Crime and (No) Punishment in Middleville

So .......

....... you might be wanting to know how to get in touch with your state representative - known here in New York as assemblymen. He is:


Marc W. Butler, from the 117th Assembly District

Here is his website:

http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=117

Here are his offices and contact numbers:

DISTRICT OFFICE 33-41 E. Main Street, Johnstown, NY 12095 - 518-762-6486

DISTRICT OFFICE 235 North Prospect St., Herkimer, NY 13350 - 315-866-1632

ALBANY OFFICE LOB 318 Albany, NY 12248 - 518-455-5393

His email - http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=117&sh=con

or - you can click on "contact" on his website and fill out a form with your complaint. This way, he avoids email spam.

Not sure why you would ever contact your state assemblyman? Read on:


The questions you should ask him include why it is that state troopers are being diverted from real live police work to work instead on Homeland Security details elsewhere, which means we here in Herkimer County are down at least two, perhaps more, officers than previous staffing levels. In places like Middleville, where your police coverage is limited to state troopers, your coverage is much skinnier. Think of that next time your local vandals strike close to you, or your home is broken into.

You should ask why you pay some of the highest property taxes in the NATION, only to get some of the worst in services. Just who, you should ask, is getting all this money? Never mind that you also pay some of the highest sales taxes in the nation (a wonderful combination of taxes that keeps all those compaines with all those jobs from locating here - instead, they are going to tax havens like Georgia and Florida - don't buy the cover story that they go south because of the weather. It is not true. They are being shoved - SHOVED - out of New York state by tax policy more punitive than any other. This, by the way, is why your county commissioners think of a new jail or a new state prison as economic development - they have absolutely given up completely on actually landing something from the private sector).

You should absolutely ask why you have to pay $15 for a simple one-page public record of a crime complaint filed in your own village! $15 per record! Call it a "Crime Tax" - ASSESSED AGAINST THE VICTIM! Delicious!

Who do these people think they are that they hold hostage our own public records in Albany? It's really a great deal for the criminals - they commit the crimes, and no one ever knows about it because no one can get to the records because the state is holding them hostage in Albany! Not even elected officials here in the village can get them for free - what a scam! So, next time you don't feel safe and don't think your stuff is safe inside your own home here in Middleville, you have Marc Butler and all his cronies in Albany to thank for it. They are the ones keeping the criminals safe from you. Maybe you could talk to him about that.

So, the bottom line is this - the state charges confiscatory property tax rates so your property values remain in the toilet, charges confiscatory sales tax rates to depress economic activity and kill opportunities for local growth, and then they take that money and hire state troopers to work somewhere else - so the criminals have a free ride here in Middleville. Then, when you go to collect information about the crimes befalling your next door neighbor in hopes something could be done about it, your own state government demands you pay again - for a copy of the crime commited against you and your neighbor.

It should be a lovely conversation with Assemblyman Butler. Can't wait to hear about it.

MNY

GEMFEST IS COMING!!!!!!!

All of the details are in this flyer.

(Simply click on it to magnify)

UPDATE! Village Meeting Wednesday Night (August 15)

Another Middleville village meeting is set for tonight, so plan to spend a little time there discussing the updates that are available about vandalism related topics.

We will gather at 6:30 p.m. at the fire hall - Meeting shouldn't take too long, so please make the effort to come, and tell a neighbor! We are all in this together, and that's the best way to make our village better.

Thanks, and we will see you there!

MNY

Antique Show Coming to Middleville in September!

A great end of the summer event is coming up here in Middleville - an antique show!

Sponsored by the Kuyahoora Valley Historical Society, it will be held at the Middleville Fire Department. Antique expert Juanita Bass will talk about individual antiques and she will give you an estmated value on up to two items that you bring to the event.

The event is open to the public, and there is no charge!

Again, here are the details:

Monday, September 24, 2007

7 p.m.

At the Middleville Fire Department

Up to two antiques per person.

Event is free.

Refreshments will be served.

Town Meeting Tonight

In case you have not yet heard and happen to be one of the early readers of this blog about Middleville, in Herkimer County, New York, a town hall meeting is set for tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Fire Hall on Route 28 (you all know where it is).

The topic is vandalism, and how to deal with it. In fact, this website is largely a reaction to it in that this is designed for citizens who see problems or have had problems with vandalism or other crimes to share them with neighbors. The idea is that the more everyone knows, the more effectively the problem can be dealt with. Sometimes in life problems are much bigger than anyone might suspect, but because everyone tends to assume they have been singled out, they are somehow embarrassed and keep it to themselves. They think the problem is somehow a reflection on them, not on the people causing the trouble.

Of course, in that respect, they would be wrong.

Villages like Middleville depend on neighbors helping neighbors, especially with things like this, because the troopers might not be right around the corner.

So, on this site, you can talk all you want about what is going on around you, and you can share pictures as well. Either post them here, or email your comments to: middleville@gmail.com, and we will post them for you - just text, or text plus pictures, or just pictures and a caption. Please provide at least a caption, which should include a date and the names of the people in the picture, if they are known. If you want your name used, say so. If you don't, say so. If you don't specify, your name will NOT be used in the postings here. Anonymity is guaranteed, unless you ask otherwise.

This information can also be confidentially forwarded to the state troopers responsible for protecting our village if you specify that you would like that to happen. Remember what the troopers said in the last town meeting, though - you must tell them what you want to have happen to the perpetrators involved. If you want to file a complaint, say so.

We are working to get a list of all complaints filed in Middleville, and we will post them all here, along with pictures if we can, so that everyone knows what is going on around town.

When people talk about open government, they sometimes use an analogy to sunshine - they say that "sunshine is the best disinfectant" to keep government clean. In this case, the analogy seems appropriate - the more light that is shined in dark places, the cleaner and healthier our village will be.

Got your flashlight handy?

MNY

Happy Independence Day

Just took this picture of the memorial in the park in front of City Hall the other day, and thought it would be appropriate to launch the Middleville blog with it on this holiday.

I wanted to say 'Welcome' to all who are venturing here for the first time, even though there is a welcome over there on the right hand side of the page. The idea behind this page is there, too, and some thoughts about how you might want to use this page.

Mayor Liz Schrader will be weighing in with thinking from time to time, and I will try to keep a list of scheduled village events as updated as possible. This main section is up to you, though. If you have news, post it here. You decide whether you want to be trivial or serious, detailed or general. Make this what you will.

And, hope you have a nice holiday and a great summer.

Sincerely,

MNY (middleville new york)