Mike Hein is no Maurice Hinchey. A former Republican, Hein would be a problematic candidate in a Democratic primary against almost any well-financed, liberal opponent.
There were no doubt also family considerations. Hein, 46, has an elementary-school-age son on whom he dotes, and congressmen are home even less than county executives.
The balance could have been tipped by the ever-mischievous Independence Party. All other factors considered, the Independence nomination, easily worth 10,000 votes in a congressional election, might have been the deciding factor. Absent the Indies, who endorsed Gibson, the contest might have been a toss-up. With them, it’s a different proposition. When it comes to his own political future, Hein doesn’t relish those odds.
What next?
Hein goes back to playing county executive, but perhaps tempered by experience. Obviously, if he has higher ambitions — and he does — governing from the right may not get him there. He may have to put aside those pink slips for a while.
Reaction at the county office building to the boss coming back off campaign was probably mixed. The people Hein elevated to high position can breathe a sigh of relief. Lower-level workers under the gun might be sighing for a different reason.
Congressional hopefuls
Former Ulster County Democratic chairman Julian Schreibman is still out there, trying to convince people who hardly know him he’s in it to win it. Schreibman, who is positioning himself as a left-of-center moderate in the congressional race, has to be something more than Hinchey-II or Hein-Lite — a voice, not an echo.
Former Hinchey aide Dan Ahouse has been mentioned, if only nostalgically. Snugly ensconced in a high-paying job with a utility, Ahouse won’t be easily lured into a congressional rat race he knows all too well.
Then there’s doggedly determined Dutchess County Legislator Joel Tyner. Already Tyner-for-Congress lawn signs are popping up around Ulster. They’ve been up in Dutchess so long that they’re starting to look weather-beaten. Tyner will make lots of noise, but can he make (political) war?
Candidates from other areas of the district may emerge.
Gibson, as far as I know, has rarely set foot in Ulster County, unless he got lost while campaigning in the Red Hook part of his district two years ago. No doubt, he will become a familiar face in the coming months. As for Democrats, the opportunity looms.
Meeting with Mo
One of the things we’ll miss when Hinchey retires next year is ready access to our congressman. A creature of habit, Hinchey likes to sip café au lait in the window of Dominick’s Café on the corner of North Front and Wall streets in Kingston’s uptown Stockade. The coffee shop is a block from Hinchey’s Kingston district office.
Last week, I was on my way to lunch when I spotted the congressman sitting alone in the window reading the papers. As neither one of us stands on ceremony, I joined him for a brief chat.
His health, he said, was improving: “getting stronger every day.” He marched with other politicians inKingston’s three-mile St. Patrick’s parade on March 18.
He likes the new district since it keeps Ulster intact. And no, he is not reconsidering his retirement, announced in January. “I’m still in [post-cancer] treatment,” he said.
