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Updated
August 25, 2012

 

A weblog about the politics and affairs of the old and glorious City of Albany, New York, USA. Articles written and disseminated from Albany's beautiful and historic South End by Daniel Van Riper. If you wish to make a response, have anything to add or would like to make an empty threat, please contact me.


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August 25, 2012

The September Elections

Here’s my biased and opinionated guide to some races in the upcoming Democratic Primary in and around the
City of Albany and in Albany County

See the*Update* to the 108th Primary race at the bottom.

People keep asking me, “Who are you supporting in the upcoming elections this September 13?” That would be the Democratic Primaries in the City and in the County of Albany, which for better or worse are the real elections in these parts. For most elections in most years the November elections merely rubberstamp the decision that the voters made two months earlier.

For the New York State Assembly Primary races I’ve been giving my standard answer, “Aw geez, I dunno.” For the other contests, though, I do indeed have strong preferences. In particular one big newsworthy Albany County race is clear and obvious to me. So at the risk of annoying and upsetting a whole new batch of politicians, here’s my take on the races.

This article is ridiculously long, so here’s an index so you can jump to whatever Democratic Primary race you want to read:

Albany County District Attorney: David Soares and challenger Lee Kindlon
Albany County Court: Peter Lynch Unopposed
NY Senate 44th District: Neil Breslin challenged by Shawn Morse
109th Assembly: Six candidates to replace McEneny
110th Assembly District: Four candidates to replace Reilly and Tedisco
My own 108th Assembly district: Two candidates to replace Canestrari -
See the*Update*

All Over Albany put together a great page on how the Senate and Assembly districts have changed, with before and after maps. I referred to it repeatedly as I wrote this article, so give it a look as you read so you can understand the head-spinning changes.

Please note that I am not looking at any of the local races that will be decided in November. These are Democratic Primary races that are effectively final. That’s not to say that the Republicans won’t put up candidates for November against the winners of some of these September Primaries, but such Republican and other party candidates are expected to have no serious chance of winning.

Albany County District Attorney: David Soares and challenger Lee Kindlon

Albany County District Attorney David Soares is seeking a third term. Every single day the Hearst-owned Times Union is printing attack articles aimed at the D.A., almost all of them are repetitive fluff and exaggerated allegations. Meanwhile, his opponent is portrayed by the Times Union as the most perfect candidate to ever file qualifying petitions, but the articles don’t quite explain why he is so wonderful.

Albany County District Attorney David Soares Announces His Campaign For Reelection
Albany County District Attorney David Soares Announces His Campaign For Reelection

Albany County Executive and Iraq War veteran Dan McCoy has endorsed the incumbent D.A., standing next to Mr. Soares during his campaign announcement at Academy Park in the City of Albany. Mr. McCoy said, “We have many fiscal challenges ahead and I welcome the opportunity to work with David to serve the best interests of the people of Albany County.”

Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but It looks to me like the County Executive considers Mr. Soares’ re-election to be fiscally sound and thus advantageous to the County. It is a notable fact that although these two elected officials come from radically different backgrounds and experience, Mr. McCoy and Mr. Soares are the new generation. Both are in their early forties and unlike their declining political elders are actively struggling to embrace the future. Thus it is natural that they support each other.

Mr. Soares’ re-election is once again opposed by the lingering local network of Old Boy politicians and their minions, law enforcement bureaucrats and corporate media commissars. Eight years ago in 2004 Mr. Soares ran a stunningly successful underdog campaign against the then incumbent. His wide margin of victory shocked the complacent Old Boys, who assumed that the voters would continue indefinitely to behave reliably like obedient sheep.

Jack McEneny And Paul Tonko In May
Jack McEneny And Paul Tonko In May

The Old Boys are still enraged. But not all of the elder elected officials have rejected Mr. Soares. He’s been endorsed by our dynamic Congressman Paul Tonko, and by State Senator Neil Breslin who is running for reelection. And retiring State Assemblyman Jack McEneny, who in most minds is every inch one of the Old Boys, has once again lent his support to Mr. Soares.

Despite the 60% to 40% mandate in 2004, throughout Mr. Soares’ first term the Old Boys petulantly refused to cooperate with the new District Attorney, trying to isolate the man and discredit him. Yet when re-election time came four years later, the Old Boys couldn’t find a credible candidate to oppose him and the voters returned the incumbent to office. In 2008 Mr. Soares won by a margin of almost three to one.

Without question the voters were telling the Old Boys to take a hike and don’t come back. The general thought as I understood it was that the voters chose Mr. Soares because they were sick and tired of having District Attorneys who were servants of a few insular power brokers and who ignored the rest of us. As a resident of the City of Albany, which at the time (2004) was suffering under police denial of service, I considered the election of Mr. Soares a welcome break from a corrupt law enforcement network that had failed decisively to enforce the law.

District Attorney David Soares
District Attorney David Soares

Also, Mr. Soares brought up the issue of reform of drug laws. He was the first candidate for any local office to speak about this politically dirty subject out loud, how the the so-called “War On Drugs” has failed and how certain people in law enforcement have a stake in perpetuating this war against the citizens. Well, that cogent criticism terrified the Old Boys. But the voters responded enthusiastically and swept him into office.

This is not to say that Mr. Soares has ever had any intention of staging some kind of revolution and replacing The System, on the contrary. His main campaign promise, which he has worked to fulfill these past seven and a half years, has been to uphold the law and try to apply it equitably. This has meant that if a law is on the books, then he intends to enforce it the same no matter the class status of the parties involved, wealth, race, political connections or, most importantly, whether the involved parties lived in the City or resided in the suburbs.

For example, it is not generally known that after Mr. Soares took office in 2005, the Guilderland Police (a suburb in Albany County) were given the green light to crack down on kids cruising in cars and smoking marijuana on Western Avenue. Before Mr. Soares took office the cops rarely bothered, they knew the former D.A. would decline to prosecute these suburban white kids and most of these cases would be dismissed. (Meanwhile black kids in the South End were routinely given jail time for possession.)

Western Avenue In Guilderland
Western Avenue In Guilderland

Suddenly the police blotter in the weekly Altamont Enterprise was full of driving and drug arrests on Route 20, and remains so today. Of course this greater enforcement hasn’t solved any drug problems in Guilderland, I hear that heroin is now very popular out that way. But the point is that for better or worse Mr. Soares has done his job as intended and is working closely with local police.

On the other hand, Mr. Soares has annoyed a lot of regular cops by being a stickler for the rules of conduct. One of the biggest problems that law enforcement has had to face in my lifetime is a growing perception by the public that the cops consider themselves above the laws they enforce. We see a strong willingness to tackle this problem not only by Mr. Soares, but also by Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple and by City of Albany Police Chief Steven Krokoff. This is clearly an issue on which all three men agree.

More famously Mr. Soares has tried to enforce laws against the sale and distribution of steroids, drugs used to bulk up muscles and “enhance performance.” It seems the steroid penalties are almost as stringent as the prohibition on marijuana, but the Old Boys rarely if ever enforced them. But oh my, when Mr. Soares tried to prosecute the steroid distributors the Old Boys shrieked and hollered and threw tantrums that were amplified by the compliant corporate media.

David Soares With US Senator Charles Schumer Announcing The Steroid Arrests In 2007
David Soares With US Senator Charles Schumer Announcing The Steroid Arrests In 2007

Personally, I think that all of these illegal drugs, steroids and marijuana included, should be immediately de-criminalized at the very least. But that is not likely to happen soon and the District Attorney does not have the power to alter the law. But he can choose how to enforce the law, and can choose which laws take precedence.

Thus we see that the conflict between Mr. Soares and the Old Boys has nothing to do with perpetuating the discredited notion of social engineering by outlawing drugs. Experience proves repeatedly that the very notion is ridiculous. But this conflict over manner of enforcement has everything to do with who gets to choose which laws get enforced, and therefore who gets to have enforcement power over the taxpayers.

Let me be clear, David Soares is not a saint and a savior. Indeed, I’ve been told by people who work with him that he has an inflated view of himself and sees himself as a man of destiny, which can be very annoying at times. Also, his office is known to be disorganized and chaotic, but then again I’ve been told that is a condition that he inherited. I suppose he should have done something about that by now, but would a new D.A. deal with this lingering problem any better?

