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2011
The Happiest Man In Buffalo
May 25th - 10:04 am
There were a lot of happy people at Congresswoman-elect Kathy Hochul’s headquarters last night. The chicken wing-eating and beer-drinking crowd was feeling pretty confident to begin with, and only got increasingly animated as the night wore on, breaking into loud cheers when the AP called the race for their candidate.
But perhaps no one was as animated (aside from the 20-something canvassers reveling in the free food and drink) as Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz, whose smile grew wider and wider throughout the evening.
Thanks to Hochul’s gamble to run a long-shot congressional campaign instead of challenging GOP County Executive Chris Collins (in spite of an internal poll that reportedly showed her well ahead and the desire of state-level Democrats to see Collins eliminated as a future concern to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Poloncarz was tapped to take the fight to Collins instead.
And as Poloncarz sees it, his job just got a whole lot easier, thanks to Hochul’s win.
“I think this sets us up nicely,” the comptroller told me. “…This was a repudiation of the Republican agenda – an agenda that Chris Collins is out there calling for.”
“Yes, this was an open seat, and it’s a different race. But in the end, the people of the 26th are saying: We don’t want the candidate who supports Wall Street and big oil, we want the candidate who supports Main Street. It’s fair to say that people united for Kathy Hochul and the message she brought to the table. It’s a similar message that I’m going to be taking about.”
It’s not possible to draw exact parallels between the NY-26 contest and the upcoming county executive race. Ousting an incumbent is a lot harder than winning an open seat – even in a GOP-dominated district – particularly without a vote-splitting third party candidate for Collins to worry about.
(The conservatives, who have been known to back Democrats in WNY, have already given him their early support, although the Indy line is still in play).
‘Lonely’ Silver Critic Wants To Leave Legislature (Updatedx2)
May 23rd - 3:24 pm
Buffalo Assemblyman Mark Schroeder, a frequent – and often lone – critic of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver among his fellow Democrats, is trying to depart the chamber by running for local office back home in Buffalo.
Schroeder sent a letter to Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan seeking his support in a run for city comptroller – a campaign he’ll announce at 10 a.m. on June 4 at the Buffalo Irish Center.
UPDATE: Sorry, I had my county and city comptroller posts mixed up. The city position has been vacant since February when its former occupant, Andy SanFilippo, resigned to become a deputy under state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. The county comptroller, Mark Polocarz, is running this fall against GOP Erie County Executive Chris Collins.
In the letter, Schroder touts his ten years in public service and two decades in the private sector. He also cites his record for “independence”, adding:
“As any observer of state government can tell you, no one in the state Capitol is more independence than I am. It might make Albany a lonely place for me sometimes, but my constituents deserve a voice that will speak out on their behalf, no matter what the consequences.”
UPDATE2: Also, Schroeder, who insisted in a Buffalo News interview that his desire to run locally has nothing to do with either his rocky relationship with Silver or a concern about redistricting, expressed upset over the “unfair” process by which a comptroller candidate will be selected.
And now he’s seeking the support of the very party structure he criticized. Not unusual, just interesting to note.
Cox: Levy Would Have Made A Good Governor
Mar 25th - 12:15 pm
State GOP Chairman Ed Cox said he was “surprised” to learn of the political fundraising improprieties that have forced Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy to forgo his re-election bid this fall, but would not say he regretted trying to woo the Democrat-turned-Republican into the 2010 governor’s race.
In fact, Cox heaped praise on Levy, saying he had been a “terrific county executive who always fought for the taxpayers of his county and was very effective in implementing pro-growth policies.” The chairman insisted Levy would be doing the same thing at the state level had he been successful in his gubernatorial bid.
“His policies were not only fiscally responsible, but pro-growth, and that’s what we need as governor,” Cox told me.
“What I’m saying is that the policies that he stood for and fought for in Suffolk County and implemented very effectively are eaxctly the policies that we need in New York State.”
“…We do need nuclear power in this state. We do need to get rid of LIFO for teachers. We do need to make sure that, over time, the rent controls in New York City will continue on the path they’re going. These are the kinds of things I think (Levy) would be fighting for as governor.”
NY Again In DOJ Crosshairs Over Military Ballots (Updated)
Feb 22nd - 11:48 am
The US Justice Department, which sued New York in 2010 to force election officials to take extra steps to count military service members’ absentee ballots in the general election, is again sounding the alarm on this issue, which could require moving the annual primary date from September to June.
