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Is Cuomo considering the dissolution of the DEC Econ officer department?


Gill-T

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Today I heard some disturbing news from a Forest Ranger (despite a gag order).  Cuomo is at it again trying to sneak something into the fine print of next year's budget.  While you were not looking, Cuomo is trying to erase the DEC Econ Officer Department and have the Forest Ranger Department assume all duties.   This will be pawned off as a money saving plan.  Behind the scenes Cuomo has been seething at the DEC because they refused to back him during elections or regarding the Safe Act.  Exit commissioner Basil Seggos, and with his departure... back door Albany dealings to make this change. Basil will take the heat and then conveniently leave. Cuomo's plan is brilliant as this will less likely not stick to him politically. 

 

No offence to the good men and women of the Forest Ranger Service but they do almost nothing compared to DEC Econ Officers.  Rangers get calls to find missing persons or during forest fires.  DEC Econ Officers have the jurisdiction to act as a border patrol agent, a state trooper, and enforce environmental law.  If you live out in the country, a 911 call at your house may be responded to by a DEC officer.  If you are in an accident with injuries on a country road, it might be a DEC officer that responds first.  DEC officers receive the same training as state troopers and receive far less pay coming out of the academy.  

 

Time is of the essence.  Cuomo is trying to sneak this thru via the 2019 budget.  Please email your local politician and send a message you stand with DEC Econ Officers.  We all have been complaining on this website that we need more Econ officers around to enforce the laws.  Time to put your voice to good use!  Cuomo tried to steal money from the environmental Pittman-Robertson Fund a few years back.  His shenanigans were noticed by the environmental conservation oversight board and the DEC.  They made Cuomo put the money back where it belonged.  

 

Power unchecked corrupts- Republican or Democrat.  With no term limits, Cuomo thinks he can do as he pleases.  Send a message.

Edited by Gill-T
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Hello Gil. First of all I wish you and yours a happy Christmas and a happy new year.

I do however have a problem with your post. It is quite possible that Cuomo wants to merge the  DEC Econ Officer Department in with the Forest ranger Department. But your post does not give a lot of proper information about the good or the bad of this idea. All it gives, is the opinion of one Forest Ranger who talks while he is under a gag order (not a good sign to disobey orders). As for the DEC not supporting a politician during elections..., They are not supposed to take any political sides during any election because they are state employees and not a political group.

I have nothing but the greatest respect for the Econ Officers and hope that they be be able to continue their work . They should be paid the same as a State Trooper.

Can you please find a source with some more information so I can take that to my local politician.

Skyman, sending this to only the minority leader and not the mayority leader as well ,only turns this into a political game where  the minority uses it to attack and the majority is guaranteed to win.

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Sorry the message is cryptic rolmops but people's jobs are at stake so I will not give up my sources.  I would use my warning to direct your state representative to look for the part of the proposed budget that deals with restructuring the DEC.  Things get buried in budgets.  Cuomo is trying to bypass civil service law by getting his anti-DEC agenda passed without a public debate process.  The pros and cons need to be debated in an open forum not hidden.  

Edited by Gill-T
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rolmops - I am not trying to get into some political mess between parties etc. Brian lives here in Canandaigua and I am familiar with him so I wanted to make him aware of the posting that is potentially seen by 20,000 people. It wasn't my intent to cover the whole issue politically or get involved in the politics of the issue itself. I also don't want to give the impression that I have the situation well in hand but only to contact someone I believe has his constituents best interest at heart, and there are few of those people in Albany you can say that about. KIng Cuomo is going to do whatever he wants anyway. By the way I am neither Republican or Democrat and I voted for a write-in Independent candidate in the last election.

Edited by Sk8man
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I don’t pretend to know all the ins-and-outs of the proposal as this has not become public knowledge and there is a gag order in place. What is in play in the discussion is.....

- big business does not like doing business in NY because of all the expensive environmental assessment that is required before a shovel is put in the ground. There is some good regulation and some stupid. For example, paying an archeological firm to dig with a shovel every 100 yards to make sure you are not destroying artifacts is stupid IMO. Make sure chemicals are not being dumped in streams is good. Big business is anti-DEC. 

-Rangers want the change because many want to be able to learn the physical means to apprehend criminals. They call the DEC or police when confronted with a belligerent person in the field. 

- The governor has gutted the DEC Econ department by reducing funding. Pay raises and money to repair vehicles has been non-existent. Cuomo is on the record as wanting to do away with the DEC. Econ officers’ jobs will disappear. 

 

There has to be a public discussion before a wing of the government is dissolved. I would deplore you all to see what happened to the “Buffalo Billions” scandal on how cronism is alive and well in New York. I still don’t know how Cuomo has not been charged. Nothing sticks to him. 

Edited by Gill-T
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Gag order translates to bad for the public, good for the government.

 

They passed a 60% pay raise for themselves (as part time employees) and now they need to "create" the money to pay for their new salaries.

 

A state, of the government, by the government, and FOR the government :puke:

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I don’t pretend to know all the ins-and-outs of the proposal as this has not become public knowledge and there is a gag order in place. What is in play in the discussion is.....
- big business does not like doing business in NY because of all the expensive environmental assessment that is required before a shovel is put in the ground. There is some good regulation and some stupid. For example, paying an archeological firm to dig with a shovel every 100 yards to make sure you are not destroying artifacts is stupid IMO. Make sure chemicals are not being dumped in streams is good. Big business is anti-DEC. 
-Rangers want the merge because many want to be able to learn the physical means to apprehend criminals. They call the DEC or police when confronted with a belligerent person in the field. 
- Econ officers don’t want the merge because their paltry starting pay will be diminished further as rangers make less. The governor has gutted the department by reducing funding. Pay raises and money to repair vehicles has been non-existent. Cuomo is on the record as wanting to do away with the DEC. 
 
There may be pros and cons to the merger, but there has to be a public discussion before a wing of the government is dissolved. I would deplore you all to see what happened to the “Buffalo Billions” scandal on how cronism is alive and well in New York. I still don’t know how Cuomo has not been charged. Nothing sticks to him. 
Some how old Andy got away Scott free while everyone around him went down....can't trust the guy....he can keep his marijuana to well keep our rights and the Dec.....so let's just say the Dec goes away.....next things start to go to the wayside....stocking programs are already taking cuts...I can see it all turning bad in a hurry but that's just one opinion

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Lake Ontario United mobile app

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13 minutes ago, DoubleTrouble1 said:

Some how old Andy got away Scott free while everyone around him went down....can't trust the guy....he can keep his marijuana to well keep our rights and the Dec.....so let's just say the Dec goes away.....next things start to go to the wayside....stocking programs are already taking cuts...I can see it all turning bad in a hurry but that's just one opinion

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Lake Ontario United mobile app
 

 

 

The Dec determine the stocking levels

 

 

How's that work with that narrative

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Forest Rangers are banging the drum to hire more Rangers because they are overtaxed with search and rescues. Their union rep states they are so overtaxed and stressed that they are “sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring” and yet state auditors say Rangers only spend 14% of their time on search and rescue. The truth may be somewhere in the middle but it begs the question why would they state they are sitting by phones (doing nothing) and then say they are overtaxed. Wrong choice of words. State/local police plus DEC Econ officers are all involved with search and rescue.  

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