Lee Kindlon, Candidate For District Attorney
Lee Kindlon, Candidate For District Attorney

David Soares’ challenger in the Democratic Primary is a lawyer with a locally famous name, Lee Kindlon. His father Terry Kindlon is the principal partner of the law firm Kindlon Shanks and Associates, which is located in downtown Albany not far from City Hall. Since 2006 Lee has spent his entire civilian career as a lawyer working for Dad, he is still listed as one of the Kindlon Shanks attorneys.

Mr. Kindlon has carefully managed the readily available information about himself, for example there is no Wikipedia entry on him. It took me a while to track down his current age, which is 35 but he looks much older. But I did find that before he worked for Dad he was a football player in college, then joined the Marines and served in the War Against Iraq and was stationed in Fallujah, although it appears that he did not directly participate in that less than glorious battle.

Now, before I continue here, let me say that I have never seen or heard of anything scandalous or nasty about Lee Kindlon and have heard nothing that would cause me to question his basic competency. I’m reasonably sure that he is quite capable of executing the duties of District Attorney, in fact he is very goal oriented and has a strong drive to succeed. What concerns me is exactly how he intends to execute those duties, and on whose behalf.

The problem is that we don’t really know what Mr. Kindlon stands for. His campaign has been decidedly negative from the start, attacking what he calls Mr. Soares’ “priorities,” picking over the D.A’s office petty cash expenditures and calling for some sort of criminal investigation of the incumbent. Some of these allegations are indeed substantial. But when we brush aside the attacks and accusations we are left with a challenger who is rather mysterious about his own priorities and positions. Indeed, I wonder if he has any.

Occupy Albany Participants And Supporters At Academy Park, Autumn 2011
Occupy Albany Participants And Supporters At Academy Park, Autumn 2011

Mr. Kindlon immediately kicked off his campaign by condemning Mr. Soares’ famous announcement last Fall that he would not prosecute the Occupy Albany participants encamped in front of Albany City Hall unless they committed civil crimes. Whatever you think of Occupy and their tactics, the plain fact is that the Occupy Encampment was primarily a political action and was not at all some random criminal activity. Mr. Soares recognized this and decided to take a politically risky principled stand in favor of the First Amendment.

Lee Kindlon seized on this, portraying Occupy as a bunch of criminals intent on fostering disorder for no particular reason. This, of course, is the attitude of the Old Boy politicians who have wrecked the City of Albany and continue to suppress the economy of Upstate New York for their own personal aggrandizement. Lee’s portrayal of Occupy did not sit well with either me or The Wife, and when the candidate asked the two of us for our support we made sure to tell him as much.

Mr. Kindlon emphasizes his military career in his personal biography on Dad’s website. Indeed, he appears to have spent most of his time in Iraq practicing military law, a field which is radically different from civil law and does not acknowledge the Bill of Rights. He makes it clear that he intends to bring his Marine training to the job of District Attorney:

Now a drilling reservist, Lee still adheres to the warrior ethos and the commitment to be Always Faithful... While he specializes in criminal defense, he applies the lessons learned on the battlefield in the Marine Corps and in the civilian courtroom for every client on every case.

This does make me wonder if Mr. Kindlon intends to apply elements of military law to the civil job of District Attorney. But of course if the Feds declare martial law over our nation (which they now can do at any time for any reason) then a D.A. with a knowledge of military law procedures will be an invaluable asset to the authorities. But meanwhile, we will have a former military lawyer in charge of civil prosecutions, and that makes me very uneasy.

Lee Kindlon
Lee Kindlon

The Hearst-owned Times Union has been vigorously campaigning for Lee Kindlon since long before he officially announced his run. The Hearst news articles have consistently followed a very simplistic slant, Lee Kindlon good, David Soares bad no matter what the content. I can’t imagine that the old Baby Boomer editors of the Times Union are impressed by Lee’s short law career, rather their cheerleading biased copy is motivated by their simmering hatred of the incumbent.

For instance, when the brother of David Soares’ predecessor in the job of D.A. heartily endorsed the incumbent for re-election, a Times Union content provider had the chutzpah to ask Matthew Clyne, who is also head of the Albany County Democratic Committee, if “it was weird at all” for him to endorse Mr. Soares. Mr. Clyne replied,

You know, politics is politics. Things change and you move on... I feel Dave should be re-elected and I think clearly most of the Albany County Democratic Committee membership shares the same sentiments.

An uncharacteristically loquacious statement by Mr. Clyne, a man of few words. The Times Union headline for this mildly interesting story, which currently comes up prominently on google, is “Oh, brother! Matthew Clyne backs Soares.” Remember, it’s the senior editors who write the headlines. Clearly these old fossils can’t believe that anyone would even think of supporting this “upstart” two term incumbent.

Sheriff Craig Apple And D.A. David Soares In Vorheesville Last August
Sheriff Craig Apple And D.A. David Soares In Vorheesville Last August

So it looks like the Old Boys lingering in the back rooms of political establishments and local corporate media outfits are supporting the younger man who is challenging the incumbent. That appears to be what Lee Kindlon means by putting forth a “plan to reintegrate the District Attorney’s Office with local law enforcement agencies.” His actual plan involves nothing special, “annual ride-alongs with local police officers” and giving “regular briefings” to local police departments.

The purpose of publicizing this so-called “plan” is to spread the false impression that Mr. Soares does not get along with the local police. Mr. Soares gets along quite well with Sheriff Craig Apple, who attended a fundraiser for Mr. Soares last January when he was still legally able to do so at the start of his term as sheriff, and he has worked closely with City of Albany Police Chief Steven Krokoff. Again, note that all three of these men, D.A. Soares, Sheriff Apple and Chief Krokoff are in their early forties, they understand each other well and owe little or nothing to the Old Boys.

In conclusion, David Soares has been far from perfect. And he has annoyed some of the most powerful backroom bosses, big money lawyers and corporate media commissars. But his challenger Lee Kindlon, who is supported by the Old Boys, represents no improvement, rather he appears to be ready to bring the D.A.’s office back into the dark closet where the Old Boys live.

Albany County Court: Peter Lynch Unopposed

Speaking of Old Boy Baby Boomers, attorney Peter Lynch has been placed on the ballot as a candidate for Supreme Court judge, a fourteen year term. He is replacing Judge Thomas Breslin who is retiring. It’s not much of a race because Lynch is unchallenged in the Primary and unlikely to face any effective opposition in November. There’s very little we can do about this virtual appointment to the job except complain bitterly, which I will proceed to do.

Peter Lynch, Soon To Be A Judge
Peter Lynch, Soon To Be A Judge

Lynch has spent the bulk of his law career advocating for hit-and-run developers, and a successful career it has been. A tireless advocate of uncontrolled sprawl, Lynch has a long string of victories against concerned neighbors and citizen’s groups that over the years have struggled to oppose unwanted and ruinous “developments.” Back in the 1980s Lynch was the preferred hired gun for speculators attempting to undermine efforts to preserve the Albany Pine Bush ecosystem, in this century we’ve seen him hired by corporate drugstore chains wanting to impose their unwanted outlets on downtown Albany neighborhoods.

His style in court and during public hearings has been to openly display sheer and utter contempt toward the citizen’s groups and bands of neighbors that he was hired to oppose, a contempt that has always appeared to me to be quite sincere. Sporting an elaborate perm on his head (which for a while earned him the sobriquet “Hairdo Lynch”) he stood out at these public confrontations in a way that somehow reminded me of the prize winner at a dog show. That of course was the point, his attitude and appearance often attracted public anger and criticism away from his employers at crucial moments.

Today Lynch’s hair is combed back flat on his head and he appears to have adopted a peculiar dour expression that I suppose is more appropriate for a judge. About a year or so ago I noted with puzzlement that Lynch was taking up some prominent pro bono cases, it didn’t seem likely to me that he was doing so out of the goodness of his heart. No doubt he was anticipating his impending judgeship and putting in the traditional requirements.

Hopefully Peter Lynch as judge will be confined to ruling on petty criminal cases. If he gets to decide any zoning issues or disputes involving land speculators then I think we will see him consistently rule against the citizens that he despises. I find it highly unlikely that he will turn against the very people who are dressing him in robes and putting that little hammer in his hand.

