Another great night with the Friends

The Friends wrapped up another dinner last Saturday and for the 38^th year in a row a good time was had by all.

Just to recap, the Friends of 112^th Street packed the St. Augustine’s gymnasium, had plenty to eat and drink, reminisced about the old days , honored a few of their own and then had some group laughs thanks to the speakers and the annual skit.

It all started when half dozen guys got together on a whim in 1976 and had such a good time decided to meet again the following year. They’ve been doing it ever since and over the years started drawing others into the mix. This year, some 350 showed up with some walking a couple blocks and others flying in from different states to see old friends and give something back to the community -- all proceeds are donated to non-profit groups and civic organizations.

I can’t go into what was said Saturday night because what happens on the last Saturday of February at St. Augustine’s stays at St. Augustine’s, thankfully.  Actually, for a variety of reasons, I missed the speakers and the skit (no, former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, my ankle bracelet didn’t go off … I figured out how to disable it … I’ll show you sometime) but I heard everyone was a scream.

(As an aside, I will say that Jimmy Lance was partly correct except he has a bigger chest and less facial hair.)

Joining speakers Sweeney, who I heard was hysterical, and Lance, who is always hysterical, was Dave Kissick, who I heard was equally hysterical.

And as in year’s past, some Friends were lucky enough to get – or worked hard enough to earn– recognition from the group. This year’s award winners were:

-Sports Awards: Nick Davy, Mike Corrigan, David Piscitella and Mayor Lou Rosamilia.

-Veterans Awards: Al O’Brien and Bruce Jensen       -Humanitarian of the Year: Chuck Fentakes               

-Special Award: Bob Swanick

-Man of the Year: Ed Manny

I have to thank the committee – Mick Cahrenger, Kevin Vandenburgh, Jim Duff, Eric Gower, Mike McDonald, Gene Blair, Uncle Tucker Hulihan, Scott Ryan and Ron Bounds – for inviting me again this year.

To close, as with most old adages, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” does ring true. Also last Saturday, some 100 women gathered at Franklin Terrace for the eighth time. Some 100 women attended the event, affectionately known as the “Bitches Brunch,” to raise money for Hope 7. As per tradition, women aren’t allowed at the Friends dinner so some decided to start their own same type of event.

If my opinion matters at all, I highly recommend all men attend the Friends of 112^th Street Dinner on the last Saturday in February. I also recommend all men avoid, at all costs, Franklin Terrace on that same day.     

 

 

Primary Day winners and losers

I generally save the winners and losers column for New Year’s Eve but this past primary had a bunch of ins and outs and they are all kind of interrelated so it’s better to address them in this context than individually.

WINNERS

Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin: Won a write in for only the second time in the chamber’s history. He soundly defeated Democrat Phil Malone, a member of the East Greenbush Town Board, who got the Independence Party’s endorsement. McLaughlin not only won but he won by a nearly two-to-one margin in Rensselaer and Columbia counties. It’s not clear what happened in Washington County. McLaughlin has been the loudest and most consistent critic of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and that is probably the reason he didn’t get the Independence Party endorsement. He won anyway.

Zephyr Teachout: The Democrat did lose the primary to Cuomo (who will be mentioned below) but she had a hell of a showing in upstate and in particular the Capital Region (also mentioned below) where she trounced the incumbent governor.

Keith Gorman: The attorney running without support from the Democratic Party proper is 34 votes ahead of Corporation Counsel Ian Silverman in their bid to become a Troy City Court judge. I’ve heard he worked his tail off and I’ve also heard kudos goes to his campaign manager, Kathleen Campbell. Absentee ballots will determine who will take the second Democratic Party slot in November.

Chris Maier: He handily won the three-way primary against the two gentlemen mentioned above and that’s without a whole bunch of party support either. He and his wife, Family Court Judge Beth Walsh, just seem to go about their own thing and keep getting elected.

Jill Kehn: The Republican candidate for the judgeship mentioned above will have the Republican, Conservative, Independence, Green and Working Families Party lines come November. And yes, it’s another nod to Crist. There are two open seats on the bench and three candidates on the ballot in November, if the primary results do not change after the paper is counted and the election deemed official.

Rebecca Sweeney: She beat both Democratic Party heavyweights – Chairman Tom Wade and Council President Rodney Wiltshire – in the Rensselaer County Democratic Party Committee primary in Election District No. 8. What’s funny is that she was Wade’s running mate and one of the only reasons she was on the ballot is because she is the daughter to Mary Sweeney – a longtime Board of Elections employee.

