And reform the legislature.

Those were the recurring themes throughout Thursday night’s debate between Clifton Park’s James Whalen and Colonie’s Jennifer Whalen, 2 of the 3 candidates in the race to be the Republican opponent to face Democratic incumbent Assemblyman Bob Reilly in November’s election. Halfmoon’s Craig Hayner was unable to attend because of a business conflict.

Jennifer Whalen and James Whalen, no relation, participate in a debate for the Republican candidates for the 109th assembly district. Craig Hayner was unable to attend because of a business commitment.

“The legislature is dysfunctional,” Jennifer Whalen said.

Both stated new leaders were needed in Albany as the state faces a $9.2 billion budget deficit and the legislature can’t agree on a budget after missing its deadline by months.

“People feel our legislature has driven our state into the ground,” Jennifer Whalen said.

Both candidates said New Yorkers spend too much on education for what they are getting.

“We spend the most on our students per capita,” Jennifer Whalen said. James Whalen — no relation — agreed, pointing out New York spends more per student than any other state. (He added that the District of Columbia pays more.)

“We’re not getting our money’s worth at the end of the day,” he said.

Jennifer Whalen said one solution would be to have school districts merge, lessening the need for administrators.

But she said she didn’t think it was a good idea for fire districts and library districts to merge.

“People feel very sentimental and personal about their libraries,” she said. She added she favored a moratorium on unfunded mandates “rather than going after our libraries and our police forces or fire departments.”

James Whalen said consolidation should be considered if it would save costs.

“It’s a very difficult emotional issue for a lot of people,” he said. “We need to overcome that sentimentalism and that localism.”

Still, he said, it’s not one size fits all. For example, with Colonie having as big a population as it does, “a local police force might work best for them.”

In other points:

• Both said a state constitutional convention could help produce a better-functioning government.
• Both agreed it would help the budget to move from a defined-benefit to a defined-contribution retirement plan for state employees.
• Both said they couldn’t mind seeing mixed-martial arts — which Reilly opposes — be allowed in the state.

In fact, Jennifer Whalen said there wasn’t much to debate with her primary opponents as they agreed on a lot of the issues.

“I look forward to a debate with Bob Reilly,” Jennifer Whalen said.

For more information:

• Craig Hayner for the 109th NYS Assembly
• James Whalen for Assembly
• Jennifer Whalen for Assembly

Newman-Plotnick, who volunteers at animal adoption clinics, feared Duke wouldn’t find a home because he has only 3 legs. For over a month, Newman-Plotnick had been watching Duke at Saratoga County Animal Shelter Annex in Clifton Park Center, where he also volunteers.

So on Fathers Day — a day after Newman-Plotnick and his family volunteered at Pet-A-Palooza — they adopted Duke. Little did they know that it would be a historical event for the shelter annex. Duke was its 500th cat to find a forever home.

Sam Newman-Plotnick holds camera-shy Duke, the 500th cat adopted from the Saratoga County Animal Shelter Annex at Clifton Park Center.

“We’ve had another 65 (adoptions) since then,” said Jeanette Sparks, the annex’s head volunteer.

That’s bring the total to 565, not bad considering the annex just opened last September.

“By the time with get to our 1-year anniversary it is possible we will have gotten to 700 cats,” said Joette Aisenstat, one of the many Homes for Orphaned Pets Exists members who volunteers at the annex.

And it’s the volunteers who make the annex work. Not only are they there when the facility is open — allowing shoppers to look at and adopt the cats — but they are also there for a couple of hours each and every morning to feed the cats, clean the cages and provide some playtime for the felines.

“Even when there have been snowstorms I’ve come to work and found them here,” Clifton Park Center marketing director Susan Keegan said.

The annex came about because of a chance conversation between Sparks and the shopping center’s former marketing manager.

“I said, ‘We need a storefront for overflow cats,’” Sparks recalled. “And he replied, ‘We’ve been thinking about that.’”

The shopping center donates the space, the county animal shelter provides the cats and kittens, and volunteers do the work.

And cats like Duke gain the benefits. Now he’s settling in as 1 of 6 cats at his new Halfmoon home.

“I think he’s a little timid and scared sometimes,” said Deborah Newman, Newman-Plotnick’s mother. “He lost his leg somehow, so I think that has left him a little nervous.”

But don’t feel sorry for him.

“He’s really active,” said Newman-Plotnick’s older brother, Sam. “He can jump better than a lot of our cats with 4 legs.”

