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From YouTube: March 16, 2021 Council Operation & Ethics Committee
Description
The committee discussed:
LOCAL LAW L – 2020
A LOCAL LAW AMENDING THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF ALBANY IN
REGARD TO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS OF COMMON COUNCIL MEMBERS
LOCAL LAW A – 2021
A LOCAL LAW AMENDING SECTION 202 (CONTINUOUS TERMS) OF ARTICLE 2 (ELECTIVE OFFICERS) OF THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF ALBANY TO PROVIDE FOR NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS
A
Okay,
great
all
right,
so
this
is
the
march
16th
meeting
of
the
common
council
committee
and
operations.
President
tonight
members
are
myself
richard
conte
chair.
I
see
council,
member
hoey,
council,
member
igo
and
council
member
kim
bros
kimbrough.
Also
members
also
with
us
is
council.
Member
love
and
staff.
Is
research,
council,
jr,
prochardo
and
city
clerk,
danielle
gillespie.
A
A
A
First-
and
this,
as
I
say,
amends
to
city
charter
to
provide
that
council
members
or
be
a
resident
of
their
ward
for
one
year
prior
to
taking
office
under
the
current
charter
requires
for
elected
officials
that
there
be
one
year
residency
within
the
city.
That
applies
to
both
city-wide
offices,
as
well
as
ward
or
council
member
offices
for
council
members.
A
It
requires,
if
there
had
not
been,
if
they're,
not
currently
or
a
resident
of
the
ward
when
they
run
or
were
elected,
it
requires
that
they
establish
residency
in
the
ward
before
taking
office.
So
in
other
words,
the
residency
requirement
currently
is
one
year
within
the
city
for
council
members,
regardless
of
where
you
live.
A
It
does
make
some
exceptions
regarding
a
year
when
you
have
reapportionment
and
where
the
lines
might
change
and
a
council
member
can
be
in
a
different
district,
and
it
allows,
in
that
case,
a
council
member
to
run
in
a
contiguous
district
if
their
their
residency
has
been
moved
out
and
so
joyce.
If
you
want
to,
I
think
that
summarizes
it.
B
D
E
C
G
F
A
It
does
make
an
exception
for
a
council
member
who
may
have
been
reapportioned
out
of
the
out
of
their
district
to
allow
them.
You
know
to
satisfy
the
residency
requirement,
but
for
a
non-can
you
know,
member
of
the
public
non-council
member
who
might
be
considering
you
know,
a
run
for
a
particular
seat.
If
they
were
reapportioned
out,
it
would
not
apply
to
them.
A
A
The
next
local
law
is
local,
a
of
2021
by
myself.
This
would
provide
for
nonpartisan
municipal
elections,
in
other
words,
the
elections.
Only
for
city
offices
would
be
held
on
a
non-partisan
basis
where
candidates
would
petition,
based
on
the
provisions
in
the
election
law
that
relates
to
independent
nominations
and
would
appear,
their
names
would
appear
on
the
ballot
without
an
indication
of
party
affiliation,
and
so
there
would
not.
C
So
fort
mclean
of
263
elm
street
shares
the
following.
This
comment
is
in
support
of
local
law,
a
of
2021
nonpartisan
elections.
I
strongly
support
the
proposed
law
to
reform
elections,
so
the
candidates
may
run
as
individuals
and
not
as
designees
of
a
certain
party
and
that
voters
of
all
affiliations
or
non-affiliations
are
able
to
vote
in
these
elections
in
the
city.
C
This
change
in
election
law
would
encourage
candidates
of
the
majority
party,
the
democratic
party,
which
comprises
71
percent
of
active
voters,
to
reach
out
to
all
voters
of
their
catchment
area
and
not
just
those
of
their
party.
It
would
also
make
an
incumbent
elected
in
this
type
of
election,
accountable
to
all
voters
in
their
catchment
area
as
well.
Democracy
in
the
development
of
good
public
policy
would
be
well
served
by
this
change.
Elections
could
be
structured
in
a
two-tiered
system.
C
Spring
elections
would
include
all
candidates
running
for
office.
A
fall
election
could
be
held
between
the
top
two
vote
getters
if
no
candidate
in
the
spring
election
receives
50
plus
one
vote.
