George, it’s never to late to save yourself
George, it’s never to late to save yourself

By Alan Chartock
Fri, Mar 4, 2005 2:35 pm

George Pataki’s popularity is now lower than a hound’s belly. I truly feel bad for the man. I mean, he isn’t a bad sort. Forget his long-time sponsor, Alfonse D’Amato who, in large part because of his connections, is cleaning up in the lobbying game.
Forget his pal Charlie Gargano, the economic development star of New York State, and all the controversy that surrounds him. Forget the spate of mean stories about the governor’s wife, Libby, pointing out that she is one of the funnels for increasing the personal wealth of the Pataki family.
Let me therefore share with you a letter that I have been thinking about writing to the governor. I hope it doesn’t appear mean spirited or “I told you so” in its presentation. After all, when a guy is down, he might appreciate some friendly advice.
There is a rumor going around that he is still in touch with his old friend, Zenia Mucha, who is in California doing for Michael Eisner at Disney what she once did for Governor George. Apparently Eisner’s downhill trajectory of fortune mirrors that of the governor.
Indeed, I trace the governor’s present political predicament to the tone set by Zenia in the early days of the Pataki governorship. She, you’ll remember, was assigned to his administration in no small part because of her former sponsorship of Big Al D’Amato.
Included in this list of inadvisable gubernatorial moves is the manipulation and mistreatment of the press corps that has been the trademark of this administration. When you cut these press people off from information, there will come a day when they will turn on you like a dog who has been kicked every day by a cruel master. The press corps is finally doing its job with the governor. It is searching and coming up with material. We are reading about strange contracts being awarded to FOG [Friends of George.] We are reading daily of the money Mrs. Pataki has been collecting for her work.
What the guy needs is some good advice. Seriously, I mean to help. If he listens to me he will have his fortunes turn around. So here goes:
Dear George:
Thanks for reading this letter. I know things haven’t always been easy between us but believe me, all I want to do now is give you some advice that will help you and the people of New York State. I think it is time for a change. The formula that you rode in with just won’t work any more.
I mean you can’t win a fourth term by chasing the death penalty again. The people of the state seem to have softened on that issue. Likewise, you can’t attack governor Cuomo any more and say everything is his fault. You’ve been elected governor for three terms. You can’t talk about “Air Force Cuomo” since you have set new records for airplane and helicopter purchase and use. Even your relationship with Joe Bruno, the Republican Senate leader, has soured.
Part of the problem, George, is your chasing of the presidency. Face it, that just isn’t going to happen. You have Jeb Bush, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani all in line ahead of you. Even if the local Democrats portray you as a rabid right-winger, you know that the national Republicans and even your one-time friends at The New York Post see you as a spender. They want you out of there. It must be revolting to see still another positive Eliot Spitzer story in the papers.
So, what to do? Here’s my best advice. Take a page out of the book of “Fighting Bob Wagner,” a pretty much forgotten New York City mayor, who, despite his obligation to the one time boss of New York City, Carmine DeSapio, turned on the guy and gave it to him in the kishkas. Or, you might look to former Gov. Averill Harriman who, when his fortunes were low, also turned into a reformer.
That’s what you have to do, George –become a reformer. You have to straighten out the mess. Run against the system. Now is the time to be a mensch. Clean up the mess you made.
Your handpicked Court of Appeals just gave you a huge budget victory that ties the hands of the Legislature. Be magnanimous. Give them back their dignity. Share the power. Be a leader, George. Make small concessions that will lead to an on-time budget. People will sing your praises. Tell Al D’Amato to get lost. Give Gargano the boot. Tell Libby no more “consulting.” Clean up your mess. People have short memories. They will embrace you. Now’s the time to make it happen. If you wait too long people, will think that you are being manipulative.
Your friend, Alan.
Do you think he’ll do it?
George, I suspect you won’t do what I’m telling you. Stop being mean. Start doing good and you will be embraced. Don’t be like Czar Nicolas or King Louis XVI. They should have seen it coming but they listened to the wrong people. Listen to me George, I’m your friend. It isn’t too late to save yourself. Think about it.



