Behind the Independence Party’s endorsement for Dutchess County clerk, there are a few intriguing wrinkles worth ironing out.
The party announced Tuesday that it had chosen Susan McGuire to face off in November against incumbent County Clerk Brad Kendall, a Republican, and Democratic challenger Dick Anderson.
Who is McGuire?
First of all, she is the treasurer of the county Independence Party, which has Dennis Zack as its chairman. Zack also is a councilman in the Town of Fishkill, and McGuire works for the town as human resources director.
McGuire was registered as a Republican as of last year, and she ran as a Republican two years ago in the race for county Legislature in District 16 but lost to Democrat Alison MacAvery.
McGuire’s boss is Joan Pagones, the Republican town supervisor in Fishkill. Pagones had sought the county clerk job last fall after Clerk Colette Lafuente announced her retirement, but Gov. George Pataki chose to appoint Kendall instead to finish Lafuente's term.
As for Dick Anderson, he served for a term as county clerk until he was unseated by Lafuente, a Republican, in the 2003 election.
Whew! That’s a lot to digest.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
District 1 a race to watch
The parties are finalizing their slates of candidates for the Dutchess Legislature in anticipation of an epic battle for control of county government in November. One race to watch might be the District 1 contest, which is without an incumbent.
Legislator Patrick Nesbitt, R-Poughkeepsie, is choosing not to run after four years in office so he can spend more time with his family and focus on his new job (he recently was promoted to detective in the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department.)
Taking his place on the Republican line is Jeff Magee, an IBMer who lives down the road from Nesbitt on Cedar Street.
The Democrats, meanwhile, have chosen to back Jim Doxsey, who is enrolled as a conservative. If elected, he would caucus with the Democrats.
Legislator Patrick Nesbitt, R-Poughkeepsie, is choosing not to run after four years in office so he can spend more time with his family and focus on his new job (he recently was promoted to detective in the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department.)
Taking his place on the Republican line is Jeff Magee, an IBMer who lives down the road from Nesbitt on Cedar Street.
The Democrats, meanwhile, have chosen to back Jim Doxsey, who is enrolled as a conservative. If elected, he would caucus with the Democrats.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Gillibrand in the cross hairs
There must be more people gunning for New York's 20th Congressional District 
seat than there are candidates for president in 2008. And U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Hudson, hasn't even made it to the half-year mark in office.
Today, I got an e-mail promoting a small-donations pledge from two more 20th District candidates, a Republican named John Wallace from Columbia County and a Democrat named Morris Guller from Greene County. Other announced and rumored candidates include Richard Wager, Sandy Treadwell and John Sweeney, the incumbent whom Gillibrand beat in November.
As a reporter who has covered a handful of Congressional elections in the
past, I find this quite refreshing. When I worked in Wausau, Wis., the congressman was House Appropriations heavyweight Dave Obey, our hometown Democrat, who has been in office since Nixon was president. Needless to say, elections in Wisconsin's 7th District were humdrum affairs. No Democrat ever challenged Obey. The Republicans didn't even bother looking for a legitimate candidate. And most of the poor underdogs who ran against Obey were little more than sacrificial lambs.
What's different about Gillibrand?
First of all, she's new. It's nearly impossible to beat Obey now that he has served so many years in Congress. As a freshman congresswoman, however, Gillibrand is still vulnerable. This may be the Republicans' best chance of ousting her before she becomes one of those unbeatable incumbents.
The other big factor is the 20th District, which stretches from Poughkeepsie north toward the Canadian border. Its electorate is heavily Republican – 43 percent of registered voters as of April, compared to 25 percent of voters registered as Democrats. So Gillibrand pulled off quite the upset last year, and Republicans figure its their turn in November 2008.
In the 19th District, where Democrat John Hall also upset an incumbent Republican in November, Republicans still have the edge but not by much. Of all registered voters as of April, 36 percent were Republicans and 33 percent were Democrats, according to the latest data from the State Elections Board.
Of course, it's insanely early for most voters to be thinking about the next election when Gillibrand still has three fourths of her two-year term left to serve. But the political world follows a different schedule. Potential candidates have to get their momentum going now or forget about booking that victory party on election night.
As for Dave Obey, the best the Republicans can hope for is that he gets tapped for a cabinet job in the next president's administration. After all, President Bush did Democrats a favor in 2001 when he named Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson as health and human services secretary, paving the way for Democrat Jim Doyle to win the gubernatorial election in 2002. But I digress.
seat than there are candidates for president in 2008. And U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Hudson, hasn't even made it to the half-year mark in office.Today, I got an e-mail promoting a small-donations pledge from two more 20th District candidates, a Republican named John Wallace from Columbia County and a Democrat named Morris Guller from Greene County. Other announced and rumored candidates include Richard Wager, Sandy Treadwell and John Sweeney, the incumbent whom Gillibrand beat in November.
