Ask Me No Questions And I'll Tell You No Lies

Why would anyone want to question the management of Mohawk Valley EDGE?

Sadly, that seems to be the opinion of Oneida County's "leadership". Which is particularly unfortunate since EDGE is an un-elected economic development authority tasked with spending tens of millions of dollars of your money. For the Marcy Super-Duper-Ultra-Mega-Nanotech site alone they're responsible for upwards of $26 million in expenditures, and that translates into a hellacious number of lucrative construction and development contracts.

This being Oneida County, you can just imagine the kind of tearful joy all that money, conveniently free of the oversight accorded to normal government contract procedures, inspires in the usual suspects.

That's why Larry Tanoury Jr. gets a shout-out for actually, you know, asking some questions about how EDGE spends all that cash:

Mohawk Valley EDGE has a new contract with the county.

After much discussion surrounding questions about accountability and taxpayer cost versus benefits, the Board of Legislators voted 24-3 Wednesday to renew the annual pact with EDGE for economic development services.

The no votes were cast by Larry Tanoury Jr., D-25, Utica, Joseph M. Furgol, D-27, Utica, and Shannon L. Scott, D-22, Utica. There were two absences.

Tanoury asked most of the questions, picking up the thread from a recent meeting of the board’s Economic Development & Tourism Committee when it considered the $412,892 contract. Tanoury thought his queries about the accountability of the not-for-profit EDGE and whether there was any analysis of what EDGE gets back on its investments were given the short shrift at the committee session, so he raised them again Wednesday at the full board meeting.

Mr. Tanoury deserves a great deal of credit for bucking the group-think of the rest of the rubber-stamp legislature. Regardless of your opinion of EDGE's effectiveness, and I'm pretty firmly convinced they're a convenient conduit for corruption, it's stunning that more questions weren't asked about the disposition of the County's multi-million dollar investment in the organization.

In an ideal world Mr. Tanoury's questions would lead to MV-EDGE embracing transparency and regularly publishing an accounting of their efforts, including the details of their development sub-contracts, on their website. This being Oneida County, and about as far from an ideal world as you can get, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

Disclosure: Regular readers know that I've had several exchanges with Mr. Tanoury, including my merciless mocking of his taste in music, but I've always found him to be polite even when I was harshly criticizing him.

The Diddler Strikes!

It's been a busy day for the moderator of the O-D's Storychat forum. The story on Ed Hanna's search for a new home in Utica has created an explosion of snark, some of which has been gut-bustingly funny. Sadly, most of the really hysterical posts have been removed because they crossed over into personal attacks. The O-D doesn't really have any another option, since it's a clear violation of their terms of service, but it's still a shame they were tossed into the digital dustbin.

Another issue has been bubbling under the surface of the discussion, but I haven't seen anyone come right out and name names yet: Hanna isn't the only Mayor accused of diddling his staff. "Utica315" in particular, who I have a sneaking suspicion is Larry Tanoury Jr., has been deflecting criticism of Hanna's after-hours activities by hinting around about other Mayoral shenanigans. That's cool with me, since I think an elected official that violates his vows of marriage is just as likely to violate his oath of office.

Update:

As for Julian's people who keep mentioning this "allegation"; maybe it's time that we release the fact that there is another (very similar) "allegation" against Julian right now. He may not be accused of harrassment, but I think the evidence would show that he is in effect paying (with raises) for sexual favors. Why doesn't the media report that?

This is a serious charge that goes beyond accusing someone of infidelity, something I don't think "Utica315" appreciates. Abusing the powers of your office to reward a subordinate for sexual favors is a crime. Cheating on your wife isn't.

Update: Sweet Jumpin' Jeebus, this comment thread with "Utica315" just keeps getting better:

"Maybe the media hasn't reported it because it’s NOT true. Julian has no suits or allegations against him. Check your facts."

No suits? Not true? Maybe YOU should check your facts! There is a suit, and NO I'm not who you all think I am. Just simply check the facts and see how much money this "suit" has already cost city taxpayers in defense costs.

Maybe the reason you haven't heard about it is because the Plaintiff in this case has class and doesn't see it fit to run to the media with the allegations. The circumstances surrounding the case ruined a young man's life. If it was me I would be telling the whole world what really happened. I guess he is more of a man than I am.

I think we just saw Larry Tanoury Jr. deny that he was Larry Tanoury Jr. while saying the lawsuit by Larry Tanoury Jr. against the city of Utica is costing the city money. But that's okay, because Larry Tanoury Jr. is a classy guy. And he's most definitely not Larry Tanoury Jr., but if he was his life was ruined. Oh, and Larry Tanoury Jr. is more of a man than he is, because he's definitely not Larry Tanoury Jr..

Got that?

Update: Ack! Who should appear in the thread but....Larry Tanoury Jr.! It's a miracle! Seriously, go over and read the entire thread. It's a hoot.