NY Senate 44th District: Neil Breslin challenged by Shawn Morse

This new 44th district replaces the old 46th, which was Albany County. Easy to remember. The new 44th is the Cities of Albany, Rensellaer, Troy, Cohoes, Watervliet and the towns of Bethlehem and Cohoes. Gone are the Hilltowns and most of the suburbs, all the upper Hudson River Cities have been bunched together into one Senatorial district.

NYS Senator Neil Breslin
NYS Senator Neil Breslin

Incumbent Neil Breslin is what we call a Traditional Liberal. That means he strongly supports a realistic minimum wage, wants to move the State toward a single-payer health system, has a strong pro-environmental focus, champions gay rights, opposes privatizing public schools, opposes the death penalty and supports registration of firearms. That an eight term incumbent who just turned 70 would dare to hold and promote such politically incorrect positions with impunity leaves local newspaper editors and TV news commissars choking with rage.

Which is why the corporate media is supporting his challenger Shawn Morse, the 45 year old chairman of the Albany County Legislature (not to be confused with the female politician with the similar name who ran an aborted run for mayor in the City of Albany in 2009.) Normally the corporate media commissars would not support a guy like Mr. Morse, a long time union guy who like most other Democratic candidates wants an increase in the minimum wage. But their irrational hatred of Mr. Breslin has caused them to grind their teeth and overlook Mr. Morse’s unionism and his call for a decent minimum wage.

Shawn Morse
Shawn Morse

Mr. Morse seems a fair enough candidate despite his tendency to accept money from Republicans and apparently is opposed to to gay rights. The problem is that he resembles D.A. candidate Lee Kindlon, we really don’t know what he believes and what he plans to do. He’s a small guy trying to climb up the ladder and may be easily dominated by the big power brokers. So far I’ve seen no reason to think otherwise.

Over the years I’ve talked to Mr. Breslin enough to know that whether you like his positions or not, he has very firm principles which he has pursued to the best of his ability. For example, I once cornered him at some event and got him to admit his belief that single-payer health is really the best way to go, this at a time (pre-internet) when admitting such was tantamount to political suicide. This was right after his office issued probably the first detailed breakdown of corporate HMO profits in the State, a revealing document that left the Old Boys cross-eyed with fury.

Despite being an old Baby Boomer himself, Mr. Breslin has never been favored by the Old Boys. Considering that Mr. Breslin is pursuing his agenda as a minority leader in the obstructionist Re-pub dominated State Senate, he has accomplished quite a bit. He is experienced and active and responsive to the public and I see no reason to replace the man with an ambitious unknown.

109th Assembly: Six candidates to replace McEneny

This newly redrawn district is composed of the uptown parts of the City of Albany, and the entire suburbs of Guilderland, New Scotland and Bethlehem. But it also includes parts of downtown Albany. One can’t help but think that this is a conscious attempt to divide the City of Albany and marry uptown to the suburbs. Well, I think that. But this doesn’t change the practical fact that the fortunes of this district are directly tied to the economic viability of the downtown Albany neighborhoods.

I knew Jack McEneny had been planning to retire and leave a wide open field for his seat. I talked to him a couple of times last year and he looked happier and healthier and more relaxed than I had ever seen him. At the same time I kept hearing more and louder rumbles from all sorts of people who were seriously thinking about challenging him in a primary.

Well, six of those people are fighting to replace him. Two of the six candidates are, in my opinion, pretty good choices. I can’t quite make up my mind between the two. Thus I am glad I don’t live in this district and have to make a choice:

Frank Commisso Jr. If I was a smarter person I would praise and support Frank Jr. without reservation. You see, if he doesn’t win this election then he will win the next one or the one after that so I ought to get in good with him now. Still in his 20s and serving his first term on the City of Albany Common Council, it appears to me that he is at the beginning of an ambitious career arc that may eventually make him a household name.

Frank Commisso Jr.
Frank Commisso Jr.

Mr. Commisso is the tenuous front runner in this race, he draws heavily upon the political resources and experience of his father Frank Commisso Sr., the Majority Leader of the Albany County Legislature. This is no small thing. Dad’s small but powerful political machine controls the City of Albany 15th Ward, a significant piece of the newly redrawn Assembly district. From this solid base the candidate is conducting an organized campaign that the other candidates can only envy.

As a City of Albany Common Council Member Mr. Commisso has had one overriding passion, opposing wasteful spending and unnecessary bonding. However, as a cost cutter he has displayed that typical uptowner contempt for downtown Albany as we saw when he declared that keeping open Bathhouse #2 (conveniently ignoring the demolition by neglect) in my part of town was not worth the expenditure.

Mr. Commisso Jr. is not an urbanist, he is looking outward to stake his political claim to the declining suburbs which this newly redrawn Assembly district now encompasses more than ever. And I guess that makes political sense because the 109th Assembly District does not reach as far as the South End.

His number one focus in this campaign appears to be a) to lower property taxes and b) to increase State aid to Albany. This sounds like a line from a State of the City address by Albany mayor Jerry Jennings. Nevermind rebuilding the desiccated tax base by rebuilding the shattered downtown neighborhoods and filling them with taxpayers, what we are hearing is a call for even greater dependency on the State.

I think it safe to say that Frank Commisso Jr. is not going to revolutionize government. He is looking to move into his own political niche, and in the way he handles things will probably remind a lot of old timers of his Dad.

Pat Fahy The former president of the Albany City School Board, Ms. Fahy has been central to the struggle to rebuild the public school system in Albany and face down forced privatization of education in our community. Before that, in the 1990s she was in Washington D.C., first as an intern, then as a legislative staffer, eventually ending up as a senior legislative analyst. Wow. Somehow she then wound up in Albany raising her kids and serving on the school board.

Ms. Fahy states her positions clearly and carefully on a wide variety of relevant issues such as health care, jobs and minimum wage, environment, families, campaign finance reform and of course, education. Her positions are forward looking and common sensical, I find little to argue with. Notable is what she calls Mandate Reform, as she puts it, “The proposed tax cap won’t work unless the State holds up its end of the bargain.” It’s about time I heard a serious political candidate say that.

Pat Fahy
Pat Fahy

Her experience working with Federal politicians seems to have taught her to declare her positions with lots of qualifiers. This, of course, is an important political skill which would serve her well in the State Assembly. But this careful wording of issues can be frustrating to the voter. Take, for example, her position on fracking:

I support a continued moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) while we continue to lack information on possible harmful effects of the process... We cannot undo serious, unforeseen damage, should the drilling process turn out to be unsafe... Before permitting a single well, we must complete a comprehensive review of the potential impacts of fracking on both the environment and on New Yorkers.

We’re talking here about pumping poison into the ground so that a few out-of-state Ayn Rand groupies can make a quick buck. If a Muslim man were to even think of doing that he would end up in 23-hour a day solitary lock down for the rest of his life. Ms. Fahy is sensibly opposed to fracking, but her wording of the issue leaves room for compromise. And compromise means poisoning our drinking water.

We voters expect this kind of dissembling from established politicians but that doesn’t mean we like it. At the very least it makes us uneasy. Sure, politics is the art of pleasing everybody, but sometimes an elected official has to take a stand. I see less of a tendency by Ms. Fahy to leave room for compromise on education and family, issues close to her heart, but the dissembling is there.

Okay, maybe I’m being too picky. But Ms. Fahy as a candidate is worth scrutinizing carefully. It’s clear that she knows what the problems are and is not beholden to the Old Boys. And perhaps it’s time we locals had an actual live female representing us in the State Assembly.

Articulate, personable and, dare I say it, glamorous, Ms. Fahy is proud of having been raised working class and of having immigrant parents. Also, having run with the big boys in D.C. she will not be arriving in the Assembly chambers starry-eyed and impressed. I expect she will get right to work.

Chris Higgins Chris is an Albany County Legislator whose district, according to the County website, “is comprised of the Washington Park, Center Square, Hudson/Park, Park South and Mansion neighborhoods in the City of Albany.” This is approximately the part of downtown Albany that has been married to the suburbs. Basically, a guy who lives on Hudson Avenue in the shadow of the State Capitol now has to think about nimby sprawl issues in New Scotland.

