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Bob Duffy
Duffy To Visit Mott’s Picket Line
Jun 15th - 3:40 pm
Apparently not all labor is equal in the eyes of the Cuomo-Duffy ticket.
Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy, who has been praised by his running mate, AG Andrew Cuomo, for standing up to public employee unions, is scheduled to greet striking Mott’s workers in Williamson tomorrow on behalf of the ticket.
Duffy will be joining RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, who is a big Cuomo supporter and was the first labor leader to call on Gov. David Paterson to step aside to let the AG run unopposed for governor this fall.
In his “New New York Agenda,” Cuomo has called for a number of initiatives that don’t sit well with the labor community, including a public employee salary freeze, a property tax cap and support for charter schools.
This has caused some unions, such as NYSUT, to hedge on whether they will support Cuomo in the fall (although they’re highly unlikely to back his GOP opponents). Others, like UFCW Local 1500, haven’t had any problem with endorsing the AG for governor.
The Mott’s workers have been on strike since May 23 when the company implemented their final offer cutting wages by $1.50 an hour for all employees and cutting benefits including freezing pensions for all current employees and eliminating pensions for future employees.
According to the press release announcing Duffy’s impending visit to the picket line, here have been no negotiations since the strike started, and no talks are planned at this time.
‘Loose Cannon!’
Jun 8th - 4:41 pm
Ahem. Apparently someone didn’t get Team Cuomo’s memo on keeping a low press profile.
Here’s Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy being downright contrite with the local media earlier today, apologizing for being AWOL after he was officially tapped to be the Democratic gubernatorial nominee’s LG running mate and promising to be back to his old accessible self going forward.
My favorite moment is when he refers to himself as a “loose cannon” – Bidenesque!
I am a big fan of this unfettered LG contender – (that invite to come on the show is still open, Mr. Mayor) – but something tells me this state of affairs might not last long.
Duffy vs. Lazio
Jun 8th - 4:07 pm
Here’s some footage of Round II of Rick Lazio (campaigning in the Syracuse area) vs. Bob Duffy (at home in Rochester) on the whole double-dipping pension issue.
It’s interesting to see them cross swords – albeit it virtually – it seems to be that Lazio’s message of this somehow reflecting poorly on his opponent, AG Andrew Cuomo, is getting muddied in the whole debate over whether Duffy’s acceptance of his pension while also taking his mayoral salary is legal/appropriate etc.
Duffy is running for LG, remember. Lazio is running for governor.
Defending Duffy
Jun 8th - 3:08 pm
The Cuomo campaign is not taking GOP gubernatorial hopeful Rick Lazio’s “double-dipping” pension fund slam against LG contender Bob Duffy lying down, deploying multiple surrogates to defend the Rochester mayor’s honor and unveiling a “fact check” feature on its Website.
The first response came from state Democratic Party Executive Director Charlie King, who was installed by Cuomo long before the AG was even an official gubernatorial contender to act as the rapid-response attack dog so the campaign didn’t have to dirty its hands.
Response No. 2 came in the form of a press release from state Association of Police Chiefs Executive Director John Grebert who said Lazio’s comments “denigrate the service of all those who risked their lives as law enforcement officers.”
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Lazio Hits Duffy (Updated)
Jun 8th - 11:27 am
GOP gubernatorial designee Rick Lazio issued a statement this morning slamming the running mate of his Democratic opponent, LG contender Bob Duffy, calling him a “a politician’s politician” who is a perfect fit for AG Andrew Cuomo because he “says one thing and does another.”
Lazio referenced today’s WSJ report by Jacobs Gershman on how Duffy is a so-called “double-dipper,” receiving both his $127,694-a-year mayoral salary and his $114,295 police pension.
Gershman notes that Duffy’s pension is “perfectly legal,” but also suggests it doesn’t quite fit with Cuomo’s message of fiscal conservatism, particularly when the AG has highlighted less above-board double-dipping pension practices.
Lazio called it the “height of hypocrisy” for Cuomo to “brag” about cracking down on double-dipping when his running mate is a “walking, talking, example of abuse.”
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Samuels Drops LG Bid
Jun 5th - 11:16 am
In a move that doesn’t come as a big surprise, Bill Samuels will announce this afternoon that he’s suspending his campaign for lieutenant governor to focus solely on his New Roosevelt Initiative PAC’s efforts to elect reform-minded state senators.
Samuels, who announced his long-shot LG bid back in April, plans to un-announce this afternoon at a rally being held outside Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr.’s Mamaroneck home in mock celebration of the Senate coup’s one-year anniversary.
(Takeout sushi menus from the Bronx/Westchester Democrat’s favorite purveyor of raw fish will be distributed).
