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Go
With Joe
To
the Editor:
This
is written in response to your “Elephant vs. Elephant” article
[Newsfront, Jan. 6].
I am an elected Republican Committeeman from the City of Albany
(12th Ward 4th ED) and part of the overwhelming majority of
City GOP Committee members (94) who support the right of self-determination
in choosing our own City GOP Chairman. Annette De Lavallade
and Gregory Fields are part of the small handful (14) of City
GOP Committee members who support Albany County GOP Chairman
Peter “we lose again” Kermani, in
his efforts to deprive Republicans in the City of Albany of
their right of self-
determination. Peter is the least successful GOP chair in
Albany County history and it boggles the mind why Gregory,
Annette and friends would work to prop up this continuous
loser, while working to disenfranchise a winner like Joe and
the good people of the City of Albany.
The article correctly noted that we elected Joe Sullivan as
our Albany City GOP chairman on Sept. 15, 2004, pursuant to
the Rules of The Albany County Republican Committee (adopted
Sept. 2000) which are still in effect. The weighted vote was
2,944 to 10 in favor of the slate of officers led by Joe.
Annette De Lavallade was the lone nay vote. Contrary to De
Lavallade’s assertion “all of us were surprised to know that
we are among the majority supporting the mayor (Jennings)
for reelection this year,” I am among the vast majority of
Albany City GOP Committee members who will vote to endorse
Mayor Jennings. Annette should speak for her self, as that’s
the only vote she is seems to make herself aware of!
Mayor Jennings is mayor of all the people of the City of Albany.
He has done a very good job as mayor and deserves reelection.
It is no secret that the mayor could face a tough primary
this year from the liberals who have taken control of the
primary process. It might be a fatal blunder for Mayor Jennings
not to accept the Republican ballot line (Row A) in this year’s
mayoral election. Row A is his safety net. The liberals of
the Democratic Party seek to isolate the mayor in the 2005
Democratic party primary, a process they seem to now control,
as demonstrated by the elections of Tom Keefe and David Soares.
Lastly, the article quotes Carolyn Peterson Vaccaro, who was
elected as a freshman committee member in 2004, as “being
interested in gathering a planning team for the city and creating
a platform” (for the 2005 Albany City elections). As we have
a sound platform and strategy, reforming education in city
public schools, combating crime and maintaining/improving
neighborhood residential integrity and quality of life, also
respect for life and support for conservative traditional
values as supported by the overwhelming majority of Albany
City GOP Committee members. This platform has evolved over
the years from extensive discussions and debate between the
vast majority of GOP City of Albany Committee members and
Joe Sullivan our elected leader.
Also we support the City of Albany returning to a K-8 neighborhood
school system because that is best for kids, parents and neighborhoods,
are we to assume that the disgruntled Annette De Lavallade,
Gregory Fields and Carolyn Peterson Vaccaro, the principals
in the article, who oppose any city committee elected GOP
Chairman, also oppose the platform and strategy our elected
chairman clearly articulated in December?
Carl
Gottstein, Jr.
12th ward, 4th district, City of Albany GOP Member
Dude,
That Rocks!
To
the Editor:
What
a surprise to see UFO make Bill Ketzer’s list of top 10 recordings!
[The Year in Review, Dec. 30]. Someone knows rock & roll
at Metroland. If Bill had ventured south to the Chance
this past year he would also have UFO on his top-10 live list.
The addition of Vinnie Moore on guitar has UFO rockin’ once
again. Also kudos to Bill for including the Deep Purple/Satriani
show at SPAC. Can anyone say Steve Morse? Why Satriani alone
was worth the money.
Scott
Ziegler
Waterford
Corrections
In
“Elephant vs. Elephant” (Newsfront, Jan. 6), we incorrectly
reported that Carl Gottstein was a convicted felon. In fact,
he has had only a misdemeanor conviction. The sources who
complained about Sullivan’s comment about Gottstein described
him as a felon, and we inadvertently and erroneously used
that language in our own description of Gottstein.
In our Year in Review issue (Dec. 30), we headlined an item
about the Ukraine elections: “What’s Russian for ‘Nothing
for me, thanks’?” The main language spoken in the Ukraine
is Ukrainian, not Russian. We apologize for the misrepresentation.
In the same issue, in Mae G. Banner’s Best of 2004 Dance list,
a reference was made in an item about a performance by the
Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company to “intricate designs
on Orthodox Easter Eggs.” The practice of decorating such
eggs is a Ukrainian, not specifically orthodox, tradition.
Metroland
welcomes typed, double-spaced letters (computer printouts
OK), addressed to the editor. Or you may e-mail them to: metroland@metroland.net.
Metroland reserves the right to edit letters for length; 300
words is the preferred maximum. You must include your name,
address and day and evening telephone numbers. We will not
publish letters that cannot be verified, nor those that are
illegible, irresponsible or factually inaccurate.
Send
to:
Letters, Metroland, 4 Central Ave.,
4th Floor, Albany, NY 12210
or e-mail us at metroland@metroland.net.
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