Chris Higgins
Chris Higgins

Thus Mr. Higgins is a long shot candidate in this race. Looking over his stated issues I was surprised at his conservatism, for instance he talks about “providing law enforcement with the tools and resources necessary to keep our communities safe” as if the cops didn’t have more than enough “tools.” And Mr. Higgins is a big supporter of the property tax cap as a solution to boondoggle spending, which as a property owner I think is nice but I know simply shifts taxation to other channels.

But there are two of his stated issues that greatly interest me. Mr. Higgins authored the ban on fracking on County owned land and promises to continue fighting the terroristic mother frackers if he gains the Assembly seat. And, according to a spitting venomous article in the Hearst Times Union, Mr. Higgins is the only 109th Assembly candidate to openly oppose the wasteful and unwanted so-called New York State Convention Center that Jerry Jennings wants to impose upon us here in the South End.

Overall, Pat Fahy has the best grasp of the issues. But on the basis of these two money-grubbing destructive boondoggles which he opposes, fracking and the Con Center, Chris Higgins gets my vote. Or, he would if I lived in the 109th district.

There are three more candidates on the ballot for the 109th. None of them has any chance of winning, but of course might act as spoilers for the viable candidates:

William McCarthy Who? A legislative staffer padding his resume. He graduated from law school in 2006 and is endorsed by all the police unions. But get this... he is also endorsed by the Empire State Pride Agenda. That’s how you know it’s the future, the cops and the gays endorse the same candidate. He hasn’t a chance of winning, but his endorsements may draw off some expected votes from other candidates.

Jim Coyne Yes, that Jim Coyne. Clearly a vanity run, the old felon just won’t go away.

Margarita Perez Another legislative staffer and clearly a political amateur, she has raised little cash. Her stated positions are vague. But if she is serious about living in Albany she may eventually emerge as a political representative of the growing local Hispanic community.

110th Assembly District: Four candidates to replace Reilly and Tedisco

Retiring Assemblyman Bob Reilly, who currently represents what is currently called the 109th district, always made my head hurt. Why, with so many pressing issues, did the man spend so much time on trying to ban so-called mixed martial arts events? Yes, it’s a stupid and dangerous sport, but so is football. But I can say without reservation that Mr. Reilly was a vast improvement over the embarrassing clowns who preceded him.

The current unchanged 110th district is mostly located in Saratoga County and currently belongs to James Tedisco. After January the Republican is being shuffled north of the Mohawk River into what is now called the 112th. He no longer represents Niskayuna and parts of Schenectady, he is now the voice of Clifton Park and Halfmoon. Where he belongs.

This new 110th is composed of the towns of Colonie and Niskayuna and the eastern part of the City of Schenectady. It is completely south of the Mohawk River and does not include any of Saratoga County. We see here a pattern, how the new Assembly districts leave suburban towns intact but cut up the Cities. I’ve heard that this time the suburbanites were almost completely in charge of redistricting.

I have no strong feelings about this race, so I’ll tell you what I know about the candidates and leave it at that. Hopefully that will help a few people figure things out enough to cast an intelligent vote.

Phil Steck Apparently the front runner in this race, Mr. Steck continues to represent his home turf of Colonie in the Albany County Legislature. His views are sensible, he is considered one of the progressive members of the Legislature. This past decade he was very much at the center of the successful effort to overthrow the ancient and hopelessly corrupt Republican political machine in the town of Colonie, a machine that reigned almost twice as long as has the more famous City of Albany Democratic machine.

Because of his views, I enthusiastically supported Mr. Steck during his run for Congress several years ago and got a chance to study the man. He is a hard worker, a hard charger who will do whatever necessary to accomplish his political or legislative goals. That’s what the voters want, someone who knows how to get the job done.

Phil Steck In The Albany County Legislature Earlier This Year
Phil Steck In The Albany County Legislature Earlier This Year

I have always been particularly impressed with Mr. Steck’s focus on individual civil rights, which he approaches as a practical issue like the lawyer that he is. That’s also how he approaches what is now called Senior Issues, again as a lawyer advocating for rights. Where he is weak is on environmental matters, which, as I discovered during his Congressional run, are barely on his personal radar screen.

Unfortunately Mr. Steck’s hard charging often leaves a lot of pissed-off people in his wake. And he tends to treat the press with pointed suspicion, which does not sit well with content providers and bloggers and could again be to his detriment as it was in the Congressional race. But if you want a bellicose fighter as your representative who isn’t afraid to step on other people’s toes then he’s your man.

Tim Nichols Also an Albany County Legislator, and also a progressive member. Often on the same side as Mr. Steck during disputes and debates in the Legislature, it is strange to see them opposed like this. Mr. Nichols was also until recently the Chief of Staff for Bob Reilly, but for some reason the retiring Assemblyman did not endorse him. (I won’t repeat the unsubstantiated rumors.)

Tim Nichols
Tim Nichols

His “Issues and Platform” page on his website lists nine main issues, the first four in order are Seniors, Education, Women (!) and Families. You usually don’t see male candidates focusing on such vital domestic stuff right up front if at all. They’re not considered manly issues like tax reform or job growth. Like for instance, Mr. Steck barely alludes to this domestic stuff other than advocating for women’s rights, while Frank Commisso Jr. in the 109th doesn’t even mention any of it.

I like Mr. Nichol’s solid forthright stand on many issues. Or rather, I like the way he expresses his beliefs like he’s got nothing to be ashamed of. “I am a strong advocate and product of public education.” No ambiguity there. “I am pro-choice.” Why do most candidates in this year’s local races avoid saying that, even though they are? They must be afraid of losing the knucklehead vote.

Some of his commonsense stands are almost unique among politicians. “I support a progressive tax system that is fair and adequate.” Now that’s what I call politically incorrect. “I am a strong advocate of organized labor and believe workers have the fundamental right to organize and collectively bargain.” It doesn’t take much brains to see the link between declining unions and a declining economy, but somehow these days you can’t find many politicians who want to mention that out loud.

And under the heading Environmental Concerns he says, “I oppose hydrofracking.” End of discussion. No qualifiers, no room to compromise away our clean drinking water. I guess that means he can’t use fracking as an expendable negotiating chip if he gets elected, and that’s fine with me.

Straightforward and sure of his positions, Mr. Nichols is ready to move from standing beside the Assemblyman whispering in his ear to sitting in the seat. And The Wife likes him, he’s always lent a sympathetic ear to her issues and concerns even though she doesn’t live anywhere near his County district.

Kevin Frazier Currently the director of communications for retiring Assemblyman Ron Canestrari. Earlier Mr. Frazier worked in the office of former Albany County executive Mike Breslin, and before that as a staffer in the State Assembly. He has been endorsed by both Mr. Canestrari and by Mike Breslin, not to mention Bob Reilly.

Kevin Frazier
Kevin Frazier

Again, his stated positions are pretty good, particularly interesting is his emphasis on promoting and encouraging solar energy. He sees that the best way to exploit solar energy is to grow a solar industry in our State, which as he puts it, will “generate billions of dollars of economic activity, create thousands of good jobs, improve our air quality and reduce our reliance on foreign energy sources.” It’s about freakin’ time we heard a political candidate state the obvious.

Wonderful, but if you are opposed to fracking Mr. Frazier, then why the dissembling language? Unsurprisingly, many of his positions are pretty much supportive of current initiatives that could have come out of Mr. Canestrari’s agenda but they are stated clearly and with great detail. He is a professional communicator after all, but he clearly demonstrates a strong familiarity with the issues.

Of course we hear from him the obligatory condemnation of unfunded State mandates. He also gets behind an expanded bottle bill and campaign finance reform. But then he dissembles on eduction, what exactly does he want? Mr. Canestrari is a big fan of privatizing public education, does Mr.Frazier agree? Why no mention of the issue?

I like his overall economic vision, it’s a sensible balance between attracting investment and generating wealth. I doubt he has much of a chance of winning, but hey, you never know. I don’t.

Joe Landry The first sentence of Mr. Landry’s “issues” page on his campaign website: “As Niskayuna Supervisor, Joe has worked with our local companies to increase economic activity and create new jobs.” The “local companies” he then names are General Electric and ShopRite. He then takes partial credit for revitalizing downtown Schenectady, which I find rather puzzling.