I
support
the
proposed
change
in
election
law
and
believe
that
the
council
should
approve
it
and
forward
it
to
and
forward
it
for
public
discussion,
a
signature
by
the
mayor
and
a
referendum
that
one
is
from
fort
mclean.
C
C
The
proposed
amendment
will
enfranchise
voters,
especially
our
young
people,
who
are
desperate,
who
desperately
want
to
remain
or
return
to
a
more
vibrant
and
inclusive
albany.
We
have
seen
a
steady
decline
in
voter
enrollment
and
voter
participation
throughout
the
city.
Ask
yourself
what
was
the
turnout
in
your
last
victory?
The
victory
before
that?
Could
it
be
that
we
are
a
one-party
town
and
have
grown
complacent
with
our
our
outreach
and
engagement
support
for
this
proposal
is
growing
and
has
come
from
the
editorial
page
of
the
times
union,
where
one
writer
encapsulated
my
sentiment.
C
Lower
voter
turnout
is
emblematic
of
a
broken
democracy,
common
council
members.
You
have
a
chance
to
enfranchise
your
constituents
and
engage
the
citizens
of
albany
in
robust
discussions
about
civics
leadership
and
the
future
direction
of
our
city.
If
you
pass
this
legislation,
it
is
no
secret
that
we
are
all
democrats
and
have
enjoyed
the
spoils
that
come
along
with
being,
in
essence,
a
one-party
town.
It
will
not
be
easy
to
vote
for
this
bill,
but
the
cost
is
maintaining
a
system
that
is
not
working
for
all
the
residents
of
our
great
city.
C
I
would
be
remiss
if
I
did
not
also
remind
you
of
recent
comments
from
our
newly
elected
democratic
county
chair
who,
in
response
to
council
member
conti's
proposal,
said
look
at
the
nonpartisan
school
board:
elections,
low
voter
turnout,
which,
by
the
way,
are
off
cycle
elections
when
turnout
is
always
lower
than
in
november.
He
used
this
as
justification
for
saying
I
see
no
reason
for
the
city
of
albany
to
change
a
process
that
has
worked
effectively
for
a
long
time.
C
C
This
commentary
points
to
the
very
essence
of
why
this
proposal
is
so
important.
Voting
to
pass
this
local
law
does
not
necessarily
indicate
your
support
for
nonpartisan
elections,
but
what
it
does
do
is
respect
your
constituents
by
opening
the
door
to
people
and
ideas.
The
voters
of
albany
should
be
the
ultimate
deciders.
If
our
democratic
party
positions
and
platform
speak
to
our
neighbors,
then
for
certain
we
will
win
in
nonpartisan
elections
as
well.
C
The
next
comment
is
from
karen
strong
of
chestnut
street:
I'm
writing
in
support
of
local
law,
a
of
2021,
because
there
is
a
problem
in
our
city
with
voter
participation,
albany
and
overwhelmingly
democratic
city.
So
all
of
our
elections
are
decided
in
the
primaries.
We're
turnout
as
well.
In
2017,
only
23
percent
of
the
city's
registered
voters
participated
in
the
primary
elections
and
if
you
just
look
at
democratic
participation,
it
was
just
31
because
primaries
essentially
decide
the
winner,
then
general
election
turnout
was
barely
higher
than
that.
C
C
Comment
that
reads
as
follows:
dear
members
of
the
common
I'm
sorry
of
the
council
operations
and
ethics
committee,
thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
be
heard
on
local
law
a.
I
encourage
you
to
support
the
proposal
for
nonpartisan
elections
in
albany,
with
the
amendment
that
the
system
be
established
as
a
10-year
pilot
albany.
Voters
deserve
the
opportunity
to
make
this
important
choice
for
themselves.
I
hope
you
will
take
my
support
for
this
proposal
in
the
spirit
in
which
is
unintended.
C
The
belief
that
nonpartisan
elections
will
better
serve
voters
and
not
as
a
criticism
of
the
city's
rich,
partisan,
political
history
or
the
people
who
continue
the
legacy.
Today.
Last
year,
we
witnessed
the
power
of
voter
participation
as
people
across
the
country
fought
for
voting
systems
that
were
more
inclusive
and
fair.
