POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
April 19th 2026 Edition
"MICHELLE'S WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER SCAM IN POESTENKILL - BRASS TACKS AS YET ANOTHER WHITEWASH IN POESTENKILL IS ON THE WAY - MICHELLE TO FLOUT LAW AND PLAY HARDBALL - WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 A REPLAY OF THE SUCCESSFUL WATER DISTRICT NO. 1 SCAM - MICHELLE TO 'MILK THE PIG' POESTENKILL STYLE TO 'GET IT DONE' FOR LABERGE!"
And let's start off this edition of the Gazette with this relevant question pertaining to Water District No. 2 and its artificially low budget that was presented by Laberge to get the water district approved and for them, the gravy train rolling, to wit:
Q: A PE arrives early at an informational meeting on a proposed water district budget for a referendum and walks in on the town supervisor, a councilman who is a pe, and a representative of an outside engineering firm engaged in a discussion on how to slide an artificially low budget past the affected taxpayers to get the referendum approved!
The PE in question who arrived early, of course, was Paul Plante, as was made clear in the town board minutes for the April 11, 2024 town board meeting with Councilwoman Butler, Councilman Hass, Councilman Burzesi, Councilman Wohlleber, and Supervisor Russell all present and accounted for at the high table, to wit:
Supervisor Russell opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance.
He then opened the floor for public comments at 7:00 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
P. Plante, town resident addressed the Town Board and indicated that he felt that we were being “lied to” regarding the proposed water district #2.
He also had reservations regarding the accuracy of the LaBerge report and he felt that we were not being given the complete and accurate data.
He cited the daily water flows and the Troy and Brunswick costs.
He questioned why “we have got to get this done.”
And of course we were being lied to and of those sitting there stone-faced with closed minds at the high table at the 11 April 2024 Poestenkill town board meeting, at least Tom Russell and Frank Burzesi knew we were being lied to, because they were the authors of the lies, and as for the others, they sat there and said the usual nothing, which conduct on the part of Eric Wohlleber was not surprising since those lies would provide him with a benefit at the expense of others!
So what did the pe witness when he walked in on Tom Russell, Frank Burzesi and Ben Seiden of Laberge discussing how to slide the low budget past the gullible people in Algonquin Estates who would vote for anything Tom Russell, Eric Wohlleber, Dominic Jacangelo and Greg Pattenaude told them to vote for?
Was it collusion?
Was the low budget proposed a fraud on the affected taxpayers?
And my goodness, but what should the PE do when confronted with that situation?
But first of all, was the budget proposed low?
Let's take a look and see by going to the Town of Poestenkill website where we find as follows, to wit:
Public Hearing Announcement
The Town of Poestenkill Town Board will hold a public hearing on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at the Poestenkill Fire House, 182 Main Street, to consider a proposed increase in the maximum estimated cost of Water District No. 2 by $670,418 to a revised total of $6,220,418 for the construction of the water distribution system.
end quote
That, people, is by design, and that design was what was being discussed by Tom Russell, Frank Burzesi and Ben Seiden at the off-the-record "Water District No. 2 Informational Hearing" on April 3, 2024 at the Poestenkill fire house - slide the low budget by the suckers in Algonquin Estates who will believe anything an authority figure tells them, get the district approved, and then, the sky is the limit, because the town board can do exactly what it is doing, which is unilaterally and arbitrarily jacking up the budget, which is a form of theft!
So what the PE witnessed on 3 April 2024, and has reported to the Office of the Rensselaer County District Attorney, was a conspiracy between Tom Russell, Frank Burzesi and Ben Seiden of Laberge to misrepresent project costs to the public, potentially constituting fraud and unethical conduct, and people, that was collusion - a secret agreement between Tom Russell, Frank Burzesi and Ben Seiden to deceive the Poestenkill taxpayers - and where the low budget was intentionally misleading, as was the case by design, that, people, was fraud.
So, as to what was witnessed by Paul Plante on 3 April 2024 at the Poestenkill fire house was collusion involving public officials, the Town Supervisor, a Councilman/PE and a private firm to willfully misrepresent project costs to voters.
And it was collusion, because the parties, Russell, Burzesi and Seiden, were coordinating to manipulate the outcome of a public referendum through dishonest means.
And it was fraud because creating a false or artificially low budget to induce voters into approving a referendum constitutes fraud.
As to licensed Professional Engineer's (PE), they are bound by a code of ethics that mandates protecting the public interest, reporting dishonesty, and maintaining integrity, so that the PE who was a witness to the collusion should document the conversation, which has been done, and report the incident to the town board, and the district attorney.
All that has now been done!
Will Michelle consider this all a bluff as she tries to bull through a pay raise for Laberge at the expense of the Poestenkill taxpayers?
Stay tuned!
THE PAUL PLANTE STORY
Re: THE PAUL PLANTE STORY
POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
April 20th 2026 Edition
"MICHELLE'S WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER RIP-OFF - IT'S PIG MILKING TIME FOR OUR MICHELLE AS SLICK POLITICAL PLOY STEALS THE CANDY JAR FROM THE HAPLESS DEMOCRATS - REPUBLICANS NOW CONTROL THE WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 PATRONAGE MILL - LABERGE AND REPUBLICANS THE SOLE BENEFICIARIES AS MICHELLE AND FRANK 'GET IT DONE' FOR LABERGE!"
Let's start off with this pertinent question to which many of us, including Michelle Garafolo, Frank Burzesi, Eric Wohlleber, Dave Hass, Laberge and Dominic Jacangelo, already know the answer from long experience with on the one hand, corrupt small town practices in New York, and Poestenkill Water District No. 1, on the other, where Dominic Jacangelo showed us how a career politician "gets it done," to wit:
Q: Is there evidence that municipal water supply projects for small towns are patronage mills subject to cost overruns?
And the answer, which is a no-brainer, is that yes, of course there is documented evidence that municipal water supply projects in New York, particularly in smaller municipalities, face significant fiscal management issues, including cost overruns, poor financial planning, and lack of oversight.
And here in Poestenkill, a chronically corrupt small town with the emphasis on "small," as in very small-minded, Water District No. 1, Poestenkill's "sieve," is a poster child for a municipal water supply project in New York in a smaller municipality with significant fiscal management issues, including cost overruns, poor financial planning, and an intentional lack of oversight.
How else could Water District No. 1 be a sieve?
Had Water District No. 1 had proper oversight, it wouldn't be a sieve today.
But if Water District No. 1 had in fact had proper oversight, instead of blind political oversight, where the mantra is "the less hard you look, the more it is that you won't see," there would have been no cost overruns, which means a lot of palms wouldn't have gotten greased, which would have jeopardized Republican political control in Poestenkill, which in turn would have taken away the candy bowl from the Republicans to hand it to the Democrats, because when it comes to feeding off corruption, the Democrats have their snouts in the trough up to the ears just like the Republicans, but the Republicans seem more skilled at political corruption than the hapless Democrats, and so, in Poestenkill they hold the power.
Moving along, New York State Comptroller audits have identified consistent deficiencies in water district operations, such as improper transfers of funds and non-competitive bidding, which can fuel patronage concerns.
As to evidence of fiscal mismanagement and overruns, Comptroller audits of 161 local water systems (2012–2017) revealed consistent overestimation of revenues, incorrect billing, and insufficient long-term planning.
The examples include the Village of Cato (2024), where officials lacked proper long-term capital planning, and a recent audit of a municipal district finding nearly $5 million in negative cash balances due to poor oversight.
And then we have Water District No. 1 as a stark example of the finding that many small systems report substantial water loss, suggesting inefficiencies and inefficient spending on infrastructure that does not deliver water to users.
And while specific criminal charges of "patronage mills" in small town water projects are less common than general financial mismanagement, audits frequently highlight poor controls that allow unauthorized billing adjustments and lack of competitive bidding.
And then we come to the age-old handy excuse, because politicians always need an excuse for why they are incompetent and inept - small municipalities often lack the administrative capacity to manage complex infrastructure projects, increasing the risk of, or opportunity for, financial abuse and operational inefficiencies.
However, that really isn't the case here in Poestenkill.
Here in Poestenkill, it is the opportunity for financial abuse that powers our train!
Will Michelle be able to successfully pull off her Water District No. 2 taxpayer rip-off?
Probably.
Stay tuned.
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
April 20th 2026 Edition
"MICHELLE'S WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER RIP-OFF - IT'S PIG MILKING TIME FOR OUR MICHELLE AS SLICK POLITICAL PLOY STEALS THE CANDY JAR FROM THE HAPLESS DEMOCRATS - REPUBLICANS NOW CONTROL THE WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 PATRONAGE MILL - LABERGE AND REPUBLICANS THE SOLE BENEFICIARIES AS MICHELLE AND FRANK 'GET IT DONE' FOR LABERGE!"
Let's start off with this pertinent question to which many of us, including Michelle Garafolo, Frank Burzesi, Eric Wohlleber, Dave Hass, Laberge and Dominic Jacangelo, already know the answer from long experience with on the one hand, corrupt small town practices in New York, and Poestenkill Water District No. 1, on the other, where Dominic Jacangelo showed us how a career politician "gets it done," to wit:
Q: Is there evidence that municipal water supply projects for small towns are patronage mills subject to cost overruns?
And the answer, which is a no-brainer, is that yes, of course there is documented evidence that municipal water supply projects in New York, particularly in smaller municipalities, face significant fiscal management issues, including cost overruns, poor financial planning, and lack of oversight.
And here in Poestenkill, a chronically corrupt small town with the emphasis on "small," as in very small-minded, Water District No. 1, Poestenkill's "sieve," is a poster child for a municipal water supply project in New York in a smaller municipality with significant fiscal management issues, including cost overruns, poor financial planning, and an intentional lack of oversight.
How else could Water District No. 1 be a sieve?
Had Water District No. 1 had proper oversight, it wouldn't be a sieve today.
