OVER THE PAST WEEK OR SO MY OPPONENT HAS BEEN MAKING SOME UNFOUNDED ACCUSATIONS AND OUT AND OUT BLATANT UNTRUTHS ABOUT MY CANDIDACY AND MY MANAGEMENT OF THE ONEIDA COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS TODAY.  ONE OF MY OPPONENTS COMPLAINTS WITH ME IS THE ONEIDA COUNTY VETERANS DISCOUNT PROGRAM WHICH I WAS ABLE TO INSTITUTE FOR HONORABLY DISCHARGED VETERANS EARLIER THIS YEAR.  IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT MY OPPONENT HAS ALSO ALLEGED FRED SADALLAH, ONEIDA COUNTY LEGISLATURE, AS THE ONE WHO INSTITUTED THIS PROGRAM.  I AM HERE TO TELL YOU TODAY THAT OVER ONE YEAR BEFORE MR. SADALLAH EVEN THOUGHT OF REPRESENTING HIS DISTRICT I AND THE NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY CLERKS CAME FORTH WITH THIS PROGRAM.  OVER ONE YEAR BEFORE MR. SADALLAH WAS ELECTED AND HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH COUNTY GOVERNMENT I ADDRESSED COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANTHONY J. PICENTE TO COME ON BOARD WITH THE NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY CLERKS AND MYSELF TO INSTITUTE THIS PROGRAM IN ONEIDA COUNTY.  OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE REFUSED.  THIS YEAR I RESUBMITTED THE PROGRAM TALKING WITH CONGRESSMAN MICHAEL ARCURI AND ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVES DAVID TOWNSEND AND ROANN DESTITO, ALL THREE OF WHICH WERE READY TO GET ON BOARD.  IT WAS THEN AND ONLY THEN AFTER HEARING ABOUT THIS THAT MR. SADALLAH ASKED THAT HE BE INVOLVED AND BE PART OF THE PROGRAM.  AFTER THE PROGRAM WAS SET TO GO, ALL MR. SADALLAH HAD DONE WAS TO PASS A RESOLUTION IN COUNTY LEGISLATION TO CALL THE PROGRAM THE ONEIDA COUNTY VETERANS ID CARD PROGRAM.  A NAME WHICH HE AND MY OPPONENT NOW SAY THEY RESENT.

MY OPPONENT ALSO IS STATING THAT MY ANTICIPATED REVENUE WAS SHORT IN 2009 AND 2010.  HE SAYS THAT I BLAME THIS ON THE ECONOMICAL CLIMATE OF THE COUNTY.  HE SAYS THAT IT IS MY MISMANAGEMENT AND MY UNFAMILIARITY WITH BUDGET AND MY LACK OF EXPERIENCE AS AN EMPLOYER IN A PRIVATE SECTOR.  FIRST WHAT HE DOES NOT REALIZE IS I PERSONALLY HAD 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN RUNNING BUSINESS, A VERY PROFITABLE BUSINESS.  ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME AND MY FAMILY CAN REMEMBER THE YEARS WE INVESTED IN OUR FAMILY BUSINESSES IN SYLVAN BEACH NY.  I SAY BUSINESSES BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY HAVE FIVE UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE FOREST HOTEL.  SO I DO UNDERSTAND BUDGET AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR BETTER THAN HE THINKS I DO.  GETTING BACK TO HIS ACCUSATIONS ABOUT THE SHORTFALL, HE OBVIOUSLY DOESN’T REALIZE THE TERM ANTICIPATED REVENUE.  HE IS RIGHT WHEN HE SAYS SOME OF THE REVENUE LOSS WAS DO TO THE ECONOMICAL CLIMATE, THE FLAT SALE OF AUTOMOBILES, THE FLAT SALE OF REAL ESTATE, BUT ONE OF THE BIGGEST SHORTFALLS IN REVENUE OCCURRED WHEN MY COLLEAGUES AND I TOOK A STAND AGAINST GOV. PATERSON’S NEW LICENSE PLATE PROGRAM.  AS YOU MIGHT REMEMBER, GOV. PATERSON WANTED TO INCREASE THE FEES AND INCREASE THE REVENUE BY MAKING IT MANDATORY TO CHANGE ALL NEW YORK STATE VEHICLE REGISTRATION PLATES.  AS I SAID BEFORE AND I WILL ASSURE YOU AGAIN, I FOUGHT AGAINST THE FEDERAL, THE STATE AND THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT FROM PASSING ON FEES THAT OUR HARD WORKING TAXPAYERS CANNOT AFFORD.  IT IS APPARENT TO ME THAT MY OPPONENT COULD CARE LESS ABOUT PASSING ON FEES TO YOU, THE HARDWORKING PEOPLE OF ONEIDA COUNTY.  HE WANTS THESE FEES, HE WANTS TO PASS THEM ON TO YOU, NOT TO LOOSE THE ANTICIPATED REVENUE THAT THESE FEES WILL GENERATE.  FEES I FEEL THAT ARE UNACCEPTABLE TO OUR TAXPAYERS.