Those
values
mean
more
when
we
fight
for
them,
even
when
it
runs
counter
to
our
own
political
interests.
C
C
The
reality
of
our
current
system
is
that
a
small
and
generally
shrinking
number
of
voters
have
a
disproportionate
say
in
selecting
our
leaders
and
while
partisan
elections
are
not
explicitly
exclusionary,
the
effect
of
them
in
de
facto
one-party
towns
like
albany,
is
to
exclude
voters
who,
for
whatever
reason,
cannot
or
do
not
want
to
enroll
in
the
dominant
party
in
albany
about
28
percent
of
active
voters.
Some
14
thousand
people
are
not
enrolled.
As
democrats,
these
voters
have
almost
no
meaningful
voice
in
the
outcome
of
city
elections.
The
word
meaningful
is
critical.
C
While
this
is
not
the
fault
of
the
dominant
party,
it's
a
flaw
in
the
system
that
anyone
who
values
healthy
democratic
institutions
should
want
to
see
fixed
in
2017
the
three-way
democratic
mayoral
primary
effectively.
The
entire
mayoral
election
was
decided
by
13
469
voters
that
works
out
to
about
16
percent
of
albany's
estimated
voting
age
population.
That
year,
29
percent
of
all
active
voters
in
the
city
and
less
than
half
of
acting
democrats
in
the
general
election,
just
16
360
votes
were
cast
a
turnout
of
about
35
percent
in
raw
numbers.
C
Looking
back
two
decades,
2017
saw
at
least
a
30
percent
decline
in
democratic
primary
turnout
since
1997.,
despite
the
fact
that
the
city's
population
has
slightly
increased
over
roughly
the
same
span.
This
matters,
because
our
current
partisan
system
effectively
delegates
the
selection
of
the
city's
leaders
to
a
shrinking
and
likely
less
representative
slice
of
the
primary
electorate.
C
C
A
common
counter-argument
to
local
law
a
is
that
there
is
no
real
barrier
to
participation,
because
more
voters
could
have
a
meaningful
say
if
they
enrolled
in
a
dominant
party
and
voted
in
the
primary.
This
is
true,
but
they
should
have
not.
They
should
not
have
to
do
that.
Nor
should
anyone
have
to
explain
why
they
do
not
want
to.
C
This
convoluted
process
obscures
a
larger
problem.
Our
partisan
system
makes
it
easier
for
voters
to
know
very
little
about
the
candidate.
They
are
elected
nonpartisan
elections
alone
are
not
a
solution
to
this
problem,
but
removing
partisan
affiliation
from
the
ballot
is
an
important
step
toward
ensuring
our
civic
infrastructure
does
not
reinforce
it.
Local
law
a
would
simply
ensure
that
every
candidate
who
qualifies
is
presented
on
the
ballot
on
equal
footing.
It
would
remove
partisan
hurdles
to
valid
access
and
allow
all
registered
voters
to
have
a
meaningful
say
in
the
elections
that
actually
choose
our
leaders.
C
C
A
pilot
would
remove
the
need
to
speculate
about
the
impact
of
such
a
system
in
albany
and
provide
a
safety
valve
to
return
to
the
status
quo.
If
that
is
what
voters
want,
if
political
party
organizations
are
truly
essential
to
democracy
in
albany,
they
will
still
be
around
when
the
pilot
ends.
In
the
meantime,
candidates
preferred
by
the
majority
of
the
dominant
party
should
still
win
handily
local
law.
A
would
not
change
that,
nor
would
it
ban
partisan
political
activity
or
endorsement.
C
It
would
simply
keep
party
affiliation
off
the
ballot.
It's
not
a
radical
idea.
Non-Partisan
elections
are
the
norm
in
some
three-quarters
of
cities
across
the
country.
As
you
consider
local
law
a.
I
hope
you
will
ask
yourselves
how
voters
interests
are
served
by
the
continuation
of
the
system
as
it
exists
today.
The
lens
for
evaluating
our
civic
infrastructure
should
not
be
whether
it's
simply
good
enough,
but
whether
we
have
the
capacity
to
make
it
better.
