Ken Ronk and Terry Bernardo — winners. Both two-termers have bright futures in the legislature, if not beyond. She’ll be chairwoman, he majority leader. Siding with the Democratic executive will score big props, at least with the Democratic executive.
Fred Wadnola — the affable chairman never could hold his 18-member majority together; half voted with Hein. Wadnola, an old-school politician, was taken to the woodshed by the executive on this one.
Taxpayers First — A catchy slogan, but one that should leave taxpayers in doubt about the future, two, three years down the road. The county is now in the business of selling assets and laying off people to balance its budgets. It can only get worse.
Free at last
A decision by a state Supreme Court judge sitting in Albany to allow state convicts to vote in their mostly Gotham home districts, rather at their upstate prison addresses, won’t change this year’s Ulster County reapportionment plan, but might affect elections for state legislature next year.
To the delight of state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Judge Eugene Davis rejected a state senate appeal to overturn a 2010 statute allowing prisoners to be counted as residents where they were domiciled before being incarcerated. Schneiderman was a state senator from Manhattan when the law was passed. Previously, prisoners were counted at the jailhouse for reapportionment purposes, though still not able to vote.
With almost 80,000 state inmates incarcerated in upstate prisons, it gave rural senators and assembly members an edge over their New York City counterparts. No more.
“It’s just another power grab by New York City,” fumed Ulster Republican Chairman Roger Rascoe.
With reapportionment of legislative and congressional districts expected to be completed in February, the (paper) shift in population just might turn the tide in the state Senate, now (barely) controlled by Republicans by two votes.
At that, some local senators may be having second thoughts about running this year. John Bonacic will turn 70 in June, a biblical milestone reached by Bill Larkin 15 years ago. The death of Assemblyman Tom Kirwan at age 78 this month might give both pause.
He wants Mo
Republican congressional hopeful Tom Engel of Lew Beach in the Town of Hardenburgh says he’s ready to out-raise and out-smack 10-term incumbent Democrat Maurice Hinchey in next year’s congressional elections.
