Metroland Online - Newsfront

Leah Golby, a resident of Al bany’s Pine Hills neighborhood and a political activist, hit the streets Tuesday collecting signatures to run on the Democratic line for Albany Common Council representing the 10th Ward. Golby, the current co-vice president of the citywide Parent-Teacher Association, and a founding member of the Capital Region Transit Advocates, will be running against James Scalzo, who has represented the ward for 20 years and is the longest-seated Common Council member.

“Jimmy’s not doing what he needs to do,” Golby said.

Golby, who calls herself a lifelong Democrat, also has an endorsement from the Working Families Party. According to Golby, the party will petition for her to be added to the WFP line in November. Golby has also received an endorsement from advocacy group Citizen Action.

Golby is supporting mayoral candidate Shawn Morris, who spoke at Golby’s candidacy announcement. Common Council member Catherine Fahey from the 7th Ward and PTA president Mark Mishler also were on hand to speak in her support.

When Golby spoke of her opponent, she pointed to the 20 years that Scalzo has served on the Common Council: “When you do the same thing year in and year out you’ve kind of lost your steam,” Golby said. “I also wonder, what does a council member get out of sitting on a virtually powerless governing body for 20 years?”

Golby thinks that a challenge is due.

“Four years ago nobody challenged him, and during that period of time when nobody challenged him he made, in my opinion, two critical errors that affected city government,” she said. One of those mistakes, she said, was a vote striking down the Albany Civic Agenda, which she said would have given the Common Council significantly more power. The other involved the approval of a zoning change for a Walgreen’s on Holland Avenue in the 7th ward, which critics claim was a case of “spot zoning.”

“He didn’t feel the need to answer to his constituents or to the more active people in the constituency,” said Golby, who petitioned in support of the Albany Civic Agenda.

Golby said that while she had been considering a run for Common Council for a while, the increase in crime in the city—including the murders of Kathina Thomas and Richard Bailey—reinforced her decision.

“There’s a problem in this city,” she said, as a crumpled flier for Mayor Jennings lay just feet away on the ground. “We need change, we need new leadership all over this city, but this neighborhood has especially been neglected.”

—Cecelia Martinez

What a Week

Rough Ride

Passengers say it has become more difficult to use CDTA’s paratransit service

When Michelle Braman went for a medical exam last November to be recertified for paratransit bus service, she was shocked at the treatment she received from the doctors hired by the Capital District Transportation Authority.

“The way the doctor treated me was horrible,” said Braman, who is blind and suffers from a hip injury. “He as much implied that I could really see, or that I had some vision, and he even had the audacity to ask me if my guide dog was really my dog.” Braman said that she was also told that she would have to take a psychological evaluation, which she viewed as harassment.

“There is absolutely no requirement that one has to have a psych evaluation,” she said. “I know that I’m likely viewed as a troublemaker because I don’t put up with their stuff, and I’m an advocate as well.” Braman refused to be evaluated.

Braman’s experience is one of many complaints received recently by the Capital District Coalition for Accessible Transportation (CDCAT), an advocacy group that provides transportation information for people with disabilities and also aids people with appeals for STAR—Special Transit Available by Request—service. Donna Suhor, the director of CDCAT, said that they receive many complaints about the STAR service, particularly involving what they say is an overly intensive certification process and problems with on-time, reliable service.

STAR is a paratransit service offered by CDTA for those who are unable to use or have difficulty using regular bus routes due to disability. STAR operates within three-fourths of a mile of, and during the regular operating hours of, regular bus routes, and riders must first be certified. The service costs $2.50 a ride. Similar services are required of all public-transportation systems across the country in compliance with the American Disabilities Act.

However, critics of the service allege that CDTA seems to discourage ridership for the program, and provides inadequate service for those that do ride.

“They seem to be concerned to the point where they must be by law,” said Ed Rich, vice chairman of CDCAT. “I don’t think there’s any human concern, really.”

The problem, according to Braman, is a change CDTA made to its certification process about a year ago. The CDTA now pays an independent medical evaluation company $100,000 annually to conduct the assessments of riders.

“They’re shelling out a ton of money to this so-called independent medical evaluating group of doctors,” Braman said. “They’re working for STAR, they’re being paid by CDTA, and their job—because they’re being paid by CDTA—is to keep people from getting benefits, from getting the STAR service. That’s really the intent behind it,” she asserted.

Rich, who is legally blind, also had a negative experience when he went through the certification process.

“I went through one of those assessments recently and I wasn’t very impressed with the confidence of the contractor going through the process,” he said. Rich was initially denied service when he first applied in the late ’90s, and went through two appeals before successfully receiving service. Rich said that another big issue with STAR is the supplemental use of taxi service for riders.

“As far as the actual service goes, the CDTA had to subcontract to Capitaland Taxi service for supplemental resources,” Rich said, “because they really don’t have the proper personnel or equipment to do it themselves completely.” This is called a “cash-call cab service” as opposed to dedicated STAR buses.

Braman refuses to use taxi service because in the past she has had issues with drivers being rude toward her service dog, as well as having enough space to accommodate her hip injury. Because of this, Braman had issues receiving door-to-door service when visiting Honest Weight Food Co-op on Central Avenue. STAR instead wanted the pick-up location to be at the Family Dollar. She eventually received the door-to-door service.

“If I could use public transportation I would, because to have to go through this is—I think it’s just totally wrong,” she said.

Suhor is trying to set up a meeting with CDTA to discuss the complaints CDCAT has received about the certification process.

CDTA did not return a call for comment in time for publication.

—Cecelia Martinez

Loose Ends

-no loose ends this week-

	Send A Letter to Our Editor
	Back Home