Independence Party snubs Assemblyman McLaughlin

MCLAUGHLIN

 

In his bid for a third term, Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, R-District 107, is forced to wage a write in campaign for the Independence Party line.

Evidently, the party extended his Democratic opponent, East Greenbush Councilman Phil Malone, permission to run on its line but snubbed McLaughlin for the first time in three election cycles.

 An email sent by Troy Chairman Mark Wojcik asks a number of Republican loyalists to volunteer to collect a second round of signatures on McLaughlin’s behalf. The signatures gathered the first time were specifically for McLaughlin to run on the Independence Party line, but they are null and void without the party giving its permission, known as a Wilson Pakula. McLaughlin will now have until July 13 to collect at least 5 percent of registered Independence Party members within the Assembly District who voted in the last gubernatorial election to force an opportunity to ballot, or write in.

“If you can spare 1 or 2 nights we would really appreciate the extra effort for Steve,” Wojcik wrote.

If McLaughlin does get on the ballot – in the form of an OTB, which opens up the ballot for anyone to write in anyone’s name – he still faces an uphill, if not impossible, battle to win the primary in such a fashion against someone whose name already appears on the machine.

MALONE

The Independence Party – which is independent in name alone and infamous for giving (selling) its line to the candidate (bidder) who can give the most in return – is the third largest party in the state and coveted by any candidate. In the 107^th Assembly District there are 26,011 registered Republicans, 25,096 Democrats and 7,304 Independence Party members with 27,536 not enrolled in any party. There are also 3,734 enrolled Conservatives and 854 enrolled in the Working Families Party.

McLaughlin has had the Independence Party’s endorsement in his two successful bids for Assembly – even in 2010 when he unseated the only enrolled Independence Party member to ever get elected to the Legislature, Tim Gordon of Bethlehem. In other words, the Independence Party stands strong for nothing nearing a platform, value or belief.

CONNOLLY

Statewide, the Independence Party endorses Republicans and Democrats equally depending on which candidate has the best chance of success. But, since the party’s vice chairman is Tom Connolly, of North Greenbush, who a decade or so ago pledged his allegiance to the Democrats but now works for the GOP, there is only one reason a local candidate like McLaughlin didn’t get the line this time around – Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

McLaughlin has been the most vocal Republican Cuomo critic in the state, hitting he governor about everything from the SAFE Act to giving state workers time off to watch the USA play in the World Cup. The Melrose resident toyed with the idea of running for the state’s top elected office earlier his year but opted out and Westchester County Executive Rob Astornio took the plunge instead. McLaughlin, however, continues to make statewide news as the party’s defacto attack dog and is constantly nipping at Cuomo’s heels.

Also, the governor has much more to offer the Independence Party than a Republican from Melrose. And the state Republican Party has more important things to worry about - like trying to get Astorino at least a respectable showing as opposed to getting crushed in a landslide and holding onto a semblance of influence in the Senate.

CUOMO

If nothing else, the potential new ballot dynamic is going to make for an interesting race since Malone, already an elected official, will get the WFP line too and McLaughlin’s write in campaign is a longshot at best. That said McLaughlin is popular in his district. Two years ago he ran against Cheryl Roberts, a popular attorney from Columbia County who was backed by the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee to the tune of $300,000, and he beat her by more than 3,000 votes – but he had the I line. It’s unclear if DACC will throw its considerable resources behind Malone.  

The 107h Assembly District includes the majority of Rensselaer County, nearly half of Columbia County and the towns of Cambridge and White Creek in Washington County.

Germano's trial date set for June 2

GERMANO

In case you are wondering, F. James Germano, the former North Greenbush political boss, is still in hot water in Florida.

According to records from the Indian River County Court Clerk, Germano’s trial date was postponed again from May 5 to June 2. The now 85-year-old was initially slated for trial on April 7.

In one of the most bizarre stories I have ever covered, Germano was arrested in November, 2012 for allegedly offering a 12-year-old boy $50 for sex. The boy, who was waiting at a bus stop near his Vero Beach home, called him mother. When she showed up, Germano allegedly solicited her for sex too.

The charges of felony procuring a minor for prostitution and two misdemeanor stalking charges were dropped, but he was later re-arrested for felony charge of lewd and lascivious behavior and the initial misdemeanor count of solicitation for prostitution still stands. He is free on $65,000 bail pending his trial. The fact it’s been going on for so long, with the trial postponed twice, tells me the two sides can’t agree on a plea deal which probably doesn’t bode well for Germano. I'm guessing Florida authorities have yet to acquire a taste for Germano's charm.  