As a reporter who has covered a handful of Congressional elections in the
past, I find this quite refreshing. When I worked in Wausau, Wis., the congressman was House Appropriations heavyweight Dave Obey, our hometown Democrat, who has been in office since Nixon was president. Needless to say, elections in Wisconsin's 7th District were humdrum affairs. No Democrat ever challenged Obey. The Republicans didn't even bother looking for a legitimate candidate. And most of the poor underdogs who ran against Obey were little more than sacrificial lambs.What's different about Gillibrand?
First of all, she's new. It's nearly impossible to beat Obey now that he has served so many years in Congress. As a freshman congresswoman, however, Gillibrand is still vulnerable. This may be the Republicans' best chance of ousting her before she becomes one of those unbeatable incumbents.
The other big factor is the 20th District, which stretches from Poughkeepsie north toward the Canadian border. Its electorate is heavily Republican – 43 percent of registered voters as of April, compared to 25 percent of voters registered as Democrats. So Gillibrand pulled off quite the upset last year, and Republicans figure its their turn in November 2008.
In the 19th District, where Democrat John Hall also upset an incumbent Republican in November, Republicans still have the edge but not by much. Of all registered voters as of April, 36 percent were Republicans and 33 percent were Democrats, according to the latest data from the State Elections Board.
Of course, it's insanely early for most voters to be thinking about the next election when Gillibrand still has three fourths of her two-year term left to serve. But the political world follows a different schedule. Potential candidates have to get their momentum going now or forget about booking that victory party on election night.
As for Dave Obey, the best the Republicans can hope for is that he gets tapped for a cabinet job in the next president's administration. After all, President Bush did Democrats a favor in 2001 when he named Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson as health and human services secretary, paving the way for Democrat Jim Doyle to win the gubernatorial election in 2002. But I digress.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Wager to leave job, hit campaign trail
Richard Wager checked in today to pass along this news: He's planning to leave his job in New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration at the end of the month to begin campaigning for Congress full time in July.
"Things are coming together awfully well!" Wager said in an e-mail.
Wager is vying for the Republican nomination in the 20th District to challenge U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from Hudson who was elected to her first two-year term in November. Gillibrand will be up for re-election in November 2008.
Wager, a native of Hyde Park, recently bought a house in the Millbrook area. He is the son of former Poughkeepsie Journal publisher Dick Wager.
"Things are coming together awfully well!" Wager said in an e-mail.
Wager is vying for the Republican nomination in the 20th District to challenge U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from Hudson who was elected to her first two-year term in November. Gillibrand will be up for re-election in November 2008.
Wager, a native of Hyde Park, recently bought a house in the Millbrook area. He is the son of former Poughkeepsie Journal publisher Dick Wager.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Ball makes the "society pages"
The Washington Post has been digging up some dirt on Greg Ball, the freshman New York Assemblyman from Carmel. In a story today, the paper links Ball's annual Courage Cup polo match, which raises money for a charity, to a political action committee that later contributed to Ball's Assembly campaign.
Ball called the story a "hit piece" prompted by his ongoing battle with an ex-girlfriend over control of the Courage Cup. After all, the story ran in the Post's Style section – what once might have been called the "the society pages."
The story's placement in the Post makes sense, given that the newspaper's local angles are the Courage Cup and the tiff with the ex-girlfriend.
Back home, where most of his constituents probably have never even heard of the Courage Cup, the question for Ball is whether there was any political funny stuff going on.
Ball insists the answer is no. The Courage Cup earns the money it gives to charity by selling tent space to organizations that then can sell tickets to the event. In 2005, one of those organizations happened to be the political action committee, and he was not involved in the committee at the time, he said.
Ball called the story a "hit piece" prompted by his ongoing battle with an ex-girlfriend over control of the Courage Cup. After all, the story ran in the Post's Style section – what once might have been called the "the society pages."
The story's placement in the Post makes sense, given that the newspaper's local angles are the Courage Cup and the tiff with the ex-girlfriend.
Back home, where most of his constituents probably have never even heard of the Courage Cup, the question for Ball is whether there was any political funny stuff going on.
Ball insists the answer is no. The Courage Cup earns the money it gives to charity by selling tent space to organizations that then can sell tickets to the event. In 2005, one of those organizations happened to be the political action committee, and he was not involved in the committee at the time, he said.
Friday, June 8, 2007
TGIF tidbits
Dutchess County Executive Bill Steinhaus participated with other county executives from the region in a forum Thursday on potential solutions to a variety of problems in the Hudson Valley. Steinhaus makes a reference in that story to affordable housing, but Westchester Executive Andrew Spano has the more colorful quote, about dancing the Funky Chicken.