I
believe
that
local
law
a
presents
an
opportunity
to
make
it
better.
C
A
A
Great,
thank
you
so
just
to
quickly
lay
out
the
the
purpose
and
as
indicated
that
you
know
it
is
the
predominant
model
in
cities
across
the
country,
not
necessarily
here
in
new
york.
Although
there
are
some
models
in
new
york
state,
but
three
quarters
of
cities
nationwide
do,
you
know,
have
nonpartisan
elections
for
municipal
office,
and
earlier
today
I
did
send
out
some
information
based
on
some
research
and
from
the
national
league
of
cities
just
laying
out
the
the
extent
to
which
non-partisan
elections
actually
exist.
A
A
We
can
to
enfranchise
people
to
be
able
to
participate
in
municipal
government
and
municipal
elections
and
making
decisions
as
to
as
you
know,
as
far
as
who's
going
to
elect
us
represent
us,
and
one
way
of
doing
that
is
also
expanding.
The
ability
of
people
to
participate
regardless
of
partisan
affiliation.
A
Let's
look
at
mayoral
primaries
from
you
know,
back
in
1993,
which
is
one
of
the
first
contests
that
I
really
got
involved
in
jerry
jennings
versus
harold
joyce,
where
you
had
a
turnout
of
in
excess
of
23
000
in
the
democratic
primary
that
year.
And
then,
if
you
look
at
the
mayoral
elections
in
in
2005,
2009,
13
and
17,
you
see
a
significant
drop
off
even
between
you
know,
for
2017,
which
was
a
hotly
contested
three-way
race
versus
the
contested
races
in
25
in
2005
and
2009,
which
were
higher.
A
And
then
I
also
looked
at
the
level
of
partisan
enrollment.
The
level
of
enrollment
by
you
know
democratic
enrollment
versus
non-democratic
enrollment.
The
table
that
I
shared
just
looks
at
the
non-democratic
enrollment
by
ward
and
city-wide
and
again
it
shows
that
there
is
a
drop
in
in
the
level.
Well,
there's
an
increase
in
the
level
of
non-democratic
enrollment
over
the
years
between
2017,
which
was
a
mayoral
election
year
and
then
2021,
which
is
again,
is
a
mayoral
election
year.
A
And
you
can
see
that
there
were
some
significant
increases
in
non-democratic
enrollment
as
a
percentage
of
total
enrollment
in
the
city
up
7.7,
but
in
certain
wards,
especially
some
of
the
lower
awards
were
increased
and
doubled
by
double-digit
numbers.
So
you
see
a
trend
growing
where
there's
less
and
less
party
affiliation
identification.
A
So
my
interest
in
moving
this
forward
is
we
have
a
problem
in
terms
of
voter
participation
in
terms
of
municipal
elections.
It
really
should
we
should
really
enfranchise
the
electorate
as
much
as
possible
by
eliminating
barriers
and
bringing
more
people
into
the
system
and
that's
what
non-partisan
elections
do
as
experienced
by
cities
across
the
country.
A
So
that's
why
I've
advanced
the
proposal
which
I've
been
thinking
about
for
a
while,
and
I
had
actually,
this
had
been
drafted
a
while
back,
but
I
never
really
put
it
in
and
you
know
I
think
it's
an
issue
that
really
we
should,
regardless
of
how
you
feel
we
should
move
it
to
the
ballot
in
november.
Let
the
voters
decide
and
have
that
discussion
in
november.
G
G
mike
whalen
same
against
howard
greenstein.
We
create
get
great
turnout
and
some
of
the
issues
are
some
of
the
people
that
are
actually
registering.
They
think
they
all
come
up
and
say:
well,
I'm
an
independent,
I'm
an
independent.
I
can
vote
an
independence
party
and
this
and
that
a
lot
of
people
don't
understand.
We
also
have
an
awful
lot
of
students
from
suny
and
other
colleges
in
the
city
and
they
might
be
registered
to
vote
okay,
but
they
rarely
do
it
other
than
the
presidential
year.
G
G
E
G
E
E
Sorry
so
you
know
we
had
3
200
people
voted
for
the
budget
and
the
highest
board
member
to
get
a
vote
was
2300,
so
I
mean
there
is,
and
this
is
during
the
november
election
cycle
now
they
they
had
changed
it.
