NEWS from Dan Ashley, Chairman, North Greenbush Democratic Committee

Contact Dan Ashley @ 271-8744 April 20, 2010

Ashley Criticizes Legislators for Participation at Public Hearing after Recusal from Vote

Dan Ashley, Chairman of the North Greenbush Democratic Committee criticized Republican Rensselaer
County Legislators Lou Desso and Michael Cristo for blatantly ignoring their responsibility to refrain from
participation at a Public Hearing on a proposed count y law that they plan to personally benefit from by
holding a second paid elective office at the town level. He noted that each legislator spoke in favor of
the County Executive signing the legislation after each had publicly recused themselves from voting on
the law due the obvious conflict of interest in voting on a matter they intend to financially benefit from.

As a elected county official for more than 20 years, I know once you recuse yourself from a matter you
cannot turn around and advocate a position on the legislation. Worse in this case is that each spoke in
favor of the County Executive signing the law so that each could grab a second public paycheck and
double dip at taxpayer expense.

Mr. Desso now plans to have his allies on the North Greenbush Town Board use the law he advocated at
the public hearing to enrich himself by having them vote to reappoint him to his court ordered vacated
seat at this Thursday’s Town Board Meeting. He’s has irreparably tainted the process by his advocacy
after recusal, stated Ashley.

Mr. Cristo will likely wait until voters weigh in at a special election which will decide whether legislators
should hold conflicting elective offices on town boards. “North Greenbush voters will apparently not get
to decide this important issue before Desso’s three allies on the Town Board act to approve “double
dipping” and allow Mr. Desso to grab a second public paycheck while padding his time in the State
Retirement System with an additional 20 hours a week reported from the town board.”, stated Ashley.
This is in addition to the 30 hours a week he reports as a legislator and his full time private sector job.

“From now until November, these gentlemen will be holding fundraisers and campaigning for a special
election rather than devoting themselves to addressing the fiscal crisis affecting county government”,
stated Ashley. The two people who should have refrained from commenting at the hearing, couldn’t
restrain their greed for additional financial gain. Each should now refrain from seeking a seat on a town
board, concluded Ashley.