Hammond's Ham-boned Hypocrisy

If you missed the Pulse of the People section in the March 29 Troy Record, then you missed a classic. Rensselaer County Legislator Keith Hammond, a Democrat, is apparently feeling the sting from his constituents after he voted and accepted a big pay raise following the election. Merry Christmas, Keith!

Well, rest easy. Keith is not guilty. Nope. It was all the Republican’s fault. You see, according to his letter, Keith was tricked by the evil GOP into voting for the raise. Well, that, and, according to the same letter, Keith was also forced to vote for the raise. Keith was forced to vote for his raise so his staff in the legislative minority office could also get big raises. Oh, and the raises for his staff – those were just “restorations” of salary, not raises. Sort of like a tax increase is just a revenue enhancer. Makes sense to us, Keith!

Essentially, in what is a brilliant bit of self-penned sabotage, Keith admits in the letter that he sold his vote. And in the same kamikaze communiqué, Keith says he went out on the floor of the Rensselaer County Legislature and voted for something he really didn’t know about.

This guy must not think much of the intelligence of his target audience. He votes for a raise for himself, lines the pockets of his staff and it’s everybody else’s fault. Yup, I can’t swallow that one either.