For more information:

• Saratoga County Animal Shelter, 6010 County Farm Road, Ballston Spa, 885.4113
• Homes for Orphaned Pets Exist (H.O.P.E.)
• Clifton Park Center, 22 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park, 371.7010

Ezick devotes the majority of his practice to commercial litigation, insurance coverage issues, the defense of medical malpractice, personal injury and civil rights litigation. An “of counsel” attorney is one who is employed by a law firm to assist in litigation without becoming a partner or associate.

Randall Ezick

Ezick has more than 35 years of experience handling complex commercial litigation, insurance coverage issues, product liability, medical malpractice, personal injury and appellate work.

“He brings tremendous depth of expertise to the firm,” Maguire said, “and we are privileged to have him as part of our team.”

Ezick, who was born in Syracuse, comes to DKMC from Featherstonhaugh, Wiley & Clyne.

He began his career as an associate at Carter, Conboy, Bardwell & Case in 1974 and became a partner with the firm in 1978. After 16 years with that firm, Ezick became a shareholder with the firm of Roemer & Featherstonhaugh in 1990.

In 1995 he became general counsel to the Lawrence Group, a vertically integrated company with a national insurance underwriting and agency network. In 1997 he joined the firm of Featherstonhaugh, Conway, Wiley & Clyne of counsel.

Ezick is a graduate of SUNY Oneonta and Albany Law School, where he was an editor of the Albany Law Review, a member of the Justinian Society and graduated cum laude. He is admitted to practice in all New York state courts and before the United States District Courts for the Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, as well as the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

He is a member of the Albany County and New York State bar associations.

For more information:

• D’Agostino, Krackeler, Maguire & Cardona, 16 Sage Estate, Menands, 434.9807

“I’m a fiscal hawk, a budget hawk, somebody who’s been thinking about this all my life,” Murphy said while announcing he would seek reelection during the the grand opening of his campaign headquarters next to Office Max in The Crossing. “We’ve got to balance our balance budget. We’ve got to be responsible.”

Chris Gibson, Republican challenger to Rep. Scott Murphy, tells a crowd at his Clifton Park office that targeted tax cuts, regulatory reform and repealing and replacing the health-care bill will improve the economy.

Both stressed their supported for small businesses.

“When they are more profitable we know they are going to capitalize, they’ll buy new equipment, and they’ll also expand. And they’ll hire new workers,” Gibson said.

“They’re a lot of places where small businesses like the kind that I ran run into red tape and bureaucracy and rules that are out of date that slow us down,” Murphy said, citing his work to remove a federal law preventing banks from paying interest on business checking accounts.

Each expressed concern about the economy.

“I don’t need to tell you times are tough. Too many of our neighbors are out of work,” said Gibson, who added he supported extending unemployment benefits but thought that Congress should have found a way to pay for them without increasing the deficit.

“My dad spent a good portion of 1978 and ’79 out of work,” he said. “We need to be aggressive in creating jobs.”

“We’ve got a tough recession out there,” Murphy said. “That’s what we need to be working on.”

Gibson said the solution to the economic woes were “targeted tax and regulatory relief” and “to repeal and replace that health-care bill with a new one.”

“More bottom line for our small business owners with more in the pocket with ordinary Americans, and that’s what’s going to grow our economy,” he said.

While Murphy talked about regulatory relief, he also spoke of the need to improve infrastructure and education.

“There are places … I think where you absolutely have to have government supporting and helping. Where’s that? That’s in our education,” he said. “Education is not going to happen without public investment, public support. And we aren’t going to have innovation and the 21st century jobs that we need if we have a strong educated workforce.”

For more information:

• Chris Gibson for Congress, 839 Route 146, Clifton Park, 758.2440
• Scott Murphy for Congress, 54 The Crossing Boulevard, Clifton Park, 788.8939

The celebration will start 4 p.m. and will include light refreshments. Special guests will include Army, Ginger, Mittens, Bucky and Duke — the cats that were adopted at the hundred marks.

“This milestone is a significant achievement for the shelter and for all of the county’s homeless cats that now have forever homes,” animal shelter supervisor Daniel Butler said. “I want to thank the many patrons, adopters, mall management, and most importantly, the hardworking volunteers who have made this day possible. The annex would not be possible without them.”

In 2009, the Shelter was given the opportunity by Clifton Park Center to have a storefront annex allowing cat adoptions off-site from the main shelter.

