Voter registration, usually trending upward, fluctuates significantly between presidential years.
Recent published reports showUlsterhad 112,805 registrants for the 2000 election, with 78,225 (69.3 percent) casting votes. In 2004 that number jumped to 130,151 with 88,177 casting ballots. In the year of hope and change, 127,643 registered, a decrease from 2004. But 90,017 (70.5 percent) voted.
The Ulster elections board reports 107,352 registrants to date, a significant decrease from the last presidential year. Nobody really expects 20,000 registrants to stampede in before the Oct. 12, the last day for registering.
In a nutshell, local Republicans will have cause for hope, if not change, if “yes we can” turns into “no, we didn’t” in the 2012 elections.
Rooting for Gibson
In one of the more curious political developments in a generally lackluster season (see voter turnout for primaries), a pair of long-time Democratic stalwarts are hosting a fundraiser for the Republican candidate for congress at the restaurant owned and operated by a former Ulster County Democratic chairman. Bruce and Michelle Tuchman of Saugerties — she was a party vice-chair not too long ago — are putting on a $50-a-ticket fundraiser for GOP candidate Chris Gibson on Oct. 9 at former county chairman John Parete’s Boiceville Inn, at 7 p.m.
“Some Democrats might raise eyebrows,” Parete predicted. Some?
Gibson hails from Kinderhook in ColumbiaCounty, so he’s hardly the hometown favorite. Julian Schreibman, the Democratic candidate from Marbletown, should be favored, at least among fellow Democrats.
Illustrating again that the people you boink on the way up are the people you meet later on, there has been bad blood between the Schreibmans and the Paretes ever since the uptown lawyer ousted the Boiceville barkeep for chairman three years ago. Adding salt to the wound, the Schreibman faction unsuccessfully conspired to deny Parete son Rich Parete renomination for county legislator from Marbletown last year.
Bruce Tuchman, for his part, has been raising questions about Schreibman’s (federal) prosecutorial experience to anyone willing to listen. We have not heard the last of that.
Cloaking his enthusiasm, John Parete says he “won’t be dancing out on Route 28” (in front of his bar) on Oct. 9, though he hopes for a good turnout for his business. Parete dismissed any ulterior motives. “I have more important things [than vengeance] to worry about,” he said.
Calls to Schreibman were not returned, but his road toWashingtonwill be made all the more difficult if the Tuchman-Parete revolt proves an indicator of how local Democrats feel about their homegrown nominee.
There are a lot more influential Democrats in Ulster County quietly backing Gibson than mentioned here. As Hugh accurately put it, what goes around comes around, and all the bad blood between the two camps featuring more liberal NYC influenced Democrats vs the more moderate old line Ulster D’s is coming to the surface again in the form of intense dislike of Julian based on his County Chairman days. No surprise over 20% of Democrats are backing Gibson in the latest Siena poll.
good read