Well, I guess accommodating big corporations is all a supervisor can do in a place like Niskayuna, but I can’t say that’s necessarily true of the rest of the new 110th. Also, I’ve heard from some Niskayuna residents who don’t think very much of him. I really don’t know enough to judge him, but what I’ve seen and heard of him looks extremely unimpressive.

My own 108th Assembly district: Two candidates to replace Canestrari - See the*Update* at bottom.

Overall there is relatively minor change to the old 106th district of retiring Assemblyman Ron Canestrari other than the addition of East Greenbush to the new 108th. The new district, like the old, runs on both sides of the Hudson River from Waterford to south of the City of Albany. But these relatively minor changes involve the densely populated streets of Troy and of downtown Albany, which includes my neighborhood.

Ten years ago The Wife and I (well, me mostly) were causing too many problems as members of the Democratic Committee in the City of Albany. So Albany mayor Jerry Jennings asked Ron Canestrari and Jack McEneny to reduce our election district (e.d.) down to almost nothing. You see, votes in the Dem Committee are weighted according to the size of your e.d., so if our e.d. was reduced to almost nothing then our votes in the Committee were reduced to almost nothing.

Assemblymen Canestrari and McEneny happily complied with His Majesty’s request, and for the last ten years we’ve had an e.d. exactly one block long and which contained about 30 voters at most. Our block is connected to the rest of the 106th Assembly district by a) a narrow stretch of woods, followed by b) an open field that is really a capped landfill and can’t be built upon, and then finally c) a ravine.

Jack McEneny, Ron Canestrari And Jerry Jennings Flogging The Unwanted Convention Center
Jack McEneny, Ron Canestrari And Jerry Jennings Flogging The Unwanted Convention Center

Jerry’s gerrymandering stretched the definition of “contiguous” way past absurdity. For ten years the one block we live on has been an island of Canestrari in a sea of McEneny, connected on paper by a corridor through which one could not actually walk. At every election the taxpayers had to pay for a voting station, voting materials and four inspectors for this one block. But that won’t matter anymore, this little redistricting crime is now repaired.

To replace Mr. Canestrari in the new 108th we are being offered two blah uninspiring candidates from opposite ends of the stretched out district. Both choices have been leaving my neighbors glassy eyed. But on closer inspection neither candidate looks any better.

Carolyn McLaughlin is currently the President of the City of Albany Common Council, a highly visible post with little power but enormous prestige. It has served as a launching pad in the past for other political campaigns and appointments and Ms. McLaughlin, who is in her first term as President, is wasting no time moving up to bigger and better things. Before that she spent 12 years representing the 2nd Ward in the Common Council, a district which starts downhill from my house and mostly includes about half of the South End neighborhoods.

Carolyn McLaughlin
Carolyn McLaughlin

I’ve known Ms. McLaughlin personally for more than a decade, but I can’t tell you exactly what she stands for or what she believes. I know she takes her elected duties seriously. But what I have to say about her as a public figure is that she is very good at showing up where she can be seen. And she gives really great rousing speeches which are usually completely devoid of memorable content.

The South End of Albany, which has been hurting very badly for decades, has at last become the recipient of a some positive government attention. Since 1999 I’ve been sitting in at the various meetings that generated this redevelopment effort, some of which I crashed uninvited. What I can say about Ms. McLaughlin is that she has occasionally been visibly present for this effort but has definitely not been central to it.

One of the few times that I have heard her take a proactive stand on anything was when she informed me that the Walgreens planted on Holland Avenue would bring jobs and economic revival to my neighborhood, when everyone knows corporate drugstore chains destroy good jobs and suck money out of the community. She happily voted to spot-zone the Walgreens site as “highway commercial.” No, I won’t let that drop, and I think that reveals a lot about Ms. McLaughlin’s priorities.

Carolyn McLaughlin In 2009
Carolyn McLaughlin In 2009

On Ms. McLaughlin’s “Issues” page we have four items, each of which lay out vague promises and no details. One of the items is “Fair Funding for Education” followed by a promise “to ensure fairness and equity in education.” What she really means but doesn’t want to say is that she has been a “tireless advocate” of privatizing our public school system.

She has been a big supporter of the Brighter Choice Corporation, the so-called “charter school” outfit in Albany. When City Treasurer Kathy Sheehan blocked some flukey funding deal for Brighter Choice, Ms. McLaughlin stood shoulder to shoulder with Albany mayor Jerry Jennings to angrily denounce Ms. Sheehan as “irresponsible.” This public outburst made me wonder if Ms. McLaughlin has a personal stake in the financial fortunes of Brighter Choice.

After years of observation I have concluded that Ms. McLaughlin is one of those politicians who thinks that community problems are solved by accommodating outside predatory corporations, what I call Corporatism. That’s the kind of thinking that destroyed the South End in the first place. I expect we will see more of the same from her if she gains the Assembly seat.

John McDonald is the mayor of the City of Cohoes, or I guess he recently quit after 13 years to run for Assembly. Interestingly, mayor of Cohoes was Ron Canestrari’s job before he jumped to the Assembly, I guess Mr. McDonald wants to follow the same trail uphill.

Mr. McDonald owns Marra’s Pharmacy on Remsen Street in the heart of downtown Cohoes. It’s a great store that does a good business, the only place in the Capital District to get certain medical supplies as The Wife found out last year when she was ill. The shop stands out as almost the only thriving business downtown, an island of activity among the mostly empty storefronts of Cohoes.

John McDonald With His Mom At Marra's Pharmacy
John McDonald With His Mom At Marra's Pharmacy

That’s kind of funny, isn’t it? The guy who runs the only visible viable long-term local business is also the guy in charge of Cohoes, a community that is as run down and as sucked dry of wealth as is the South End of Albany. One gets the impression that we are talking about a fiefdom run by a manor lord. Is that an exaggeration?

About five years ago Medicaid examiners levied a fine of $1.47 million for the drug store’s sloppy and inconsistent bookkeeping practices. Apparently a lot of sales never got recorded. Somehow this fine got reduced to $268,038, which Marra’s quickly paid. I wonder why this was not called Medicaid Fraud. And I wonder if Mr. McDonald got help from Mr. Canestrari to get the fine reduced, who after all is currently the #2 guy in the Assembly and still very powerful.

I don’t know Mr. McDonald personally so I have to rely on second hand information about his political beliefs. I’ve been told that he is “conservative,” the word apparently meant as a pejorative, but I have no idea what that is supposed to mean. So once again I’ve been looking at Mr. McDonald’s website for clues.

His “Issues” page has a lot more words than Ms. McLaughlin’s but it is almost as vague. I waded through a lot of standard current platitudes such as “middle class jobs” and “stop the unfunded mandates.” Notably missing was a call for a higher minimum wage. I looked at his heading under health care, hoping that as a drug store owner he had some solid views. But all I see is this:

I believe government needs to determine what level of support it will bring to the table in this discussion and establish the rules and regulations that health plans need to follow in order to provide quality care to our residents.... As a practicing pharmacist, I have seen first hand the good that government sponsored plans can do and I have seen the bad as well. My experience is important as we move into the next stage of the health care arena.

Well, that certainly clears up absolutely nothing. The only solid thing I can grasp on this page is this heading, “Reduce the senseless rules and regulations that burden businesses causing unnecessary work, extra costs and liability.” He then goes on to say “If we want a strong economy in New York, we need to make sure we do not burden our businesses with nonsensical rules and regulations.”

John McDonald
John McDonald

I suppose Mr. McDonald is still smarting from the Marra’s Medicaid investigation and fine, thus he has a lingering gut aversion to overregulation. As a small business owner myself, who constantly is forced to fight with the Albany City government, I have lots of sympathy for what he went through. In fact, last year I had to fend off an all-out attempt by the City of Albany to run me out of business. I’ll eventually describe all that here in detail when I’ve finally calmed down enough to talk about it rationally.

But my sympathies are irrelevant. My main concern here, does Mr. McDonald distinguish between small businesses like his own and corporations? Does he understand that very often the rules that the government imposes on small businesses like his are designed to promote corporate dominance? My concern is that Mr. McDonald, like Ms. McLaughlin, may see nothing wrong with rolling with the corporate predators.

So in conclusion, my neighbors and I are being asked to choose between two candidates that not give us a clue what they will do if they become our representative in the Assembly but may very well sell out to the corporations. So I can’t tell you who I’m voting for in my 108th district. I’ve made my best guesses about the two candidates and what little I’ve figured out about them makes me very uneasy.

