This morning, Roger Hannigan Gilson reports on the situation in the Times Union: "Hudson mayor has yet to meet with successor more than a month after the election." The following is quoted from the article:
Ferris confirmed on Monday afternoon that no transition meeting had been held. He emailed Johnson the week before Thanksgiving, asking to meet, then again early this month after he had not heard back, Ferris said. Johnson responded that he would “be in touch” at the end of December.
The city’s charter does not spell out an official policy about mayoral transition meetings. Mayor Johnson and Mayoral Aide Justin Weaver did not respond to questions.
Another argument for charter revision.
COPYRIGHT 2025 CAROLE OSTERINK
Did anyone expect a different outcome? I didn't. Having watched Kamal studiously avoid anything approximating actual work during his entire "public service" career -- as both an alderman and as a mayor, I'm hard-pressed to recall one initiative he led, one proposal he championed through his own diligence, one outcome that was planned and worked for. Frankly, the TU story is essentially "dog bites man." Not news, but perhaps newsworthy.
ReplyDeleteBut, at the end of the day, this is just Kamal being true to his essential nature. Who would hire this man to anything like a job? That's a rhetorical question though I'm sure there's some not-for-profit lug-head boss who will find him charming (at least until his continued inability to either begin or follow through on a task exhibits itself one time too many). The rumor is he's trying to start his own NFP "community organization" to compete with the likes of HCHC, etc., and is talking to people with more money than sense looking for seed capital. From my own conversations with one prominent leader in that space, Kamal is not well liked. That's just shocking.
I assume that these NFPs, as intransparent and inscrutable as they usually are, are still governed by the laws of a free market.
DeleteThe NFP market in Hudson is in my opinion saturated and whatever his particular organization will want to do, he'll be chasing the same monies that the countless other non-profits are after already.
And if I had loose money burning a hole in my pocket, would I be giving it to Kamal or would I be giving it to one of the other established NFPs with a more proven track record instead?
It's not just that the Hudson mayor's office can have, and has had for the past six years, at least one dysfunctional and wholly unqualified person in it; it's that the whole god damn system at City Hall is dysfunctional. Joe Ferris, much like Rick Rector, Michael Chameides and Tiffany Hamilton experienced (and fled), will find it extremely difficult if not completely impossible to function properly, communicate with departments and department heads (with the exception of the city clerk's office!), get anything worthwhile accomplished in just two years, work with the council or even feel good about their day to day work. This may be Joe's biggest challenge: trying to navigate and understand the dysfunctional system that is Hudson City Hall. Forget about changing it, because no mayor can accomplish that. Dysfunctional people operate best in dysfunctional systems, usually accomplishing nothing, making mistakes, creating lawsuits, hiring other unqualified people, etc. It's the mayors we WANT to govern Hudson who do not operate well, or at all, in dysfunctional sysyems. Would Joe Ferris take a job at a business he knew to be dysfunctional? I doubt it. But if he were to, he probably wouldn't stick around very long. Or he'd go absolutely bonkers.
ReplyDeleteWhat Kamal fails to grasp is that every immature, unprofessional outburst (or inaction) does not just hurt “City Hall.” It hurts the Hudson residents he claimed to champion. The “community.”
ReplyDeleteIt insults the people who carried him to office, from the donors at the Walthour Kinderhook event, to the Spark/Caitie’s of the Fifth Ward who gave him cover with false equivalence, to the volunteers from the Youth Center and Hudson Promise Neighborhood who knocked doors and put their reputations on the line vouching for Kamal.
It is also disrespectful to every single department head and staff who work long days to serve tax payers and do so honorable. It is one thing for Kamal to avoid his skeptics, it is another to avoid Joe... who was polite and respectful every time, and to disrespect the institution of the office.
Come January, there is a more personal reckoning.
Philanthropists Kamal is now courting for his not-for-profit idea ... hmmmm wonder if it will monetize by claiming to help the Youth but magically create more jobs for adults (did you decide to call it NextGen in the end?) are seeing someone who is not serious, not disciplined, and not ready to be trusted with their money.
Man, what will you guys do for content when I’m gone? It’s been dry since election. Comment sections are about to plummet. You guys crave someone to talk about it’s sad. Don’t worry about my next steps I’m more than fine you guys don’t have a say in anything I do next. Mayor elect Ferris reached out right before Thanksgiving I have a family I’m busy I told him what works for me. Word of advice you have to find another bad guy this blog sucks without me. Have a happy 2026…with love Kamal Johnson
ReplyDeleteAnd you’ll keep on reading and refreshing.
DeleteShort answer: make money, create jobs, advance liberty, go after bad guys in the third world who harm the innocent, and celebrate America's 250th birthday.
Delete~
Re: your comment. A curious message from a man who was never the protagonist in the first place.
The city’s problems and potential were the main character, and they will outlast every mayor who passes through City Hall. You just made many problems worse, see the last budget.
No one here is auditioning for a new villain (but we always have Matt Murell and his ole boys and HCHC with their lack of transparency as a 501(c) 3 ;-) ).
One outcome of a comment section is not to coordinate outrage (like your FB page), it is to observe public decisions with the clarity that (missing) official press releases avoid, and to share data points in a disconnected city.
If the blog has been “dry,” that reflects a quiet transition period, not a collapse in readership. Good governance is usually less exciting than misgovernance. That is the point.
So enjoy 2026. The rest of us will keep watching the numbers, the budgets, and the outcomes, which is more interesting than the personality drama you imagine around yourself or stir with Greenporters on FB. If you miss (creating) drama, we can sponsor you a Netflix account.
With affection to the institution of the mayoralty, not its least distinguished temporary occupant.
p.s.
DeleteSo when are you meeting with the incoming mayor?
And why don't you write a public (or private) letter to your successor with advice and guidance on Hudson's toughest job?
All our criticism aside, you did do some good things, and you developed a lot of empathy. Both in your successes and in your failures you learned lessons that you can share with Joe, and future city managers.
Get back to work, Mayor, We all have to work after Thanksgiving through to Christmas. Why do you get a free pass? We pay your salary. GET TO WORK.
DeleteA letter. With "advice and guidance." Stop!!! You're killing me!!!
ReplyDelete