PagetFilms.com). Paget’s previous films include the much lauded “Almost Elvis” and “Alcatraz Reunion”, the latter for which Starr composed the original score. Additionally, director Paget and composer Starr are working to complete their second feature film collaboration.

(My past posts about Starr’s wooing of Bourdain are here and here and here).

The Buffalo Ruse picks up on my half-joking notion that Buffalo needs a museum commemorating its parking facilities.

“The Erie County Museum of Parking will send a message to the rest of the world that Western New York is once again open for business,” claimed Marinelli, standing with Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and James Pitts, the former Common Council president whose recently approved development, “The Jim Pitts Fast Food Waterfront Experience,” will anchor the city’s newly designed waterfront.

“We have some of the finest parking lots in the country,” said Marinelli, “And, after the Museum of Parking is opened, Erie County residents will finally appreciate the secret that a few of us already know: Buffalo is a first-rate destination for parking fans from around the globe.”

This quote was great, too:

Erie County Executive Chris Collins, reached at a villa in the South of France where he is researching the origins of the County’s Six Sigma program, had no comment about Marinelli’s museum proposal.

It seems as if half of all Buffalo will be in Toronto Saturday watch the UB Bulls take on the Huskies in the International Bowl.

The WNYMedia.net sports guys will be liveblogging starting around 11am on the 3rd:

Courtesy Marquil @ EmpireWire.com

If you have even a passing interest in the economic meltdown and the economic stimulus that congress may pass over the next few weeks, then you may want to consider attending an economic forum being sponsored by “Be the Change NY“.

On Saturday, January 3rd, you can attend a forum featuring WNY elected officials, together with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (NY-14), (extended bio) the Vice-chair of the House/Senate Joint Economic Committee and the Chairwoman of the Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee.

Attendees can submit written questions of the panel. Questions should be on-topic, addressing their concerns and/or ideas pertaining to the economic crisis and its affect on WNY.

The forum is Saturday the 3rd from 2 - 4pm at the Main Branch (central) of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library on the 1st floor. Let your voice be heard by the people who will pass the laws dealing with these issues.

This has been a bizarre whirlwind of a week, replete with fixing cars, fixing eyes, fixing sinks, fixing faucets, having way too much champagne, watching the kids play and grow, watching movies with my wife, having quiet nights interrupted by panicked 2 year-olds at 3 in the morning, making and re-making travel plans, mocking things left and right, trying something at Starbucks called “gingersnap latte” which - seriously - just sucks, hitting the sales, playing Wii, and wondering where the time flew.

I don’t really do New Year resolutions because of the hype. At best, I try to be choosy about the hype I bother with. But generally, when something gets too much hype, I refuse to have anything to do with it. (Tangential example - the movie “Marley and Me” is being hyped left and right. Because of this, I refuse not only to see it in the theater, but never to see it on DVD or on broadcast or cable TV. Ever. I couldn’t care less how good it is.)

We have a couple more days off, and we’ll enjoy them restfully before everything jolts back to normal on Monday. One mission I have is to get a wicked good eggs benedict between now and Sunday.

I will predict generally that 2009 will bring Buffalo and WNY more of the same. We will continue to be nostalgic for the good old days - whether they be the 1950s, 1970s, or 1890s - and we will ever forget to discuss and act on ideas that would bring about a better future for this region. We will continue to bitch & moan about the symptoms of a shrinking, economically weak region and forget completely to address the underlying disease.

Oh, yeah. Happy New Year!

(Photo credit: BlogTO)

Happy New Year, everyone.

This will be the last post of 2008 - the 6,666th since the April 2005 switch to Wordpress, for all you Satanists out there - and I guess I’ll be adding stuff to it as the day goes on.

Firstly, not that any of you care, but this instance of Wordpress MU got upgraded overnight sometime and everything looks different. It’s like I’ve been flying a DC-3, and now have to get used to a 777.

