Elmer Bertsch
- for Schenectady Co. Legislature -
District 3, Niskayuna/Glenville
My Ukrainian born wife, Olha, and I have 2 adult children, Yuri and Tatiana. We've lived in Niskayuna over 20 years. Olha (Olga),a retired teacher, taught foreign languages both in the Schenectady City Schools and Bethlehem Central Schools. For most of my work life I've been in Mental Health Services management and have worked at the National Institute of Mental Health, SUNY/Buffalo School of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry and (before retiring and moving to Niskayuna) with the NYS, Office of Mental Health as the Deputy Regional Director for Long Island. I have a B.A. and M.A. in Sociology from SUNY/Buffalo and an MSW from SUNY/Albany.
I'm the past president and board member of the SACC public access TV channel and currently host the Green Talk public affairs program through Open Stage Media productions at Proctors.
In 2005, the Schenectady County League of Women Voters awarded me the Susan B. Anthony Award for "Extraordinary service to the community In support of the principles of the League of Women Voters.”
I'm running for the Schen. Co. Legislature this year because I think an independent politicial presence needs to be present to ask the right questions to ensure the public is aware of what county decision-makers are doing.
BIO
Thomas Jefferson wrote "Whenever the people are well informed they
can be trusted with their own government."
I believe this. I'm committed to bringing to the public's attention in clear and
understandable terms what is going on in county government in the name of the public.
I've been a longtime advocate for government transparency and accountability for years and hopefully some of you will recognize me from my Green Talk program on Public Access Channel 16 on cable TV.
I raise issues regularly at town, city, and county meetings during "privilege of the floor" and I have been a frequent and vocal critic of some of the decisions and the processes for making those decisions that have been made at the County level, especially those regarding the expenditure of public funds for so-called "economic development" which I believe does not benefit the general public.
Publications
For more of my thinking on these issues see some of my prior Daily Gazette articles decrying the lack of accountability and transparency for IDA and Metroplex contracting processes and related county decisions listed below:
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Aug 17, 2014 - Transparency lacking in how Metroplex selectsbusinesses for tax breaks
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July 11, 2014 - Schenectady County Legislature Democrats' caucuses criticized asviolating law
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Feb 16, 2014 - More information needed on proposed CDBG grant
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Jan 19, 2014 - Schenectady County, public need more detailsabout in‐lieu‐of‐tax deals
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Sept 23, 2012- County taxpayers need to know how much PILOTs cost them
As your county legislator I'll push for more transparency in the awarding of public money in the name of "economic development" and ask: Why is it "economic development" to give millions to favored developers (with no jobs created) while increasing funding to our schools, community college, libraries, parks, courts and other public resources is NOT economic development? Why are none of the reports to the public (required by law) on economic development being done? Why do county legislators sit on the boards that give out tax dollars when they are also supposed to be our fiscal watch dog? Isn't that a clear conflict of interest?
One Green on the county legislature may not be able to change policy. But one Green on the Legislature can make the public better informed. As Jefferson understood, the people will know what
they need to do once they are given the information.
MY ISSUES
I need volunteers to help with distributing campaign literature door-to-door in Niskayuna and Glenville, making phone calls prior to the election, helping with mailings and providing rides to the polls on election day. We can also use help with staffing a Green Campaign Information table at events like Farmer's Markets and concerts in Central Park.
If you or someone you know would like to volunteer, complete the volunteer form below, send it in online (or print and mail to the address at bottom of this page) and I'll be in touch soon!
Thanks for your interest in my campaign!
-Elmer
HOW TO HELP