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Journalism’s Loss Is Doheny’s Gain
May 31st - 12:11 pm
I’m very sorry to pass along the news that Jude Seymour is departing the world of journalism to go to what we ink-stained cynics refer to as the “dark side”, accepting a job as the deputy campaign manager and spokesman for Matt Doheny’s 2012 congressional campaign.
Seymour, who dominated coverage of the historic 2009 special election that turned ex-Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava’s last name into an adjective/verb, made the jump not long ago to TV (WWNY-TV 7) from the Watertown Times.
Now, he’s leaving the media world altogether to help Doheny in his second House bid. (Seymour’s last day in his current job is June 21).
“Jude is one of the best north country reporters, so I’m thrilled that he’ll soon be using his talents to help get me elected to Congress,” said Doheny.
“The public portion of the campaign won’t commence for many more months. In the meantime, Jude and I will be working hard to ensure that, come Election Day 2012, north country and Central New York residents know I am the right man for the job.”
A Conservative Dissenter
May 31st - 10:38 am
Erie County Conservative Chairman Ralph Lorigo, calling in to respond to my previous post, said he doesn’t intend to “draw a line in the sand” on gay marriage when local candidates seek his endorsement.
That puts Lorigo at odds with the state Conservative Party, which recently passed a resolution barring any candidate – either for state or local office – from running on its ballot line (Row C) if he or she doesn’t agree with the party’s opposition to same-sex marriage.
Lorigo, whose party endorsed Democratic Assemblyman Mark Schroeder’s Buffalo comptroller bid even though he has voted “yes” on gay marriage, said he personally has a “difference of opinion” on this issue with the assemblyman. But in this instance, Lorigo said, social issues take a back seat to fiscal conservatism.
“I don’t think he’ll be voting on gay marriage as comptroller,” Lorigo said. “Fiscally, he’s very responsible, and my body believes be’s entitled to our endorsement based on what he’s looking for in this situation.”
“…Different jobs have different responsibilities, and in my world, we have an economic crisis in the state of New York. It needs to be handled by people who are fiscally conservative, and that’s absolutely true of Mark Schroeder. He’s low man on the totem pole with (Assembly Speaker) Sheldon Silver. That should say worlds about this guy.”
Lorigo said he’s personally “strong in the conviction that New York should not pass gay marriage,” but added: “On the other side of the coin, I have no problem with the equal rights part of it. I have a problem with calling it ‘marriage’, I’m OK with the civil union part of it.”
Lorigo said he did not participate in the state executive committee vote on the gay marriage resolution. He’s had a bit of a communication breakdown with the state party since he primaried Long’s preferred candidate, Rick Lazio, for Row C in the 2010 gubernatorial race, the chairman said, although he allowed that might be due in part to the fact that he changed his email address after it was hacked.
Long: Schroeder Endorsement ‘Ill-Conceived’
May 31st - 10:04 am
A reader wrote in late last week to question the Erie County Conservative Party’s endorsement of Democratic Assemblyman Mark Schroeder for his city comptroller run, noting the nod runs counter to the state party’s recent passage of a resolution barring any candidate who supports gay marriage from running on Row C.
Schroeder not only voted “yes” on same-sex marriage in 2009, but also spoke in favor of the bill on the floor.
Erie County Conservative Chairman Ralph Lorigo told The Buffalo News: “There was not even a need for Mark to speak.” He noted the assemblyman’s longtime support from the party in both his county legislature and Assembly runs.
But state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long told me this morning that the endorsement of Schroeder was “ill-conceived”, adding:
“If it was within the confines of my capability of saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and that of the state executive committee, (Schroeder) would not have gotten the endrosement.”
“..If you would call Ralph Lorigo, he would tell you the comptroller’s office has nothing to do with gay marriage. Number one, that’s not true. Number two, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t go dipping into the trough for patronage jobs and close your eyes to what an assemblyman did that was wrong.”
Long admitted he has “no authority” to do anything about this endorsement, since the office in question is located entirely within the confines of Erie County borders. (The state executive committee can only intervene if offices and/or districts cross county lines).
Rubio Robos For Corwin
May 19th - 10:06 am
Next up in the parade of Tea Partiers trying to boostAssemblywoman Jane Corwin’s conservative cred with NY-26 voters: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Rubio, who defeated the more moderate former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, in the November 2010 election (Rubio landed the GOP nod, Crist ran as an independent), called Corwin a “strong conservative” and said she’ll be a voice to help the House Republicans “keep the momentum up” in Washington.
This come on the heels of Rep. Allen West’s robo, released yesterday.