But if Water District No. 1 had in fact had proper oversight, instead of blind political oversight, where the mantra is "the less hard you look, the more it is that you won't see," there would have been no cost overruns, which means a lot of palms wouldn't have gotten greased, which would have jeopardized Republican political control in Poestenkill, which in turn would have taken away the candy bowl from the Republicans to hand it to the Democrats, because when it comes to feeding off corruption, the Democrats have their snouts in the trough up to the ears just like the Republicans, but the Republicans seem more skilled at political corruption than the hapless Democrats, and so, in Poestenkill they hold the power.
Moving along, New York State Comptroller audits have identified consistent deficiencies in water district operations, such as improper transfers of funds and non-competitive bidding, which can fuel patronage concerns.
As to evidence of fiscal mismanagement and overruns, Comptroller audits of 161 local water systems (2012–2017) revealed consistent overestimation of revenues, incorrect billing, and insufficient long-term planning.
The examples include the Village of Cato (2024), where officials lacked proper long-term capital planning, and a recent audit of a municipal district finding nearly $5 million in negative cash balances due to poor oversight.
And then we have Water District No. 1 as a stark example of the finding that many small systems report substantial water loss, suggesting inefficiencies and inefficient spending on infrastructure that does not deliver water to users.
And while specific criminal charges of "patronage mills" in small town water projects are less common than general financial mismanagement, audits frequently highlight poor controls that allow unauthorized billing adjustments and lack of competitive bidding.
And then we come to the age-old handy excuse, because politicians always need an excuse for why they are incompetent and inept - small municipalities often lack the administrative capacity to manage complex infrastructure projects, increasing the risk of, or opportunity for, financial abuse and operational inefficiencies.
However, that really isn't the case here in Poestenkill.
Here in Poestenkill, it is the opportunity for financial abuse that powers our train!
Will Michelle be able to successfully pull off her Water District No. 2 taxpayer rip-off?
Probably.
Stay tuned.
Re: THE PAUL PLANTE STORY
POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
April 21st 2026 Edition
"MICHELLE'S WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER RIP-OFF - IT'S AN 'ALL HANDS ON DECK' MOMENT FOR THE GARAFOLO TEAM AS THEY 'GET IT DONE' FOR LABERGE WITH EVERYONE DOING A REAL GOOD JOB - FOR LABERGE, POESTENKILL IS THE EQUIVALENT OF A GIANT CHOCOOLATE MALTED MILKSHAKE WHICH LABERGE IS SUCKING UP WITH A GIANT STRAW AS PIG MILKING SEASON FOR OUR MICHELLE ROLLS AROUND - AFFIDAVIT DETAILS SLICK POLITICAL PLOY THAT STOLE THE WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 CANDY JAR FROM THE HAPLESS DEMOCRATS - REPUBLICANS NOW CONTROL THE WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 PATRONAGE MILL AND THE SKY IS THE LIMIT - AND MICHELLE, NICE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRULY NICE DO NOT COMMIT FRAUD SO THEY CAN STEAL FROM THEIR NEIGHBORS TO GET A BENEFIT FOR THEMSELVES!"
"'Get it done,' I clearly recall Laberge vice president Ben Siden telling supervisor Russell and councilman Burzesi on 3 April 2024, and once the district is approved, then as far as money goes, the sky is the limit as the town board can simply jack up the cost by resolution and there will be nothing the taxpayers can do about it!"
So states a sworn eyewitness account submitted to the NYSAG of what transpired at the Poestenkill fire house on the evening of 3 April 2024 when Frank Burzesi and Tom Russell colluded with Ben Seiden of Laberge to get a low-ball budget past the taxpayers of Poestenkill in Water District No. 2 to get the district approved and the gravy train rolling, with the sky being the limit just as we are seeing now with Michelle getting the gravy train rolling for Laberge, with her "team" all set to legitimize the fraud that got it done for Laberge back in 2024, which in turn raises this pertinent question, to wit:
Should fraud in political dealings in Poestenkill be allowed to persist because that is how the game of politics in New York state is played?
It certainly is a pertinent question and if the answer is yes, just think how simple that would make life for not only our politician class, who would gain legal carte blanche to commit fraud any time they want without having to worry about a town resident who won't go with the flow filing a lawsuit against them, but for the rest of us as well, who would be forced to have to accept fraud and corruption as a lawful way of life.
And to find out if the answer is truly in the affirmative, it is necessary to present the circumstances to the NYSAG, the Comptroller and the Rensselaer County DA so they can pass judgment on the matter, which brings us back to the sworn witness statement submitted to the NYAG, where we have more, as follows:
Thereafter, based on the fraud, the Water District No. 2 referendum was passed on 27 June 2024.
And the beauty of our legal system, unlike our one-sided and discriminatory political system here in Poestenkill where if you won't go along to get along, you get shunted to the side of the road, is that once a sworn complaint is made to start the investigatory ball rolling, Frank Burzesi and Tom Russell and Ben Siden will all get the opportunity of being under oath to explain how that was not fraud, but instead, the way engineering matters are commonly done, at least in Republican-controlled Rensselaer County, and maybe if their arguments are convincing enough, they will prevail, which takes us back to the witness statement, to wit:
Thereafter, other than finally finding out where there was rock to be excavated, nothing happened with regard to Water District No. 2 after the referendum was approved on 27 June 2024 until just before Election Day in October of 2025, when we received a political mailer from Republican Michelle Garafolo who was running for the office of supervisor against incumbent Democrat Tom Russell, who had “got it done” for Laberge by getting Water District No. 2 approved.
And that of course, is just a recitation of fact, as is the following:
In October of 2025, just before Election Day, candidate Garafolo sent out a piece of campaign literature titled "Let's get Poestenkill on the right track!" wherein was stated as follows, to wit:
Revitalizing the stalled Water District 2 project on Route 66, which has had slow progress during the past two years after the Town received significant grant funding.
The project needs to be completed or grant funding will be lost.
We need to get this project moving and water flowing!
And again, a simple recitation of history in Poestenkill, which again takes us back to the sworn witness statement, to wit:
Now, at this point in time, it is important to note that candidate Garafolo was running as part of a political “team” that included Republican councilman David Hass who had held that same office all through 2024 and 2025, and as a result, would have been privy to why all through 2025, nothing had been done with regard to Water District No, 2, so that it became for candidate Garafolo a potent political issue that she could use against the Democrat incumbent, which is exactly what happened, as she was able to defeat the incumbent in the 2025 election, which then brought back control of the Water District No. 2 finances to the Republicans in Poestenkill.
Yes, people, that is what happened, and very slickly done it was, the Republicans swooping in like an eagle to steal the fish (the Water District No. 2 patronage mill) the Democrat osprey caught for them!
Going back to the witness statement, we have more Poestenkill history as follows:
In another campaign ad just before Election Day 2025, candidate Garafolo stated as follows:
Finish Water District 2 - Let's get the project completed before losing $600,000 in funding.
Costing YOU, the tax payers, more money.
And it should be noted that in our legal system, unlike our Poestenkill political system where all are not equal, Michelle can also get herself put under oath to explain that language in her political propaganda that won her the election, which takes us back again to the witness statement, to wit:
Based upon that negative political advertising by candidate Garafolo implying supervisor Russell was incompetent for not proceeding with Water District No. 2, candidate Garafolo was elected and took office as Poestenkill supervisor on 1 January 2026.
And now we have Michelle in office, which once more brings us back to the recitation of Poestenkill history in the sworn witness statement, to wit:
Eight (8) short days later, on 8 January 2026, now-supervisor Garafolo appeared for the first time as a sitting supervisor, and in her inaugural appearance, announced as follows (cue, Youtube 1-8-2026 Poestenkill town board meeting Town Board Meeting 1/8/2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d23g4jURUy4 @ 42:56):
GARAFOLO: Um, and the final business item listed tonight is the water district.
And hopefully everybody is relaxed tonight and blood pressures aren't raised.
Um, I don't know what the public knows.
So I am going to try to start at the basics and what we need to talk business-wise about tonight.
Um, so it is an estimated $5.5 million project, um, that we have been working with our engineering firm Laberge on, um, starting from ground zero so you guys can kind of understand where I am headed with this.
Uh, okay.
Um, basically, Laberge just came back saying you're going to be short - you're going to have a gap of $284,000.
So, um, what that means is we don't have cash flow for the project right now.
To which statement of Michelle the only thing the witness statement could add was as follows:
Lo and behold!
Lo and behold, indeed, just exactly as was planned by Frank Burzesi, Tom Russell and Ben Seiden when they were colluding on 3 April 2024 to get Water District No. 2 approved with the lowball budget which would guarantee cost overruns for Laberge to capitalize on, which is happening right now as Michelle and Team Garafolo put on an "all hands on deck" effort to bull this fraud through and get it legitimized, which again takes us back to the witness statement, to wit:
Thereafter, on January 15, 2026, supervisor Garafolo posted on the town website a “Dear Neighbors” letter wherein she informed us as follows, to wit:
Prior to taking office, I began working closely with my Deputy-Supervisor, Frank Burzesi, to understand the status of Water District #2, including the progress of the project, the funding challenges, and the path forward.
And that, people, takes us full circle back to April of 2024, as her deputy Frank Burzesi, who she began working closely with prior to taking office, is the very same Frank Burzesi who was complicit in colluding with Laberge to get Water District No. 2 approved by presenting the taxpayers with an artificially low budget.
Stay tuned!
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
April 21st 2026 Edition
"MICHELLE'S WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER RIP-OFF - IT'S AN 'ALL HANDS ON DECK' MOMENT FOR THE GARAFOLO TEAM AS THEY 'GET IT DONE' FOR LABERGE WITH EVERYONE DOING A REAL GOOD JOB - FOR LABERGE, POESTENKILL IS THE EQUIVALENT OF A GIANT CHOCOOLATE MALTED MILKSHAKE WHICH LABERGE IS SUCKING UP WITH A GIANT STRAW AS PIG MILKING SEASON FOR OUR MICHELLE ROLLS AROUND - AFFIDAVIT DETAILS SLICK POLITICAL PLOY THAT STOLE THE WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 CANDY JAR FROM THE HAPLESS DEMOCRATS - REPUBLICANS NOW CONTROL THE WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 PATRONAGE MILL AND THE SKY IS THE LIMIT - AND MICHELLE, NICE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRULY NICE DO NOT COMMIT FRAUD SO THEY CAN STEAL FROM THEIR NEIGHBORS TO GET A BENEFIT FOR THEMSELVES!"