*UPDATE*After listening to both candidates and after listening to various informed persons I’ve decided to cast my vote for Carolyn McLaughlin. This is almost entirely because her opponent is, in my view, unacceptable. This situation is similar to Ms. McLaughlin’s successful race for Common Council President three years ago, when she was clearly preferable to a candidate that was almost terrifyingly bad.

Ms. McLaughlin supports raising the minimum wage and has a record of supporting unions, Mr. McDonald appears to be opposed to both. His emphasis on opposing “government regulations” continues to make me nervous, he sounds too much like one of these pro-corporate radical rightists.

In answer to a question at a public forum, I heard Mr. McDonald state that he enthusiastically supports the useless and unwanted boondoggle Convention Center that is being imposed upon the South End. Ms. McLaughlin does not oppose the Con Center, but to her credit she has lent her support to efforts to guarantee that some of the jobs supposedly generated by the Con Center go to the taxpayers of the City of Albany.

Despite her creeping preference for corporate privatization, Ms. McLaughlin has at least acknowledged the goals of New Urbanism. This is a fancy name for the old fashioned formerly discredited notion that the people who live in a City like Albany want and deserve a decent place to live. Over the years I’ve listened to her hesitantly pick up on this idea, and I’ve watched her lend support to rebuilding efforts in the South End.

Over and over I’m hearing informed people say that they are less than thrilled by Ms. McLaughlin (“We all know about Carolyn,” I’ve heard more than once, followed by the word, “but...”) However, what I’ve heard is that Mr. McDonald is very likely to follow an ideological agenda that would not be to the benefit of our community. Thus I am compelled to go with the candidate that is likely to cause the least harm.


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Comments:
If you are having difficulties posting a comment, please email Daniel Van Riper. We are experimenting with our spam filters, and we do not want to exclude any legitimate commenters, just spammers!


Posted by:Roger Green
Posted on:08/26/2012
Comments:
Thanks, I think.
I've been having more conversation about my 109th AD race than I ever have in every Assembly, State Senate, Congressional race that I've been through since I've been here COMBINED.
Tell me: if a woman were running for office, and you got a robocall from her husband defending him from charges that had not been made by her opponent, what would YOU think? Weak, ineffectual, right? I swear the phone call and the mailing from Lee Kindlon's wife did more for me NOT voting for Kindlon than anything.


Posted by:A GAY MAN
Posted on:08/26/2012
Comments:
Shawn Morse has always supported gay right were the heck do you get your info....Neil Breslin is a two face man who will never tell the truth...GREAT PICK ....


Posted by:Dan Van Riper
Posted on:08/26/2012
Comments:
A Gay Man- I was referencing the Tom Marcelle appointment a few months back which LGBT activists, particularly Libby Post strongly opposed. The reason that they opposed it was because Marcelle used to work for an activist group that was anti-gay.

Mr. Morse supported the appointment, and along with Mr. McCoy was accused of being anti-gay. I personally have no strong feelings about the affair, which is why I wrote that he is "apparently opposed to gay rights." Okay?


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:08/30/2012
Comments:
Dan,
I read your blog regularly and want to know your opinion about the revelation that Pat Fahy worked for the corporate-sponsored National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) (well, she had it on her website hiding in plain sight). I read the Times Union piece and looked at the links Jordan posted, and it looks like Fahy isn't necessarily who she says she is. In fact, it looks as if she worked for something that is advocating for the opposite of what she says she advocates for.

Your thoughts?


Posted by:Dan Van Riper
Posted on:08/30/2012
Comments:
Cincinnatus- In 5 minutes of searching I found that the NCEE is an educational think tank. I see they have a long list of funders, the usual bunch.

I wasn't catching their partisanship, if any, so I used a shortcut. First I googled [NCEE charter schools] and saw nothing I would call strongly partisan. Then I googled [NCEE Tea Party.] Up came page after page of teabag dittoheads snarking about the organization and their founder.

Well Cincinnatus, I'm glad you are aware of corporate sponsorship. Naturally that's not a reason to condemn an organization, but please keep thinking about how corporations are a poor substitute for the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:08/30/2012
Comments:
Thanks for the response. Keep blogging and keep dissenting!


Posted by:KG_rider
Posted on:09/02/2012
Comments:
Did you notice Frank Commisso was the only person speaking out AGAINST the less than honorable Sheldon Silver and his polit-sexual coverup?? I think it speaks volumes when you read the responses about this issue from some of his opponents.


Posted by:Leo
Posted on:09/04/2012
Comments:
KG_rider may not have noticed the following 9/1/12 press release from Pat Fahy:

PATRICIA FAHY TO REQUEST SEAT ON ETHICS COMMITTEE IF ELECTED TO ASSEMBLY FROM 109th DISTRICT

“Now, More than Ever, We Need Our Legislators to Be Leaders“

Statement from Patricia Fahy, Democratic candidate in the 109th Assembly District:

“The reports of what happened to young women working for Assemblyman Vito Lopez, and the perception of cover-up in the aftermath, get more disturbing by the day. As reported by the Assembly Ethics Committee, Assemblyman Lopez apparently has engaged in repeated instances of sexual harassment against members of his staff. His reprehensible behavior is not worthy of a member of the State Assembly, and he should resign.

This case, and the manner in which it was handled, demand an immediate and transparent investigation. As a woman, mother, and former Associate Commissioner at the Department of Labor, I know how important it is to protect workers.

If elected to the Assembly, I will call for the utmost transparency and disclosure in reporting civil settlements, and I will request a seat on the Assembly Ethics and Guidance Committee. I will be part of the solution because now, more than ever, we need our legislators to be leaders. We need those who represent us to establish ethical standards we can all be proud of, and to work with the Governor in enforcing these standards in an open and fair manner.”


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:09/04/2012
Comments:
Leo, with all due respect, Fahy's statement rings hollow and says nothing (as do all of her statements, as Dan has so kindly pointed out above). Fahy's statement allows her to be non-committal to the public, which will only benefit Silver and his bad behavior.
Why is this so hard to see?

Why not actually do what Commisso did and point out, loud and clear, that there is a history of this on Silver's watch and it needs to end?

Pat won't do that because she is a careerist. She duped you guys on her education creds (go see the the brouhaha at the TU over the fact that she "advised" on a report that Diane Ravitch ripped and Pat never actually addressed), and she is duping you on this as well.

Commisso has taken stands publicly and while not always popular, he stands by them and explains them to the public. He fought the Mayor multiple times on the Council along with Dominick, trying to get his fellow Council persons to take stands with him. Nonetheless, Jennings supports him because he doesn't want him stirring it up on the Common Council anymore. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deceived. But that would include most of camp Fahy, now wouldn't it?


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:09/04/2012
Comments:
Furthermore, it isn't just Pat Fahy who is guilty of this, but it is politicians generally. And we as the public let them off the hook (see Pat and the NCEE report). Who is she that she doesn't have to explain what is on her resume?

Stop giving a free pass, Leo et al., because it is ruining our politics.

The problem is that most liberals now are weaklings who detest those among them who speak the truth and do so forcefully. Quite frankly, this is what happened when the so-called liberals (if memory serves it was Conti, Smith, possibly Fahey and Golby) tried to re-write the rules to keep Aaron Mair from the redistricting commission, more or less justifying this because he was "confrontational" (read: won't play ball).

Guess what? The public interest needs more people defending it and not shirking confrontation because they consider it impolite or distasteful. If the left did it more, they would win more elections more often.




Posted by:Dan Van Riper
Posted on:09/05/2012
Comments:
Hey Cincinnatus-

Dan did not "kindly point out" whatever is in your politically correct head. All I did was report that hating the NCEE think tank is one of the current teabagger kiddie games.


Posted by:Leo
Posted on:09/05/2012
Comments:
Thank you, Cincinnatus, for your two-part instruction on what it takes to be a lefty and a concerned citizen. I'll keep trying to find something useful there -- even among the offensive characterizations of "camp Fahy" and "most liberals".