The Rubio call went to 60,000 homes in the district. The Corwin campaign and the assemblywoman’s national GOP supporters have been trying to establish her as the true Tea Party voice in the race, even though independent Jack Davis is running on the Tea Party line (of his own creation) – a move that riled the already fractious WNY Tea Party movement.
No Gay Marriage Litmus Test For Row E
May 17th - 3:37 pm
Much was made of the fact that state Independence Party Chairman Frank MacKay expressed personal support yesterday for the legalization of same-sex marriage, with some suggesting this could somehow neutralize the state Conservative Party’s threat to deny its endorsement – and ballot line – to any Republican who votes “yes” on the bill.
There’s a significant difference here.
The Conservative Party has passed a resolution effectively making gay marriage a litmus test. Vote “yes” and you’re automatically denied Row C – a big problem for several GOP senators for whom the line made a difference in 2010.
I asked MacKay during a brief interview earlier today if he would do the same – in other words, refuse to let candidates who vote “no” on gay marriage run on Row E (and yes, the party fared poorly in the ballot status sweepstakes last fall). His response:
“Absolutely not. These are my personal beliefs…Our main concern is political reform, and we hope the people we’re supporting are those who would be fiscally responsible, but also either vote or use their influence to reform government.”
MacKay said local Indy committees (and remember, there has been a power struggle – particularly in NYC – over who controls the line) are responsible for making endorsements, with the executive committee stepping in to make decisions in districts that cross county lines.
“The local committees know better than me,” the chairman explained. “For example, here in Suffolk County, there’s very little I know about Monroe County. The committee in Monroe County makes its decisions based on how they think performance at the local level is…We have people from the left, the right and the center in leadership. It makes us unique among the parties.”
Of course, to suggest that MacKay doesn’t wield considerable clout when it comes to endorsements is simply naive. Still, for what it’s worth, he insisted that Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whom the party endorsed in 2010, did not ask MacKay to come out in favor of gay marriage.
Why Row C Matters
May 13th - 2:42 pm
The state Conservative Party has now codified its threat that any lawmaker who votes “yes” on gay marriage will be politically punished, passing a resolution that states “any elected official or potential candidate who does not support marriage as defined between one man and one woman” won’t get Row C “in any election”.
That makes things complicated for the Senate Republicans, who are gearing up for a big fight over control of the chamber next year – a battle that will be waged with all legislators representing newly-drawn districts.
Leaving aside the whole redistricting reform question for a moment (and yes, I realize it’s a great big wrench in the works), let’s consider how much of a factor the Conservative Party was in the 2010 elections, when the GOP successfully wrested the majority back from the Democrats.
A helpful reader compiled the following vote tallies in four of last fall’s key Senate races:
- In SD-07, Craig Johnson (“yes” on marriage) led Jack Martins (“no”) 42,477 to 36,349 on the Democratic to Republican lines, but Martins received 1,959 votes on the Independence Line and 4,620 votes on the Conservative line to overtake Johnson. The Working Families line was vacant.
- In SD-40, Mike Kaplowitz (“yes”) led Greg Ball (undecided) 43,586 to 42,363 on the Democratic to Republican lines, and Kaplowitz had an additional 4,981 votes on the Independence line, but Ball received 8,342 votes on the Conservative line to overtake Kaplowitz.
Remember: Ball won the Conservative Primary as a write-in candidate. He would have lost the race otherwise by wide margins. The Working Families line was vacant.
- In SD-55, Mary Wilmot (“yes”) led Jim Alesi (unclear) 47,298 to 45,141 on the Democratic to Republican lines, but Alesi received 3,914 votes on the Independence line and 7,970 votes on the Conservative line to win. The Working Families line was vacant.
- In SD-61, Antoine Thompson (“yes”) led Mark Grisanti (undecided) 30,688 to 28,875 on the Democratic to Republican lines, and Thompson received an additional 2,036 votes on the Working Families line, but Gristanti received 4,368 votes on the Conservative line to squeak it out. The Independence line was vacant.
Conservatives: Assembly Holding Up Tax Cap
May 2nd - 4:25 pm
The Conservative Party is charging this afternoon that the Democratic-led Assembly is stalling on the property tax cap.
“Passage of that budget was a good first step in their efforts to ensure Albany is accountable to taxpayers,” said Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long. “It’s time for the Assembly to take the next logical step and join the Senate and Governor in enacting a real property tax cap for New York. Homeowners have waited long enough.”
The statement comes after Senate Republicans have tried to beat back rumors they don’t truly want a cap on local property taxes because of concerns over mandate relief. The Senate approved Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2 percent cap on property taxes, but the Assembly has not.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, whose large Democratic conference includes legislators friendly to the state teacher’s union and New York City residents, has said he would be in favor of a cap, but with some exemptions.
Cuomo said after his speech at the Democratic Rural Conference Friday in Schenectady that he hopes to find an agreement on the cap.