"'Get it done,' I clearly recall Laberge vice president Ben Siden telling supervisor Russell and councilman Burzesi on 3 April 2024, and once the district is approved, then as far as money goes, the sky is the limit as the town board can simply jack up the cost by resolution and there will be nothing the taxpayers can do about it!"
So states a sworn eyewitness account submitted to the NYSAG of what transpired at the Poestenkill fire house on the evening of 3 April 2024 when Frank Burzesi and Tom Russell colluded with Ben Seiden of Laberge to get a low-ball budget past the taxpayers of Poestenkill in Water District No. 2 to get the district approved and the gravy train rolling, with the sky being the limit just as we are seeing now with Michelle getting the gravy train rolling for Laberge, with her "team" all set to legitimize the fraud that got it done for Laberge back in 2024, which in turn raises this pertinent question, to wit:
Should fraud in political dealings in Poestenkill be allowed to persist because that is how the game of politics in New York state is played?
It certainly is a pertinent question and if the answer is yes, just think how simple that would make life for not only our politician class, who would gain legal carte blanche to commit fraud any time they want without having to worry about a town resident who won't go with the flow filing a lawsuit against them, but for the rest of us as well, who would be forced to have to accept fraud and corruption as a lawful way of life.
And to find out if the answer is truly in the affirmative, it is necessary to present the circumstances to the NYSAG, the Comptroller and the Rensselaer County DA so they can pass judgment on the matter, which brings us back to the sworn witness statement submitted to the NYAG, where we have more, as follows:
Thereafter, based on the fraud, the Water District No. 2 referendum was passed on 27 June 2024.
And the beauty of our legal system, unlike our one-sided and discriminatory political system here in Poestenkill where if you won't go along to get along, you get shunted to the side of the road, is that once a sworn complaint is made to start the investigatory ball rolling, Frank Burzesi and Tom Russell and Ben Siden will all get the opportunity of being under oath to explain how that was not fraud, but instead, the way engineering matters are commonly done, at least in Republican-controlled Rensselaer County, and maybe if their arguments are convincing enough, they will prevail, which takes us back to the witness statement, to wit:
Thereafter, other than finally finding out where there was rock to be excavated, nothing happened with regard to Water District No. 2 after the referendum was approved on 27 June 2024 until just before Election Day in October of 2025, when we received a political mailer from Republican Michelle Garafolo who was running for the office of supervisor against incumbent Democrat Tom Russell, who had “got it done” for Laberge by getting Water District No. 2 approved.
And that of course, is just a recitation of fact, as is the following:
In October of 2025, just before Election Day, candidate Garafolo sent out a piece of campaign literature titled "Let's get Poestenkill on the right track!" wherein was stated as follows, to wit:
Revitalizing the stalled Water District 2 project on Route 66, which has had slow progress during the past two years after the Town received significant grant funding.
The project needs to be completed or grant funding will be lost.
We need to get this project moving and water flowing!
And again, a simple recitation of history in Poestenkill, which again takes us back to the sworn witness statement, to wit:
Now, at this point in time, it is important to note that candidate Garafolo was running as part of a political “team” that included Republican councilman David Hass who had held that same office all through 2024 and 2025, and as a result, would have been privy to why all through 2025, nothing had been done with regard to Water District No, 2, so that it became for candidate Garafolo a potent political issue that she could use against the Democrat incumbent, which is exactly what happened, as she was able to defeat the incumbent in the 2025 election, which then brought back control of the Water District No. 2 finances to the Republicans in Poestenkill.
Yes, people, that is what happened, and very slickly done it was, the Republicans swooping in like an eagle to steal the fish (the Water District No. 2 patronage mill) the Democrat osprey caught for them!
Going back to the witness statement, we have more Poestenkill history as follows:
In another campaign ad just before Election Day 2025, candidate Garafolo stated as follows:
Finish Water District 2 - Let's get the project completed before losing $600,000 in funding.
Costing YOU, the tax payers, more money.
And it should be noted that in our legal system, unlike our Poestenkill political system where all are not equal, Michelle can also get herself put under oath to explain that language in her political propaganda that won her the election, which takes us back again to the witness statement, to wit:
Based upon that negative political advertising by candidate Garafolo implying supervisor Russell was incompetent for not proceeding with Water District No. 2, candidate Garafolo was elected and took office as Poestenkill supervisor on 1 January 2026.
And now we have Michelle in office, which once more brings us back to the recitation of Poestenkill history in the sworn witness statement, to wit:
Eight (8) short days later, on 8 January 2026, now-supervisor Garafolo appeared for the first time as a sitting supervisor, and in her inaugural appearance, announced as follows (cue, Youtube 1-8-2026 Poestenkill town board meeting Town Board Meeting 1/8/2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d23g4jURUy4 @ 42:56):
GARAFOLO: Um, and the final business item listed tonight is the water district.
And hopefully everybody is relaxed tonight and blood pressures aren't raised.
Um, I don't know what the public knows.
So I am going to try to start at the basics and what we need to talk business-wise about tonight.
Um, so it is an estimated $5.5 million project, um, that we have been working with our engineering firm Laberge on, um, starting from ground zero so you guys can kind of understand where I am headed with this.
Uh, okay.
Um, basically, Laberge just came back saying you're going to be short - you're going to have a gap of $284,000.
So, um, what that means is we don't have cash flow for the project right now.
To which statement of Michelle the only thing the witness statement could add was as follows:
Lo and behold!
Lo and behold, indeed, just exactly as was planned by Frank Burzesi, Tom Russell and Ben Seiden when they were colluding on 3 April 2024 to get Water District No. 2 approved with the lowball budget which would guarantee cost overruns for Laberge to capitalize on, which is happening right now as Michelle and Team Garafolo put on an "all hands on deck" effort to bull this fraud through and get it legitimized, which again takes us back to the witness statement, to wit:
Thereafter, on January 15, 2026, supervisor Garafolo posted on the town website a “Dear Neighbors” letter wherein she informed us as follows, to wit:
Prior to taking office, I began working closely with my Deputy-Supervisor, Frank Burzesi, to understand the status of Water District #2, including the progress of the project, the funding challenges, and the path forward.
And that, people, takes us full circle back to April of 2024, as her deputy Frank Burzesi, who she began working closely with prior to taking office, is the very same Frank Burzesi who was complicit in colluding with Laberge to get Water District No. 2 approved by presenting the taxpayers with an artificially low budget.
Stay tuned!
Re: THE PAUL PLANTE STORY
POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
April 25th 2026 Edition
"MICHELLE'S SLICK WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER RIP-OFF A TEXT BOOK EXAMPLE OF INSTITUTIONAL DECAY IN POESTENKILL TOWN GOVERNMENT AS POESTENKILL BECOMES A CLASSIC TEXT BOOK EXAMPLE OF A DYSTOPIA IN AMERICA TODAY!"
For today's edition, let's start with this pertinent and timely question, to wit:
For corruption to take over a small town government as institutional decay sets in, is it necessary to suppress dissent and the ability of citizens to communicate with each other?
And before we get to that answer, let us consider a letter posted to the internet from someone in the village of Ontonagon, which is located in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan along the shore of Lake Superior, situated at the mouth of the Ontonagon River, where is stated as follows, which language pertains as well here in Poestenkill, to wit:
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, I write to all of you to address a critical issue that plagues many small towns across our nation: out-of-control government.
When the very institutions that are meant to serve and protect us become corrupt, it is our duty as citizens to take action and restore integrity to our local governance.
The consequences of an out-of-control small-town government are far-reaching.
They include mismanagement of public funds, lack of transparency, erosion of public trust, and the perpetuation of inequality.
These issues not only hinder economic development but also undermine the very foundations of our republic.
end quotes
Mismanagement of public funds?
Lack of transparency?
Erosion of public trust?
The perpetuation of inequality?
Yes, indeed, people, Poestenkill today has all those boxes checked as we serve as a poster child with a corrupt government that mismanages public funds with a complete lack of transparency which has caused an erosion of public trust in Poestenkill town government, and the perpetuation of inequality in Poestenkill, as we witness Poestenkill resident Patrick Wing enjoying his status as a non-citizen in Poestenkill because he dared to ask the wrong questions of our corrupt Poestenkill town government.
Returning to that posted letter from the village of Ontonagon in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we have more that is relevant and pertinent to our situation here in Poestenkill, to wit:
So, how do we fix it?
How do we reclaim our small-town governments from the clutches of corruption?
The solution lies in a multi-faceted approach that involves both preventive measures and punitive actions.
Firstly, we must demand accountability from our elected officials.
This means establishing independent oversight bodies with the power to investigate and prosecute corrupt individuals.
By holding our leaders accountable for their actions, we can restore public trust in our government.
end quotes
Which brings us to this reality here in corrupt Poestenkill - if in fact we were able to actually hold our public officials in Poestenkill accountable for their actions, we could restore public trust in Poestenkill town government, but we do not have public trust in town government here in Poestenkill precisely because we have no way to actually hold our public officials in Poestenkill accountable for their actions.
Think about it, and stay tuned, for more is yet to come as complaints are now filed with the NYSAG, the Comptroller, the Rensselaer County District Attorney, and in the case of councilman Frank Burzesi, who holds a license to practice as a professional engineer in New York state to safeguard life, health and property, the Office of Professional Discipline of the New York State Education Department with regard to Frank's collusion with Laberge back in April of 2024.
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
April 25th 2026 Edition
"MICHELLE'S SLICK WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER RIP-OFF A TEXT BOOK EXAMPLE OF INSTITUTIONAL DECAY IN POESTENKILL TOWN GOVERNMENT AS POESTENKILL BECOMES A CLASSIC TEXT BOOK EXAMPLE OF A DYSTOPIA IN AMERICA TODAY!"
