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Cuomo Deploys Duffy To Woo GOP Senators
Jun 2nd - 2:05 pm
LG Bob Duffy isn’t merely carrying Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s message (along with fellow cabinet members) on the “People First” tour, he’s also assisting with the lobbying of Senate Republicans on the governor’s top agenda items.
Duffy dined last night with seven majority conference lawmakers at the Ft. Orange Club just a stone’s throw from the Capitol.
The group was dominated by upstaters, which makes sense, considering that Duffy himself hails from Rochester (he’s the former mayor, as you’ll recall). Present were Deputy Senate Majority Leader Tom Libous and Sens. Mike Nozzolio, Cathy Young, Joe Griffo, Mike Ranzenhofer and Greg Ball. The lone downstater was Jack Martins of Long Island.
Ball confirmed the get-together during a brief telephone interview this afternoon following the Senate session. He called the dinner a “smart” strategy, but also said Duffy didn’t deviate from the script.
“He just laid out the governor’s aenda and pushed on the importance of all the issues, including (gay) marriage,” said Ball, who is one of a handful of GOP senators in the “on the fence” column on that particular topic.
“It was definitely a productive meeting in the sense of talking about how the Legislature can work productively with the governor on issues where we share objectives: The property tax cap, ethics reform, job creation. It was a good conversation.”
“…It was a free-flowing conversation. We spoke a lot about economic development, which is smart because a lot of members want input on that.”
Duffy was tapped by Cuomo to head up the still-in-formation regional economic development councils.
Another lawmaker who was in the Ft. Orange Club last night, but not to meet Duffy, spotted the group trooping down the stairs last night. So, it sounds like they had a room to themselves.
It doesn’t sound like the menu was terribly fancy. I asked Ball what he had eaten – a question he seemed to find rather odd – and he replied: “Bread and water, and something that resembled chicken.”
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.
Schumer On The ‘Power Of Medicare’
May 25th - 4:10 pm
Sen. Chuck Schumer wasted no time in trying to capitalize on Congresswoman-elect Kathy Hochul’s win in NY-26 last night, sending out an email to supporters this morning on the “power of Medicare” for the Democrats to make a case against the Republicans.
The senior senator is trying to get more signatures on an on-line petition to “save Medicare” that he created along with Sens. Barbara Boxed and Patty Murray in advance of the vote on Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hopes to hold later this week.
“There are two reasons Kathy Hochul won her race,” Schumer wrote. “One, she is a great candidate and a Western New Yorker through and through. And two, voters of all political persuasions clearly do not want to destroy Medicare.”
“Today in the Senate, we’re getting a chance to deal the Republicans another blow when we actually vote on their destructive plan to gut Medicare and send huge new tax breaks to the ultra-rich.”
“The Republican plan is hugely unpopular, and if Democrats are able to defeat it and keep Republicans from gutting a system millions of workers have paid into for decades – doubling their health care costs – it will be a big victory for America.”
“If we’re able to defeat their bill and win this special election in the same week, it could well turn the political tides in Washington and have a lasting effect on our policy going forward.”
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.
PPP: Hochul Up 6, Poised For ‘Upset Victory’
May 23rd - 8:34 am
Today’s Public Policy Polling survey gives a 6-point lead among likely voters to Democrat Kathy Hochul headed into the final hours of the NY-26 special election campaign – lead well outside the 2.9 percent margin of error.
That’s slightly better than the Siena poll released over the weekend that showed Hochul up 4 percent over her GOP opponent, Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, but with a 3.9 percent margin of error. The PPP numbers are: 42-36 with 13 percent for independent Jack Davis.
“Kathy Hocul’s possible upset victory Tuesday is partially a reflection of an unusualthree way race,” said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling.
“But it’s also indicative of the new Republican majority becoming very unpopular very fast. Barack Obama is more popular in this district than John Boehner.”
(Remember: NY-26 was one of just five NY districts carried by Sen. John McCain in 2008).
Since a PPP poll of the race two weeks ago, Hochul has gained 7 points and Corwin has gained 5 while Davis has dropped by 11. It appears that Hochul has done agood job of staying above the fray as the campaign, as her favorability has increased by 8 points while Corwin’s has dropped by 15.
Davis has plummeted in this category, however. Voters once were evenly split on him, but now he’s at a “horrid” (the poll’s word, not mine) -39 percent.