The story caps off what can only be defined as a colorful career. Germano ruled all things political in North Greenbush with an iron fist for decades until he was indicted along with former Rensselaer County Executive Henry Zwack for attempting to circumvent Civil Service law in exchange for political favors. All five defendants were acquitted in 2002.

What makes the solicitation story so bizarre is Germano could be cast as a Sporanos extra. Or, better put, the Sopranos extras could have taken lessons from the tough talking Italian politico - he wasn’t just playing a part. He is one of the legendary politicos in and around Rensselaer County, not only for his tireless work ethic but just because he is Jimmy Germano.

For example, when Rensselaer County Democratic Chairman Ed McDonough Sr. stepped down because of his own criminal problems, the

GERMANO ON TRIAL IN 2002/ TIMES UNION PHOTO

re was a skirmish over who would replace him.

Germano thought he was the heir apparent but Doreen Connolly had a different idea and thought the title should be hers. Germano, never on to follow rules all that closely, brushed her aside, determined he was chair and declared himself so.

The committee didn’t like that much and there was a bunch of behind-the-scenes maneuvering going on. One member, who was trying to keep a semblance of decorum, attempted to explain to Germano how the party should avoid becoming a Banana Republic. Germano took offense and asked with a unique mix of innocence and fury: “Did you just call me an ape?”

During the meeting where the committee eventually voted Connolly chair, one of her supporters said from the floor he would not allow the party to be taken over by a “thug.” Germano stood and calmly said: “If you call me a thug again, I’m gonna break your fu$#&ing knees.”

Classic.

Troy's influence on RPI election

THE APPROACH

For years, decades even, Troy has tried to get Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students into the city to spend some time and, more importantly, spend some money.

For as long, students and the college itself resisted every effort, preferring to stay on the hill and look down The Approach as if it were a nose at the lowly “townies” below. The residents of Troy, not known to overlook a slight, looked back up The Approach at the “rich, spoiled kids” who thought they were too good to rub elbows with those who chose “Troylet” as their home rather than a pit stop enroute to bigger and better things – even the moon. It’s a vicious cycle.

But all amour has a chink, and all rules have exceptions. RPI, directly or indirectly, invested millions into the old Best Western and the Proctors Theater and Chasan buildings. And Trojans have an indescribable yet indisputable endearing quality about them – which is why I spent more awake time in the Collar City than any other place on earth for more than 15 years – and more students are slowly starting to hang out downtown.

The latest incident though is perhaps the most clear cut example of the RPI student body assimilating itself into Collar City ways.

 According to The Rensselaer Polytechnic, the campus newspaper, five members of student government were caught on tape ripping down signs advocating for changes to the Rensselaer Union Constitution that were on the ballot as a referendum. In all, according to the newspaper, some 1,000 signs were ripped down campus wide.

I won’t go into what the Constitutional changes were but safe to say they were controversial enough within the RPI cocoon to motivate those in favor of the changes to start ripping down posters against them. In the end, the university Judicial Board ruled the five candidates involved cannot hold elected or appointed positions and must complete 15 hours of community service. Furthermore, according to The Poly, “all election results for Constitution amendments and alumni vice president, secretary, and treasurer are null and void.”

Obviously, Troy is wearing off on RPI and I’m not just talking about the most recent voter fraud scandal that saw eight indictments and three trials. Messing around with elections goes back to at least 1893 and Bat Shea, a story turned into a book by Troy author Jack Casey that includes ballot stuffing and murder. While I don’t think anyone has committed murder over an election since, I know there have been variations of ballot stuffing, outright forgeries and even dead people voting by absentee – which isn’t that far from the truth but illegal just the same.

JACKSON

However, unlike Bat Shea or the most recent scandal, most of those committing the infractions don’t get caught because they don’t actually break the letter of the law – they’re just bent to fill a particular need. Taking over parties by electing committee members, running shadow candidates and yes even filling out fake absentees are all legal provided they are done within certain parameters.      

Maybe President Shirley Ann Jackson would serve the student body well to have Troy political operatives like Bob Mirch, Tom Connolly, Mark Streb, Tom Mathews, Bill McInerney, John Sweeney, Rich Crist, Steve Bogess, Ed McDonough, Bill Powers or Tom Wade participate in her next Colloquy instead of someone like Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. They may not have the nationwide stature of a Scalia, but they can teach the political neophytes on the hill some practical lessons on how to mess with an election the proper way – or at least not get in too much trouble if the envelope is pushed a bit too far.    

 

 

 

"Boy," the Independence Party and cross endorsements

To old timers in Rensselaer County politics he’s affectionately known as “Boy.” To state wide politicians he’s known as vice chairman of the powerful Independence Party. To everyday state Senate staffers he’s known as “Who’s that guy?”