For today's edition, let's start with this pertinent and timely question, to wit:
For corruption to take over a small town government as institutional decay sets in, is it necessary to suppress dissent and the ability of citizens to communicate with each other?
And before we get to that answer, let us consider a letter posted to the internet from someone in the village of Ontonagon, which is located in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan along the shore of Lake Superior, situated at the mouth of the Ontonagon River, where is stated as follows, which language pertains as well here in Poestenkill, to wit:
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, I write to all of you to address a critical issue that plagues many small towns across our nation: out-of-control government.
When the very institutions that are meant to serve and protect us become corrupt, it is our duty as citizens to take action and restore integrity to our local governance.
The consequences of an out-of-control small-town government are far-reaching.
They include mismanagement of public funds, lack of transparency, erosion of public trust, and the perpetuation of inequality.
These issues not only hinder economic development but also undermine the very foundations of our republic.
end quotes
Mismanagement of public funds?
Lack of transparency?
Erosion of public trust?
The perpetuation of inequality?
Yes, indeed, people, Poestenkill today has all those boxes checked as we serve as a poster child with a corrupt government that mismanages public funds with a complete lack of transparency which has caused an erosion of public trust in Poestenkill town government, and the perpetuation of inequality in Poestenkill, as we witness Poestenkill resident Patrick Wing enjoying his status as a non-citizen in Poestenkill because he dared to ask the wrong questions of our corrupt Poestenkill town government.
Returning to that posted letter from the village of Ontonagon in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we have more that is relevant and pertinent to our situation here in Poestenkill, to wit:
So, how do we fix it?
How do we reclaim our small-town governments from the clutches of corruption?
The solution lies in a multi-faceted approach that involves both preventive measures and punitive actions.
Firstly, we must demand accountability from our elected officials.
This means establishing independent oversight bodies with the power to investigate and prosecute corrupt individuals.
By holding our leaders accountable for their actions, we can restore public trust in our government.
end quotes
Which brings us to this reality here in corrupt Poestenkill - if in fact we were able to actually hold our public officials in Poestenkill accountable for their actions, we could restore public trust in Poestenkill town government, but we do not have public trust in town government here in Poestenkill precisely because we have no way to actually hold our public officials in Poestenkill accountable for their actions.
Think about it, and stay tuned, for more is yet to come as complaints are now filed with the NYSAG, the Comptroller, the Rensselaer County District Attorney, and in the case of councilman Frank Burzesi, who holds a license to practice as a professional engineer in New York state to safeguard life, health and property, the Office of Professional Discipline of the New York State Education Department with regard to Frank's collusion with Laberge back in April of 2024.
Re: THE PAUL PLANTE STORY
POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
April 26th 2026 Edition
"ON THE IMPOSITION OF STUPID AND UGLY IN POESTENKILL AS ITS WITNESS INTIMIDATION CAMPAIGN HEATS UP TO PROTECT MICHELLE'S SLICK WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER RIP-OFF - DISSENT TO BE CRUSHED - A CLASSIC CASE OF INSTITUTIONAL DECAY AS POESTENKILL BECOMES A CLASSIC TEXT BOOK EXAMPLE OF A DYSTOPIA IN AMERICA TODAY!"
Who would have thought that tiny Poestenkill, New York would become world famous as a poster child for a corrupt small town in America?
I certainly didn't when I was young, some 75 or so years ago.
But those days have been long gone here in Poestenkill since the later 1970's, when the Rensselaer County Department of Health was corrupted, which then opened the floodgate for corruption to seep into Poestenkill, which is exactly what happened.
And here we are today with corruption in Poestenkill very well entrenched indeed, because corruption is protected.
And that brings us to the subject of what is known as societal entropy in the context of why civilizations and/or societies fail, which raises the question of is it more likely that corrupt government is a precursor or input, perhaps of a catalytic element, of societal collapse, or is it more likely an outcome?
That answer, in the context of societal entropy and the failure of civilizations, is that corrupt government is more likely to act as a catalytic input- a precursor - that accelerates societal decay, rather than simply being a passive outcome of it.
As to societal decay here in Poestenkill, it has been a gradual, systemic decline in our Poestenkill society's health, function, and cohesion, which is characterized by eroded public trust, as in no trust whatsoever in the Poestenkill town board, the Poestenkill planning board and the Poestenkill zoning board of appeals, along with diminished social cohesion as certain upscale neighborhoods as given preference, as in the case of Water District No. 2 being a gift to the people of Algonquin Estates who are far more equal in the eyes of the law in Poestenkill, such as it has become from what it once was, worsening inequality, and the failure of institutions to meet basic needs.
Quite rightly, it is often described as a "death spiral" where the decay results in a loss of shared values and a rapid reduction in, or total loss of social order.
As to the key characteristics of societal decay, they include a loss of legitimacy for government and public institutions, where leaders fail to uphold norms, resulting in citizen disengagement or panic.
There is a box we have checked here in Poestenkill, where our town board has openly and intentionally squandered their legitimacy simply to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have no integrity whatsoever.
Or said the way it must and should be said - they do not hide the fact that they are corrupt, and Water District No. 2 is a text book example of that, as well.
Then there is weakened social cohesion with its rise in selfishness, as again we witnessed with regard to Water District No. 2 where our more privileged upscale neighbors in Algonquin Estates, where to gain a benefit for themselves, they allowed a fraud to be precipitated on their elderly neighbors who aren't privileged, upscale or Algonquin Estates residents so that Greg Pattenaude can have a fire hydrant in front of his house at taxpayer expense to reduce Greg's insurance for him, which is the true mission of Poestenkill town government today - doing favors for the right people.
And then there is the infrastructure and quality of life decline, where with Water District No. 1, which was never built right to begin with, we have a graphic example.
While sometimes used interchangeably with "collapse," decay can imply a slow, creeping decline, while collapse is the rapid culmination of that process.
The process is often driven by a combination of political, economic, and environmental pressures, leading to a "death spiral" effect where conditions worsen mutually.
While it behaves like a vicious cycle (where decline produces corruption, which accelerates decline), historical analysis suggests that the abuse of power for private gain is a fundamental factor in initiating the terminal phase of collapse, often referred to as "the worm in the bud" of resilience, and here in Poestenkill that "worm" is a big one.
And as always, stay tuned, for more is yet to come as Poestenkill ramps up its intimidation campaign with an "all hands on deck" effort to suppress publication of the Gazette.
Right, Frank?
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
April 26th 2026 Edition
"ON THE IMPOSITION OF STUPID AND UGLY IN POESTENKILL AS ITS WITNESS INTIMIDATION CAMPAIGN HEATS UP TO PROTECT MICHELLE'S SLICK WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER RIP-OFF - DISSENT TO BE CRUSHED - A CLASSIC CASE OF INSTITUTIONAL DECAY AS POESTENKILL BECOMES A CLASSIC TEXT BOOK EXAMPLE OF A DYSTOPIA IN AMERICA TODAY!"
Who would have thought that tiny Poestenkill, New York would become world famous as a poster child for a corrupt small town in America?
I certainly didn't when I was young, some 75 or so years ago.
But those days have been long gone here in Poestenkill since the later 1970's, when the Rensselaer County Department of Health was corrupted, which then opened the floodgate for corruption to seep into Poestenkill, which is exactly what happened.
And here we are today with corruption in Poestenkill very well entrenched indeed, because corruption is protected.
And that brings us to the subject of what is known as societal entropy in the context of why civilizations and/or societies fail, which raises the question of is it more likely that corrupt government is a precursor or input, perhaps of a catalytic element, of societal collapse, or is it more likely an outcome?
That answer, in the context of societal entropy and the failure of civilizations, is that corrupt government is more likely to act as a catalytic input- a precursor - that accelerates societal decay, rather than simply being a passive outcome of it.
As to societal decay here in Poestenkill, it has been a gradual, systemic decline in our Poestenkill society's health, function, and cohesion, which is characterized by eroded public trust, as in no trust whatsoever in the Poestenkill town board, the Poestenkill planning board and the Poestenkill zoning board of appeals, along with diminished social cohesion as certain upscale neighborhoods as given preference, as in the case of Water District No. 2 being a gift to the people of Algonquin Estates who are far more equal in the eyes of the law in Poestenkill, such as it has become from what it once was, worsening inequality, and the failure of institutions to meet basic needs.
Quite rightly, it is often described as a "death spiral" where the decay results in a loss of shared values and a rapid reduction in, or total loss of social order.
As to the key characteristics of societal decay, they include a loss of legitimacy for government and public institutions, where leaders fail to uphold norms, resulting in citizen disengagement or panic.
There is a box we have checked here in Poestenkill, where our town board has openly and intentionally squandered their legitimacy simply to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have no integrity whatsoever.
Or said the way it must and should be said - they do not hide the fact that they are corrupt, and Water District No. 2 is a text book example of that, as well.
Then there is weakened social cohesion with its rise in selfishness, as again we witnessed with regard to Water District No. 2 where our more privileged upscale neighbors in Algonquin Estates, where to gain a benefit for themselves, they allowed a fraud to be precipitated on their elderly neighbors who aren't privileged, upscale or Algonquin Estates residents so that Greg Pattenaude can have a fire hydrant in front of his house at taxpayer expense to reduce Greg's insurance for him, which is the true mission of Poestenkill town government today - doing favors for the right people.
And then there is the infrastructure and quality of life decline, where with Water District No. 1, which was never built right to begin with, we have a graphic example.
While sometimes used interchangeably with "collapse," decay can imply a slow, creeping decline, while collapse is the rapid culmination of that process.
The process is often driven by a combination of political, economic, and environmental pressures, leading to a "death spiral" effect where conditions worsen mutually.
While it behaves like a vicious cycle (where decline produces corruption, which accelerates decline), historical analysis suggests that the abuse of power for private gain is a fundamental factor in initiating the terminal phase of collapse, often referred to as "the worm in the bud" of resilience, and here in Poestenkill that "worm" is a big one.
And as always, stay tuned, for more is yet to come as Poestenkill ramps up its intimidation campaign with an "all hands on deck" effort to suppress publication of the Gazette.
Right, Frank?
