Don Ellis Begins Re-election Campaign With Email
Last night, Don Ellis sent out a political email that began with an short celebration of the Democratic majority in Congress and ends with a kick in the direction of our town’s Republican-Democratic hybrid Supervisor Doug Austic, noting that the position of Supervisor is not designed to carry the kind of power that Austic has exercised to drag us through troubles like the Water District 5 fiasco.
Sandwiched in between these matters was the announcement that Ellis plans to run for re-election to the Ulysses Town Board this year. In the announcement, Ellis talks about working with two of the other board members, Roxanne Marino and Lucia Tyler. Conspicuously missing is any mention of Rod Ferrentino.
Here’s the announcement:
“The Town of Ulysses will elect two members to the Town Board in November this year.
During my three years on the Town Board I have mostly let the public record and the press record communicate what is going on in the Town government. During the first two years Roxanne Marino and I were a distinct minority. We were quite effective, after some struggle, in shaping the new zoning ordinance, but, the real actions, such as the 5 million dollar water district 5 were kept secret from us. So there was little to report.
During the last year with some support from the newly elected, Lucia Tyler, there has been so much to report that I have failed to find time to do it. My resolution for the new year is to report frequently.
In so doing I hope to 1) establish broad “voter’s understanding” of our Town’s governance, 2) support the recruitment of strong new candidates, and 3) garner support for this year’s critical issues. Some of this is will not be great reading, but I will do my best to animate it. Many of you are the folks who helped me to be elected. I am still grateful. It’s mostly not fun, but the small gains are reward enough. I am asking you again to help me do the job I think you want done.”
I appreciated Don Ellis’s email and found it interesting and informative. It’s hard to tell what you think. I’m struggling to read between the lines, but I think it’s your typical curmudgeonly post. What’s wrong with Don throwing in a plug for the board members that he likes working with?
You’re struggling to read between the lines because there isn’t much to read there. I do enjoy being a curmudgeon, it’s true, but I don’t have many curmudgeonly feelings about Don Ellis’s email. Really, I don’t. There’s nothing at all wrong with Don Ellis sending out an email mentioning Lucia Tyler and not mentioning Ferrentino.
Does anyone really think Rod Ferrentino brings anything to the political table? He was a truly lackluster Mayor of Trumansburg who was about as forgetable in that role as it’s possible to be. I’ve actually heard people wonder aloud if he’s ever had a creative thought in his life. Every time I’ve managed to see him in public long enought to talk to him (which isn’t often), he has quickly moved the conversation to how important he is for being a volunteer fireman. That’s fine by the way, but gets old fast. He is now a truly lackluster town board member whose main role seems to be to follow Doug Austic around nodding and saying yes. So, I don’t find it strange at all that Don Ellis wouldn’t mention him. Ferrentino got elected because Doug Austic supported him, period. So, he now has a vote on the town Board (which he predictably casts whatever way Austic says), but is mostly just taking up space.
Aggrandizement, Bureaucracy,
Word has it that Don Ellis is running (covertly, furtively, sneakily) for town supervisor. He is paving the way by voting for and promoting pay raises for the associated positions and by preparing to parse out to a staff (buddies, cronies etc. no doubt.) of many, the jobs that Mr. Austic manages to do with very few people. Don apparently thinks there needs to be around ten on staff. He has often suggested staff for reading or evaluating or writing this or that documentation as if this were the federal government. What does that tell you about costs for the town government? Much more money will be needed to support this unnecessary and wasteful bureaucracy.
Thanks to Don’s self aggrandizement and manipulation of facts and downright mis and dis information the Board has accomplished nothing in the past year. Zero. One of the most important issues (Water development) has been all but killed in the last year by misinformation proffered primarily by Mr. Ellis and his yes persons.