HE ALSO QUESTIONS THE FORD EDGE WHICH IS ASSIGNED TO THE OFFICE OF THE ONEIDA COUNTY CLERK.  HE SAYS THIS IS A LUXURY VEHICLE THAT IS USED EXCLUSIVELY BY ME.  ANOTHER MYTH WHICH IS FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH, ANOTHER POLITICAL PLOY OF WHICH HE MAKES AN ACCUSATION OF WHICH HE HAS NO IDEA OF THE INTENT OF THE VEHICLE.

FIRST LET ME EXPLAIN THE MULTI USES OF THIS VEHICLE.  IT IS USED BY ALL DEPARTMENTS UNDER THE OFFICE OF THE ONEIDA COUNTY CLERK.  IT IS USED TO MOVE BOXES OF FILES TO AND FROM THE REGIONAL RECORDS CENTER, WHICH BY THE WAY IS 22 MILES ROUND TRIP FROM OUR OFFICE AT THE ONEIDA COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING, SOMETHING WHICH I INHERITED  FROM THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION.  IT IS ALSO USED BY THE DMV TO TRANSPORT PLATES TO AND FROM THE PLATES STORAGE AREA TO OUR OFFICES AROUND THE COUNTY.  I USE IT ON OCCASION FOR MY MANY DUTIES AS ONEIDA COUNTY CLERK WHICH INCLUDE MEETINGS AROUND THE COUNTY, MEETINGS WITH THE UNION AND MEETING WITH MY DIFFERENT DMVS.  WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY FINAL POINT.  MY OPPONENT AND I HAD ONE DEBATE SCHEDULED, WHICH WAS SCHEDULED ON A FRIDAY AT 9:30AM AT THE WTLB RADIO STATION ON KELLOGG ROAD IN NEW HARTFORD.  HIS ACCUSATION IS THAT I USED THIS VEHICLE TO COME FROM MY HOME TO THE RADIO STATION FOR THE DEBATE.  THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS MY DAY STARTED LONG BEFORE 9:30AM.  AT 7:30AM I WAS IN MY OFFICE RETRIEVEING RECORDS THAT NEEDED TO BE FILED AT THE REGIONAL RECORDS CENTER IN WESTMORELAND.  I GATHERED THEM, I PUT THEM IN THE FORD EDGE AND I HEADED OFF TO THE RECORDS CENTER.  AT 8:30AM THAT MORNING I HAD A SCHEDULED MEETING WITH THE BUSINESS AGENT FROMUPSEU AND THE DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AT THE RECORDS CENTER FOR A GRIEVANCE THAT WAS FILED BY THE EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE WORKED THERE.  THIS MEETING WAS SCHEDULED LONG BEFORE OUR DEBATE, AND IT HAD TO DO WITH THE WORKING CONDITIONS OF THAT OFFICE.  IT HAD TO DO WITH WATER, AIR AND SOIL SAMPLES DO TO A COMPLAINT TO THE UNION THAT THE CENTER CONTAINED UNSAFE WORKING CONDITIONS.

AFTER LEAVING THAT MEETING, WHICH RAN LONGER THAN EXPECTED, I HAD HEADED RIGHT TO THE DEBATE.  FROM THE DEBATE MY WORDAY CONTINUED.  I WENT TO THE UTICA DMV, PICKED UP MY ADMINISTRATRIX AND WE HEADED TO THE ROME DMV FOR ONE OF MY WEEKLY BUDGET EVALUATIONS OF THAT OFFICE.  NON OF THIS IS PERSONAL USE, ALL OF THIS WAS IN THE DUTIES OF YOUR ONEIDA COUNTY CLERK.  HE SAYS HE DOESN’T NEED A VEHICLE FOR THE DAILY OPERATION OF THE 4 OFFICES OF THE COUNTY CLERK, HE SAYS HE WILL USE HIS PERSONAL VEHICLE AND NOT CHARGE THE COUNTY AND THEREFORE SAVE THE COUNTY MONEY.  BUT THIS IS A MAN WHO CHARGED HIS OWN PERSONAL CAMPAIGN REIMBURSEMENTS FOR GAS EXPENSES AND REPAIRS TO HIS CAMPAIGN VEHICLE.  DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A MAN THAT WILL DO ANYTHING FOR FREE?  FOR THE COUNTY?