Re: THE PAUL PLANTE STORY
POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
May 1st 2026 Edition
"ON THE CORRUPTING OF THE RENSSELAER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - IT WAS AS EASY AS PIE!"
In the 26 April 2026 edition of the Gazette, this following question was posed, to wit:
Who would have thought that tiny Poestenkill, New York would become world famous as a poster child for a corrupt small town in America?
My response to that question, and I have been here since 1949, was that I certainly didn't think so when I was young, some 75 or so years ago.
Corruption was in Troy and had been since the 1800's, which was never a secret, and in fact, gave Troy a reputation it was quite proud of back in the "Boss" Murphy days, and Mame Faye and the famous "red light" district of Troy next to the police station.
But that was Troy.
And then I followed that up by saying that those days in the once safe and uncorrupted environment of Poestenkill I grew up in before the Christian P. Momrow/Patrick Tomaselli era when corruption poured into Poestenkill like a flood tide, have been long gone here in Poestenkill since the later 1970's, when the Rensselaer County Department of Health was corrupted, which then opened the floodgate for corruption to seep into Poestenkill, which is exactly what happened.
And with that statement about the corrupting of the Rensselaer County Department of Health as the opening of the corruption floodgate in Poestenkill, an interested reader questioned me as to how the Rensselaer County Department of Health could possibly have been corrupted when it was supposed to be under the control of the New York State Department of Health, which was a good and timely question that deserves a thought-out and comprehensive answer that begins as follows with this statement, to wit:
You corrupt the Rensselaer County Department of Health by first corrupting the New York State Department of Health, which was actually quite easy!
So, okay, then how do you corrupt the New York State Department of Health when its commissioner is a medical doctor?
And that answer is as follows:
You corrupt the New York State Department of Health the exact same way you corrupt a town government, a planning board, a zoning board of appeals or a county government - by getting control of the general counsel position and by placing a partisan political hack lawyer in it, who essentially outranks the commissioner, who in New York is barely a figurehead and is otherwise a political eunuch when compared to the lawyer.
And once you own the lawyer, and one of the two political parties will, you own the whole department.
In circa 1977 when the Rensselaer County Department of Health was corrupted, while the commissioner, Dr. David Axelrod, was a Democrat appointee of Mario Cuomo, the Republicans were the proud owners of the chief counsel to the New York State Department of Health,
And there is where the race to the bottom in Rensselaer County and Poestenkill began, with the corruption flowing from the county to Poestenkill.
How that happened will be the subject of the next Gazette, so stay tuned!
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
May 1st 2026 Edition
"ON THE CORRUPTING OF THE RENSSELAER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - IT WAS AS EASY AS PIE!"
In the 26 April 2026 edition of the Gazette, this following question was posed, to wit:
Who would have thought that tiny Poestenkill, New York would become world famous as a poster child for a corrupt small town in America?
My response to that question, and I have been here since 1949, was that I certainly didn't think so when I was young, some 75 or so years ago.
Corruption was in Troy and had been since the 1800's, which was never a secret, and in fact, gave Troy a reputation it was quite proud of back in the "Boss" Murphy days, and Mame Faye and the famous "red light" district of Troy next to the police station.
But that was Troy.
And then I followed that up by saying that those days in the once safe and uncorrupted environment of Poestenkill I grew up in before the Christian P. Momrow/Patrick Tomaselli era when corruption poured into Poestenkill like a flood tide, have been long gone here in Poestenkill since the later 1970's, when the Rensselaer County Department of Health was corrupted, which then opened the floodgate for corruption to seep into Poestenkill, which is exactly what happened.
And with that statement about the corrupting of the Rensselaer County Department of Health as the opening of the corruption floodgate in Poestenkill, an interested reader questioned me as to how the Rensselaer County Department of Health could possibly have been corrupted when it was supposed to be under the control of the New York State Department of Health, which was a good and timely question that deserves a thought-out and comprehensive answer that begins as follows with this statement, to wit:
You corrupt the Rensselaer County Department of Health by first corrupting the New York State Department of Health, which was actually quite easy!
So, okay, then how do you corrupt the New York State Department of Health when its commissioner is a medical doctor?
And that answer is as follows:
You corrupt the New York State Department of Health the exact same way you corrupt a town government, a planning board, a zoning board of appeals or a county government - by getting control of the general counsel position and by placing a partisan political hack lawyer in it, who essentially outranks the commissioner, who in New York is barely a figurehead and is otherwise a political eunuch when compared to the lawyer.
And once you own the lawyer, and one of the two political parties will, you own the whole department.
In circa 1977 when the Rensselaer County Department of Health was corrupted, while the commissioner, Dr. David Axelrod, was a Democrat appointee of Mario Cuomo, the Republicans were the proud owners of the chief counsel to the New York State Department of Health,
And there is where the race to the bottom in Rensselaer County and Poestenkill began, with the corruption flowing from the county to Poestenkill.
How that happened will be the subject of the next Gazette, so stay tuned!
Re: THE PAUL PLANTE STORY
POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
May 2nd 2026 Edition
"MICHELLE'S WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER RIP-OFF - IT WAS AN 'ALL HANDS ON DECK' MOMENT FOR TEAM GARAFOLO ON 23 APRIL 2026 AS THEY GOT IT DONE FOR LABERGE WITH EVERYONE DOING A REAL GOOD JOB - THANKS TO MICHELLE AND HER TEAM OF WILLING PUPPETS, FOR LABERGE, POESTENKILL IS NOW THE EQUIVALENT OF A GIANT CHOCOOLATE MALTED MILKSHAKE WHICH LABERGE IS SUCKING UP WITH A GIANT STRAW - MICHELLE PUTS HER PERSONAL STAMP ON CORRUPTION IN POESTENKILL AND BECOMES A CHAMPION PIG MILKER AS OUR MICHELLE STEALS THE WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 CANDY JAR FROM THE HAPLESS DEMOCRATS - REPUBLICANS NOW CONTROL THE WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 PATRONAGE MILL AND THE SKY IS THE LIMIT - AND FOR MICHELLE, THE PEOPLE SHE CONSIDERS NICE PEOPLE ARE THOSE WILLING TO COMMIT OR TOLERATE FRAUD SO THEY CAN STEAL FROM THEIR NEIGHBORS TO GET A BENEFIT FOR THEMSELVES!"
"'Get it done," was what I clearly recall Laberge vice president Ben Seiden telling then-Democrat supervisor Tom Russell and Republican councilman Frank Burzesi on 3 April 2024, and once the district is approved, then as far as money goes, the sky is the limit as the town board can simply jack up the cost by resolution and there will be nothing the taxpayers can do about it!
And lo and behold, on 23 April 2026, two years later, Michelle and Team Garafolo, they being Eric Wohlleber, Frank Burzesi, Dave Hass and Rodney Rescott, got it done for Laberge in grand style and did what their master Laberge needed them to do, which was to bring home the bacon for Laberge at the expense of those Poestenkill taxpayers trapped inside the financial hell of Poestenkill Water District No. 2, as we see from the following:
The Town Board of the Town of Poestenkill, at its special meeting held on April 23, 2026, unanimously adopted an Order increasing the maximum amount authorized to be expended for the establishment of Water District No. 2.
This Order, adopted pursuant to Section 209-h of the New York State Town Law, raises the maximum estimated cost of the water district improvements from $5,550,000 to $6,220,418.
The boundaries of the district remain unchanged.
The Order is subject to a permissive referendum.
Now, at the time the town board approved this "order" on 23 April 2026 on behalf of Laberge, to "get it done" for Laberge, Michelle, Frank Burzesi, and Eric Wohlleber were all in possession of a sworn affidavit from a Poestenkill resident about witnessing collusion between then-Democrat town supervisor Tom Russell, Republican councilman Frank Burzesi and Ben Seiden of Laberge to pull a scam on the gullible taxpayers of Poestenkill by presenting them with a low-ball, rose-colored-glasses budget to get the district approved so Laberge would have another captive food source to feed off of, in a classic case of bait-and-switch - this is what you voted on and now, here is what we are going to do to you!
It's called theft.
And exactly as expected here in corrupt Poestenkill, they blew it off in the belief that as far as the law goes, they are untouchables, which in New York and Rensselaer County, is pretty much, if not totally true, a premise on their part to be tested on our part.
In the meantime, as the citizen efforts against endemic corruption in Poestenkill continue to gain steam, an 11 February 2023 letter to Dr James Franchini, Superintendent, Averill Park School District, with the following caption has been forwarded to the NYS Attorney General, the Comptroller and the Rensselaer County District Attorney, to wit:
RE: The contaminated well-field of the Algonquin School; APBOE neglect of duty and negligence; the APBOE engages in a cover-up; Your phone call of 10 February 2023 regarding the Averill Park Board of Education supporting a scheme by the Town of Poestenkill to create a slush fund by borrowing money for a water district based on false pretenses, and then sticking the taxpayers of the Averill Park School District without their knowledge with a portion of the debt burden.
And here is where it now gets interesting, for in October of 2025 when Michelle was colluding, in her own words, with Dave Hass and Frank Burzesi about Water District No. 2, our Michelle was still a member of the Averill Park Board of Education, which puts her collusion with Frank and Dave and Laberge in a whole different light.
According to the records, Michelle Garofolo was voted as a member of the Averill Park Central School District Board of Education, serving on the board prior to becoming the Poestenkill Town Supervisor with her seat becoming vacant on January 1, 2026, several months after she admitted to her collusion with Frank and Dave in her glossy campaign propaganda.
As to the Francini letter dated 11 February 2023, Michelle was elected to the Board of Education in May 2023 and remained on the Board of Education until she resigned from the school board effective Jan 1, 2026, upon taking office as the Town of Poestenkill Supervisor.
So, in addition to a corrupt Rensselaer County Health Department, do we also have a corrupt Board of Education for the Averill Park School District?
Stay tuned!
