LETTER

To the Editor:
Its no surprise that the City of Albany is facing tremendous financial challenges. Albany
residents are fortunate that Mayor Sheehan and her team put a balanced budget forth with no
reduction in services and with the potential for very limited layoffs as a result of reorganization of
departments. The mayors proposal to build a bridge to the future with plans to streamline
service delivery and increase efficiencies across departments was reflected in the budget that
the council approved. We believe its our responsibility to work with the mayor to move our city
forward.
Journalists have a responsibility to look beyond the sound bite and delve into both sides of an
issue in order to present a balanced view. That did not happen in Ali Hibbs Bitter Budgets and
Bad Blood [Newsfront, Dec. 4]. The article was decidedly one-sided, with viewpoints only from
members who didnt support the budget, and contained factual errors . . . right down to who
sponsored the reintroduced budget legislation (it was Richard Conti, not Catherine Fahey).
Ms. Hibbs suggested that the council voted on a budget proposal that was given to them at the
last minute. This is factually incorrect since the only change in the legislation was related to
recommendations concerning the crossing guards, the details of which were thoroughly
discussed and agreed on by members in successive council budget meetings.
There were sound reasons 11 of 15 council members, including members with solid records and
reputations as progressives, voted in favor of the budget ordinance that largely reflected what
the mayor initially put forth in October. Mr. Commissos amended version (which he introduced
and then withdrew from consideration at the Nov. 24 meeting) contained some aspects that
were poorly vetted and others that were simply unsubstantiated.
It is correct that the council spent several weeks discussing proposed changes. That is to be
expected when dealing with a budget proposal that addressed a $16 million deficit in a city
where over 60 percent of the property is tax-exempt. Many of us feared there was nowhere to
cut other than to lay off staff and reduce services. That fortunately was not the case.
Those on the council opposed to the mayors budget focused their attention on minor
discrepancies but failed to present compelling evidence to support their counterproposals. They
chose to ignore that the primary purpose of the citys budget document is to put forth a plan to
implement policy . . . policy that is in the best interest of Albany residents and the future of our
city. The budget legislation that ultimately passed presents reasonable solutions and a solid
plan for moving our city forward.
Vivian Kornegay, 2nd Ward
Catherine Fahey, 7th Ward
Leah Golby, 10th Ward
Daniel Herring, 13th Ward
Albany Common Council

RESPONSE FROM THE JOURNALIST (ALI HIBBS)

I can certainly understand that its not fun to get called out.
That being said, and with all due respectwhile I reported on it, Im not the one who named
you. You were named by a fellow council member and, if Im not mistaken, his assertion that
certain council members have consistently voted almost exclusively in line with the mayors
wishes has been backed up by none other than your council president.
As a voter, I know that I would like to know if I should be questioning whether my elected
representatives loyalties lay with their constituents or with an executive branch that has the
power to confer political favors. It seems to me that, as elected representatives, you would
welcome the scrutiny as an opportunity to prove to voters that you are above the political
cronyism that is so rampant at all levels in New York that it has sadly become a generally
accepted state of affairs.
Also, your assertion that I implied that the budget was introduced at the last minute is simply
disingenuous. I think I made abundantly clear that the topic at hand was an amendment that,
considering that it was given to legislators less than an hour before voting was to take place,
can absolutely be considered last minute. You say Commissos amendment was poorly vetted
after weeks of discussion and compromise, yet you voted in favor of an amendment that several
of you admitted you had not read, did not fully understand and, in fact, were not sure what order
the pages were supposed to be in. An amendment that caused so much confusion that you had
to call for a short recess to give legislators a chance to even consider what it contained.
As far as my mistake regarding who re-introduced the bill, that was my mistake. I was given that
information by another council member and should clearly have double-checked its veracity.
That is on me.
As Im sure youre aware, just about every print publication in existence has a limit to how much
space and ink they can devote to a story. It is also not incumbent on every journalist to allow
space for every political figure to defend themselves when a story gets printed that they may not
like.
Perhaps proving how your voting record does not consistently reflect the wishes of the mayor
would be more effective. I would happily write that story as well.
Happy holidays. I look forward to seeing each of you in the New Year!