Rodney Wiltsire and company: The faction of Democrats who, for the time being, got their city court judge candidate (Gorman) on the ballot and who tied Wade in Election District 8 in a race for the Rensselaer County Democratic Party Committee in the Election District the latter held for decades.

Tom Wade and Company: For holding onto the county committee by winning a number of races against candidates put up by Rodney Wiltshire and company. And, even though Wade tied in his own committee race against Wiltshire, he will likely get appointed to the county committee anyway.

Joel Abelove: The candidate for District Attorney is down by three votes in the Independence Primary against Carmello Laquidara but I’m hearing has an edge with the 212 absentee ballots. Laquidara will not be mentioned below with the losers, however, since the race was and still is pretty tight and I expect the same in the general election.

Rich Crist: The GOP operative had a major role in the Abelove and McLaughlin Independence Party campaigns.

LOSERS

Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Yes, he handily won the Democratic Party primary but he took a beating in the Capital Region. In Rensselaer, Albany, Saratoga and Schenectady County Teachout won by a nearly two-to-one margin. Pundits jumped at the potential reasons and they include the governor’s treatment of labor unions, his unwillingness to decide on fracking and his “my way or the highway,” bullying personality. I happen to think the SAFE ACT has something to do with it but either way, the Guv got trounced around here.

The Capital Region: Since Cuomo is known as an easy going, live and let live, let bygones be bygones kind of guy, I’m sure he won’t withhold any state funding or direct potential funding that could come here anywhere else. For example, maybe, just maybe, the new casino that could go to East Greenbush or the City of Rensselaer will be a shorter ride than Turning Stone – like Howe Caves.

 Tom Wade and company: Their city court candidate (Silverman) is likely off the ballot, their DA candidate (Laquiadara) stands a good chance of losing the Independence Party line and Wiltshire tied Wade in the race for committee in the Election District the latter held for decades.

Rodney Wiltshire and company: They may have done well in other races but they didn’t make too much of a dent in their bid to take over the Rensselaer County Democratic Party Committee. 

  Phil Malone: The candidate for Assembly got trounced in the Independence Party primary by incumbent Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin. And, the East Greenbush Town Board member had the party’s endorsement so his name appeared on the ballot. McLaughlin beat him in a write in.

Ian Silverman: If the primary results remain the same, the corporation counsel will not be on the ballot in November after losing the Democratic Party primary and primaries for all the minor lines.

 

 

 

 

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

Deciphering who will head up the Code Department (UPDATED ... AGAIN)

This one is still kind of in flux. Will be updated as I get more information.

There was supposed to be a new head of code enforcement in Troy but the administration is holding off because only two people took the Civil Service test and only one passed it.

ROSAMILIA

First Mayor Lou Rosamilia had to determine who was actually in charge of the Code Department - Planning Department Commissioner Bill Dunne or City Engineer Russ Reeves. I’m told the issue came to a head when the city shuttered 51 Third St. for not having a certificate of occupancy even though the building had been occupied for about a decade. The building, owned by one of the Yes Man Igor Vamos, has apartments and hosts performance art-type programming, was closed days before citizens marched in protest of alleged police brutality at Kokopellis bar on Jan. 25. There was a meeting at the building to talk about the incident, the march and what citizens should or could do in light of the melee at Kokopellis.

It’s not the first time Dunne and Reeves have clashed and likely won’t be the last.

In the end, Rosamilia decided Reeves will oversee code and as such his opinion of who should run the day-to-day operations carried more weight.

Here’s where it gets kind of confusing. First is was going to Jim Rivers, who retired from the city Engineering Department but he never took the Civil Service test. Carlo Soriento, who took the test and works in code now, was miffed and threatened to file a grievance.

But, since only two people took the test – Soriento and Code Enforcement Officer Dave Sheeran – the city is not obligated to use names off the list so the grievance may be moot when and if it is filed.

There was some confusion over whether or not the job was going to Steve Sweeney, who recently retired from the Canal Corp. making $110,000 a year but now it appears he will be assisting Reeves on the much needed work on the sea wall for $15,000. Sweeney does, however, live in the Town of Colonie so he will have to either move into the city within 90 days of when he is hired or get a waiver from Rosamilia.

Also, Todd Dickinson will begin a new job in the Engineering Department at a salary of $45,000. 

More information on this one when it becomes available – or is confused even more.