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- posted by Raymond @ 3/07/2005 03:33:00 PM

 
It's 'stay-awake' good theater
I, Publius
It's 'stay-awake' good theater
By Alan Chartock
Special to The Eagle

Roselle and I immersed ourselves in drama last weekend. This was an uncharacteristic act on my part, as I generally don't like theater and tend to exhibit signs of angry narcolepsy when I am forced to attend. On Saturday, we went to see "Ten Minutes in the Berkshires: A Festival of Theater and Film" at Mixed Company on Rossiter Street in Great Barrington. The next afternoon we saw Barrington Stage's "Three Viewings" by Jeffrey Hatcher at its headquarters in Sheffield. I am delighted to report that I enjoyed both events and stayed awake for almost all of both.

I went to see "Ten Minutes" because I met one of the authors, my friend Danny Klein (who also wrote the Elvis mystery series), in the Great Barrington Co-op. He made it clear that my attendance was mandatory. You have to understand the concept: 10 different authors, actors and filmmakers putting their all into a couple of hours of fun theater. Each piece lasted no longer than 10 minutes. Did it have the polish of a Broadway production? No. This was the best of Great Barrington's serious literati-thespian crowd.

Back in the day, when I was growing up on Fire Island, we had a similar group of people, including Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks and other notables. I am told that's where "The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Man" was developed. That same level of creative energy is to be found in the nooks and crannies of Great Barrington. You can find it in the coffee house. You can find it near the soy milk case at what I affectionately call the "Commie Co-op." This collective genius is wicked smart. The fact that some very busy and creative people took the time to put this show together speaks volumes about our good fortune: We live in a community that jumps with creative energy.


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Of course, if you want serious theater, all you have to do is to get over to a Great Barrington Selectmen's meeting some night. If you tried to imagine that as theater, you would shake your head and write a review saying, "That piece of theater just wasn't credible."

"Ten Minutes" was great. It was like being back in camp and working your kishkas off on the summer play. Most of the actors in the films and the sketches were great fun and the best part is that you see these folks every day on the street. The work that Danny Klein and the amazing Joan Griswold produced featured everyone in town. "I called in all my favors," said Klein.

The plot was simple, very simple. An older guy, masterfully portrayed by Jon Swan, wants to build a high-rise tower over Main Street complete with a heliport. He goes before the Planning Board and gets permission to build an architectural monster overlooking Great Barrington. The Planning Board meeting itself was worth the price of admission. The goofing on the vegetarian, retired hippie, self-help community was right on target: tears came to my eyes.

There was one particularly talented actress, Justina Trova, in several of the sketches. She belongs on Saturday Night Live. I loved her work.


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Then we went to see "Three Viewings" at Barrington Stage. I was blown away.

Anyone who doesn't know that Barrington Stage Artistic Director Julianne Boyd is a genius must have a screw loose. These are three monologues with a common thread. The three actors were so poignant and funny and good that you could have been on Broadway. The previous night's Mixed Company production was camp. The Barrington Stage effort was strictly professional. It really is something to see perfectly cast actors memorize huge amounts of material and pull it off as if they were sitting there speaking directly to you.

Caralyn Kozlowski is one of the sexiest women I have ever seen. She played her part in what must be nine-inch heels and a skintight outfit. The other two actors, Nancy Rothman and Robert Zukerman, were equally good. Both are natives of Chatham, N.Y. Since the theme of the monologues was about the goings-on at a funeral home, you might get the wrong idea that it was morbid. On the contrary, anything but that. Macabre, maybe, but hardly a downer.

I left the performance thinking how lucky we are to have a community that features this kind of really top-notch entertainment in the middle of the winter.



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Alan Chartock, a Great Barrington resident, is president and CEO of WAMC Northeast Public Radio and a professor of communications at SUNY-Albany. His web site is www.alanchartock.com
- posted by Raymond @ 3/07/2005 03:31:00 PM