I am familiar with your comments on the TU blogs -- including your unsuccessful effort there (as well as earlier here) to promote the red herring issue about Pat Fahy's consultant work for the NCEE by parroting unfounded statements from an anonymously sent e-mail. If you actually had read the underlying NCEE material, you would have seen that Pat's works for NCEE are five summaries of then existing workforce and related education circumstances in five specific states and that there is nothing in Pat's papers that comes remotely close to the recommendations cited in the anonymous e-mail or, for that matter, close to other recommendations in the "Tough Choices or Tough Times" 2006 report of NCEE. Some of those "Tough Choices or Tough Times" recommendations are troubling -- especially as they relate to corporate operation of public schools. Other recommendations sound more than reasonable and, indeed, long overdue -- such as the "redeployment of resources" in order to provide "a high-quality full-service early childhood education system for every 3- and 4-year-old student in the United States" and "giving the nation’s disadvantaged students the resources they need to succeed…" (For what it is worth, NCEE has been around for over 20 years, and the non-profit organization's work has at times troubled those on the right as well as the left.)

Pat's 2005-2006 work for NCEE related to her recognized expertise in the areas of education and workforce development and to the nexus between the two. I, for one, look forward to her applying that expertise in her role as Assembly Member from the 109th District.

As for the current controversy concerning Vito Lopez, I believe that there is no basis for me to try to supplement Pat's statements of 9/1/12 and 9/4/12 in that regard -- except to suggest that the statements display a better understanding of the role of a productive member of a legislative body and a more judicious temperament than demonstrated by the candidate you are promoting.


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:09/05/2012
Comments:
@Dan: you did kindly point out that her statement regarding fracking is filled with "qualifiers." That was the reference. I was pointing out that her statement on the Lopez mess, like the statement on fracking, said nothing.

@Leo: Much of the left has been asleep at the wheel for years, especially since Clinton realized that corporate money could flow into Democrats' coffers just as easily as it could Republican. Many of the so-called liberals have thrown unions under the bus and were just fine when the police were physically removing people from public spaces last Fall and Winter. Furthermore, we have a President who transferred more wealth upward than anyone in history (with no strings attached for the banks) and continues to engage in debacles abroad while neighborhoods here crumble.

Locally, our elected "left" with the exception of Dominick Calsolaro does little except make gestures toward lifestyle liberals who want to feel good about bike lanes and karaoke. How about voting "no" on a Mayoral budget? (Non-binding resolutions don't count.)

Yeah, the candidate I support (along with Dom) actually votes "no."

Who cares about the email besides Pat? Focus on the documents (which apparently you did, at least to some extent). She worked on a report that advocated things that no citizen should tolerate in public education, yet doesn't want to be attached to its conclusions. She did, in fact, get paid to be an "advisor" and her name is on the document. One cannot have it both ways.

Finally, you obviously are willing to tolerate the non-statement statements from your politicians which you claim "display a better understanding of the role of a productive member of a legislative body and a more judicious temperament."

It might be true in the corrupt Legislature (or Congress for that matter), but there is no chance at all of it ever changing when people like your candidate play ball and effectively sell out to the highest bidder while the public interest suffers.

Commisso is the only one who has demonstrated any spine at all whatsoever (not to mention some consideration for those of us who are not upper-middle class professionals), and that alone may carry the day for him.


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:09/05/2012
Comments:
@Dan: not just hated by Tea Party-types. Diane Ravitch doesn't wear a tri-corner hat.


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:09/09/2012
Comments:
Hey Dan (and Leo), did you catch the fact that Fahy lied at the debate about the school budget being on time and under budget (she does it in her mailer too)? Commisso called her out and linked to the TU article from 2005 that demonstrates what she stated was false.

I'll listen for the crickets now.


Posted by:Luci Mcknight, 1st District Legislator
Posted on:09/12/2012
Comments:
Hi Dan and Lynne, So, here I am sharing my thoughts on the Primary Election tomorrow 9/13.
First, I must state that I was the Deputy Ward Leader representing the 2nd Ward on the Albany County Democratic Committee Candidate Interview Panel back in May. It was clear to me then that Carolyn McLaughlin was the best candidate for this 108th Assembly District race. I was impressed by her grasp on the AD seat and the bigness of this move from a City of Albany elected position to NYS Government. She was able to articulate the size of this district and the anticipated number of resident/voters in each of the 9 municipalities.

McLaughlin does her homework and will be a good representative for all of the people in this newly formed redistricted AD. I wish her luck.


Posted by:Leo
Posted on:09/16/2012
Comments:
A really busy week kept me from responding sooner. I take it that your reference to the crickets means that you have returned to the farm and to your plowing. A good choice.


Posted by:Roger Green
Posted on:09/16/2012
Comments:
Well, didn't YOU have a lively little discussion here. As I noted elsewhere, Commisso's red herring of Fahy's voting record in Illinois finally got me to vote for her, against him. And others did the same. Commisso's campaign turned voters away from himself.

It can't be that Fahy's campaign was THAT good; in her first piece of literature, there are four women in pink raincoats, and if you didn't know what she looked like, you wouldn't know who the candidate was.


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:09/16/2012
Comments:
No, I still live in Albany, Leo.
Fahy won, congratulations. I do hope for all of our sake she does good work on our behalf. That being said, you still have yet to respond to the very valid critique about Pat's statements. That is what I meant by "crickets," and I fully expect that you won't respond meaningfully, much less at all.

I will note a couple of things that are beyond question, and this goes for Roger Green too:
Pat Fahy did in fact misrepresent and dare I say "lied" throughout the campaign, beginning with her support for the 25% library tax a year ago. She equivocated heavily when confronted by stating she did not "explicitly" support it.

Later, she tried to tell us that the school rebuilding was on time and on budget, but as Commisso pointed out and provided a link, the TU in 2005 showed that this was not the case. She responded by posting letters from the school board to the TU op/ed page arguing that the TU's assessment was wrong because they changed the budgets and the timetables as the project unfolded. But as we all know, moving the goal posts during the game doesn't change their initial positioning.

Finally, the voter registration was absolutely fair game and once again, Pat lied and the TU covered for her by not pressing the key evidence against her: she wrote "1st Reg." on the card (the claim that it was a re-registration is laughable in light of her own handwriting), and the BOE was quite clear that she never was registered where she said she was at any point in time, ever. We all know that the old records (non-digitized) are kept, and if she did exist as a registered voter post-1980 (when digitization of records began), she would have appeared in a system someplace. She did not.

Again, it is up to the voter to decide if being registered to vote and voting are important or not. But it is fairly obvious that she lied and the TU ran enough interference ("inconclusive") to make it seem as though it were off base. Notice Pat said nothing to the BOE's paperwork saying she never existed as a registered voter...

She won, and again for all of our sakes, I wish her the best. But what disturbs me is not her personally (despite the equivocation and lying) so much as her supporters' will to ignore the above, and the sheepishness of so many who think that public records are somehow off-limits in politics. Politicians know that in fact the opposite is the case, and we should not be surprised when these kinds of things come up. The electorate should know about the candidates public record including voting/not voting, civic activity, work activity, elected offices held, etc. These help us decide who to support and should not be somehow off-limits.

I suppose what bothered me most about Fahy was what appeared to be her and her campaign's attitude that these were "dirty" attacks when they were nothing more than bringing out her public record. I suppose it is a good strategy for protecting oneself, but is the public that far gone and corrupt that we can't see reality for what it is?


Posted by:Dan Van Riper
Posted on:09/17/2012
Comments:
Leo - What's wrong with farming and plowing? Some of the smartest people I've known are food producers. I don't see how that's an insult.


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:09/17/2012
Comments:
Dan,
Leo's reference is to my handle. Nice catch, Leo. Cincinnatus was a mixed bag, leaving his farm when asked by the Senate to defend Rome and laying down the Dictatorship once his duty was over, but he wasn't always the kindest toward the people, either. He was held by the American Founders to be representative of civic duty and patriotism. I obviously sympathize with the positive aspect rather than the negative.


Posted by:Dan Van Riper
Posted on:09/18/2012
Comments:
Let's see. According to Wikipedia,"Cincinnatus was regarded by the Romans, especially the aristocratic patrician class, as one of the heroes of early Rome and as a model of Roman virtue and simplicity. He was a persistent opponent of the plebeians."