Of course, I’m talking about North Greenbush’s own Tom Connolly, who is again making news for alleged campaign finance shenanigans.

CONNOLLY

The reason they call him “Boy” is because he learned the art of political manipulation from legendary Rensselaer County Democratic Party Chairman Ed McDonough. “McDonough’s Boy” was shortened to just “Boy” somewhere along the line.

Since the McDonough days – when Connolly was routinely found “sleeping” on the couch in Democratic Party headquarters and when he gave a painting he stole from the City of Troy to newly elected District Attorney James Canfield – he climbed the party ladder and is now a statewide wheel, or vice chairman.

The last moniker is in reference to Connolly’s jobs in the state Senate. First he worked for Sen. Karl Krueger, a Democrat from Brooklyn with close ties to the GOP, making six figures as a “special project coordinator.” If anyone can tell me what a guy Rensselaer County knows about setting up special projects for a senator from Brooklyn please drop me a line. I’m told he is hardly ever at the Capitol or the LOB so either he was always in Brooklyn setting up special events or his salary could be tacked onto what the Independence Party line is worth.

After the Haggerty fiasco – and before Krueger pleaded guilty to accepting bribes – Connolly got fired and now works for state Sen. Phil Boyle, a Republican from Long Island, making $75,000 a year. One would think the Republicans may want the Independence Party’s backing to ensure they remain relevant in the Senate, but only a cynic would think Connolly’s job had anything to do with that.

This time Connolly finds himself in the crosshairs of Gov. Andrew Cuomo - who might want the Senate to stay status quo - and his Moreland Commission. While there are some questions with the commission appointed to weed out corruption in the state Legislature, it did find some compelling evidence to suggest the GOP was padding the Independence Party housekeeping account to use on individual campaigns. Using those accounts in such a way is illegal, but it’s a section of Election Law ignored by many and enforced by none.

To briefly re-cap, the commission found that the stat GOP “donated” more than $350,000 to the Independence Party housekeeping account, which in turn presumably spent it to lambaste Democratic candidates for state Senate during the 2012 election. E-mails between Connolly and a GOP operative indicate there is in the least collusion between the two parties though they do fall short of saying where the money actually came from to pay for the ads – the party’s housekeeping account or another account from which money can legally be spent on campaigns.

Yes, there are donation thresholds and other complexities supposedly targeted by the Moreland Commission and reformers across the board but they are beyond the scope of this post. One simple reform the state could accomplish with little or no controversy is abolishing the ability of minor parties to endorse major party candidates.

As I have written before, the party is little more than a money and power grabbing sham that tricks people into voting on the line because of a catchy name. And it’s not much different than the Working Families Party or the Conservative Party. Depending on your ilk, voters may want to see themselves as independent, part of a working family or conservative so they enroll or vote on that line not knowing any better. The WFP and Conservatives may have a philosophical bent to stand on but still rarely run their own candidates. The Independence Party, on the other hand, really stands for nothing.

Just think, without the ability to cross endorse candidates, the four-year long voter fraud scandal would not have happened in Rensselaer County. It cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to of public money to investigate and prosecute and who knows how much the individual players paid out. Wait … it provided me with nearly endless fodder for nearly four years so by all means, keep cross endorsements alive and well in New York state – it keeps lawyers and journalists in business.

More on Wiltshire and Mantello

This is in response to Patrick McKenna’s request for more information on the Wilson-Pakula and how it hurt Carmella Mantello’s At Large Council bid.

According to state Election Law, a candidate not enrolled in a political party cannot run on that party’s line without the party’s permission. Who gives permission – be it the local or state committee – varies by party.



Mirch

Connolly

For example, when Tom Connolly and Bob Mirch took over the Independence and Conservative party committees they changed the bylaws to make endorsements come from the local level so they would have complete control. On the flip side, a few years later, the Working Families Party saw Mirch and company try to take over the party by the same means so they shifted the power to grant a Wilson-Pakula, or power to grant permission to run on the party’s line, to the state level.

Of course it didn’t detour Mirch, Connolly and company for long because all they did is enroll a bunch of people in the party and drove them to the polls to elect shadow candidates they put up to steal the line from the Democrats. Chris Consuello, and his slogan “Pizza before Politics,” is the one I wrote about most often just because it was so damn funny. But candidates have also included the likes of a guy named Billy Gilboe - aka “Soggy but Safe ” for a leap he took off the Green Island bridge a while back and who had no idea he was even running - and the sons, daughters and other relatives of those in the GOP or employees working in GOP controlled jobs.

