Category: Editorial
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Issue: February-March 2022
To save democracy, curb the gerrymander
It’s a dispiriting time for those who dream of revitalizing New York’s sclerotic democracy.In November, voters rejected a pair of no-brainer ballot propositions that would have made it easier to take part in future elections – by allowing no-excuse absentee voting and by letting new voters register closer to Election Day. The defeat of these… read more
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Issue: December 2021-January 2022
Be thankful, be merry, but try to be cautious
As we enter this holiday season amid a swirl of bad news about the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s worth taking a moment to acknowledge that our situation really is substantially better than at this time a year ago. The difference mostly boils down to one thing, but it’s huge: We now have vaccines. And for many… read more
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Issue: November 2021
Redistricting reform that fails by design
Sometimes a flawed effort at political reform is still better than no reform at all. And as recently as a few months ago, some of us hoped that would be the case with New York’s new Independent Redistricting Commission. But as summer has turned to fall and next year’s deadlines for redrawing New York’s political… read more
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Issue: October 2021
Refugees offer chance to counter city’s decline
The 2020 census figures released earlier this year offered yet another set of data to chart the long decline of Rutland. The city, which throughout the 20th century was second only to Burlington in population among Vermont’s communities, now has fallen to fifth place, behind the Chittenden County towns of Essex, South Burlington and Colchester.… read more
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Issue: September 2021
New York’s new governor, and the promise of change
In terms of tone and style, one can only marvel at the difference a month has made.At the beginning of August, there was Andrew Cuomo, still ensconced at the Executive Mansion in Albany, and still working tirelessly to control the narrative of each day’s events – and of the scandal that was enveloping his governorship.… read more
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Issue: August 2021
For Saratoga and for horses, reform is the better course
The animal rights movement has earned a reputation for extremism in recent decades, and there are many within the movement who hold to the notion that animals should be treated the peers of humans, deserving of the same freedoms. Some activists would, if they could, undo the centuries of human domestication of animals — and… read more
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Issue: July 2021
With new district lines, give voters more power
Like so many things in Albany, the process of drawing New York’s political district lines has a long history as an insider’s game, with most of the real work carried out behind closed doors.Through much of the last century and into the current one, when maps of the state’s legislative and congressional districts had to… read more
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Issue: May 2021
For a healthy downtown, density is a good thing
For those who remember Glens Falls in the early 1990s, it seems amazing that a developer wants to build a new structure. By Fred Daley read more
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Issue: April 2021
In war against virus it’s time to stay vigilant
After a year of illness, death and economic upheaval, some of us are daring to feel hopeful about escaping the scourge of Covid-19. By Fred Daley read more
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Issue: February-March 2021
For democracy’s sake stick to what’s real
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, longtime U.S. senator from New York, said people are entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts. By Fred Daley read more