The state received a hardship exemption from the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (or MOVE) Act last year, but at least 13 counties still failed to comply with the waiver requirements.
In settling the DOJ’s suit, New York agreed that changes in law, the state election schedule or election procedures would be necessary in the future and also promised to provide a status report to the feds by April 1.
A majority of elections officials at the winter Elections Commissioners Association conference in January voted to request that the Legislature move the primary date to give them more time to comply with the overseas and military ballot rules. The MOVE Act mandates these ballots be sent out at least 45 days before a federal election.
So far, the Legislature hasn’t acted, and the DOJ is getting restless, as is clear from the letter forwarded by a reader.
UPDATE: State Board of Elections spokesman Tom Connolly told me officials are “well aware” of the April 1 deadline, but so far have no proposal to provide to the DOJ.
Lining Up Against Levy
Jan 10th - 3:39 pm
A reader forwarded an e-mail sent today by Rep. Tim Bishop seeking contributions to Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone, who has been not-so-quietly raising campaign cash for a likely challenge to his former fellow Democrat, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy.
“I support Steve Bellone as a leader who can unite Suffolk County residents,” Bishop wrote.
“He has a strong, proven record in Babylon as someone who can hold down taxes and spending while maintaining core services. In his last re-election, Supervisor Bellone received over 70 percent of the vote based on his record of competence, and being responsive to his constiuents.”
“Normally, I would not ask you for your help this early, however, a race of this magnitude will take an enormous commitment.The incumbent officeholder has amassed a warchest of more than $4 million, which is why it is vital that Supervisor Bellone receives your early support to get out his message.”
Bishop came close to losing his own seat last fall and required the assistance of any number of Democrats – including the party’s most powerful and popular surrogate, former President Bill Clinton. So, I guess now he’s returning the favor.
Tit For Tat On The AG Front
Aug 27th - 4:25 pm
The contest for the Democratic nomination for attorney general is getting nasty – especially between the state senator and district attorney in the running.
This morning, Sen. Eric Schneiderman’s campaign sent around a letter to his four opponents asking for civility and taking a not-so-subtle shot at Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice, who called him a “dangerous” choice for AG this week.
Schneiderman is calling on his opponents to sign a pledge promising to keep things positive.
Rice’s communications director released a statement characterizing his “plea” as falling “somewhere between hilarious and self-delusional.” But while at the NYS Fair, staffers accompanying Rice told YNN’s illustrious Bill Carey that Rice will sign a pledge to stay positive on the trail.
Bill also caught up with the candidate herself and asked her about the tone of her campaign. She insists she’s always remained positive and focused on the issues voters care about.
“In the short time that I have been in politics, I have always run very positive campaigns,” Rice told Bill.
“I like to talk about what I am going to do and what I’m going to bring to the table. And I think that’s what people want to hear from candidate across this state.”
Rice’s campaign then engaged in a dialogue directly with Schneiderman this afternoon – also by way of letter – calling on him to clarify statements he made about his experience running a drug rehab program.
“We reject your assertion from your letter this morning that questioning of you has been personal,” writes Rice campaign manager Jeffrey Stein.
“In fact we are a bit taken aback by the hypocrisy of your letter considering the multipronged attacks your campaign has engaged in throughout its duration, causing many people to define your campaign by its propensity to attack District Attorney Rice rather than talk about you and your record.”
The entire letter from Rice’s campaign manager to Schneiderman appears below.
Levy Tries To Influence Gov’s Race From Afar
Jul 2nd - 12:48 pm
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy didn’t make the convention cut, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have something to say about the race he once hoped (or maybe still hopes?) to be a part of.
The Democrat-turned-Republican put out a press release today calling on the candidates for governor and editorial boards statewide to embrace legislation he proposed earlier this this year that he says would end late budgets “forever” in New York.
Levy’s “Contract for New York,” which was essentially his gubernatorial campaign manifesto, would mandate that the executive budget automatically take effect if the Legislature blows the April 1 deadline.
More >
Incoming! LaValle Bats For Levy
Apr 14th - 1:45 pm
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy’s campaign has deployed his hometown county GOP chairman, John Jay LaValle, to push back against shots fired over the past 24 hours by state Democratic Party Executive Director Charlie King and “boss” (as per Team Levy) Jay Jacobs.
LaValle accused Jacobs, who is also the Nassau County Democratic chairman, of presiding over “one of the worst abusers in the history pay-to-play during the Suozzi administration; a simple review of his filings would prove this.” (No supporting documentation was provided).
More >
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