Update: A reader asks if it's wise to accuse someone of being Larry Tanoury Jr. after the person in question just accused a public official of committing a heinous crime. I suppose I'll find out, won't I?

Update: Wait, it might not be Larry Jr. after all. I'm nominating this one for "Epic Thread" status.

The Enemy Of My Enemy...

I'm mercilessly harsh on the guy, but Larry Tanoury deserves credit for linking to my tax rant.

CNY Snakepit has a great post regarding Picente's "so-called" sales tax decrease.

As pointed out, correctly, he is NOT lowering the sales tax. He is actually increasing it by .75%. The sales tax increase was supposed to expire in November, bringing it back down to 8%. Even though Picente promised the sales tax increase would end when he was appointed, he is now playing election year politics. He contadicts himself by telling us we have a surplus (good political sound bite), yet warns of more property tax increases.

Hmmmmm...I'm starting to think this High Taxes Suck (TM) thing could be a useful political issue. Too bad the Republicans don't seem to be embracing it.

I'm still upset that Larry wants to take away my beautiful chrome and ivory Ruger Mk II target pistol, but that's a post for another day.

(Editor: He shoots, he scores! In one fell swoop he advances his libertarian tax agenda, sets up the "Why do they want to take my guns?" meme, and solidifies his bi-partisan gadfly credentials. Genius!)

I'm Late To The Party

Thankfully, someone stayed sober over the weekend and didn't let their blogs go to pot. Joe Politics has a two-fer tackling the Julian/Meola Felonious Face-Off and Mr. Arcuri's potential challengers.

The first was a story I was hoping someone would write, but never expected it would come from them. It describes how both candidates for Mayor of Utica have a checkered legal past. They wrote the story down the middle and basically laid out the facts and then had "real" people say that it won't have a major impact on their decision. The best part was the comments after the online story. One reader said what we all were thinking.

"...who are these people who question why voters would consider criminal convictions of candidates. Are you kidding me?? Julian was arrested by Pylman; Meola was in a multimillion dollar fencing operation. Is there NO ONE ELSE ??....And Julian and Meola can understand why anyone would be interested in their criminal convictions ?? Are each of them suffering from some brain disorder ??"

Meanwhile, over at Fault Lines, Strikeslip gives me way too much credit for hacking the Meola story. How I wish that were true. If they really want a fun story I can't imagine anything more amusing than taking a serious look at Larry Tanoury's online antics. Particularly in light of his family history. Apples falling from trees, and all that.

Larry Tanoury Lays It Down

Larry Tanoury has risen to the challenge:

UPDATE: This blogger continues to question this "MySpace" account. As if there aren't any real issues to discuss. They have asked "what song was on the profile." What does it matter? As I stated, I deleted the account in order to avoid dirty tactics like these.

Well, no, you didn't say that, at least until now. And your account wasn't deleted, it was switched from public to private three hours after the cognitive dissonance between your public and private persona was pointed out on an internet message board.

I don't remember exactly what song they are looking for, as I would often change songs. I believe the last song was "Cake" by 50 Cent. You say you have it archived, I say release it so that everyone can see how rediculous this whole conversation is.

See, that wasn't hard, was it? People like politicians that are open and honest. After all, what could possibly be offensive about a song? It's just words and music, right? The very idea that your theme song could be "embarrassing" is laughable on it's face, which is why this whole brouhaha is, as you point out, so trivial.

Really, people are so thin skinned these days.

I would like to point out, in the interest of fairness, that Mr. Cent is merely a featured artist. The credit for the song itself belongs to the talented Lloyd Banks, who deserves all the credit for lyrics that flow off the tongue like fine poetry:

I need the cake nigga!
The Unit dont play, we rap but we strapped
Buck got the shotgun, 50 got the Mac
Spider got the sweeper and he dyin to hear it clap
you wont have another birthday (cake) after that
cuz Yayo got a temper and he dont know how to act
and Ive been gone a winter, but now a nigga back
to get the (money)all the (money)all the(money)all the(money)all the (cake!)

[Verse- LLoyd Banks]
And you mutherfuckas looking like steak
food on the plate, for the wolves, follow moves,
dont get moved by the tools, blood'll ooze on ya shoes
Wait!, control ya hate, you aint ridin in them sixes
(Why?), cuz you spendin all ya (cake) on them bitches
I need the bread, lil niggas need christmas
Banks dont rap with a backpack, im in it for the
(money)all the (money)all the(money)all the(money)all the (cake!)

