GOING QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT

Why is it, that almost anyone that gets involved in an elected office ends up never wanting to leave on an high note but waits until they become an embarrassment to themselves, their office or in this case a Party Committee ?  So is the case in the 27 year Saratoga County Chairman Jasper Nolan, who is ‘not running for another term’ and now in retirement would like to be ‘chairman emeritus’ –it never ends.  Jasper was 'the man' when politics was a one party system in Saratoga County.  If you wanted a County or City job, ‘go see Jasper’.  If you wanted a summer job at the track, ‘go see Jasper’ and on and on.  Remember you had to be a registered Republican to get a job and you needed to be at the Party’s beck and call forever after.  That used to be the way politics worked.  We all know politics is really a dirty game fought in the trenches by Party Leaders who most of the time will stop at nothing to say or do anything, just as long as it helps their candidates get elected and Jasper was a master at these games.  These strong armed tactics that were prevalent in the past weren’t just done in the Republican Party, just look at what Albany had as a Democratic despot for mucho decades.  (I’m just throwing in one of my foreign language bits).

Jasper just didn’t have a handle on things the past few years and why he kept being elected shows the power one person can control if they have the right connections.  I feel this is one reason we don’t see as many strong boss types in local politics anymore, when the long term boss leaves the connections usually leave with them and it’s hard to get them back in the pocket of a new person.

As I said earlier, politicians should know when to go.  We can take a look at Saratoga’s own Tom McTygue.  He was in office for over 30 years and he was fortunate to have a good Deputy in the last number of years in Pat.  Pat had the City looking great and knew how to run a tight ship with the City DPW crews.  Tom should have left 15 years before he was defeated, as he had become somewhat of an exposed embarrassment for his role of Commissioner and for things that were going on in his department that some say were not kosher.

As for our own Mayor Johnson, 4 years would have suited him the best.  He is starting to become in public what those who work in City Hall and those who have tried to get public information from the City are treated like we live in the old USSR.  Mayor Johnson, staying in the position when he should have gotten out with a shred of decency is becoming Saratoga Springs embarrassment and heck, he is even embarrassing himself.

Should they stay until they hear the slogans like “Remiga, who needs ya” or “Ken, Ken, Kenny, bye bye”?

But other than voting them out of office, how do we say ‘hey, its time to go’?  If they don’t live up to the majority of those who put them in office and that majority starts to complain, well, who wants to hear them bellyache, it’s your fault.

Goodbye Jasper, your time has come, only it should have been 15 years ago.