Predictability and Stagnation: Ravena Democratic Slate for Mayor, Councilpersons

Political Stagnation in Ravena Village Hall

Vision and Freshness: Ravena Republican Slate

Misuraca-Coye-Mahler Team to Challenge Bruno-Case-Persico Gang

It’s a No-Brainer! Correction: It does require a brain to do what’s right and decide what’s best for the village of Ravena. Ravena needs change, and the Ravena Republican slate is offering voters the opportunity to make that necessary change. The opportunity to give Ravena a new lease on life. Actually, the revitalization of Ravena won’t start on Main Street Ravena until it starts in Village Hall Ravena.

Revitalize Ravena Starting with Ravena Village Hall

On January 27, 2014, at the Ravena Democratic Caucus, the Democrats made the same predicatable move to nominate John T. Bruno as their mayoral candidate, and confirmed Martin “Marty” Case and Rocco Persico to be their bad choices for village trustees. Here”s our take on that mistake:

• The Ravena Democratic caucus met on January 27th but their numbers were way down. Only about half of the usual attendance was there. That should tell you something for a start: They don’t have much support even from their own hangers-on.
• Furthermore, keep in mind that the Bruno and Persico clans in Ravena are not going to waste a second in calling in their large tribes and their members to hit the polls on March 18, 2014. That’s how it’s done in Ravena: the Incest Club calls all of the tribe to vote for them, and they do stick together. That’s all the more reason why the rest of us have to mobilize and get to the polls!
• Second of all, Bruno is going to use his medieval strong-arm techniques and his usual threats to bully anyone and everyone to put him back on his throne. Bruno will probably be twisting village employees’ arms, too, threatening them with loss of the cushy jobs if he gets voted out. So Bruno’s pets and appointees will be doing everything they can to keep king Bruno in office. They have a lot to lose if he loses.
• Remember, too, that Martin “Marty” Case and Rocco Persico work for the RCS Central School District and that bunch stick together like dung beetles on a turd ball. Marty Case just barely got voted in in the last elections and lost in his bid for the Coeymans supervisor’s office this past November 5. He’s a loser when it comes to doing anything except cashing his oversized teacher’s paycheck. Rocco Persico is a school psychologist but didn’t do very much when it came to protecting students or Ravena youth and teens. Both Case and Persico are useless and we can’t expect much more from them. But be prepared for some dirty teacher tricks when it comes to bullying the vote. They’re good at that.
• Coeymans Democratic Committee chairperson, Tom Dolan, is a multiple loser and has shipwrecked his party in the recent Coeymans town elections this past November. Dolan has a history of playing dirty with the ballots, too. He runs the social services organization Choices, and will likely be abusing his position there to influence the Oakbrook Manor voters. The best thing to do to stop that is to watch Dolan and his minions very closely and to let the Albany County Executive know of any misuse or abuse of power, leave us a comment here and we’ll alert the New York State Comptroller’s office and the NYS Attorney General. Everyone has to take voter fraud and manipulation of votes very seriously, even if it is indirect. Watch Tom Dolan very closely.

But even with Bruno’s behind-the-scenes bullying and Case’s and Persico’s backing by the RCS Central School District, they don’t have much of a chance because they have a pitiful record so far. Even Bruno and Persico might have a tough time getting the votes they need to take the election, even if they do call in village employees and family ties. People are just plainly sick and tired of the misery that life has become in Ravena.

Bruno &
the Vampire Squad
Albany Dem Machine
Will Suck You Dry

John Bruno, Marty Case and Rocco Persico are useless to Ravena and its residents; their only value is to the Albany Democratic Machine and its destructive, vampire effect it has on Albany County. All you have to do is compare the vitality and energy just to the South, in Greene County, a traditionally Republican county, to see the difference. If Ravena intends to survive, it has to escape the boney fingers and iron grip of the Dem Machine represented by Bruno and his gang. It has to be done on March 18, at the polls.

