Reclaim NY talks affordability and transparency in Norwich
NORWICH – Non-profit 501(c)3 organization Reclaim New York convened at Fred’s Inn in Norwich yesterday evening, April 19, to give a presentation on the different ways it opines New York State to be unaffordable, and what the everyday citizen can do to change that.
Roughly 30 Chenango County area-extended residents attended the seminar presented by George Phillips, Southern Tier Regional Director of Reclaim NY, to learn about an apparent lack of affordability and transparency in NYS.
According to Phillips’ presentation, NYS is no longer a sustainable place to live based on the level of expenses associated with residency in NYS.
Reclaim NY alleges that between income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes, and basic expenses, the average New Yorker earning median income ends every year in the minus category by about $2,500.
While a number of presentation-goers, who chose to remain nameless, disputed the numbers that Phillips cited, Phillips proceeded without responding to some of these claims, citing timeliness. He did, however, assert that all Reclaim NY’s data on that particular subject was procured from the United States Census Bureau.
Another issue plaguing New Yorkers in particular, according to Phillips, is a lack of transparency and the prevalence of corruption among local and state government.
“We’ve had nearly three dozen elected officials have to leave office because of crimes they’ve committed,” said Phillips. “Very sad situation. We do have a corruption problem.”
Phillips went on to say that 93 percent of New Yorkers think corruption is a problem, alluding to the fact that it might be a driving factor in people choosing to leave NY.
As for what citizens can do about this lack of transparency, Phillips talked about Reclaim NY’s Transparency Project: a movement it began in an effort to “stimulate active citizens.”
Thus, Reclaim NY is calling on citizens to assess their local government’s transparency by exercising their right to public records using the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), which Phillips said allows local government officials to provide public records “sometimes in five minutes or less.”
One person in the audience, who wished to remain anonymous, said that her township has a population of 1,300 people, and Reclaim NY – who vowed to send FOIL requests across NYS to upload on a public database for the public’s convenience – has unnecessarily pestered her township’s government.
“You’re creating financial hardships,” she said, “You are not the rescuers that you claim to be in every single town and I think you need to have a little accountability of what effect you do have on towns, because they do matter.”
Mike Armstrong, Regional Director of Long Island for Reclaim NY, refuted this claim, saying, “Here’s the reality: we have never FOIL requested for meeting minutes. The only thing we’ve FOIL requested for is a public record that every government entity across the state is required by law to maintain. It is a ledger of their checkbook expenditures.”
Armstrong went on to say that at ReclaimNY.org under “Transparency Project,” the organization has published the records that they have received.
The evening came to a close with a brief Q&A where a woman in the audience questioned the organization’s agenda, stating that it is currently “bankrolled by the Mercers and Steve Bannon.”
“Don’t your funders and supporters color what kind of work you’re doing?” she asked.
“Rebecca Mercer is the Chairman of our board. Steve Bannon was on our board but is not anymore,” said Phillips. “I can’t comment on the other activities of the people on our board, or have been on our board.”
Roughly 30 Chenango County area-extended residents attended the seminar presented by George Phillips, Southern Tier Regional Director of Reclaim NY, to learn about an apparent lack of affordability and transparency in NYS.
According to Phillips’ presentation, NYS is no longer a sustainable place to live based on the level of expenses associated with residency in NYS.
Reclaim NY alleges that between income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes, and basic expenses, the average New Yorker earning median income ends every year in the minus category by about $2,500.
While a number of presentation-goers, who chose to remain nameless, disputed the numbers that Phillips cited, Phillips proceeded without responding to some of these claims, citing timeliness. He did, however, assert that all Reclaim NY’s data on that particular subject was procured from the United States Census Bureau.
Another issue plaguing New Yorkers in particular, according to Phillips, is a lack of transparency and the prevalence of corruption among local and state government.
“We’ve had nearly three dozen elected officials have to leave office because of crimes they’ve committed,” said Phillips. “Very sad situation. We do have a corruption problem.”
Phillips went on to say that 93 percent of New Yorkers think corruption is a problem, alluding to the fact that it might be a driving factor in people choosing to leave NY.
As for what citizens can do about this lack of transparency, Phillips talked about Reclaim NY’s Transparency Project: a movement it began in an effort to “stimulate active citizens.”
Thus, Reclaim NY is calling on citizens to assess their local government’s transparency by exercising their right to public records using the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), which Phillips said allows local government officials to provide public records “sometimes in five minutes or less.”
One person in the audience, who wished to remain anonymous, said that her township has a population of 1,300 people, and Reclaim NY – who vowed to send FOIL requests across NYS to upload on a public database for the public’s convenience – has unnecessarily pestered her township’s government.
“You’re creating financial hardships,” she said, “You are not the rescuers that you claim to be in every single town and I think you need to have a little accountability of what effect you do have on towns, because they do matter.”
Mike Armstrong, Regional Director of Long Island for Reclaim NY, refuted this claim, saying, “Here’s the reality: we have never FOIL requested for meeting minutes. The only thing we’ve FOIL requested for is a public record that every government entity across the state is required by law to maintain. It is a ledger of their checkbook expenditures.”
Armstrong went on to say that at ReclaimNY.org under “Transparency Project,” the organization has published the records that they have received.
The evening came to a close with a brief Q&A where a woman in the audience questioned the organization’s agenda, stating that it is currently “bankrolled by the Mercers and Steve Bannon.”
“Don’t your funders and supporters color what kind of work you’re doing?” she asked.
“Rebecca Mercer is the Chairman of our board. Steve Bannon was on our board but is not anymore,” said Phillips. “I can’t comment on the other activities of the people on our board, or have been on our board.”
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