Secondly, the Buffalo Ruse has posted its satirical “2008 headlines you wish you had never read“. My favorites:

BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD AMENDS CURRICULUM, ADDS: ‘FONDLING CERTAIN DISABLED CHILDREN OK’…’HETEROSEXUAL BASKETBALL COACHES CAN SLEEP WITH CONSENTING MINORS’…’CITY HONORS ENTRANCE EXAM NARROWED TO 1 QUESTION: ARE YOU FRIENDS WITH CHRIS JACOBS?’

and

MAYOR ATTEMPTS COUP ON NORTH BUFFALO’S COMMON COUNCIL SEAT; LOCURTO REBUFFS TAKEOVER BY MAKING AN OFFER MAYOR CAN’T UNDERSTAND: ‘LET’S WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE THE CITY’

and

GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES NEW TAXES ON UPSTATE NY: ‘YOU’RE FIFTY-YEAR FREE RIDE ON NYC’S BACK IS OVER’

and

CAROLINE KENNEDY VISITS BUFFALO, MEETS PEOPLE SHE WILL NEVER HAVE TO SUFFER THE COMPANY OF EVER AGAIN.

UPDATE: Did you see this article about Chris Collins’ efforts to try and recruit Democrats to run against Poloncarz next year?

One thing people tend to forget about running X like a business is that CEOs of closely held private corporate entities don’t generally have to build consensus among anyone or otherwise convice anyone of anything. They can do whatever they damned well please, and that’s fine in that arena. It doesn’t necessarily work in a pluralistic democracy where that sort of behavior makes you enemies and paints an ever-larger target on your own back.

The whole point of an independent county comptroller’s office is that he is neither beholden to Collins nor to the legislature, and the current occupant of that position has not endeared himself overly to either side over the last several years. And because Poloncarz won’t reflexively go along with what Collins wants, he must be purged!

So, Collins tried to recruit Kathy Konst to primary Poloncarz next year. She refused. When asked to comment, Collins says…

The county executive confirmed the story during a recent interview. He said he wasn’t trying to take out Poloncarz as his potential rival for county executive in 2011; he said he was trying to replace a comptroller who constantly complains.

“The comptroller has not worked well with me. He has been crying to the skies that the sky is falling; let’s not pull any punches,” Collins said. “Kathy Konst was — and I say that in the past tense — someone I could work with, if nothing else.”

Collins can’t “work with” a fiscal watchdog who calls bullshit on his shenanigans. He needs a lapdog who will eagerly and silently do his bidding.

Given past fiscal crises and problems we’ve endured, I hardly think that’s a winning strategy for Mr. Collins. And that whole charade about not being a “chief politician” is a load of dung. It doesn’t get more political than Collins’ recent amateur Machiavellian antics.

But I guess 2009 will tell.

UPDATE: Don’t go up the CN Tower when winds are 60+ MPH. Just saying.

Get details after the jump. Your company can sign up as a sponsor by calling Literacy Volunteers at 876-8991. Read the rest of this entry »

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

That’s how I started 2008. Unfortunately, we evidently are all filled with incredible amounts of, and/or tolerance for insanity. After all, within days we were still arguing over bermed expressways and Buffalo exceptionalism. But at least we had a cool outdoor hockey tournament as a distraction. On January 3rd, Obama won Iowa. The very next day, I entitled a post about Obama “the next President of the United States.” And I was right, bitches.

As early as mid-January 2008, we were already openly mocking Bashar Issa. His decision to treat his laborers like shit sort of helped hasten his departure. He did not, however, fly out via Skybus, which announced Columbus - “Toronto/Niagara“, but went belly-up before a single flight arrived or departed.

During the heat of the primaries, I managed to tear myself away from the Clinton-Obama aggression and write what I thought were pretty decent posts about Buffalo and WNY. The problem is that I can do and re-do the same post over and over again, ad infinitum, every year or every week, and it won’t make a stitch of difference. I loved this post, as well, and I think Paterson’s budget might just render the million taxpayer march a very do-able proposition. And the ones I do after going away, reflecting on Buffalo’s very deep tolerance for failure and mediocrity? Ah, those rock.

Could be worse. I could be Al Coppola.

On January 16th, Spitzer gave his state of upstate address. A few months later, he was gone.