Here’s How to Revitalize Ravena:

First of all, clean out village hall and all of the parasites, leeches, crooks, and dead wood that have been nesting there for the past several decades. That means get rid of Bruno and all of his minions. King Rat has to go and then all the other rats will scurry for cover. No matter what lies you may hear from Cathy Deluca or Nancy Warren, it’s all election time campaign rhetoric to save their own asses. Just ask local businesses or count the empty buildings and closed businesses on Main Street alone. Bruno, Deluca, Warner and the rest of the village hall rat pack don’t have a plan; they never did, except to line their own nests with your money and sweat.

The Ravena Republican caucus met on January 29, and was well attended and enthusiastic. Even the town of Coeymans boardmembers were there to show their support. Why so enthusiastic and so much support? Well, because they met to confirm a slate of very promising younger candidates who have the community connections and smarts to do what Bruno and his mob couldn’t or wouldn’t do: Serve the community.

Bill “Moose” Misuraca is the people’s choice for mayor. Bill is young and energetic. He’s a business man and has been doing business right in Ravena for years. He runs the popular Halfway House Tavern, a village institution for going on almost century, and a popular dining and drinking establishment popular with the life-blood of the village of Ravena. (Besides, they have the best seafood chowder in the area!) Bill and his wife, Jena, are familiar and popular figures in Ravena, and both are and have been very active in community affairs, especially when it comes to area children and youth. Bill Misuraca truly has his finger on the pulse of the community; Bruno has his fingers in your pockets.

Joe Coye and Keith Mahler are challenging Marty Case and Rocco Persico. From where we are sitting, it’s going to be like shooting fish in a barrel and we really feel sorry for Case and Persico. But they asked for it. Marty Case has lost so many times already he’s apparently gotten to like being a loser; Rocco Persico is so laid back and “slow” he probably hasn’t even caught up with last week. Joe Coye and Keith Mahler form a great team together with Misuraca, and once elected will bring light, vision, and hope to village Hall. But what’s more important: Misuraca, Coye and Mahler are likely to shake things up, clean things up, and clear things out of village hall that should never have been there in the first place. We also expect that they’ll trim a lot of the fat and bring transparency and accountability back to Ravena. Feels good already, doesn’t it? You can almost smell the freshness in the air already.

Our polls tell the real story already. In fact, we’ve moved all the polls, unchanged, to this article so that those in the community who have not yet participated can do so now. Misuraca takes the lead by a considerable margin over Houghtaling, while Bruno has 0 support in our polls. We’ve added a new poll below to get your inputs on (1) the Republican and Democrat mayoral candidates, and (2) the candidates running for village of Ravena trustee. Let the numbers be your guide!

[Editor's Note: The write-in candidates marked with an * were not consulted regarding their willingness to run prior to this posting. We feel, however, that they would make excellent village trustees and so we have drafted them and are proposing them as write-ins for village trustee.]

Finally, a word of advice to Mr George E. Langdon, newly elected Town of Coeymans councilmember: Mr Langdon, you were elected to serve the commuinity and residents of the Town of Coeymans on the Town of Coeymans town board. You should concentrate on your duties and responsibilities on that board, and should spend every waking hour committed to that trust put in you by the voters of the town of Coeymans. Any other distractions from the service to the public for which you were elected should be avoided. Specifically, the distraction of power-grabbing and your attempts to steal the chairmanship of the Coeymans Republican Committee must cease and desist immediately. Concentrate on the job for which you were elected, or resign and then consider the chairmanship (if you dare). Under no circumstances should an elected public official/servant have the chairmanship of a political party committee; it may be legal but it’s not ethical! Stop now!

And a word to Mr Kenneth Burns, newly elected Town of Coeymans councilmember: Do the job for which you were elected and stay out of the business of political coups. A good word of advice to you, Mr Burns is this: keep your advice as to father figures to yourself. You’ll find less egg on your face.

Stay tuned for more important information on the candidates, the elections, and how we think Ravena can join the 21st century.

If anyone knows anything about any of the candidates or anyone close to them that is relevant to their fitness for public office, please share your information with us at rcs.confidential@gmail.com. Now’s the time to go public with it. You owe it to the community and to yourself.

You Can Make It Happen, Ravena
The Editor