Wikipedia on plebians: "The plebs were the general body of free land-owning Roman citizens in Ancient Rome. They were the non-aristocratic class of Rome, and consisted of freed people, shopkeepers, crafts people, skilled or unskilled workers and farmers."

Again Wikipedia: "Cincinnatus was a persistent opponent of attempts to improve the legal situation of the plebeians. His son Caeso Quinctius often drove the tribunes of the plebeians out from the forum, preventing them from reaching a formal decision. In 461 BC, these actions finally resulted in a capital charge against Caeso. After Caeso was released on bail and escaped to the Etruscans, he was condemned to death in absentia and his father had to pay an immense fine, forcing him to sell most of his lands and retire to a small farm, where he and his family were able to subsist on the work of his hands."

I understand now. The dictator Cincinnatus was a "heroic" defender of inherited privilege, even forced at one point to WORK for a living because his son acted like a violently snotty jerk... apparently with Dad's approval.

Leo's farm and plough reference is, at most, incidental, although that appears to be the prevailing sound bite handed down through the ages. Personally, I would not choose to carry the name of someone who personified sterile elitism.


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:09/18/2012
Comments:
Dan,
Leo's reference is not incidental as this is how he has primarily been known to us, admittedly with a great deal of the real history left out. The name is associated primarily with what I said it was, and the point of it is setting aside personal interest for public duty. It borders on mythical to illustrate that concept and to conceal the underside. The Founders, although not unproblematic themselves, knew it as well, thus their attachment to that side of the legend rather than the underside.

I know the real history quite well and agree with your critique of this historical figure. But the significance of the concept of setting aside one's personal interest in favor of the common good is why I chose it.

If you have read my comments I think it is plain to see that I value truth in our politics above all else, and this can only aid public discourse and thus the public interest. This explains my positions quite nicely.

Perhaps in another online life I will choose another psuedo-mythical handle to illustrate another concept that I wish to express.


Posted by:Cincinnatus
Posted on:09/18/2012
Comments:
But how about a response to the substance of what I have written previously rather than a focus on a pseudonym?

A response can actual begin a conversation that is fruitful.

Feel free to join in at any time Roger or Leo.


Posted by:Leo
Posted on:09/20/2012
Comments:
After a few days away from active involvement in the blogosphere, I return to see that Cincinnatus and Dan have so thoroughly discussed the basis for the Cincinnatus blog handle that Cincinnatus has been led to state: “Perhaps in another online life I will choose another pseudo-mythical handle…” I am led to conclude that this horse has been sufficiently flogged (although, having said that, I fear a rejoinder from Dan about respect for farm animals).


I also see that Cincinnatus continues to feel that issues he had raised in support of his chosen candidate’s unsuccessful primary election campaign have not been sufficiently addressed, and he even suggests that a “response can…begin a conversation that is fruitful.” (I am assuming, because of the “Cincinnatus” handle, that the masculine pronouns are appropriate. If I am in error, I apologize.)



Having previously addressed here Cincinnatus’ other issues, I will focus now on what I will call the MYTH OF THE THREE “LIES” – but not to “begin a conversation” – because the allegations that Cincinnatus seems insistent on pursuing in disregard of prior attempts at explanation (elsewhere, if not on this blog site) merit no further “conversation”. I write the following not so much for Cincinnatus but for the benefit of those others who may have ventured this far down this string of comments without fully understanding the vacuous nature of the charges that Cincinnatus has insisted on pursuing. Beyond this point, you will see no further effort on my part to respond to Cincinnatus in this string. (I should add that I speak only for myself and have not sought to involve the Fahy campaign in drafting these comments. I suspect that, had I asked, I would have been told [with much justification] that the allegations do not merit any further attention.)



MYTH OF THE THREE “LIES” – THE FIRST: In preparation for the 5/17/11 votes on their respective budgets for the following year (to summarize here in broad terms for the sake of [some] brevity), the Board of Education for the Albany City School District crafted a proposed budget that called for a less than 2 percent increase while the Albany Public Library presented a proposed budget with a 25 percent increase. Many supporters of the spare School District budget were fearful that a negative reaction by voters in regard to the Public Library budget proposal would lead voters (perhaps failing adequately to distinguish between the two budgets) to cast a “no” vote for both budgets. This led some, while having reservations about the percentage of the APL’s proposed budget increase, to recommend “yes” votes for both. Whether that tactical move was necessary or not is difficult to assess, but the fact is that the School budget passed by a slim margin of 173 votes (3555 for and 3382 against) – while the Library budget failed by a similarly slim margin of 139 votes (with about the same number of voters). (A smaller Library budget, with about a 15 percent increase, was passed in July 2011.) This is the context for the recent political campaign comments concerning the 2011 Library budget vote. I would suggest that to ignore the context is deceitful. (I am fairly certain that Cincinnatus is aware of this history from about a year ago, especially since, in a recent comment on one of the Times Union blogs, Cincinnatus stated that he had voted in favor of the failed Library budget proposal.)



MYTH OF THE THREE “LIES” – THE SECOND: Following years of discussion about the need to address the Albany City School District’s very old, deteriorated and inadequate school buildings, the multi-year Facilities Improvement Plan was formulated and a related bond issue was approved by Albany’s voters during December 2001. A supplemental bond issue was approved in May 2003. As the phased implementation of the plan proceeded, Albany’s Board of Education was faced with the increased cost of materials (attributable, in part, to production and transportation changes as well as the changing priorities of a post-9/11/01 economy). There also were implementation changes having to do with such issues as school site selection and newly apparent needs concerning specific school structures. Throughout, a shifting composition of School Board members worked cooperatively and collectively (as members of such bodies should) to resolve emerging problems as well as the issues that arose between School Board members during implementation of the Facilities Improvement Plan. The result was a plan that was brought to fruition on schedule and within the allocated budget. Yes, things change and there were interim problems having to do with implementation schedules and funding – and, yes, those problems were successfully addressed in a collegial manner by the members of the School Board – and none of those decisions were the sole responsibility or achievement of any single School Board member. (What Cincinnatus characterizes as “moving the goal posts during the game” was, rather, an appropriate response by the School Board to changes in circumstances.)



MYTH OF THE THREE “LIES” – THE THIRD: This brings me to the totally contrived Chicago/Cook County voter registration issue – an issue that really does not merit the attention I am about to give it. When I first saw the documentation presented to support the allegation that Pat Fahy had not registered to vote at all before 1995, my initial reaction was that there was no way, given political realities, that Pat could have held the positions she did in Washington between 1985 and 1994 without having been a registered voter (and, frankly, a registered Democrat). Cincinnatus’ comments about what he sees as “key evidence” to the contrary on the 1995 voter registration card are ludicrous. With respect to the handwritten “1st REG” on the registration card that is so central to Cincinnatus’ contention, it is clear that the numeral “1” has been written over a higher number. It is unclear who did that, when it was done, or why. The most straightforward answer that comes to my mind is that someone suggested in 1995 that the “Prior Registration” box in which that entry appears relates only to prior registrations in the city of Chicago (since Chicago appears to have separate registration records from the rest of Cook County and this was a registration based on a Chicago address). Such an innocuous explanation, of course, would not suit those intent on finding something with which to cast aspersions upon Pat. I can only suggest that it is that intent on the part of Cincinnatus that leads him to substitute his own unsupported certainties for the statement of the Cook County Clerk that is based on the clerk’s knowledge of the history of recordkeeping in that office. Dismissing out of hand the clerk’s statement about the destruction of paper registration records from over thirty years ago (a most reasonable explanation, to my mind, in this age of digitization of records), Cincinnatus prefers to suggest (based on a raft of outrageous assumptions) that the Cook County Clerk is doing Pat a political favor owed for several decades. (Some of the referenced comments by Cincinnatus are on a TU blog.) Since Cincinnatus claims to apply logic to matters such as this, I must, before leaving this topic, remind him of William of Occam’s proposition that, when a simple explanation suffices, it is preferable to a more complex explanation. (Oh, one more thing. The documents provided show that the candidate Cincinnatus chose to support in the primary initially secured voter registration records in mid-July from the City of Chicago Board of Election Commissioners [not the Cook County Clerk whose office is the source of more recently secured material] and that those records then were held for over six weeks, for disclosure a few days before the primary. Cincinnatus certainly must have raised questions with his candidate about that gap.)


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