A fake flyer featuring Chris Consuello
and President Obama

So, how did it hurt Mantello. Well, obviously Democrats far outnumber Republicans in the city so Wiltshire had a leg up to begin with and he had the WFP line too. Traditionally, the C and I line can account for about 15 percent of the vote in any given election, however, and the GOP has used it to their advantage. Ten years ago, Frank LaPosta beat Harry Tutunjian for mayor straight up Democrat to Republican but Tutunjian had the C and I line and it put him over the top. (As someone pointed out Wiltshire having the I line helped him more than it hurt Mantello and Kopka but in a way it's saying the same thing in a different way.)

As I mentioned, there is no way Wiltshire would have gotten the I line without a nod from the GOP. I know some GOP loyalists were even collecting signatures for him. (Even though a candidate has the party’s permission they still have to get enough valid signatures to get on the ballot.) If the GOP were squarely behind Mantello, there is no way they would have allowed Wiltshire to have the I line. No way. Once he did, coupled with the Democrat and WFP lines, the council presidency was his to lose and it did nothing but hurt Mantello; and the current Council President Lynn Kopka too much to the chagrin of those in the Democratic Party proper who would have just as soon seen the status quo continue.

 Obviously, Wiltshire played it right and he is the next president. It’s going to be interesting to see how he does and if he remains as independent as he did through his first two years.  

Hope that clarifies things. Feel free to ask any questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability.

Wiltshire is Council president because of the GOP

Beginning Jan. 1 Rodney Wiltshire will be the new Troy Council president, much to the chagrin of the one currently serving in that capacity, Lynn Kopka, and many other Democrats.



Tom Wade, Lynn Kopka, Nina Nichols, Rodney
Wiltshire and Mayor Lou Rosamilia. Wiltshire is even
looking left while his Democratic colleagues are
looking right, and it's not because of any
political ideology.

Wiltshire, in his second term, rode the Independence Party to the presidency getting 405 votes on that line alone. Straight up Democrat to Democrat, Wiltshire got 2,797 to Kopka’s 2,788 and second place finisher Erin Sullivan-Teta’s 2,670. I’m not sure how the absentees broke, but take out t 
he Independence Party line and it’s a horserace. I know it’s not an exact science – in that there is no guarantee all 405 Independence Party votes would have followed the line and not voted for Wiltshire anyway – but without it a factor in the race would have been a lot closer.

There is only one reason Wiltshire got permission – known as a Wilson-Pakula - to run an Independence Party primary; and it’s not because of his independent streak that has infuriated the Democratic Party proper. It’s because the Republicans wanted him to have it. The party’s vice chairman is former Democratic operative Tom Connolly and he is now staunchly aligned with the GOP. True, it may be more complex at the state level, but for at least the last decade, the party has almost exclusively backed Republicans in Rensselaer County races.

One reason, I’m told, Wiltshire got the Wilson-Pakula was to block Carmella Mantello from getting the council presidency to use as a stepping stone to another run for mayor. Mantello, despite being a tireless campaigner, is still not accepted by many in the GOP power structure and they would just as soon not have her take a third run at mayor.

Anyway, Mantello did win the Independence Party primary, and 473 voters filled in the bubble (which doesn’t have nearly the pizazz as saying “flipped the switch” but what can you do.) on that line in the general election. Without it, the third At Large seat would not have been close, instead it went to the absentees and Kopka is now the winner by 65 votes with a pending court challenge by Mantello.

The biggest surprise, in my mind, was Sullivan-Teta, who beat Kopka by some 250 votes and only came in second by 200 votes to Wiltshire. The Democrat also had the Independence Party line but it had nothing to do with political shenanigans like Wiltshire’s Wilson-Pakula. Connolly and Sullivan-Teta’s brother, Mike Sullivan, go way back and I’m guessing it was a favor to an old friend. In addition, Sullivan, a long time aid to former Rep. Mike McNulty, knows what he is doing when it comes to political campaigns and I’m sure he helped his sister out. Also, I’ve never met Sullivan-Teta, but I’m, told she only recently started going by Sullivan-Teta; and when I say recently I mean when she announced her campaign. Never let it be said ethnicity doesn’t play a role in local elections.

Kopka didn’t help herself out too much either. More on that later.

Finally, we’ll have to see if Wiltshire can maintain his independent streak. It’s really no secret he is eyeballing a run for mayor and he is in a tricky spot because the way things have been going it’s impossible to win without a bunch of Democratic votes. To that end, we’ll first have to see if Mayor Lou Rosamilia even runs in in 2015. And if he does, we’ll have to see if Wiltshire primaries him. My guess is he primaries anyone the Democrats put up, including Mayor Lou.