Cronies R Us

Well, at least one local patronage job has bitten the dust:

A former city alderman and Ulster County legislator who worked on Mayor Shayne Gallo’s campaign and then was hired as a rehabilitation housing specialist for the city has been fired for, among other thing things, shoddy work on a handicapped-accessible ramp built at another Gallo supporter’s home.

Gallo said he fired Michael Madsen last week from his $30,000-plus job in the Kingston Office for Community Development for “insubordination” and “incompetence” in connection with work Madsen performed at the home of Janai McDonough, the 2011 Working Families Party candidate for the Common Council’s Fifth Ward seat.

Gallo said his firing of Madsen, a fellow Democrat, illustrates that “no matter what my relationship is to a city employee, I will take action” when it is necessary.”

Gallo referred to Madsen as an “alleged carpenter.”

Michael Madsen, you may remember, was a hanger-on with the Gallo campaign who maneuvered himself into the job of code enforcement officer in the City of Kingston. The only problem was that Madsen had zero credentials, a battery of which are required for the job (because, you know, people's lives are at stake, etc).

Well, a bunch of people, including this blog, asked questions about this. Lo and behold, Madsen decides at the eleventh hour to "step aside," and was instead rewarded with the Community Development job. But even that, apparently, was beyond Madsen's administrative skills. Gallo is using words like "incompetence" and "insubordination," and describes Madsen as an "alleged carpenter." He's royally PO'ed, it appears. Are you listening Terry and Len?

But the person with whom Gallo should be most angry stares at him in the mirror every morning. Patronage jobs, particularly when the person receiving the work isn't actually qualified for the position, usually end up badly. So, a lesson for Gallo to take the high road when it comes to appointing appropriate people.

And is the Independence Party line really worth the aggravation of having to deal with a phalanx of incompetent Bernardo flunkies who have their hands out? Maybe you can campaign harder instead of getting into bed with with these political parasites? Perhaps?