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
May 2nd 2026 Edition
"MICHELLE'S WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 TAXPAYER RIP-OFF - IT WAS AN 'ALL HANDS ON DECK' MOMENT FOR TEAM GARAFOLO ON 23 APRIL 2026 AS THEY GOT IT DONE FOR LABERGE WITH EVERYONE DOING A REAL GOOD JOB - THANKS TO MICHELLE AND HER TEAM OF WILLING PUPPETS, FOR LABERGE, POESTENKILL IS NOW THE EQUIVALENT OF A GIANT CHOCOOLATE MALTED MILKSHAKE WHICH LABERGE IS SUCKING UP WITH A GIANT STRAW - MICHELLE PUTS HER PERSONAL STAMP ON CORRUPTION IN POESTENKILL AND BECOMES A CHAMPION PIG MILKER AS OUR MICHELLE STEALS THE WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 CANDY JAR FROM THE HAPLESS DEMOCRATS - REPUBLICANS NOW CONTROL THE WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 PATRONAGE MILL AND THE SKY IS THE LIMIT - AND FOR MICHELLE, THE PEOPLE SHE CONSIDERS NICE PEOPLE ARE THOSE WILLING TO COMMIT OR TOLERATE FRAUD SO THEY CAN STEAL FROM THEIR NEIGHBORS TO GET A BENEFIT FOR THEMSELVES!"
"'Get it done," was what I clearly recall Laberge vice president Ben Seiden telling then-Democrat supervisor Tom Russell and Republican councilman Frank Burzesi on 3 April 2024, and once the district is approved, then as far as money goes, the sky is the limit as the town board can simply jack up the cost by resolution and there will be nothing the taxpayers can do about it!
And lo and behold, on 23 April 2026, two years later, Michelle and Team Garafolo, they being Eric Wohlleber, Frank Burzesi, Dave Hass and Rodney Rescott, got it done for Laberge in grand style and did what their master Laberge needed them to do, which was to bring home the bacon for Laberge at the expense of those Poestenkill taxpayers trapped inside the financial hell of Poestenkill Water District No. 2, as we see from the following:
The Town Board of the Town of Poestenkill, at its special meeting held on April 23, 2026, unanimously adopted an Order increasing the maximum amount authorized to be expended for the establishment of Water District No. 2.
This Order, adopted pursuant to Section 209-h of the New York State Town Law, raises the maximum estimated cost of the water district improvements from $5,550,000 to $6,220,418.
The boundaries of the district remain unchanged.
The Order is subject to a permissive referendum.
Now, at the time the town board approved this "order" on 23 April 2026 on behalf of Laberge, to "get it done" for Laberge, Michelle, Frank Burzesi, and Eric Wohlleber were all in possession of a sworn affidavit from a Poestenkill resident about witnessing collusion between then-Democrat town supervisor Tom Russell, Republican councilman Frank Burzesi and Ben Seiden of Laberge to pull a scam on the gullible taxpayers of Poestenkill by presenting them with a low-ball, rose-colored-glasses budget to get the district approved so Laberge would have another captive food source to feed off of, in a classic case of bait-and-switch - this is what you voted on and now, here is what we are going to do to you!
It's called theft.
And exactly as expected here in corrupt Poestenkill, they blew it off in the belief that as far as the law goes, they are untouchables, which in New York and Rensselaer County, is pretty much, if not totally true, a premise on their part to be tested on our part.
In the meantime, as the citizen efforts against endemic corruption in Poestenkill continue to gain steam, an 11 February 2023 letter to Dr James Franchini, Superintendent, Averill Park School District, with the following caption has been forwarded to the NYS Attorney General, the Comptroller and the Rensselaer County District Attorney, to wit:
RE: The contaminated well-field of the Algonquin School; APBOE neglect of duty and negligence; the APBOE engages in a cover-up; Your phone call of 10 February 2023 regarding the Averill Park Board of Education supporting a scheme by the Town of Poestenkill to create a slush fund by borrowing money for a water district based on false pretenses, and then sticking the taxpayers of the Averill Park School District without their knowledge with a portion of the debt burden.
And here is where it now gets interesting, for in October of 2025 when Michelle was colluding, in her own words, with Dave Hass and Frank Burzesi about Water District No. 2, our Michelle was still a member of the Averill Park Board of Education, which puts her collusion with Frank and Dave and Laberge in a whole different light.
According to the records, Michelle Garofolo was voted as a member of the Averill Park Central School District Board of Education, serving on the board prior to becoming the Poestenkill Town Supervisor with her seat becoming vacant on January 1, 2026, several months after she admitted to her collusion with Frank and Dave in her glossy campaign propaganda.
As to the Francini letter dated 11 February 2023, Michelle was elected to the Board of Education in May 2023 and remained on the Board of Education until she resigned from the school board effective Jan 1, 2026, upon taking office as the Town of Poestenkill Supervisor.
So, in addition to a corrupt Rensselaer County Health Department, do we also have a corrupt Board of Education for the Averill Park School District?
Stay tuned!
Re: THE PAUL PLANTE STORY
POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
May 3rd 2026 Edition
"THE WATER DISTRICT NO 2 FLIM-FLAM - A WHIFF OF PANIC IN POESTENKILL!"
Reprinted from the April 11th 2024 Edition
At the farce on April 3, 2024 at the Poestenkill fire house billed as a "water district no. 2 information meeting," when it was anything but, more a misinformation meeting than anything, questions were asked, as was previously stated, about why certain properties were in the district while others were not, and no clear answer was given, which is because Poestenkill has a long history of being deceitful and dishonest.
The answer as to why certain properties are in the district while others are not is because Keith Hammond, Eric Wohlleber, June Butler, David Hass and Harold Van Slyke chose it to be that way in August of 2022, when they accepted a Map, Plan and Report showing the district boundary prepared for them by this Laberge crowd, which crowd is now panicking and full of angst because all these supposed millions of dollars in the kitty which don't really exist are going to disappear in so many days, leaving Laberge with empty pockets, unless Democrat Russell can "get it done," for them, that being to get this water district approved in the next so many weeks, which is what all the rush and hurry are about now - to protect the interests of Laberge.
And Wohlleber, Butler and Hass all sit there with a straight face when asked why some are in the district and others are not as if they were totally clueless as to why that was, when it is because they were the ones who made it that way.
As to what really is going on here, what is intentionally not being told to us in these misinformation meetings, it is as follows from the Report and Plan accepted by Hammond, Wohlleber, Butler, Hass and Van Slyke in August of 2022:
Formation of Water District No. 2 is proposed to provide the community with a safe and reliable source of drinking water.
Due to community needs, the Town’s financial capacity, and customer interest, the project is proposed in two phases.
Phase 1 consists of installing water infrastructure from District No. 1 to the middle school, down Liberty Lane, and throughout Algonquin Estates.
These areas can be serviced with sufficient pressure from the existing water tank and the improvements will solve the immediate need for clean water supply to areas that have seen contamination.
There are two alternatives considered for the first phase of the water district, both of which include Liberty Lane and Algonquin Estates improvements.
Phase 2 improvements include continuing the water infrastructure down Route 66 to the Town of Sand Lake border and, due to increased elevations, will require a new water storage tank and booster pump station to provide all of the areas within this phase with the required water pressure.
The storage tank proposed location is at the end of Vosburgh Road at a much higher elevation than the remainder of the district, requiring the installation of pressure reducing valves within the areas in order to limit the maximum pressure entering the low elevation zones.
This phase adds a significant cost to the project without many additional users but provides a future connection point for the Town of Sand Lake to continue the water infrastructure into the town.
Sand Lake is currently developing a design report for the feasibility of creating a water district by extending the water from Poestenkill due to contaminated water levels found in town.
This allows an opportunity for an intermunicipal project to be developed using Phase 2 improvements in order to open up more grant funding opportunities.
It is noted that the new Poestenkill water district will increase the flow requirements from City of Troy supply and Town of Brunswick distribution system.
Specifically, including Phase 2 into the improvements along with the remainder of the areas will cause the required flow to exceed the available water supply from the Brunswick water infrastructure.
The Town of Brunswick has indicated that in order to transport additional water to the Town of Poestenkill multiple improvements are required.
Improvements and their associated costs to the Brunswick water system have been described in order to provide the water users in all impacted Towns with an improved and more reliable system.
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
May 3rd 2026 Edition
"THE WATER DISTRICT NO 2 FLIM-FLAM - A WHIFF OF PANIC IN POESTENKILL!"
Reprinted from the April 11th 2024 Edition
At the farce on April 3, 2024 at the Poestenkill fire house billed as a "water district no. 2 information meeting," when it was anything but, more a misinformation meeting than anything, questions were asked, as was previously stated, about why certain properties were in the district while others were not, and no clear answer was given, which is because Poestenkill has a long history of being deceitful and dishonest.
The answer as to why certain properties are in the district while others are not is because Keith Hammond, Eric Wohlleber, June Butler, David Hass and Harold Van Slyke chose it to be that way in August of 2022, when they accepted a Map, Plan and Report showing the district boundary prepared for them by this Laberge crowd, which crowd is now panicking and full of angst because all these supposed millions of dollars in the kitty which don't really exist are going to disappear in so many days, leaving Laberge with empty pockets, unless Democrat Russell can "get it done," for them, that being to get this water district approved in the next so many weeks, which is what all the rush and hurry are about now - to protect the interests of Laberge.
And Wohlleber, Butler and Hass all sit there with a straight face when asked why some are in the district and others are not as if they were totally clueless as to why that was, when it is because they were the ones who made it that way.
As to what really is going on here, what is intentionally not being told to us in these misinformation meetings, it is as follows from the Report and Plan accepted by Hammond, Wohlleber, Butler, Hass and Van Slyke in August of 2022:
Formation of Water District No. 2 is proposed to provide the community with a safe and reliable source of drinking water.
Due to community needs, the Town’s financial capacity, and customer interest, the project is proposed in two phases.
Phase 1 consists of installing water infrastructure from District No. 1 to the middle school, down Liberty Lane, and throughout Algonquin Estates.
These areas can be serviced with sufficient pressure from the existing water tank and the improvements will solve the immediate need for clean water supply to areas that have seen contamination.
There are two alternatives considered for the first phase of the water district, both of which include Liberty Lane and Algonquin Estates improvements.