Volunteers staff the annex from 6-8:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday, from 1-8:30 p.m. Saturday and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

“The annex is a great resource for Southern Saratoga County residents to be able to easily see and adopt cats,” said Halfmoon supervisor Mindy Wormuth, chair of the county Board of Supervisors’ public safety committee. “The county is grateful to Clifton Park Center for this space donation and looks forward to continuing operations here into the future.”

For more information:

• Saratoga County Animal Shelter, 6010 County Farm Road, Ballston Spa, 885.4113
• Clifton Park Center, 22 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park, 371.7010

The free event allows residents from Clifton Park, Halfmoon, Malta and Waterford to dispose of their hazardous household items such as oil-based paint, florescent lights, propane tanks and electronics at the drop-off site on Ray Road just west of Mary Jane Roe Dog Park.

Latex paint will not be accepted. Instead, residents should allow the paint to dry out and then dispose of it normally.

Registration is available at the Clifton Park Town Hall, the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library and the town halls of the other participating towns. Clifton Park, Halfmoon and Waterford residents can also register online at the Clifton Park town website.

Malta residents can register at the Malta Town Complex, 2540 Route 9. They are required to pay a nominal registration fee to their town.

To register online, visit Clifton Park’s Hazardous Waste Day page at the town’s website.

Last year, 1,005 residents disposed of 92,155 pounds of electronics and over 2,500 gallons of hazardous waste.

Sponsors for this year’s Hazardous Waste Day include Mama’s Family Restaurant, Stewarts Shops, McDonald’s and Price Chopper.

For more information on Hazardous Waste Day, visit Clifton Park’s website or call town environmental specialist Michael Montague at 371-6651.

For more information:

• Clifton Park Hazardous Waste Day
• Town of Clifton Park, 1 Town Hall Plaza, Clifton Park, 371.6651
• Town of Halfmoon, 2 Halfmoon Town Plaza, Halfmoon, 371.7410
• Town of Malta, 2540 Route 9, Malta, 899.3434
• Village of Waterford, 65 Broad Street, Waterford, 235.9898

The approximate tax increase on a house in Clifton Park assessed at $200,000 is $2.22 more than last year. The approximate tax increase for a house in Halfmoon assessed at $200,000 is $2.10 more than last year.

Voting on the proposed 2011 budget will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 16 at the library. All registered voters with proof of residency in the library district are eligible to vote. The district consists of all of Clifton Park and most of Halfmoon.

“This budget reflects a significant effort on the part of our staff and board to respond to the continued uncertain economic environment,” library board president Cliff Bueno said. “The goal of the 2011 budget process was to strike a balance between preserving programs and services while minimizing the tax impact. The impact on tax payers is negligible. The library continues to provide exceptional service to the community while serving a steadily increasing number of patrons.”

In addition to the budget, voters in Clifton Park will be electing 2 trustees for 5-year terms. The terms of Clifton Park trustees Zebulon Robbins and Edwin Rodger expire on Dec. 31.

Petition forms are available at the library for any Clifton Park resident who wishes to run for trustee. Petitions must be completed and returned to the library by 5 p.m. Aug. 17.

Absentee ballot applications will be available at the library or can be downloaded from the library’s website beginning Aug. 1.

For more information:

• Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library, 475 Moe Rd., Clifton Park, 371.8622

The event is part of the town’s National Night Out festivities, where residents of all ages can meet some of our local first responders and learn more about emergency agencies in town.

University at Albany men’s basketball coach Will Brown will lead basketball skills clinics for the kids. Special guest announcer WNYT sports director Rodger Wyland on hand to call the action.

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police will have specialty equipment displays and K-9s demos. Local fire departments and ambulance squads will provide safety tips and bring equipment for the kids to explore.

Other attractions include:

• The town’s Fire Prevention Bus, a mobile classroom that teaches children and adults about fire prevention and safety in the home, and emergency preparedness materials from the town’s Citizen Corps;
• The Southern Saratoga YMCA will provide a giant bounce house to entertain the kids;
• Entertainment by the Shen Robotics Team’s Battling Bots.

Prizes for the free-throw contest will be awarded in each age group for boys and girls. All participants in the contest are asked to preregister and arrive early. Registration forms are available online at the town’s website, at Town Hall, the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library and all town day-camp sites.

For more information:

• Clifton Park Town Hall, 1 Town Hall Plaza, Clifton Park, 371.6651 x230

When the city decided to hold an annual fireworks celebration during the 1970s, it realized there was a lot of competition on the 4th of July. So organizers decided to hold a Family Day instead.