Some
years
ago,
I
I'd
say
five
or
six
years
ago.
It
did
change
to
june,
for
whatever
reason,
but
you
know
we
keep
playing
around
with
this
election
cycle
and
I'm
just
throwing
this
out.
You
know
we're
out
in
february
in
early
march.
E
E
The
whole
idea
of
parties
is
to
put
forward
somebody
that
represents
the
ideals
that
and
it's
from
the
national
level
down
through
the
state
through
the
county
that
they
will
stand
up
to
those
ideals
that
we
we
put
forth
and
you
know-
and
there
are
some
people
supporting
trump
but
not
too
many
in
the
city
of
albany.
Thank
god-
and
we
know
what
happened
those
four
years
and
it's
like
a
breath
of
sunshine
right
now.
So
again
I
I'm
against
it.
I
don't
believe
this
is
going
to
enfranchise
more
people
to
vote.
E
You
know
I
always
thought
I
ran
against
frank
camiso
on
the
independence
party
line
that
that
joe
mentioned,
and
I
thought,
hey
I'm
going
to
get
all
these
students
we
got.
You
know
7
000,
students
living
on
campus.
You
know
we
had
90
people
voted.
I
I
put
out
literature
and
really
fought
hard
on
this
independent
line,
and
you
know
people
just
don't
care,
especially
students.
They
they
care
about
a
president's
race,
you
know,
and
they
don't
want
to
vote
in
a
local
race.
I
do
argue
with
them.
E
Hey
the
the
judges
that
you
elect
here
are
the
ones
that
are
going
to
sentence
you
when
you
get
caught
drunk
driving
whatever
that
didn't
seem
to
to
go
over
too
well.
But
you
know
what's
surprising
when
we
talk
about
the
school
board
and
the
taxes,
the
school
taxes
are
the
highest
taxes
that
a
homeowner
pays.
E
E
D
I
I
between
the
mr
I
go
and
mr
holy's
responses.
That's
how
I
feel
that's
a
near
perfect
argument
against
this.
I
voter
apathy,
I
mean
I
talk
to
a
lot
of
voters
in
the
in
in
my
ward
and
and
it's
not
the
partisanship
that
that
makes
people
not
show
up,
but
I'd
also
add
that
one
of
the
commenters
mentioned
the
comment
about
it
would
make
us
accountable
to
all.
D
You
know:
voters
from
every
party
and
no
party
that
I
I
I
support
and
I
work
for
all
of
the
folks
in
my
ward,
regardless
of
party
regardless,
you
know
a
party
affiliation
if
they
voted
for
me
or
not
or
or
agree
with
me
or
not.
I
support
and
take
care
of
all
my
folks,
so
I
I
too
I'm
not
in
agreement
with
this
at
this
point
in
time,.
H
Thank
you.
I
have
to
agree
with
my
colleagues
as
well.
I
think
council
member
hoey
really
hit
the
nail
on
the
head
with
one
of
his
statements
that
you
vote
for
your
party
and
your
values
and
there's
a
difference
between
a
very
active
voter.
Someone
who's
super
engaged
with
you
as
a
council
member
someone
who
follows
over
and
you
follow
up
consistently
and
they
really
get
to
know
you
on
that
personal
basis
and
then
there's
a
level
of
name
recognition.
People
know
you
you
stop
by
their
home.
H
They
know
you're
there
to
help,
but
then
there's
also
a
level
of
voters
who
I
think
that
this
would.
If
we
move
forward,
this
would
disenfranchise
where
they
vote
for
their
party.
Maybe
they're
not
engaged
as
much
with
local
politics,
but
they
support
the
party
and
their
values
because
they
know
that
representative
serves
them.
So
I
am
also
against
this
as
well.
A
B
B
B
G
One
more
thing
you
know
when,
when
the
other
party
runs
a
good
candidate,
even
under
the
the
quote
machine
back,
then
okay,
carl
tui,
almost
beat
mayor
erastus
corny.
Some
say
he
really
did
all
right.
How
would
nolan
almost
be
a
democratic
democrat?