The Peace Bridge should not be expanded, and a second span should not be built there. So sayeth the commonest of Common Terns. A new span is needed at Queenston-Lewiston, which offers the most direct highway-to-highway crossing in Western New York. And would it kill them to put up a welcome center on the New York side, for Christ’s sake?

We didn’t make it to Detroit in January, but we made it to Buffalo’s auto show in February (part 1 and part 2).

Buffalo is extremely proud of the B-Kwik Tim Horton’s expansion on Seneca Street. I mean Talkin’ Proud.

Lynn Dejac was exonerated in her daughter’s death after spending a decade in prison for it.

Co-working was a novel concept I wrote about in February. Now? WNYMedia.net rents space in a co-working space on Niagara Street. Which beats the shit out of the fact that the beleaguered pump & dump owner of AM&A actually listed the f*cking thing on Craigslist earlier this year. Craigslist, along with used tchotchkes.

Buffalo still needs a six-word motto. But at least it’s got sense of place (barf).

If Jon Powers’ failed candidacy for Congress accomplished nothing, it kicked Jack Davis out of the political system in Western New York. Good riddance. My favorite day? Exposing Davis’ payoffs to bribe his way onto the Independence Party line. The most notable part of that entire yearlong race, however, was this game-changing ad.

Of course, the biggest story this year that wasn’t Presidential-election-related, was our own Client 9, Eliot Spitzer, and his epic hooker fail. Governor Paterson assumed the helm of the Failboat on March 17th. We had an economic fail in October, which was sort of predicted in this post.

This video was one of the most important of 2008.

Mary Kunz Goldman started a blog. I have not mocked it. Yet. The Broadway Market continued to undergo epic upheaval, as it tries to remain relevant, perhaps its status as an enclave of mostly long-gone Polonia needs to be re-examined. As early as June, the automotive chickens began roosting as gas soared to well over $4.00 gallon - and has since amazingly reverted to $1.80/gallon in a matter of a handful of months. Amazing what an economic meltdown will do.

Tom Suozzi and his commission recommended a tax cap - yet another great idea that will never, ever be implemented by the selfish, back-asswards state legislature. They have too much fun spending and borrowing to limit their revenue stream like that.

June saw the end of the Clinton - Obama primary battle, and Hillary Clinton set a precedent that McCain later echoed - her greatest moment on the campaign trail seemed to be her concession speech. In the end, she miscalculated that “experience” would trump “change” as a rallying cry this year. McCain gave his first speech of the general election, looking frog-like in front of a weird green screen. It set the tone for a poor campaign. Obama then opted out of public campaign financing, thus enabling him to raise an unprecedented sum of money that enabled him to take on all comers and do something that no Democrat had been able to do in recent memory - compete everywhere.

In the meantime, the Livery building acquired a name as it crumbled, became a cause, and was ultimately saved by Sam Savarino.

Tor-Buff-Chester was coined by Richard Florida, the now-Toronto-based urbanist guru, and is an idea whose time has come. Downtown saw the unveiling of the Erie Canal terminus park, which is a rare Buffalo triumph.

Buffalo got an economic development czar, and Tom Golisano started Responsible New York, which had a “meh” effect on local elections. Just ask Mesi, Konst, and Kavanaugh. (Indeed, the campaign waged on Kavanaugh’s behalf begat a new phrase I’ll use).

In July, the shit hit the fan when a Federal Judge ruled that the Seneca Buffalo casino was illegal. Like with other never-ending, decade-long issues in WNY, (Bass Pro, Peace Bridge, e.g.)this is a yawn-inducing issue now. So much so, that opinion has given way - for me - to ambivalence. But people began to wonder what the Wendt Foundation was doing funding the anti-casino lawsuits. $2 million for Albany lawyers is a lot of money for a foundation whose aim is to promote education, the arts, and social services. In fact, it’s more than it gave to any such charity in recent years. When the question was raised, its rabid zealot defenders struck with charges of “swiftboating”. Bruce Jackson accused me of being part of a conspiratorial cabal, acting in concert to destroy the reputation of the Wendt Foundation. The fact that Jackson never contacted me to get a comment from me speaks to the quality of his alleged “journalism”, not to mention that what he wrote was ignorant, incorrect, and paranoid. Donn Esmonde, bold protector of the less fortunate, naturally came to the defense of the extraordinarily well-funded casino opponents.

