(Click to Enlarge - Courtesy AM NY)You know something, I always thought that politicians were hypocrites on some level - but I never thought people had the audacity to go this far.
We all know about Councilman Fidler's schtick on the Mayor - billionaire out of touch with the common folk, like me. Well, it turns out that the Councilman isn't as common as we all were led to believe.
We all know about Councilman Fidler's schtick on the Mayor - billionaire out of touch with the common folk, like me. Well, it turns out that the Councilman isn't as common as we all were led to believe.
According to Jason Fink of AM NY, our Councilman is doing quite well for himself, thank you very much. In fact, he is cited as one of 7 MILLIONAIRES currently in the Council!That's right folks.... millionaires.
Call me crazy, but a millionaire railing against a billionaire in the name of us thousand-aires doesn't exactly sound genuine to me. It sounds more like a way to deceive and get more votes from those who don't know any better.
Well I, as one of the many thousand-aires living in the district, think that this whole "common man" facade is just that - another example of our Councilman waving his right hand at us while the left hand is hiding something totally opposite - and we've seen enough.
- He vocally opposes the Bloomberg administration, yet sides with it on the term limits extension.
- He touts his tax record, stating that he voted against the previous tax increase, yet neglects to mention that he voted for the previous TWO tax increases before the council - totaling 25% in the aggregate!
- Now this "common man" routine of fighting for the little guys has turned into nothing less than a millionaire in pauper's clothing!
Now I would never begrudge anyone success - the Councilman's salary is NOT the issue here.
The issue is deception. You see, facts are shaded in Councilman Fidler's world. There seems to be no such thing as full disclosure. We're always left wondering "what are we missing?"We deserve representatives interested in full disclosure and total truthfulness with the people. We deserve someone like us, in touch with our concerns, who will not play the misdirection game that has become an art form in South Brooklyn.
If elected, you will never have to worry about the "man behind the curtain" because there will be no curtain. There's only me - a fighter from Sheepshead Bay asking for your trust with the responsibility of restoring YOUR voice - the REAL voice of the common people - in City Hall.
3 comments:
Mr Fink's article combines assets and income and shows Fidler's range from $350,000 to a $1.2 million. So who is being dishonest, Fidler or you, calling him a millionaire.
And as to the tax votes: who didn't vote for the 18% property tax increase when the City was devastated by 9/111? and is it not true that it wsa Fidler who led the fight to lower the rates by 7 1/2% two years ago and then voted AGAINST adding it back last year? So the number is 18 1/2%, all post 9/11. Why not ask the Real Estate Board of NY who the strogest supporter of lower proprety taxes is on the Council. They have already publicly said that Fidler is on the short list.
So tell the truth Gene.
Thanks for the comment. To respond:
1) I highlighted Mr. Fink's range by circling it in the article - and I linked the entire story for people to read. But like I said, the issue isn't money.
2) The Councilman's voting record speaks for itself, in my opinion. I see 25% tax increase in the aggregate on that record. I do remember a tax cut proposed and implemented in 2007 - just not by the Councilman....
http://www.nysun.com/new-york/mayor-readies-1-billion-tax-cut/46847/
So is the game to take credit FOR the Mayor's policy sometimes when beneficial, but not other times? In my opinion, the time for playing games should be over.
(I encourage people to look it up for themselves and make up their own minds - don't just rely on my own opinion or Anonymous's for that matter.)
Your follow-up is curious: considering the explosion of over-development that has gone on in the district from Sheepshead Bay to Canarsie, do you really think that touting the support of the real estate elite is a good thing? Well, I guess if you want to use developers as your support that the Councilman's tax policy is reasonable, well I guess that really doesn't require a response!
I prefer to ask my neighbors what they think. And so far, the response has been less than favorable.
In closing, I think I've gone a long way in telling the truth - I've also given my commentary, (after all, it's my blog!) and I think the dividing lines are clear.
Thanks again for the response, I look forward to yours and more comments.
I'm a penny-aires and got a tuned out when I read thousand-aires...maybe tomorrow, I'll get the nerve up to read the rest.
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