Phase 2 improvements include continuing the water infrastructure down Route 66 to the Town of Sand Lake border and, due to increased elevations, will require a new water storage tank and booster pump station to provide all of the areas within this phase with the required water pressure.
The storage tank proposed location is at the end of Vosburgh Road at a much higher elevation than the remainder of the district, requiring the installation of pressure reducing valves within the areas in order to limit the maximum pressure entering the low elevation zones.
This phase adds a significant cost to the project without many additional users but provides a future connection point for the Town of Sand Lake to continue the water infrastructure into the town.
Sand Lake is currently developing a design report for the feasibility of creating a water district by extending the water from Poestenkill due to contaminated water levels found in town.
This allows an opportunity for an intermunicipal project to be developed using Phase 2 improvements in order to open up more grant funding opportunities.
It is noted that the new Poestenkill water district will increase the flow requirements from City of Troy supply and Town of Brunswick distribution system.
Specifically, including Phase 2 into the improvements along with the remainder of the areas will cause the required flow to exceed the available water supply from the Brunswick water infrastructure.
The Town of Brunswick has indicated that in order to transport additional water to the Town of Poestenkill multiple improvements are required.
Improvements and their associated costs to the Brunswick water system have been described in order to provide the water users in all impacted Towns with an improved and more reliable system.
Re: THE PAUL PLANTE STORY
POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
May 4th 2026 Edition
"FLASH, FLASH, FLASH - BREAKING NEWS! ABSURDITY ON STEROIDS ON THE ASCENT IN POESTENKILL AS TEAM GARAFOLO DECLARE THEMSELVES ENGINEERING EXPERTS BY GUARANTEEING AND CERTIFYING IN WRITING THAT RONALD JOSEPH LABERGE IS A COMPETENT ENGINEER WHILE GRANTING LABERGE A BLANK CHECK FOR WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 - MATTER NOW APPEARS HEADED TO COURT!"
Yes, people, if you can believe it, and you have no choice but do so, since it is in writing on an official governmental form called a "Public Interest Order," which is Poestenkill Resolution #24-2026, TEAM GARAFOLO, that being Michelle, of course, the star of the "Michelle Show," along with her supporting cast of fawning bit players, they being Frank Burzesi, an acknowledged engineering expert himself in his own right, along with Rodney Rescott and stalwarts Erric Wohlleber and Dave Hass, have guaranteed and certified in writing that Ronald Joseph Laberge is a "competent" engineer, which will serve as a comfort to those special people in Algonquin Estates who are demanding Michelle do them favors at the expense of others, which is only right as they see it.
To see what Michelle, and Rodney and Eric and Dave and especially Frank, a PE himself, consider "engineering competence," we have this testimony from another professional engineer as our guide, especially his conclusion which is so apt here now in "new" Poestenkill, to wit:
FROM TOM RUSSELL'S FARCICAL WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 PUBLIC HEARING on 25 APRIL 2024:
RUSSELL: (50:08) Okay, we're going to open the public hearing and as I stated previously, one question per individual.
Everybody gets a chance to talk first time around and then we'll swing around depending on the time and so on for the second question.
And I ask that all be considerate of everyone else on the floor.
RUSSELL: (50:48) Paul, do you have a question, please?
PLANTE: Yes, I do.
RUSSELL: Start with question no. 1.
OFF-SCREEN: It's a comment, not a question.
RUSSELL: It's a comment period, excuse me, thank you for correcting me.
PLANTE: Wait a minute, so what am I doing here?
Am I asking something or saying something?
RUSSELL: You're saying something.
PLANTE: I'm saying something, okay, and I got how long - five minutes?
RUSSELL: Go ahead.
PLANTE: I'm an engineer 062600.
I want that on the record.
And I have reviewed a document that Mr. Laberge sealed with his engineering seal on August 29, 2022, which then was filed with the town of Poestenkill.
Now, in that, when an engineer seals a document, the engineer is responsible for every word in the document.
He's responsible for every phrase, every sentence, every diagram.
That's what engineers are responsible for.
We're supposed to safeguard life, health and property, not screw people.
Now, so, I've gone down through that report which I don't know, 100 pages give or take would you say (pointing at Laberge sitting off to the side).
LABERGE: It's a lot.
PLANTE: And on page one I find that the reason for this District here, which is not the district shown in the report.
The reason for it on page one according to the engineer in his professional opinion, because he sealed, he made an engineering certification.
I can read it to you, but it's in the thing, he basically says that in his professional opinion, he's gone down through and this is what its got to be, so based on that report, page one, he says the need is, there's a priority to bring public water to the school.
That's what he says in there.
You drop down to page ten and what he says is that the school's hooking up carbon filters.
So, he's on one page certifying that we need this to pump water to the school and then on another page, he's saying well, we don't really need it, so I guess I'm curious as to what it is.
But let's go past that and go down to, back to page one and he says the other reason we got to have this is coliform in wells.
Serious problem, my God, we got people being poisoned out here, so you go down to page 11 where he's listed all the properties that got coliform that need Water District No. 2, he's got 13 CathlieDrive.
Cathlie Drive is on the other side of Snyder's Corners Road and it's in Water District No. 1.
He's got it in Water District No. 2.
Oh, now we get to 515 New York Rt. 255, that's his second one.
New York State Route 255 is a 5.8 mile long stretch of highway in Livingston County south of Rochester.
He's got that in there as a need for this water district.
564 Snyder's Corner's Road.
That is past Heckelman's on the way to Poestenkill.
It's not Water District 2.
9390 New York. 66 is on 66 west of Snyder's Corners Road.
West.
Not in Water District No. 2.
924 New York 351, north of Poestenkill north of Hinkle Road on 351.
Not in Water District No. 2.
I like this one here - 279 Blue Factory Road.
That's up on the mountain.
That's nowhere near Water District No. 2.
And the same with 20 JD Way.
It's up there, too, up on the mountain.
And 71 Colehammer Road
71 Colehammer Road, you look on the map here (pointing to map of district on display) is down 351.
And it's not in the district.
But, the engineer has put his stamp on a document that says these are all in the district.
Now, my question is as a town resident is if we can't trust that information, which we can't,
He's saying it's true!
I'm saying you look at a map, it ain't true.
We can't trust that information other than, and there's a real nice treatise in there, an engineering treatise on how to do soil surveys I got a lot out of.
Other than that, what can we trust in that engineering report?
What can we trust?
When you got obvious mistakes, BS, whatever, in an engineering report with a seal on it by an engineer, what do we trust?
Why should we trust a word they say, when according to their own engineering report, they can't be trusted.
I'd like to hear Mr. Laberge explain why he's talking about Blue Factory Road.
RUSSELL: (56:42) Okay, Paul.
PLANTE: I'm done for a moment.
RUSSELL: This is from the 2022 Report, right?
PLANTE: It's from the report on the town's website.
You told us in your public hearing notice.
Don't you people, you told us in the public hearing, it's on the town's werbsite.
That's what you told us.
Don't you people read that?
Well, I read the one on the town's website.
Is there another one?
How many of these reports are floating around out there?
RUSSELL: Just one.
Ron, would you care to say anything?
LABERGE: Uh, no, I just have to go back and look exactly what is in there.
PLANTE: (57:54) I guess we got different standards for what a licensed engineer does, but this particular licensed engineer goes down and if I'm going to put my stamp on something, I go down, I check every word once, twice, three times, every word, every word before I put my stamp on it, because if I put my stamp on there and somebody else comes along and says, well, what about this - this is wrong.
I got to eat that.
Now, how many standards for engineers are we going to have in this town?
I guess it's a question you people are going to have to mull over, but when an engineer is supposed to safeguard life, health and property and is not supposed to engage in conduct that's dishonest, questionable, and that's what this, when you can't trust the information in the engineering report that the town has put out for us to review, then this whole thing is a sham, at least to me, but I'm old-fashioned.
I got old-fashioned values here.
I'm from old Poestenkill, so I've said enough, I'm going to listen to what other people got to say, thank you!
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
May 4th 2026 Edition
"FLASH, FLASH, FLASH - BREAKING NEWS! ABSURDITY ON STEROIDS ON THE ASCENT IN POESTENKILL AS TEAM GARAFOLO DECLARE THEMSELVES ENGINEERING EXPERTS BY GUARANTEEING AND CERTIFYING IN WRITING THAT RONALD JOSEPH LABERGE IS A COMPETENT ENGINEER WHILE GRANTING LABERGE A BLANK CHECK FOR WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 - MATTER NOW APPEARS HEADED TO COURT!"
Yes, people, if you can believe it, and you have no choice but do so, since it is in writing on an official governmental form called a "Public Interest Order," which is Poestenkill Resolution #24-2026, TEAM GARAFOLO, that being Michelle, of course, the star of the "Michelle Show," along with her supporting cast of fawning bit players, they being Frank Burzesi, an acknowledged engineering expert himself in his own right, along with Rodney Rescott and stalwarts Erric Wohlleber and Dave Hass, have guaranteed and certified in writing that Ronald Joseph Laberge is a "competent" engineer, which will serve as a comfort to those special people in Algonquin Estates who are demanding Michelle do them favors at the expense of others, which is only right as they see it.
To see what Michelle, and Rodney and Eric and Dave and especially Frank, a PE himself, consider "engineering competence," we have this testimony from another professional engineer as our guide, especially his conclusion which is so apt here now in "new" Poestenkill, to wit:
FROM TOM RUSSELL'S FARCICAL WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 PUBLIC HEARING on 25 APRIL 2024:
RUSSELL: (50:08) Okay, we're going to open the public hearing and as I stated previously, one question per individual.
Everybody gets a chance to talk first time around and then we'll swing around depending on the time and so on for the second question.
And I ask that all be considerate of everyone else on the floor.
RUSSELL: (50:48) Paul, do you have a question, please?
PLANTE: Yes, I do.
RUSSELL: Start with question no. 1.
OFF-SCREEN: It's a comment, not a question.
RUSSELL: It's a comment period, excuse me, thank you for correcting me.