So, it was quite fun to find out that the rabid zealot is a past recipient of Wendt funds, that his kids are among the listed trial counsel on the anti-casino lawsuit, and that the Wendt Foundation is a past investor in Harrah’s Casinos. None of that had ever been disclosed by Bruce Jackson, the rabid zealot, Casino obsessive who used the word “swiftboat”. Likewise, to this day the people who directly receive the millions in Wendt funds refuse to disclose how the money is spent, and who receives it. No one has ever bothered to explain why the Citizens for a Better Buffalo acts as a pass-through for Wendt funds, but isn’t a party to the lawsuit.

The funniest part of it all, is that contrary to what the hippie zealots might say, I’m not really a casino supporter.

In the summertime, it came to light that civilization had completely broken down on the bus to Wilson. Parents depend on teachers and coaches to, at a bare minimum, maintain the trappings of civilization so that bus rides and field trips don’t begin to resemble the Lord of the Flies. Epic fail. In Buffalo, meanwhile, teachers and administrators can run roughshod over notions of fairness and accountability, with complete impunity. Epic fail.

Bashar Issa came up again in August. Rumblings hinted to poor management. Shortly thereafter, Issa turned out to be a lot of sound and puffery, signifying nothing. Epic fail.

McCain picked Sarah Palin. She did a couple of interviews - one with Charlie Gibson, and one with Katie Couric. Epic fail.

We had Dale Volker engaging in never-ending thuggery, and David DiPietro deserved to unseat him, as did Kathy Konst later on. September saw the primaries roll around, and I made my endorsements here. Predictably, some asshole or another called my political know-how into question because my “predictions” were so off the mark. Problem is, they weren’t predictions - they were preferences.

In September, the entire economy burned out, and needed to be bailed out. The biggest welfare queens turned out to be investment banks on Wall Street, and we went all socialist in response. Thus was the entire conservative deregulation laissez-faire trickle-down movement decimated into obscurity. John McCain “suspended” his campaign to address the bailout. Obama called the bluff, indicating that a President should be able to do more than one thing at once.

In late September, the Great Lakes Compact was finalized, guaranteeing that our most valuable natural resource - even more so than oil - stays right here.

Also, we had debatez. Here’s episode 1, then the Vice Presidential Ifill Cavalcade of Bias, the Town Hall debate featuring McCain versus “that one”, and debate the third, which was good & substantive, except perhaps for JOE THE PLUMBERSZ!@@##@.

The result?

October was packed with stuff I won’t rehash here - most of it Obama vs. McCain. My endorsements were here. The election day post is here. The election results post is here. The Buffalo blogosphere reacted.

As one might expect, a bunch of credits and idiots instantly named Obama the next Stalin or Hitler. Stay classy, cons.

Rumors swirled that Hillary Clinton would be the next Secretary of State. I think Brian Higgins would be a great pick to replace her. Not, you know, that one.

After the election, I started looking at local stuff again. A hit & run at Main & LaSalle, a fugly hotel in Buffalo’s Waterfront Village, the treachery of the gang of three and the nonsense in the State Senate, Six Sigma efforts, Canal Side,

Finally, we at WNYMedia.net started “Patersonisyournewtax.com“, and a poem about the Collins vs. Leg lawsuit fun.

Wishing you and yours a happy and prosperous 2009.

Ouch.

You know?

‘Twas 2008, and the county was screwed
the people were not in a holiday mood.
The taxes, they said, were quite high, thanks, enough,
and people agreed that the times were quite tough.

On a floor called sixteen, a man crunched up some numbers
Six Sigma, he thought, would drag us out of our slumber.
Amid raises for managers, programs were cut.
The lawmakers’ charges, he’d always rebut.

