Wade vs. Wiltshire in ED 8

WADE

       Primary Day is Tuesday, and one of the most interesting is a lowly committee seat in the City of Troy.

As first reported here, Chairman Tom Wade, who has been a committeeman for decades, will go head-to-head with Council President Rodney Wiltshire in Election District 8. Their respective running mates are Rebecca Sweeney and Rev. Tim Sherman.

It’s an anomaly in that political parties often have a difficult time filling committee seats let alone have more than two people to fill the slots in each of the 30 election districts city wide. And, it is because two of the party’s leaders are battling each other for the thankless, unpaid position.

The fallout began last year when Wiltshire accepted the Independence Party line from the Republicans setting him up for the presidency, knocking party loyalist – in other words a Wade ally - Lynn Kopka out of the spot.

WILTSHIRE

Wiltshire, however, said he knew he wasn’t getting any support from the party and was fighting for his political life. As such, he was left no other option but to take any line available.

The president also alienated himself with the party proper by appointing GOP members of the Council to chair committees. His strongest ally, Councilman Ken Zalewski, also backed a Republican candidate, Dean Bodnar, R-District 3, during the election a year ago over the party’s candidate, Michelle DeLair.

When Wade and the Democrats refused to circulate nominating petitions for the two in June, the chairman threatened to bounce them from the party if they opted to run on their own. Obviously, they took that option.

There are only 344 enrolled Democrats in Election District 8 and of those 300 are “active” according to the Board of Elections. If 35 percent of those show up to the polls – or are taken to the polls by Wade or Wiltshire – it will be a healthy turnout.

ZALEWSKI

Both sides are working hard too. Below is a letter written by Zalewski to a number of Democrats, including City Hall employees. Notice he “signed” the email as his Council title, president pro temp. As I said, Wade been involved in the nitty-gritty of Democratic Party politics for decades and nobody in the county can count votes – or get his people to vote – better than he.

In the end, regardless of who wins, and it could conceivably be Wade and Wiltshire, it won’t matter too much in any practical manner. Wade can still be chairman without being a committee man and not being a member of the committee does not prevent Wiltshire from holding onto his Council seat or running for higher office like mayor.

If one is on the losing end, however, it will be a blow to their egos and will certainly be used by enemies in either of their future political endeavors.

Polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday.

There are a number of other committee primaries across the city. Here is a link to a map of the Election Districts in Troy. And here is a link to all the primaries in Rensselaer County.

KZ letter

Troy Council sends a message

I didn’t think the expected rift on the Troy City Council would start until after Jan. 1 but five members sent a message last Thursday when they voted to not re-appoint Geri Fitzgerald to the Board of Assessment and Review.

KOPKA

To understand the significance, we need to back up a bit.

Fitzgerald lives with Michelle DeLair, the former deputy city clerk under then City Clerk Bill McInerney and who is one of the Rensselaer County Democratic Party Chairman Tom Wade’s most loyal supporters. Not allowing Fitzgerald’s appointment to a largely inconsequential position – as proposed by Council President Lynn Kopka at the request of the administration – to come out of the Finance Committee to the floor for a vote is a clear shot at Wade. And for that matter the administration.

ROSAMILIA

The five who voted against her appointment were Council members Kevin McGrath, Bob Doughtery, Rodney Wiltshire, Dean Bodner and Ken Zalewski. Which, of course leave Council members Mark McGrath, Nina Nichols, Gary Galuski and Kopka voting to appoint Fitzgerald.

If you remember, Wiltshire, who will be president come Jan. 1, and Zalewski were in Bob “Rabbit” Riley’s corner in his failed bid to take Wade out as chair last year. Wade has a long memory and, evidently, so does Wiltshire and Zalewski, who will likely be the pro-temp after the organizational meeting. Doughtery and Kopka don’t get along that well so he’ll likely be in the W&Z corner and I’m told newly elected Anastasia Robertson, D-District 2, will likely side with them too.

On the other side are party (Wade) people: Kopka, Galuski, who works at the Board of Elections, and newly elected At Large Councilwoman Erin Teta-Sullivan.

That leaves the two Republicans: Bodner in District 3 and Jim Gordon, the newly elected representative in District 1. Bodner has proven himself to be non-political when it comes to policy (though he did vote against Fitzgerald and DeLair happened to run against him earlier this month) and Gordon is the former GOP city chair so he is political. My guess is they break with the W&Z team more often than not on anything controversial.

One may say the rift is just political shenanigans but it does mean real jobs for real people – and more importantly who will get those jobs. The Council controls who is city clerk ($54,800,) deputy city clerk ($40,000,) city auditor ($59,600) bingo inspector, a liason position ($10,000,) and the Council confirms all city marshal (various salaries) recommendations too.

Right now the majority are held by Wade people. Something tells me that won’t be the case come Jan. 1. But, Wade is a shrewd politician and he successfully fought off the coup last year. While some would just as soon he move on, I don’t see it happening unless he wants to.