“We hold our Family Day and fireworks on the closest Sunday to the 4th of July before or after as most of our vendors are at the larger celebrations” on Independence Day weekend,” Mayor Anthony Sylvester said. “By doing this we get to have a larger crowd with no competition.”

Alonzo Fireworks does fireworks shows throughout the Capital Region and beyond, but one that is special is the annual Family Day celebration in its hometown of Mechanicville.

“We take care of all of our clients, but Mechanicville is obviously special,” said Alonzo Fireworks president Jeff Alonzo, whose family has been in the business since 1939.

On Independence Day weekend — the company’s busiest time of the year — Alonzo Fireworks did 20 displays on the 4th and 23 on the 3rd. Among the celebrations were events in Clifton Park, the Plaza in Albany, Bolton Landing and Lake George.

Not only is Mechanicville smart for holding its festivities on a different weekend, but other communities are realizing the benefits of doing the same, Alonzo said.

“They wanted Family Day to be an important day, and they didn’t share it with anyone else,” he said. “Many communities have caught on to Mechanicville’s idea.”

He added that Malta and Ballston Spa hold fireworks on weekends other than Independence Day.

“Many more towns are doing fireworks on other days,” Alonzo said. “They might call it Charter Day or Heritage Day. … It gives them their own special day. And Lake George does fireworks every Thursday from (now) until Labor Day to get tourists to start their weekend a day earlier.”

In addition to the fireworks, Mechanicville will have family activities all day long at Talmage Park — starting with the 5-kilometer Firecracker Run at 10:30 a.m. and featuring a concert by local band Mike and the Monsters at 7:30 p.m. The fireworks are set to start around 9. Alonzo hopes folks will enjoy the show.

“It’s a fun business, and it’s a good business,” Alonzo said. “And we really do enjoy making people happy with our fireworks in the Capital Region.”

For more information:

• City of Mechanicville, 36 North Main Street, Mechanicville, 664.8331
• Finale of Alonzo Fireworks’ 2010 Fourth of July display in Clifton Park
• Mike and the Monsters

“Veterans issues are the most common issue we deal with,” said Murphy (D-Glens Falls), whose district includes Southern Saratoga County.

A lot of the calls the office gets are about VA benefits. The Veterans Administration paperwork can be intimidating, and the Congressman’s office helps them get though it. Another common concern is obtaining disability benefits.

Sgt. Leo McKeon (right) receives a Purple Heart from Rep. Scott Murphy during a ceremony at the American Legion post in Halfmoon.

So to help veterans, Murphy arranged for a veterans benefit fair at American Legion Mohawk Post 1450. The highlight of Wednesday’s event was Murphy’s presentation of a Purple Heart to Sgt. Leo McKeon for injuries he received in Iraq five years ago — a medal the Congressman’s office helped McKeon obtain.

“It’s always an exciting day,” Murphy said about the occasions when he gets to present a medal.

Murphy wasn’t the only one helping veterans at the event. Groups participating included the VA’s New York regional office, the Stratton VA, the state Department of Labor, Empire State College, the state Division of Veteran Affairs, Military OneSource Counseling, Operation Adopt A Soldier, the American Legion and the VFW.

Andrew Davis, director of the Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency, was there to tell veterans about the services the county offers them. Those services include transportation to medical appointments in Albany and help obtaining VA and education benefits and assistance dealing with government agencies such as the DMV and social services.

The agency deals with 2-5 clients in person and handles 70-100 phone calls each business day, yet Davis said many of the county’s 18,000 veterans probably don’t know it exists. He was once one of them.

“When I came home, I had no idea counties did this,” said Davis, a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Howard Wildove, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who is now a business advisor with the state Small Business Development Center, said a lot of veterans don’t realize the services the SBDC offers them. He specializes in helping veterans start or run a small business — including assistance in writing business plans, obtaining financing and receiving training. He said there is even a special loan program designed for veterans.

Veterans thinking about starting a business should “call up and make an appointment. It doesn’t cost you anything but an hour of your time,” he said. “The help is out there. You just need to ask.”

For more information:

• Congressman Scott Murphy, 7 Southside Drive Suite 206, Clifton Park, 280.1791
• American Legion Mohawk Post 1450, 275 Grooms Road, Halfmoon, 371.4463
• Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency, 152 West High Street, Ballston Spa, 884.4115
• New York State Small Business Development Center, 7A Harriman Campus Road Suite 240, Albany, 485.7647
• The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, 374 Temple Hill Road, New Windsor, 845.561.1765