Back when New York State Snowmobile Registration Fees went up, I noted the mafia-like “tax” people had to pay just to get on their sled. Now it seems the Adirondack Council is questioning the New York State Snowmobile Association’s $5/tag-funded PAC.
Is money earmarked for snowmobile registration, finding its way into the pockets of some NYS lawmakers? That assertion is coming from the Adirondack Council, which maintains NYS Snowmobile Association members may unwittingly be sending some of the fee’s collected each year, into a Political Action Committee which is then making donations to the campaign war chests of certain state legislators. The Adirondack Council is questioning this, calling it politics at its worst.
In addition, the Council is questioning a benefit given to Snowmobile Association members, which lowers the cost of registration if they join a NYS Snowmobile Association affiliated snowmobile club.
The Council plans to bring this matter to the attention of the NYS Attorney General for further investigation, since some of the lawmakers who pushed legislation allowing this change in the registration ‘fee structure’, are the same ones who’ve received PAC dollars from the Snowmobile Association.
Link – WTVH
I saw Mr. Sheehans comments to Channel 5 Syracuse. Wouldn’t it be nice if he bothered to check his facts-and the same goes for the reporter. The $5.00 NYSSA dues does not go to the PAC-it goes to NYSSA. Registration monies do not go to the PAC. Each member of NYSSA is afforded the opportunity to or not to direct twenty five cents-yes, I said twenty five cents of their dues to the PAC.
Additionally, Mr. Sheehan said that registration monies were given by NYSSA to the PAC so that the “politicians could line their pockets”. Not true-NYSSA never touches and has no access to trail funds collected by the state and disbursed to the counties and mubnicipalities for trail maintenance.
I guess using facts is outside of Mr. Sheehan’s focus in his zeal to seal off the Adirondack Park to everyone but himself and whomever he chooses to have access.
The story on Channel 5 should be embarrassing to Mr. Sheehan and to everyone who follows his leadership and to the television station itself-is it lazy journalism or pandering? You make the decision…..
Mr. Broderick,
You’d be better off if you’d stop pretending that the people who oppose your views on snowmobiling in the Adirondacks are merely trying to “seal off the Adirondack Park to everyone but himself and whomever he chooses to have access.”
Those of us that live here in the park are not fools – we see you have a sweetheart deal with the state.
If I want to run my sled in my neighborhood, I have to register with one of your organizations for legal access to trails that were in many cases previously open to anyone. I also have no choice to support your organization if I want a break on my registration fees.
Despite your protestations of being put upon by the media and Channel 5, it’s clear that NYSSA is the one who has a system in place that seals off access to traditional local trails to everyone but you and whomever YOU choose to have access.
Stop acting like we’re all fools. Start engaging in serious and honest dialog on the issue.
Dear Sir or Ma’am,
I understand the Park, I grew up spending a lot of time in the Caroga Lake area and my parents still have a house there and I go there every summer.
If you want to run your sled on your own property, you don’t have to register it. The law has ALWAYS been that you must register to ride the trails. The trails are created by. maintained by and groomed by the snowmobile clubs in New York State. You have the option to join or not join a club, if you do, your registration is $45, if not, it’s $100. The trails are not sealed off to anyone, with the exception of the Old Forge area which DOES NOT receive trail funding from the state snowmobile trail development fund whihc works on a permit basis (Towns of Inlet and Webb). The clubs are the ones that maintain the trails based on membership funds and trail grant money, of which NY State recently took $1 Million of for the General Fund-why should you not support the organizations that build and maintain the trails you want to ride on?
The news article had Mr. Sheehan accusing NYSSA of lining the pockets of politicians with registration funds-either Mr. Sheehan does not know the facts or he is lying-I have never met the man and have no way to judge his character.
Your tone is rather threatening and insulting-there was a great line on another website: “The interesting thing is that while snowmobilers by in large pay for their own trail system, all taxpayers in the state pay for the hiking trails and other free public facilities that the Adirondack Council is in favor of”.
If you feel the need to continue this discussion, I’m happy to answer any e-mails from you with facts.