Dutchess Legislator Joel Tyner, meanwhile, is preparing for one of his long walks to raise awareness of county issues. Tyner, D-Clinton, plans to leave at 10 a.m. today from the Rhinebeck town hall and trek 13 miles to the Clinton town hall carrying a sign promoting a county-coordinated, privately funded program to distribute compact fluorescent bulbs that would conserve energy. (On a fitness note: Tyner must have calves of steel after walking so many miles for so many causes.)
Republicans in the state Assembly are holding a two-hour forum on property tax reform at 10 a.m. today at the East Fishkill town hall, 330 Route 376, Hopewell Junction. Ball, Molinaro and Miller should be there, as well as several representatives of taxpayer groups and school districts. The public is invited. And my apologies for an error in today's print edition of the Journal, which reported the wrong starting time of the forum. It's correct here.
And if you're around Saturday, stop by the LaGrange Community Day at Freedom Park on Skidmore Road. U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Hudson, plans to be there at 2 p.m. for the latest stop in her "Congress at Your Corner" series. You can call it, for one day at least, "Congress at Your Community Day."
Dutchess Legislator Joel Tyner, meanwhile, is preparing for one of his long walks to raise awareness of county issues. Tyner, D-Clinton, plans to leave at 10 a.m. today from the Rhinebeck town hall and trek 13 miles to the Clinton town hall carrying a sign promoting a county-coordinated, privately funded program to distribute compact fluorescent bulbs that would conserve energy. (On a fitness note: Tyner must have calves of steel after walking so many miles for so many causes.)
Republicans in the state Assembly are holding a two-hour forum on property tax reform at 10 a.m. today at the East Fishkill town hall, 330 Route 376, Hopewell Junction. Ball, Molinaro and Miller should be there, as well as several representatives of taxpayer groups and school districts. The public is invited. And my apologies for an error in today's print edition of the Journal, which reported the wrong starting time of the forum. It's correct here.
And if you're around Saturday, stop by the LaGrange Community Day at Freedom Park on Skidmore Road. U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Hudson, plans to be there at 2 p.m. for the latest stop in her "Congress at Your Corner" series. You can call it, for one day at least, "Congress at Your Community Day."
Thursday, June 7, 2007
County GOP Election Roundup: Spring Edition
Looking back at my posts so far this month, I realized I've been devoting an inordinate number of pixels to the Dutchess Democrats. I have to attribute this to old-fashioned newspaper bias: Voting no often makes for better news stories than voting yes.
In pursuit of that ever-elusive ideal of balance, I checked in this morning with Dutchess County Republican Committee Chairwoman Corinne Weber, who was in her car on Interstate 87 heading south toward Maryland. (Cell phone in the car? No lawbreaker here. Weber had a hands-free device, she said.)
The Republicans' lineup for the fall hasn't really been a surprise for a while – maybe not since the last election or before, with one exception.
All four party incumbents in county-wide offices will be in the running in November. That means County Executive Bill Steinhaus, County Clerk Brad Kendall, District Attorney Bill Grady and Sheriff Butch Anderson.
“How can you beat that ticket?” Weber said.
The exception to this somewhat anti-climactic ticket is Kendall, who was appointed in December to fill out the rest of retiring Colette Lafuente's term. November will be his first county-wide election, and that makes him the most vulnerable of the four Republicans by default.
Weber isn't worried about Kendall, though the party is keenly aware of its losses two years ago in the Legislature. The Democrats gained four seats, reducing the Republicans' majority to one.
"It's of great concern," Weber said, "but we're not only looking to maintain what we have but get a few more back."
In pursuit of that ever-elusive ideal of balance, I checked in this morning with Dutchess County Republican Committee Chairwoman Corinne Weber, who was in her car on Interstate 87 heading south toward Maryland. (Cell phone in the car? No lawbreaker here. Weber had a hands-free device, she said.)
The Republicans' lineup for the fall hasn't really been a surprise for a while – maybe not since the last election or before, with one exception.
All four party incumbents in county-wide offices will be in the running in November. That means County Executive Bill Steinhaus, County Clerk Brad Kendall, District Attorney Bill Grady and Sheriff Butch Anderson.
“How can you beat that ticket?” Weber said.
The exception to this somewhat anti-climactic ticket is Kendall, who was appointed in December to fill out the rest of retiring Colette Lafuente's term. November will be his first county-wide election, and that makes him the most vulnerable of the four Republicans by default.
Weber isn't worried about Kendall, though the party is keenly aware of its losses two years ago in the Legislature. The Democrats gained four seats, reducing the Republicans' majority to one.
"It's of great concern," Weber said, "but we're not only looking to maintain what we have but get a few more back."
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