He
almost
beat
howard
nolan,
so
they
put
up
good
candidates
and-
and
then
I
look
out
at
colony,
look
at
god
bless
fred
field
who
passed
away
yesterday.
G
What
a
gentleman
he
was
well
liked,
whatever
his
great
candidate,
went
on
to
do
many
good
things
next
time
when
he
stepped
down,
they
didn't
have
the
best
candidate
democrats
funny
come
up
with
a
good
candidate
and
they
win.
So
if
you
have
a
good
candidate,
you've
got
a
shot
and
if
you
work
at
it,
no
matter
what
party
you
are
so
I
think
that's
funny.
A
A
You
know
I
I
can
read
the
writing
on
the
wall
here.
I
put
the
issue
forward.
This
is
albany.
I
didn't
really
expect
it
this
to
be
the
place
where
it
would.
You
know
something
like
this
would
take
off,
but
you
know,
let's
be
honest
when
we
do
elections
and
I've
done
that,
I
think
we've
all
done
that
we
look
at
our
our
voters
in
a
primary.
We
first
think
we
look
at
our
prime
voters
and
those
are
the
people
we
focus
on
and
it's
a
continually
narrow
base
of
people.
A
A
A
This
one
in
fact,
is
a
way
of
having
an
open
open
primary
by
bringing
more
people
in
and
really
bringing
more
people
into
the
process,
and
what
this
really
is
about
is
about
expanding
the
voter
base,
voter
enfranchisement,
so
more
people
can
participate,
especially
when
you
look
at
numbers
where
you
see
the
the
the
enrollment
going
down
and
the
people
who
don't
if
identifi
identify
with
a
party
affiliation
increasing-
and
you
know,
they're.
The
the
elections
that
tend
to
jump
around
are
primary
elections.
A
September
june
sometimes
are
changed
because
of
religious
holidays
november
general
election
is
a
static,
static
election
day
that
you
always
know
when
it's
gonna
happen
and
it's
easy
to
identify
when
it's
going
to
happen.
So
you
know,
I
understand
that
the
reluctance,
I
think
it's
something
that
we
should
allow
the
voters
to
decide,
because
it
is
an
important
issue
and
it
would
be
a
good
discussion
to
have
in
november.
A
A
A
But
if
we
look
at
other
cities,
the
larger
cities
nationwide
that
do
it,
we
have
los
angeles
chicago
I've,
often
used
chicago
and
mayor
lori
lightfoot
as
an
example,
as
someone
who
probably
would
not
have
been
able
to
be
elected
if
under
a
nonpartisan
assistant,
because
she
was
a
community
activist
built
her
electoral
base
out
of
the
community,
not
out
of
a
partisan
political
system,
and
you
also
think
of
chicago.
As
the
you
know,
the
the
poster
child
of
the
democratic
machine
which
albany
used
to
be
the
poster
child
of
democratic
machine.
A
Also
chicago
now
has
nonpartisan
elections,
phoenix
san
antonio
dallas,
san,
diego
san
jose
detroit
san
francisco,
jacksonville
austin,
texas,
columbus,
fort
worth
memphis,
boston,
el
paso,
milwaukee,
denver,
seattle,
las
vegas
portland.
That's
a
mix
of
cities,
diverse
cities
with
different
partisan
political
makeups,
some
of
which
have
had
storied
democratic
machines
like
chicago
like
boston,
which
have
moved
to
a
nonpartisan
form
of
electoral
process.
So,
as
I
say,
it
is
the
norm
in
nationwide,
it's
not
necessarily
something
that
is
widespread
here
in
new
york.
A
B
A
I
will
say
you
know
in
in
all
honesty:
we
are
a
partisan
political
body,
so
I
don't
think
that
a
partisan
political
body
is
likely
to
be
the
body
that
would
want
to
move
to
a
nonpartisan
system,
no
considered
storied
partisanship.
That
is
probably
the
case.
I
think
the
right
way
to
go.
I
think
it
is
the
way
of
the
future.
I
think
albany
is
changing
and
if
we
want
to
grow
and
modernize,
we've
got
to
grow
and
modernize
with
the
times
and
not
stay
where
we
are.