Here’s the full Long statement: More >
Long: Let There Be A Gay Marriage Vote (Updated)
Apr 26th - 1:22 pm
ICYMI: State Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long is unabashedly opposed to the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York, and has made it clear that any Republican senator who votes “yes” will be in danger of losing his party’s support come 2012.
But, Long supports the idea of letting the bill come to the floor for another vote, even though he would vastly prefer to see the whole controversial issue relegated to the back burner where he is convinced it belongs. He’s hopeful that several of the eight Democratic “no” voters from 2009 who are still serving will resist enormous pressure from the governor and his allies to switch sides.
“I think the voters deserve to know where their senators stand – both Democrat and Republican,” the chairman said.
“Let them know where they stand…There’s a lot of Democrats that voted the other way the last time. They may vote with us again, and I would hope they do because they could be in swing districts that could make a difference in their election or in the primary.”
“They’re under a lot of pressure and I understand the addition of the governor in this whole move makes it even more uncomfortable for them. And that’s why I would hope that Governor Cuomo really doesn’t push this too far and force the issue and stays focused on bringing New York State back into the status of the Empire State.”
Only four of the eight “no” voting Dems are left: Joe Addabbo, Shirley Huntley, Ruben Diaz Sr., and Carl Kruger. Of those, three (guess which one is the odd man out; it’s not hard) have said they’re now on the fence. Three of the others – Hiram Monserrate, George Onorato, Bill Stachowski – have been replaced by “yes” votes, while Darrel Aubertine is a wash, since he was replaced by another (Republican) “no”.
UPDATE: Two readers note that three “yes” voters – Antoine Thompson, Craig Johnson and Brian Foley – were ousted last year by three expected “no” voters: Mark Grisanti (not if Lady Gaga has anything to say about it), Jack Martins and Lee Zeldin.
Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos said at a Log Cabin Republicans event last fall that he would advocate for the marriage bill to return to the floor and would make it a “conscience” vote. But he also said he would have to get the go-ahead from his members before doing so.
If the bill doesn’t come up for a vote this year, it’s hard to see the GOP letting it out in 2012 when they’re fighting like hell to retain the majority – with new district lines, to boot.
Gas Tax Attack
Apr 25th - 3:30 pm
It’s that time again…as prices at the pump creep ever upward, politicians are rushing to soothe the savage public by calling for – you guessed it! – a gas tax holiday!
This latest incarnation comes compliments of Sen. Greg Ball and Assemblyman Jim Tedisco.
The Republican duo are proposing to suspend the three separate state taxes on fuel: The 8-cent excise tax, the 8-cent sales tax and the 17-cent Petroleum Business Tax – during the busy four-day Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day holiday weekends.
The lawmakers estimate this would provide consumers an immediate savings of 33-cents per gallon of gasoline – about $5 to $6 a fill-up.
Meanwhile, the state Conservative Party is also getting in on issue, too, by re-launching its petition (which appears after the jump) to eliminate the 4 percent state gas sales tax.
Party Chairman Mike Long noted that the last time the petition launched was back in 2001 with the support of then Assemblyman John Faso (who also just so happens to be a CapTon guest tonight…serendipitous!) That call didn’t go anywhere, but the Conservatives remain undaunted.
“At that time gasoline taxes were soaring and localities were reaping a windfall due to the fact that local gasoline tax collections are based on a percentage rather than the flat rate the state charges,” Long said in a press release.
“Gasoline prices are higher now than they were in the last surge and we are renewing our call for tax relief for the consumer.”
The chairman told me during his CapTon interview that doing away with the gas tax would be a much better use of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s time – in his opinion, anyway – than the push for legalization of same-sex marriage.
Chairman Long: Trump ‘Harping’ On Birther Issue May Help Obama
Apr 25th - 3:05 pm
State Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long sat down with me for a CapTon interview that will air tonight (8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.) Topics include: Gay marriage and his no-endorsement-for-you line in the sand, the gas tax and – of course – The Donald.
Long said he hasn’t sat down with Trump “in quite a few years,” but is more than willing to accept his Conservative conversion. As for his potential 2012 presidential bid, the chairman agrees with Mayor Bloomberg that the birther issue is something the Republicans should really just leave alone.
“Look, I think it attracts a lot of momentum. It gets a lot of people excited. It raises the issue,” Long told me.
” But look, I believe the President was born in the United States. And I understand, for whatever reason, the President’s not walking around with his birth certificate, OK? I just think in a lot of ways, it’s a non-issue and it doesn’t help anybody.”
“If anything, it may be winding up helping Obama.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard someone on the right suggest Trump, with his history of contributing to Democrats and praising the president, is in fact a stalking horse for the left.
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