I think representative government is more important than self aggrandizement and power especially at the local level. Mr. Ellis has been on a systematic campaign to detract from Mr. Austic’s record and plant doubt whenever and wherever possible in order to improve his own political image. The truth is not only optional to Mr. Ellis but seems almost entirely absent in the “governing”he does. Perhaps it’s virtual truth. Virtual reality cannot hurt you but reality can. This is not a strength people, it’s a blemish. There could probably not be a worse choice for town supervision than DON ELLIS. He has been a pimple on the behind of progress since being on the town board. Too many computer games in Mr. Ellis’ past virtual life I guess. Maybe this game should be called “Grand Theft Townâ€
I wrote To Don at one time mentioning that as a poet or politician the truth is optional but as a pilot flying in fog or with other obstructions it is ESSENTIAL for your very survival. That to know about and acknowledge the existence of a mountain or obstruction even if it is hidden in fog or by some other obstruction is imperative in staying alive. It is a simple principle. You do this or you die. This is not flight simulator.
With Don there is never a direct answer to any question. He tells you (well me anyway) what he thinks you want to hear then does what he pleases for his own promotion. Now I know, many think that is what politics is all about.
Mark Twain says it best “The only criminal classâ€. Good site by the way:
http://www.twainquotes.com/quotesatoz.html
We see prime examples in Washington of ignoring the truth about everything for some obscure goal which is always hidden and the mountains are rearing their predicted ugly heads as we speak.
Having spoken to Mr. Ellis a few times I have come to the conclusion that nothing he says can be believed at face value if at all and that there is always a hidden agenda (His self promotion). It seems to me this kind of politics is not preferable to the honest if awkward representation of Mr. Austic. I would by far prefer the honesty of a Mr. Austic to the slimy natter of life long politicians. We definitely do not need a junior George Bush or Ted Kennedy in local government. Thirty years of political experience is far too long to be in government of any kind. When Mr. Ellis was the fire department representative when first in office on the board he never went to a fire department meeting nor did he ever speak to the fire chief. Wouldn’t it seem he should be concerned with fire operations and protection as the representative to the Town Board?
As to Mr. Ferrentino, his actions are consistent with his own views of what is good for the town and village whether or not they will benefit him directly. Mr. Ellis seems to follow Mr. Austic around saying “no†is that any better than a yes man? Is there really anything that Mr. Austic does or has done to warrant any criticism in the many productive years he has been town supervisor? I think not. Often I find myself agreeing with Mr. Austic. Is that being a yes man? No one lacks more luster than the current mayor of Trumansburg. At least Mr. Ferrentino never got embroiled in a ridiculous controversy about a skate park which should probably be on land donated by Rose Hilbert bordering the school grounds. That would be the most obvious and perfect spot for the skate park. Funny how that never shows up in discussion. The misrepresentation in the village and the town by the trustees and board members is unconscionable and destructive of local government. Mr. Ferrentino and Mr. Austic have common sense and live in the real world not a virtual one. The town and village need accurate, unspun politics. At least less spin and more progress.
+
I am stuffy. I do think structure is important in governance. Without it the abuse of power and the tendency to secrecy come easily.
I am stuffy. I have spent my life sorting out problems in aircraft control systems, drawing and writing specifications for buildings, and teaching heroic computer programmers and designers to give it up and work together in efficient, fun teams. Structure and stuffiness are part of me.
If stuffy seems like aggrandizement I can understand that. I am trying to bring dignity to the participation of citizens in their local government, if that seems like an effort to bring grandness to myself I can see how that confusion might arise.
My mother helped me to feel as grand as I will ever need to feel – and also a bit stuffy.
Let’s focus on the hard work, I am just not that interesting.
i sure don ellis doesn’t break his arm patting his self on the back
i ment i hope he doen’t break his arm patting his back.look at his record
Regarding running for Town Supervisor:
I notice Don has not suggested in his post here that he is. He has been present in the room on a great many ocassions when I, and other Democratic Committee members, have begged and pleaded for the names of anyone who might be interested in running, as we think that it might be good to have a little competition, and it is our job to be sure that anyone who is interested in running (who is a registered Democrat) gets a fair shot. I for one always assumed that he could not even consider such a precipitous cut in pay from his present position…. which, I would assume, might be both much better paid and quite possibly more interesting.
Want to be Ulysses Town Supervisor? If you are a registered Democrat, please get hold of me or another Democratic committee member. If you are a Republican, get hold of the Republican Committee. If you don’t want to run yourself, please don’t start any dumb rumors about other people’s intentions. On second thought, don’t start any dumb rumors if you want to run, either– everybody is much happier and more harmonious if we all are above-board.
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