In order to pay for his raises so steep,
the people’d fish money from pockets less deep.
Thanks to meltdowns and layoffs - economy dire,
taxpayers had little up there to admire.

But lawmakers thought they could do him one better
and changed his proposals - some letter by letter.
They cut all the raises, revived some dead funding,
and wondered, who died and made this guy the king?

On the floor of sixteen, Collins grew quite enraged,
and the comptroller soon had to become more engaged.
Explaining to Collins his budget was faulty,
but not using language one might think was too salty.

He told the lawmakers that they were wrong, too.
Their outlook was based on too blissful a view.
A budget like theirs, higher taxes required,
a result that really quite no one desired.

The leg passed its budget, some vetoes were used.
The leg overrode some, those cuts they refused.
Then from the Rath Building arose some weird chatter.
The People then wondered, “NOW, what was the matter?”

It seemed a dispute had arisen quite great,
as to which branch of power could set the tax rate.
The executive said, he’s the man with the pen,
while the leg thought that it could. It told him, and then…

To court they all went, led by Lynn Marinelli.
against Collins and Green, (I saw her on the telly).
Judge Feroleto granted Lynn an injunction,
who argued that Collins had usurped a leg function.

Then Judge Peradotto, the leg soon lamented,
ordered that Collins’ bills could be printed.
So from Springville to Amherst and then Lackawanna,
we’ll pay more for less stuff, sort of anti-nirvana.

When green and red budgets were part of existence,
we complained and cajoled, and put up some resistance.
the problems keep coming, they should all feel shame.
For now everything new can seem old again.

This reminds me of the Far Side:

It is quite possible that, if pulled over for speeding in Zimbabwe, the police officer who pulls you over will also pay your fine.

WTF is up with fights and shootings at movie theaters in WNY on Christmas and other holidays? Just hire some off-duty cops to be present in the theaters on those nights, for God’s sake. It’s not that complicated

As I’m preparing one of the last few posts I’ll be bothering to do during the slowest news weeks of the year, I’ll ask the few of you lurking around what you thought was/were the biggest stories or your favorite BP posts of 2008.

I hope your Christmas was joyful and peaceful, and thank you guys for your kindness, your discussion, and readership this past year. I’ve said it over and over again that I write this blog for my own benefit, as my own way of venting or commenting about random crap. The fact that you guys take the time to read any of it is humbling, and I am grateful.

We spent Christmas Day together opening presents, sipping homemade eggnog that was filled with win, I helped Madeleine - who is crazy about ancient Egypt - build a pyramid, and I helped Mia set up a massive Dora the Explorer playhouse. My wife tells me we went through about two dozen eggs, between the eggnog and the hollandaise sauce for breakfast’s eggs and roesti-like hash browns. I felt a personal sense of triumph when I managed to get my daughter’s PC to actually recognize and latch onto the house’s wifi (a frustrating rarity), and we entered in Webkinz codes and got her started on something called U.B. Funkeys, which are pretty neat, and are not pink and princessy for a change. Mia got an old-school Teddy Ruxpin, which she first dubbed “creepy” before she started playing with it with gusto.

It was a perfect Christmas, surrounded by my loving family, taking it easy, and celebrating.

Merry/Happy ___[insert appropriate holiday here]____.

Hopefully that pisses O’Reilly and Hannity off. Even just a smidge.

I’ll be very thankful this year if the constant drone of sickness, fever, vomiting, and pain that has befallen my household literally since the end of Thanksgiving pisses off. If Santa could make everyone in my house feel healthy tomorrow, that would be the best present of all.

I should buy a vat of Lysol and just start spraying.

Here’s a picture I took of Madeleine and Mia last night as they decorated the tree. That was before Maddy was up all night feeling unwell thanks to a new bacterium I discovered and have named “Kid Cuisinococcus”. Hopefully, that’s the last of it.

In any event, posting will be light. Merry Christmas, etc., and I wish you and yours happiness, warmth, love, and LOLZOMG PRESENTZ!