PLANTE: Wait a minute, so what am I doing here?
Am I asking something or saying something?
RUSSELL: You're saying something.
PLANTE: I'm saying something, okay, and I got how long - five minutes?
RUSSELL: Go ahead.
PLANTE: I'm an engineer 062600.
I want that on the record.
And I have reviewed a document that Mr. Laberge sealed with his engineering seal on August 29, 2022, which then was filed with the town of Poestenkill.
Now, in that, when an engineer seals a document, the engineer is responsible for every word in the document.
He's responsible for every phrase, every sentence, every diagram.
That's what engineers are responsible for.
We're supposed to safeguard life, health and property, not screw people.
Now, so, I've gone down through that report which I don't know, 100 pages give or take would you say (pointing at Laberge sitting off to the side).
LABERGE: It's a lot.
PLANTE: And on page one I find that the reason for this District here, which is not the district shown in the report.
The reason for it on page one according to the engineer in his professional opinion, because he sealed, he made an engineering certification.
I can read it to you, but it's in the thing, he basically says that in his professional opinion, he's gone down through and this is what its got to be, so based on that report, page one, he says the need is, there's a priority to bring public water to the school.
That's what he says in there.
You drop down to page ten and what he says is that the school's hooking up carbon filters.
So, he's on one page certifying that we need this to pump water to the school and then on another page, he's saying well, we don't really need it, so I guess I'm curious as to what it is.
But let's go past that and go down to, back to page one and he says the other reason we got to have this is coliform in wells.
Serious problem, my God, we got people being poisoned out here, so you go down to page 11 where he's listed all the properties that got coliform that need Water District No. 2, he's got 13 CathlieDrive.
Cathlie Drive is on the other side of Snyder's Corners Road and it's in Water District No. 1.
He's got it in Water District No. 2.
Oh, now we get to 515 New York Rt. 255, that's his second one.
New York State Route 255 is a 5.8 mile long stretch of highway in Livingston County south of Rochester.
He's got that in there as a need for this water district.
564 Snyder's Corner's Road.
That is past Heckelman's on the way to Poestenkill.
It's not Water District 2.
9390 New York. 66 is on 66 west of Snyder's Corners Road.
West.
Not in Water District No. 2.
924 New York 351, north of Poestenkill north of Hinkle Road on 351.
Not in Water District No. 2.
I like this one here - 279 Blue Factory Road.
That's up on the mountain.
That's nowhere near Water District No. 2.
And the same with 20 JD Way.
It's up there, too, up on the mountain.
And 71 Colehammer Road
71 Colehammer Road, you look on the map here (pointing to map of district on display) is down 351.
And it's not in the district.
But, the engineer has put his stamp on a document that says these are all in the district.
Now, my question is as a town resident is if we can't trust that information, which we can't,
He's saying it's true!
I'm saying you look at a map, it ain't true.
We can't trust that information other than, and there's a real nice treatise in there, an engineering treatise on how to do soil surveys I got a lot out of.
Other than that, what can we trust in that engineering report?
What can we trust?
When you got obvious mistakes, BS, whatever, in an engineering report with a seal on it by an engineer, what do we trust?
Why should we trust a word they say, when according to their own engineering report, they can't be trusted.
I'd like to hear Mr. Laberge explain why he's talking about Blue Factory Road.
RUSSELL: (56:42) Okay, Paul.
PLANTE: I'm done for a moment.
RUSSELL: This is from the 2022 Report, right?
PLANTE: It's from the report on the town's website.
You told us in your public hearing notice.
Don't you people, you told us in the public hearing, it's on the town's werbsite.
That's what you told us.
Don't you people read that?
Well, I read the one on the town's website.
Is there another one?
How many of these reports are floating around out there?
RUSSELL: Just one.
Ron, would you care to say anything?
LABERGE: Uh, no, I just have to go back and look exactly what is in there.
PLANTE: (57:54) I guess we got different standards for what a licensed engineer does, but this particular licensed engineer goes down and if I'm going to put my stamp on something, I go down, I check every word once, twice, three times, every word, every word before I put my stamp on it, because if I put my stamp on there and somebody else comes along and says, well, what about this - this is wrong.
I got to eat that.
Now, how many standards for engineers are we going to have in this town?
I guess it's a question you people are going to have to mull over, but when an engineer is supposed to safeguard life, health and property and is not supposed to engage in conduct that's dishonest, questionable, and that's what this, when you can't trust the information in the engineering report that the town has put out for us to review, then this whole thing is a sham, at least to me, but I'm old-fashioned.
I got old-fashioned values here.
I'm from old Poestenkill, so I've said enough, I'm going to listen to what other people got to say, thank you!
Re: THE PAUL PLANTE STORY
POESTENKILL CLARION, CHRONICLE & GAZETTE
Dedicated to egalitarianism over pettifoggery and snobbery, and the protection and preservation of intellectual liberty in Poestenkill for Democracy in Poestenkill dies in Darkness, while in Darkness, Corruption in Poestenkill Flourishes
"It is when authority in Poestenkill is abused that authority in Poestenkill becomes contemptable!"
"The law is far too precious a thing to be left in the hands of lawyers!"
"Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything!"
"The press is the scourge of tyrants and the grand palladium of liberty."
May 6th 2026 Edition
"UPDATE ON WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 FRAUD INVESTIGATION - A MASTER CLASS IN HOW TO DEFRAUD THE TAXPAYERS!"
Let's start this discussion by me saying as someone who has been in this town since 1949 that in my life, I have never seen such a duplicitous, dishonest, untrustworthy, sociopathic bunch of hack politicians as we are cursed with here in Poestenkill in the persons of David Hass, Eric Wohlleber and Frank Burzesi, Political Engineer # 070866, which according to Eric Wohlleber speaking to his cronies, Michelle, and Frank and Dave and Rodney, and yes, let's not forget Phil Danaher, an officer of the Courts in Rensselaer County, on 23 April 2026, is what makes them electable here in Poestenkill where according to Eric, who as a politician would know these things cold, 83 percent of the population are Pro-Corruption, to wit:
WOHLLEBER: If I could say just a few quick things, um, you know, just to remind for the record that, you know, this was voted on June of 2024 and it passed 88 to 18, or 83% to 17%.
And with that, back we go to 25 April 2024, to Tom Russell's rather poorly run and downright shoddy fraudulent public hearing on Water District No. 2, where we had this testimony on the record, to wit:
RUSSELL: This is from the 2022 Report, right?
PLANTE: It's from the report on the town's website.
You told us in your public hearing notice.
Don't you people, you told us in the public hearing, it's on the town's werbsite.
That's what you told us.
Don't you people read that?
Well, I read the one on the town's website.
Is there another one?
How many of these reports are floating around out there?
RUSSELL: Just one.
That was a lie, however, and not only Tom, but Eric, Frank and David, knew that at the time Tom was saying those words that it was a lie, a blatant falsehood, because right after that, that very same evening, our duplicitous, dishonest trio signed off on Resolution and Order No.11, 2024 where in the second Whereas clause it stated as follows in another classic case of BAIT AND SWITCH here in Poestenkill where one version of something is fed to the public for public comment, and then something totally different ends up actually getting approved, to wit:
WHEREAS, such Map, Plan and Report is dated August 2022 with the last update and revision date of April 2024, which updated and revised the Map, Plan and Report, has been accepted by the Town Board;
That, people, is how Water District No. 2 here in Poestenkill came to be approved, because Tom and Eric and Frank and David were able to successfully get 88 people within the bounds of Water District No. 2 Water District to buy their lies.
So the referendum on 27 June 2024 was based on a fraud, which renders Water District No. 2 a nullity, simple as that.
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May 6th 2026 Edition
"UPDATE ON WATER DISTRICT NO. 2 FRAUD INVESTIGATION - A MASTER CLASS IN HOW TO DEFRAUD THE TAXPAYERS!"
Let's start this discussion by me saying as someone who has been in this town since 1949 that in my life, I have never seen such a duplicitous, dishonest, untrustworthy, sociopathic bunch of hack politicians as we are cursed with here in Poestenkill in the persons of David Hass, Eric Wohlleber and Frank Burzesi, Political Engineer # 070866, which according to Eric Wohlleber speaking to his cronies, Michelle, and Frank and Dave and Rodney, and yes, let's not forget Phil Danaher, an officer of the Courts in Rensselaer County, on 23 April 2026, is what makes them electable here in Poestenkill where according to Eric, who as a politician would know these things cold, 83 percent of the population are Pro-Corruption, to wit:
WOHLLEBER: If I could say just a few quick things, um, you know, just to remind for the record that, you know, this was voted on June of 2024 and it passed 88 to 18, or 83% to 17%.
And with that, back we go to 25 April 2024, to Tom Russell's rather poorly run and downright shoddy fraudulent public hearing on Water District No. 2, where we had this testimony on the record, to wit:
RUSSELL: This is from the 2022 Report, right?
PLANTE: It's from the report on the town's website.
You told us in your public hearing notice.
Don't you people, you told us in the public hearing, it's on the town's werbsite.
That's what you told us.
Don't you people read that?
Well, I read the one on the town's website.
Is there another one?
How many of these reports are floating around out there?
RUSSELL: Just one.
That was a lie, however, and not only Tom, but Eric, Frank and David, knew that at the time Tom was saying those words that it was a lie, a blatant falsehood, because right after that, that very same evening, our duplicitous, dishonest trio signed off on Resolution and Order No.11, 2024 where in the second Whereas clause it stated as follows in another classic case of BAIT AND SWITCH here in Poestenkill where one version of something is fed to the public for public comment, and then something totally different ends up actually getting approved, to wit:
WHEREAS, such Map, Plan and Report is dated August 2022 with the last update and revision date of April 2024, which updated and revised the Map, Plan and Report, has been accepted by the Town Board;
That, people, is how Water District No. 2 here in Poestenkill came to be approved, because Tom and Eric and Frank and David were able to successfully get 88 people within the bounds of Water District No. 2 Water District to buy their lies.
So the referendum on 27 June 2024 was based on a fraud, which renders Water District No. 2 a nullity, simple as that.