A
A
People
expect
from
municipal
government
and
that's
why
nonpartisanship
is
so
common
on
the
municipal
level
and
why
cities
have
moved
in
that
direction,
especially
older
cities,
as
I
say,
like
boston
chicago,
which
had
storied
democratic.
You
know
machines
but
realized
that
they
had
to
change,
to
involve
more
people
and
bring
more
people
involved,
and
those
are
two
very
diverse
cities.
So,
do
I
hear
a
motion
for
to
move
this
out
of
committee
with
a
favorable
recommendation.
G
A
I
think
do
I
hear
a
motion
to
move
it
out
with
a
negative
recommendation.
Well,
I'm
not!
I'm
not
gonna
entertain
that.
So
I
will,
I
will
say,
we'll
just
leave
it
where
it
is
and
I'll
just
note
that
our
next
committee
meeting
is
next
tuesday,
the
23rd
we're
going
to
take
up
the
the
ethics
local
law,
which
also
has
been
pending,
and
I
have
not
gotten
any
comments.
Although
people
had
suggested
that
they
might
have
comments
not
from
anyone
on
this
committee
but
from
other
people
etc.
A
A
I
understand
that
because
again
I
you
know
with
all
due
respect:
you're
not
going
to
get
what
is
a
very
partisan
body
to
really
want
to
to
make
to
change.
I
think
I
think
you
know
in
all
honesty,
I
think
there's
complacency
with
where
we
are,
and
so
you
know
that's
that's,
I
think
part
of
the
story
and
okay.
A
I
think
you
know
when
you're
complacent
with
where
you
are
you're,
not
you're,
not
gonna,
grow
you're,
not
gonna,
involve
more
people,
you're,
not
gonna
change,
and
you
know
I
think,
that's
something
we
have
to
do.
I
think
it's
going
to
happen
at
some
point,
but
it's
not
going
to
happen
before
this
year
is
out.
G
I'd
like
to
say
to
some
of
the
younger
members
and
the
newer
members
I
tell
every
year
I
used
to
hear
when
I
go
out
for
petitions.
Oh,
it
must
be
election
time.
I
got
tired
of
hearing
it,
so
I
started
walking
okay,
the
sunday
before
super
bowl
and
then
right
on
through
until
I
covered
the
whole
ward
and
I
would
drop
republican
doors
ring
every
doorbell
going
and
some
years.
Even
when
I
was
doing
signatures,
I
would
stop
at
the
republican
house.
Okay,
you
just
can't
ignore
anybody.
G
A
Yeah,
it's
not,
I
know
just
a
little
bit
preliminary.
It
was
it's
been
out
there
for
a
while.
You
know
it's
one
of
those
things
where
you
need
to
have
the
time
to
really
put
it
together,
and
you
know
I
I
guess
stepping
down
as
president
pro
tem
maybe
gave
me
some
more
time
to
focus
on
things
it
was.
A
I
did
it,
there
wasn't
actually
barb
sammel
at
the
time
helped
draft
it.
I
did
include
a
comparison
of
what
the
current
state
requirements
are
at
the
time.
Albany
county
adopted
ethics
reform
and
I
think
there's
a
comparison
there
of
that
and
then
what
this
proposal
would
do.
This
proposal
is
based
loosely
on
an
ethics
reform
that
was
adopted
in
the
city
of
yonkers
by
voter
referendum.
This
does
not
require
a
vote.
A
A
F
Yeah,
I
just
wanted
a
point.
I
know
richard,
not
you
and
I
spoken
about
this,
but
just
wanted
to
give
the
committee
members
a
heads
up
for
the
next
meeting.
Albany
is
one
of
the
very
few
municipalities
that
does
not
have
an
ethics.
General
municipal
requires
one
us
to
have
one
so
we're
really
behind
on
it.
A
Okay-
and
you
know
I
am
gonna
there-
are-
there-
were
some
recommendations-
that
from
nikon
that
I
need
to
really
pull
back
and
look
at
again,
because
I
think
they
had
some.
I
think
it's
consistent
with
what
nikon's
you
know.
Standards
and
recommendations
are,
but
I
want
to
and
jr
if
you
can
look
at
that
also
to
see
if
there's
anything
that
we
do.