The pollsters caution that Corwin could still eke out a victory tomorrow, noting the GOP enrollment edge in the district and a desire among voters to have their new member of Congress caucus with the Republicans instead of the Democrats. The best Hochul could do on that one is to join up with the Blue Dogs.
Hoyt Enlists Constitutents To Lobby Senate On Gay Marriage
May 19th - 2:12 pm
Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, a Buffalo Democrat, has released a video expressing his support of legalizing gay marriage in New York and urging his constitutents to call their senator in hopes of pressuring into the “yes” column.
Hoyt doesn’t mention any specific senator by name, but his district just so happens to be located in the Democrat-dominated district represented by Democrat-turned-Republican Sen. Mark Grisanti, who said this week he would vote “no” if the gay marriage bill were brought to the floor today.
Grisanti had previously been unwilling to discuss how he might vote, which earned him the attention of Lady Gaga and her Little Monsters when she blew through Buffalo back in March.
Last fall, Grisanti ousted a “yes” voter, Democrat Antoine Thompson, running on the GOP line after an unsuccessful primary attempt back in 2008. (WNY insiders told me they never really considered Grisanti’s vote gettable on marriage after he mailed church-going voters about Thompson’s “yes” vote during the very contentious – not to mention close – election).
On issues other than gay marriage, Hoyt tends to be one of those conservative-leaning upstate Democrats – particularly when it comes to education policy. He’s a big charter schools supporter, which has earned him the support of Mayor Bloomberg.
Hoyt is also a longtime Cuomo supporter. He was one of the few elected officials to endorse Cuomo during his quixotic gubernatorial primary challenge to then-state Comptroller H. Carl McCall back in 2002. Interesting to note, though, that while Hoyt has recorded a video expressing his support for gay marriage, Cuomo has not (so far, anyway).
The governor has released videos on two of his three “People First” tour policy priorities – the tax cap and ethics reform – and also on the rent laws, which didn’t make the Top 3 tour list.
Assemblyman Danny O’Donnell has reintroduced his gay marriage bill in the absence of a program bill from Cuomo. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told me yesterday he has no immediate plans to bring the bill to the floor, but didn’t rule it out, either.
RNC Chair Decries Dems’ ’2 against 1′ Approach In NY-26
May 18th - 9:46 am
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus sent out a midnight “action alert” on NY-26, calling for “immediate” financial support for Assemblywoman Jane Corwin and accusing the Democrats of stacking the deck by running two candidates against her.
“It’s obvious the Democrats are hedging their bets and taking a ’2 against 1′ approach to win this seat and add another liberal voice in the U.S. House who champions Barack Obama’s and Nancy Pelosi’s leftist agenda of reckless spending, record deficits and higher taxes that is driving our nation to financial ruin,” the chairman wrote.
Priebus, one of a phalanx of GOP leaders to visit WNY in recent weeks in an effort to boost Corwin, said she is up against two “well-funded Democrats.”
One is a dyed-in-the-wool, tax raising Democrat being backed by ultra-liberal New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand – and by hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Democrat establishment. The other is a millionaire, supposed “Tea Party” candidate who has run three times for this seat as a Democrat and lost!
Of course, he’s referring to Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul and Jack Davis, respectively. No matter that Davis is actually a Democrat-turned-Republican who’s running as an independent. The Republicans have been trying to lump him in with Hochul, deeming them both Pelosi-loving liberals.
The chairman urged supporters to contribute to Corwin, who, as of yesterday, has already sunk close to $3 million of her own cash into this congressional run, adding: “Speaker of the House John Boehner needs every vote possible to block Obama’s leftist agenda.”
Brown: Albany Not Working For Cities
May 12th - 4:06 pm
In welcoming Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown decried the deterioration of state government and knocked Albany for failing to help struggling upstate cities.
“I know that Albany, unfortunately, has not been working for our cities,” he said. “It’s time for Albany to do something for us.”
Brown, a former state senator and a Democrat, noted the frustrations and antipathy that residents of the economically struggling western part of the state have toward state government.
“For Buffalo and western New York, I speak for many of us when we say that we’ve been ashamed from what we see in Albany,” Brown said. “The time to change the tone and the attitude is now.”
Cuomo remains popular in western New York, one of more conservative regions of the state, likely due to his austerity budget sailing through the Legislature before the April 1 deadline.
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