Espada is New Roosevelt’s first target. Jay Strell, a PR consultant who has worked with Samuels for some time, said the PAC will broaden his focus to include four or five other races. He declined to say immediately which incumbents will be in the crosshairs.
At one point there were two declared Democratic LG contenders – Samuels and Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence.
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Levy, Paladino Will Go Stag To Conservative Convention
May 27th - 5:24 pm
So far, two of the gubernatorial candidates – the Democrat and one of the four Republicans – have announced their preferred running mates in advance of their respective nomination at major party conventions.
Former Rep. Rick Lazio made his selection of Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards known far in advance of both tomorrow’s Conservative confab and next week’s GOP get-together.
Conservative Chairman Mike Long has already signaled his support for the Lazio-Edwards ticket, and it’s expected that the duo will get the nod for Row D tomorrow (although, with the way things have been going of late, nothing’s done until it’s done).
AG Andrew Cuomo took the wraps off of his super-secret LG selection, Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy, just 24 hours before his scheduled convention nomination. Duffy was nominated that very day by his fellow Democrats, but didn’t show up until this morning – along with Cuomo himself – to give his acceptance speech.
That leaves Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and Carl Paladino still without running mates. And, as it turns out, they will both be flying solo at tomorrow’s Conservative convention.
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Speaking Of Diversity…
May 27th - 1:51 pm
An astute reader notes a slightly more subtle omission from the Democratic ticket (as it stands at the moment) that I missed amid all the talk of lack of a minority statewide candidate.
There’s just one Jew. (Sen. Chuck Schumer, who I forgot to add in an earlier version of this post. But the point still stands, since, as an incumbent, he’s not really part of the ticket of candidates headed to Albany that Cuomo is trying to influence).
If you subscribe to the belief that ethnic politics is not dead in New York, then this could be troublesome for the Democrats, since liberal Jewish voters have long been a mainstay of support for the party – particularly in downstate primaries – although the conservative Orthodox community tends to trend more in favor of Republicans, especially when it comes to Israel (not so much a state issue).
There are only two Jewish candidates in the running, and both of them are vying to be attorney general: Sen. Eric Schneiderman and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky.
Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, as you’ll recall, aspired to be the first Jewish president, although he really isn’t practicing and married outside the faith.
AG Andrew Cuomo is Catholic and, as Maggie Haberman noted, picked a Catholic (Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy) as his preferred LG running mate.
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Duffy’s Pitch
May 27th - 8:20 am
Hours after he was formally unveiled as AG Andrew Cuomo’s preferred LG pick, Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy sent an e-mail to supporters, explaining why he “took up this challenge” and touting his own tenure as the head of upstate’s second-largest city.
“As the Mayor of Rochester, I can see every day what’s happening to our great state: government services have stopped working, economic development has stalled, and too many of our public officials have forgotten the reason they hold office – to work for you,” Duffy wrote.
“Andrew has made it clear that he’s ready to take on these challenges — for every corner of New York.”
“I’m proud to be Andrew’s running mate because I want to help him make NY great again, and because I know he’ll get the job done.”
“Before I became Mayor, I was in the Rochester Police Department for 30 years – eventually becoming the chief of police. I know what our communities can accomplish when we work together.
That’s what Andrew’s New NY Agenda is all about. When “we the people” join forces, we can turn things around for our state.
Take a look at Rochester and you’ll see it can be done. Over the past four years, we’ve cracked down on crime, re-invested in our schools, and built an impressive record of responding to the needs of constituents.
Andrew Cuomo is going to deliver that kind of success for all New Yorkers. That’s why I’m glad I can provide Andrew my full support and join him on this incredible campaign.”
The Anti-Paterson
May 26th - 9:18 am
Perhaps the most important thing about Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy for AG Andrew Cuomo: He can’t be compared in any way, shape or form to the man former Gov. Eliot Spitzer tapped to be his running mate.
“I think the one thing he was looking for most was someone who would be a strong comparison to David Paterson,” said Assemblyman Joe Morelle, a longtime Cuomo ally and one of the few elected officials to endorse him for governor in 2002.
“People won’t be able to say he has no administrative experience. He has plenty of it. Both as a former police chief and as mayor of the second largest city in upstate.”
When Spitzer tapped Paterson, then the Senate minority leader, in 2006, he did so for ticket-balancing purposes – much like Cuomo is doing now – selecting someone who he thought could help shore up his support with African American voters.
His pick angered the Harlem Gang of Four (including Paterson’s father, Basil), who had supported former Hillary Clinton aide Leecia Eve as their preferred LG.
Paterson has since admitted he was barely vetted – if at all – by the Spitzer administration before his selection.
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