[Verse-50 Cent]
haha, you heard Banks say it so you know i got the Mac
I'll pull up pull out spray hollows at ya back
i dont give a fuck its goin down like that
i dun been thru everyhood that niggas gonna rat
in the heart of a victim, murder is monumental
i dont complicate shit kid, i keep it simple
my bullet wounds will tell you a story bout what i been through
Southside trauma, drama with the llamas
i converstate with killers its usually bout life
politic with lawness its usually bout white
im da posterchild of violence im the boy on the poster
when the shots start to ring out im the boy with the toaster
yea listen up clicko, i hustle i get dough
you fuckin with a sicko, i spaz let a clip go
cannon out the rental, beam to ya temple
i squeez blow ya mental, all over ya friends

[Verse-Lloyd Banks]
me im from the street, we aint nothin sweet
the home of the homi's, theres a body everyweek
now i dont hear the sirens but they probably on a creep
plottin to pull me over, plant the (cake) in my jeep
so i'll be skippin cities, 7 states in a week
cant a mutherfucka breathin and tell me i cant eat
show me the (money)of the (money)of the(money)of the(money)of the (cake!)
nigga slowdown pump ya brakes
no mistakes cuz them jakes run the plates
then ya headed upstate for rollin round with a steak
nigga start up a beef, and run straight to the cops
you a bitch ass nigga the cup(cake) of the block
any nigga disrespect the clique gettin shot
round here niggas get found upside down over the
(money)all the (money)all the(money)all the(money)all the (cake!)

Well. That was uplifting.

Since Mr. Tanoury has pointed out my cultural ignorance several times, I'd like to defend myself by listing the lessons I've learned from his theme song.

1. "Nigga" isn't really an offensive word.

2. When you're confronted by armed men, one with a pump shotgun, one with a MAC-10, and one with a cut-down fully-automatic shotgun, the one to watch out for is the one with the fully-automatic shotgun.

3. Good financial planning is ruined when you use an excessive amount of your income to impress "bitches".

4. The MAC-10 machine pistol is particularly effective when firing hollow-point bullets.

5. When a gunfight erupts, aim for the head.

6. Police want to pull you over and plant "cake" in your car. From the word usage I'm beginning to think the "cake" in question isn't from Sarah Lee.

7. If you start a confrontation and then go to the police for protection you're a "bitch ass nigga".

I'd like to thank Mr. Tanoury for providing me with this educational experience. I think we all owe him a big debt of gratitude for what we've learned today.

Larry Tanoury Is Down With That

Larry Tanoury has called me out.

A certain blogger has posted some troubling information about my MySpace profile. The post is offensively titled "What do Larry Tanoury Jr. and Don Imus have in common?".

I have known about these naive allegations for some time, however, I thought they were so immature and childish that they didn't warrant a reply. However, I have now heard that certain Democrats are actually questioning what this is all about.

It's simple. I had a MySpace account for several years. MySpace is a social network which allows me to keep in touch with my friends across the country. The so-called "embarrassing material" was a simple RAP SONG.

Okay, I'll bite. What was the song?

Update: In addition to this post I've left a comment on Mr. Tanoury's blog asking the same question. If he chooses not to respond via email or his own blog within a reasonable time I'll assume he doesn't wish to answer it. I hope he doesn't do that, because I think this is a great opportunity for him to dispell my "lack of understanding of other cultures." Considering his extensive experience with racial inequality and human rights issues I think there's a lot we could all learn from such a discussion.

Update: I've been told there is indeed an archival copy of Mr. Tanoury's Myspace page from the time in question, as well as a way to access his current page. Since Mr. Tanoury may well be away from internet access I'll give him some more time to respond before exploring those options.

Update: A helpful reader writes:

"...ol' 3.9 must use spell check a bit better on his term papers than he does his blog.

I currently have a cummulative GPA of 3.9 and am planning on transfering to Utica College to major in Political Science with a minor in Human Rights Actavism.

If someone was going to Actavate on my behalf I'd hope he could spell."

Bad spelling does have a negative "cumulative" effect on reader perceptions.

In Search Of...

No, not the old syndicated TV show narrated by Leonard Nimoy. I'm talking about whoever keeps ending up here after doing searches for "larry tanoury jr myspace". If you're really that worried about it you probably shouldn't be doing the search from a machine with a fixed address.

Just sayin'.

What Do Larry Tanoury Jr. And Don Imus Have In Common?

He's back! Larry Tanoury Jr. has launched his campaign Web site.

Democrat Larry Tanoury Jr., a candidate for the 25th District seat on the Oneida County Board of Legislators, has launched a campaign Web site.

Tanoury said the site, www.larrytanoury.com, will allow residents in the 25th District to keep current on the events of his campaign.

The seat is held by William Hendricks, a Republican.

Mr. Tanoury actually launched the website quite some time ago. In fact, he's been amazingly active on the internet over the past year or so. Just not in ways that will help his campaign.

From what I understand, before Mr. Tanoury shut off public access to his Myspace page there was some rather embarrassing material posted, particularly for someone who's campaigning as the savior of Cornhill. Worse, it was archived before he was able to sanitize it.

I wonder if it will pop up during the campaign.