As many of you may know, a person from Amsterdam began cyber stalking me in the springtime, long before I decided to run for office. He didn't like what I wrote on the FaceBook wall of Congressman Chris Gibson and apparently thought that cyber stalking, threatening and harassing me would change my political beliefs. I was contacted by the State Police, who shared their findings with me and hopefully, put an end to the harassment. Most importantly, the car that was sitting in front of my house was not connected to the person from Amsterdam. While it is somewhat unsettling for my 91-year-old mother that someone was sitting in front of my house for several days, she feels better knowing the police were able to eliminate someone who had threatened me as the driver. Unfortunately, because the fake FaceBook profiles and campaign pages had been removed before the police could track the IP signatures, they were unable to make a definitive link between the Amsterdam businessman and the pages. Those of you who know the details of this situation are aware that I have screen captures of all the fake profiles, pages, emails and threatening and harassing statements. Even though the police could not link the Amsterdam businessman to the pages, there was no doubt that he was the person who threatened and harassed me as he made the comments under either his real name or alias, which he publicly stated was also him. The trooper told me he had a long discussion with the Amsterdam businessman and explained the difference between heated political debate and crossing the line to harassment. He advised him to stop making any further contact. I hope he follows the advice of the troopers. I certainly would not hesitate to call them again if the Amsterdam businessman continues harassing and threatening me. I thank all of my friends for their support of me during this trying time. Linda Underwood Add Comment Last week, Christopher Lucarelli again attempted to divert your attention from serious local issues, arising from single-party rule that’s long plagued Schodack. He’s trying to hold local Democrats responsible for the national mess we’re in: ridiculous. It’s a default position he hopes will make you forget that our high taxes, undiminished spending, and closed government are the direct result of one clique of Republicans running the show, unchallenged, since the beginning of the Secor administration. They say they have held down the tax rate, but don’t mention that spending has gone unchecked, especially given the hard times the rest of us are going through. In his letter, Mr. Lucarelli, husband of Council-woman Debra Young, didn’t deny that Town Board decisions are made behind closed doors with little, if any, discussion in public meetings. He didn’t deny the practice of appointing cronies and relatives to paid positions and jobs, out of reach for other qualified, but unconnected, residents. He offered no explanation for why Republican candidates declined to participate in the traditional Meet the Candidates Night, sponsored by the MHHS Participation in Government class, Schodack Planning and Development Association, to have been moderated by the League of Women Voters. This event has always been well attended and the kids were counting on it to fulfill their PIG requirements. What were incumbents afraid we’d ask them? While Mr. Lucarelli heaps praise on the current Board for Moody’s analysis of town finances, I care less about Moody’s take on things here than I do about the growing number of “For Sale” signs I see everywhere. Many of us are concerned about being able to stay in our homes, so great is the tax burden now. And if you do decide to move, good luck selling your house, when one look at our tax bills sends most buyers a’running. Re-assessments were done at the height of the housing bubble and haven’t been re-adjusted to reflect current home values. Wouldn’t the self-described incumbent “good government team” want to help struggling residents by getting assessments back in line with housing market reality? Perhaps Mr. Lucarelli, Schodack Republican Club president, can explain why so many signs for Democratic candidates are routinely stolen, knocked down and destroyed every election cycle, in high-school style acts of vandalism. We leave theirs alone because that’s the honorable way to behave. And FYI…The person Mr. Lucarelli refers to as having stolen from the Democratic Club was arrested, jailed, and is making full restitution for his crimes. An individual’s unpredictable act we dealt with decisively and effectively. Elizabeth Gable, Schodack Democratic Town Chair It is sad that Schodack Town incumbents are so frightened of anyone running on issues that they have to resort to their tried-and-true personal smear tactics. The source of David Crawner’s information – described by him to be a “businessman from Amsterdam” - has been cyber-stalking and threatening me for more than eight months, long before I decided to run for Town Board. This “Amsterdam businessman” focused on me after reading some of my comments on Congressman Chris Gibson’s FaceBook page. Anyone who is friends with me on FaceBook can verify the veracity of this as I have been posting about it for months. This individual has been escalating his personal attacks to the point where I had to contact the State Police for help. He has been under investigation for months as the police are attempting to determine if his actions have broken any laws, including criminal impersonation, aggravated harassment and identity theft. Sadly, because I am a candidate, I have fewer protections then the average citizen. Some of what this "Amsterdam businessman" has done:
This is the person who is the source of David Crawmer's information. This is the person David Crawmer has aligned himself with. Judge for yourself. Linda Underwood | Schodack Democrats Blog:This is a forum for individuals to voice their opinions about issues that are important to them. ArchivesFebruary 2012 CategoriesAll |
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