Alan Chartock is the president and chief executive officer of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, a National Public Radio affiliate, a position he has held since 1981. He was professor of political science at SUNY New Paltz and was a professor emeritus of communications at the State University of New York; and executive publisher and project director for the Legislative Gazette, a weekly newspaper staffed by college intern reporters covering New York state government.
Saturday, 16 Nov 2019 - I have always thanked New York Gov. Cuomo for filling Great Barrington’s coffers. It didn’t seem to lower my tax bill, but who pays attention to those things?
Tuesday, 12 Nov 2019 - The last thing Andrew Cuomo wants is to be like Donald Trump. He needs to talk straight and only lie when he needs to.
Saturday, 9 Nov 2019 - It seems to me that life should be a bank. People who keep putting good works in the bank over and over again should get something back.
Tuesday, 5 Nov 2019 - Let’s take a look at some recent mistakes politicians have made that have come back to bite them in the lower posterior.
Saturday, 2 Nov 2019 - Leigh clearly thinks that every citizen should have a voice. I believe that is her motivation — to give a voice to the town’s citizens — and not be seen as an agitator on the board. She should be supported.
Tuesday, 29 Oct 2019 - Andrew Cuomo got early lessons about the insidious anti-Italian prejudice that existed when his father Mario, a brilliant graduating law student, could not get a job interview with a prominent law firm in New York.
Saturday, 26 Oct 2019 - Now we have a better understanding about what racing does to horses. It’s a bad idea.
Tuesday, 22 Oct 2019 - Today I am bringing myself out of professorial retirement (I am otherwise employed now) to see if I still have my tutorial chops. I will attempt to give accurate grades to our politicians.
Saturday, 19 Oct 2019 - The town has a wonderful facility. It is there for all of us and it is my hope that everyone in the town uses it.
Tuesday, 15 Oct 2019 - There is a certain parallelism between what Serpico did and the actions of a few courageous people who have seen this president in action.
Saturday, 12 Oct 2019 - It turns out I have a serious allergic response to bees or wasps or whatever it was that got me. In any case, once again, the whole event proves the benefits of having a great hospital nearby.
Tuesday, 8 Oct 2019 - This governor really cares about making a splash. The splash is so important that he doesn’t seem to care that he is mixing it up with someone who he thinks has been unfair to him.
Saturday, 5 Oct 2019 - Michael Ballon would come out in his white chef’s outfit and we would gossip about things. Make no mistake about it: he had definite opinions and sometimes we would disagree.
Tuesday, 1 Oct 2019 - Bill de Blasio tried to position himself as a left-wing antidote to the corrupted political class. It just didn’t work. People got tired of him.
Saturday, 28 Sep 2019 - A Chartock merit award to Great Barrington’s Steve Picheny for getting Peter Pan Bus Line to create an express bus from New York City to Great Barrington.
Tuesday, 24 Sep 2019 - Sometimes Andrew Cuomo doesn’t forget old hurts. Among the things he wants to get done this year is a new law that disallows the votes for a candidate on a third party line.
Saturday, 21 Sep 2019 - While I am as proud of Great Barrington today as I have ever been, there are a few things that do need some work, so I have a little list.
Tuesday, 17 Sep 2019 - I have been speaking with him a lot lately on the radio and I’m here to tell you the guy gets angry when he is challenged. Nothing gets by him.
Saturday, 14 Sep 2019 - The fact is that the people of Massachusetts, and specifically of Great Barrington, voted in statewide referendum to allow this operation. We don’t necessarily learn about the downsides until the moment of truth is upon us.
Tuesday, 10 Sep 2019 - Three of the governor’s top people ended up being convicted of very serious crimes. Those crimes might well have been avoided had DiNapoli’s powers remained intact.
Saturday, 7 Sep 2019 - We are so lucky to have Fairview and its wonderful emergency room, but we will have to figure out how to do more for our local hospital.
Tuesday, 3 Sep 2019 - If you were lucky enough to become a United States senator, why in the world would you not believe that you could be president?
Saturday, 31 Aug 2019 - Judy Grunberg was one of those rare individuals who makes such a difference that you just don’t know how you can go on without her.
Tuesday, 27 Aug 2019 - On another subject, Andrew Cuomo is being mentioned in at least one unsubstantiated article as a possible chief of staff if Joe Biden is elected to the presidency.
Tuesday, 20 Aug 2019 - The point is that the gun does terrible things but is also representative of the inequality that exists in America.
Tuesday, 13 Aug 2019 - Democratic members of Congress know that the frustration level among their constituents is so great that even the moderates are forced to join the impeachment bandwagon.
Tuesday, 6 Aug 2019 - This country needs a stable, decent father figure: someone who inspires trust and hope.
Tuesday, 30 Jul 2019 - Of course, based on the trouble that his assistants, now in jail, got into, Andrew will have to choose very, very carefully because running for governor and president are two very different propositions.
Tuesday, 23 Jul 2019 - A young liberal group styled after AOC has decided to oust the Democratic lions in the House by taking them on in primaries.
Tuesday, 16 Jul 2019 - As for the legislators who have suggested that they are progressive and willing to do the right thing, we all know that the last thing they want is to make the system that has worked for THEM any fairer.
Tuesday, 9 Jul 2019 - One can always be cynical about the motives of politicians when they do things like travel to Israel, as Cuomo has done.
Tuesday, 2 Jul 2019 - These Democratic folks have to be thinking that if you change the rules on voting, they may get kicked out, let’s say by the new progressives.