It just might pay off:

POLONCARZ ISSUES STATEMENT ON FORMER COUNTY PROBATION DIRECTOR

Comptroller Notes His Office’s Role in Investigation

Erie County Comptroller Mark C. Poloncarz issued the following statement regarding the filing of criminal charges today by New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo against George Alexander, former chairman and chief executive officer of the New York State Division of Parole. Mr. Alexander was the former Director of the Erie County (“County”) Department of Probation (“Probation”), who resigned last week from his state position following the issuance of a New York State Inspector General report that found that he had misappropriated a County computer and engaged in wrongdoing while a senior state employee.

The announcement that New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed criminal charges in Buffalo City Court against George Alexander should be viewed by the public as an affirmation of the rule that if you are a public official or employee and you misuse public resources you will be investigated and held accountable for your actions regardless of your position. As the taxpayers watchdog in Erie County I am proud that an investigation started in my office has led to an appropriate action. I applaud Attorney General Cuomo and the New York State Inspector General’s Office for their efforts to root out corruption in government and to defend taxpayers against dishonest public employees.

On April 11, 2008, my office received a one-page anonymous letter in the mail. This letter, which was also apparently sent to top state officials, county legislators, and media outlets, alleged that the County had purchased a new laptop computer using grant funds and that during an audit, the laptop had been found to be missing. The letter further stated that the laptop had been traced to Mr. Alexander, who returned the “stolen computer and the matter (was) dropped.”

Upon our receipt of this letter, my office immediately commenced an investigation. Our investigation in April-May 2008 included extensive data collection, separate interviews with seven County employees, and an interview with Mr. Alexander conducted by myself and another member of my office’s staff.

Unfortunately, during our investigation, senior officials from the Collins Administration attempted to prevent our office from investigating this matter. (WTF??!! - BP) They initially denied our request to interview County employees. Only after I threatened to issue subpoenas did the Collins Administration authorize County employees to speak with my staff. In addition, senior management in the Erie County Sheriff’s Office refused to provide my office with a copy of their police report detailing their office’s limited role in this matter (we eventually obtained a copy of the report from Probation officials). I note that Probation officials cooperated fully with our inquiry.

My investigation found inconsistencies in and between Mr. Alexander’s statements and those of his former subordinates. We believed that Mr. Alexander’s explanations and responses to our questions were not credible. We also found that Probation had no justifiable reason for purchasing the laptop at the end of the state grant and then provide it to Alexander just before he resigned from the County to join the State Division of Parole. Our report also found significant failures of internal control in Probation and the County’s purchasing and asset tracking process for equipment. It is quite apparent that only a select few Probation employees were aware of the laptop’s purchase, and none knew that Mr. Alexander possessed it.

Following our interview of Mr. Alexander, I contacted a senior aide to Governor David Paterson to inform his administration that one of their cabinet-level department heads was under investigation by my office for the misappropriation of County resources and that we were nearing completion of our review. Very shortly thereafter, I was contacted by a representative of the State Inspector General’s Office who informed me that they were commencing an investigation into the matter. In May 2008, I and my staff member charged with investigating the matter met with the Inspector General’s representatives and presented our findings to them. I was subsequently contacted by officials from the New York State Attorney General’s Office Public Integrity Bureau and shared our findings with them.

Since that time, I remained in contact with state officials concerning this matter, including the Attorney General’s office. At the request of the Inspector General’s and Attorney General’s offices, and due to their separate investigations, I did not disclose my findings or comment on this matter until they could conclude their work so as to not jeopardize any criminal investigation they were undertaking. Regardless of the outcome of this matter, I look forward to continuing to partner with the Attorney General on his efforts to root out public corruption as both our offices work to help restore the public’s trust in our government.

Now that this matter has been brought to the public, and speaking on behalf of my office, I reaffirm to the public that if you are aware of potential waste, fraud, or abuse of your tax dollars, please report it to my office immediately. Mr. Alexander’s resignation and prosecution appears to partially be the result of an anonymous tip. This shows that every tip will be investigated by my office regardless of the potential party alleged to have conducted the wrongdoing. Our office created the County’s whistleblower hotline which allows you the public to re