Can Gallo prevail again at primary with almost two-thirds of the city committee against him? And if not, as some are already predicting, then what? Make no mistake, Gallo will stay in the race even if he has to run on a collection of minor party lines. Even as a Republican. Politics, after all, is only a means to an end.
Meanwhile, Gallo will rally his aging “lunchbucket” base for what will be for some their last campaign. And maybe his, too.
The columnist Reynolds.
Convention notes
Former mayor Jim Sottile, having developed into a decent public speaker during his almost 10 years in the front office, gave Jim Noble a ringing endorsement for re-election. Some thought that misplaced. It isn’t the elder Noble who needs help, as manifested by the convention vote, it’s his nephew. Imagine the impact of a former mayor, a good deal more popular now than when he left office four years ago, endorsing a 32-year-old neophyte. Young Noble’s main attribute seems to be he ain’t Gallo. Look for Sottile, who seems bored with selling real estate these days, to jump on the mayoral bandwagon. When those fire whistles blow, old warhorses snort.
That city Democrats are at “civil war” (in the words of Jim Noble) was evidenced by challenges to incumbent aldermen and a legislator for open seats. Generally speaking, candidates are either pro-Gallo or anti-, though that could change as they go door-to-door.
Two candidates failed to get seconded after being nominated: incumbent Maryann Mills in the Seventh Ward and newcomer Dan Kantor in the Fourth. Kantor’s miscue is understandable — he’s new at this. Mills has been elected twice and couldn’t get one more committeeperson from her ward to stand up and be counted? She faces a serious primary challenge from former eight-term alderman Bill Reynolds (no relation). For Mills, it was not a good start.
Nowhere was the Gallo vs. Noble split in the party more evident than in the Second Ward where party stalwarts Kathy Mihm and Tom Hoffay backed different candidates. Mihm nominated two-term incumbent Brian Seche. Hoffay went for newcomer Douglas Koop. Seche, whose studied nonchalance is seen as indifference by some and just plain boredom to others, was soundly trounced by an almost 2-1 margin. They’ll decide things in September.
The Sixth Ward was one of the more interesting contests, wherein two-term incumbent Elisa Ball is not seeking re-election. Ball, a loyal Gallonian, endorsed Tony Davis, a middle-school teacher who won a narrow victory over Alex Panagiotopoulos 1,239-1,176. Davis has an interesting pedigree. Raised in “the projects” (Kingston’s Rondout Gardens, he now sits on the Housing Authority’s board of directors as a respected member of the community. Only in America.
“She was meant to be a county legislator,” declared outgoing alderman and council majority leader Matt Dunn in nominating Jennifer Schwartz Berky for an open seat in (Provenzano’s) downtown legislature District 7. Well, not yet. Provenzano nominated Brian Woltman who defeated the former assistant county planner by 11 (weighted) votes.
Stunned Berky backers were predicting a 2-1 win for their candidate against last-minute entry Woltman, the city’s purchasing officer and former Gallo campaign treasurer. There may be a lesson here for the “new Kingston” crowd, that being “right on the issues” (in their view) doesn’t necessarily translate into election results.
They liked Mike
Despite the fact he hadn’t formally announced for re-election, county Democrats last week enthusiastically endorsed County Executive Hein for another term. “I’m running,” Hein whispered into the ear of an inquiring reporter.
Last year’s Family Court candidate Gilda Riccardi of Saugerties nominated the incumbent, a coveted assignment which could vault her to the head of future judicial nominees. Reading from prepared text, she dutifully mentioned the exec’s “Democratic principles” three times in the first five minutes. There are some Democrats who consider the tight-fisted, staff-slashing Hein something on the order of Republican Lite.
Former legislator Alan Lomita of Rosendale, one of Hein’s supporters, rallied the crowd with an entertaining seconding speech. He actually had them chanting “Hein, Hein, Hein” at one point. Barking seals would have been jealous.
Lomita’s best line — bipartisanship in Albany means Democratic former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver and Republican ex-Senate majority leader Dean Skelos could share the same jail cell — was the laugh riot of the night. Lomita, as finance chairman during Hein’s first two years, had done much to advance the new executive’s agenda.
Riccardi and Lomita having spake the familiar litany, Hein was left to reminisce about his first announcement of candidacy back in November of 2007. He praised the people, including Lomita, who had stood with him on the courthouse steps.
Assuaging concerns that he might vacate for higher office at some point in the near future (see above), Hein declared, “You give me the best gift in the entire world. You give me the opportunity to do what I love.”
He did not commit to another four-year term, if re-elected.
Around the hall
County Democratic Chairman Frank Cardinale, sounding a little like Peter denying Christ, asked for volunteers for district attorney three times. He intoning to blank stares, “Are there any nominations for district attorney?” Pause. “Are there any nominations …?” Not a cock crowed. Gospel truth.
Republican DA Holley Carnright of Saugerties will get a pass, but not a cross-endorsement from Democrats. He’ll laugh all the way to a third term.
Nicole Tucker Parete, wife of former legislator Rob Parete, couldn’t get the grin off her face after leading the race for school board in the Rondout district the week before. . Parete, now the mother of two pre-schoolers, was a teacher in the Saugerties district and ran for county legislature in Saugerties four years ago, where she met her future husband.
Veteran Legislator Hector Rodriguez didn’t deny an interest in running for New Paltz town supervisor, when asked, should Susan Zimet decline another two-year term. Zimet nominated Rodriguez for legislature in the glowing terms of a confidante, citing among other things his integrity.
In nominating him for reelection, former Saugerties town Democratic Chairman Mike Harkavy called first-term Legislator Chris Allen “omnipresent’ in Saugerties. Somehow, that sounded ominous. “He was brimming with confidence,” Harkavy said of his first meeting with Allen two years ago. “I’m not sure I shared it with him.”
Allen went on to stomp nine-term Republican Bob Aiello, who vows to return.
Speaking to the shifting stands of politicians, someone whose name I didn’t get quoted Groucho Marx: “If you don’t like my principles, I have others.”
Politicians rarely shy from the obvious. “Jonathan Heppner is our future,” declared retiring Woodstock Legislator Don Gregorius. Heppner is 27 years old. With the Democratic nomination in hand, the young man faces bright horizons.
Kingston Democratic Chairman Joe Donaldson did a decent job of herding hissing cats under a tight deadline, but couldn’t resist this redundancy: “Our current mayor is the incumbent,” he said, without naming the current mayor, who hates him and his committee.
Donaldson’s brother, Kingston county Legislator Dave Donaldson, who briefly, very briefly, had flirted with a challenge to Hein last week, put politics in perspective. “I can’t lose,” the veteran county legislator said. “If I win, I win. If I lose, I win,” meaning more time for golf, wife Sylvia, their Florida condo and the grandkids.
And finally
I relegate this item to a footnote, something more than it deserves. At the city Dem convention, Gallo and others were passing around a petition presumably addressed to the state Democratic committee which alleged improprieties in the city Democratic committee. Written in turgid prose favored by lawyers, it spoke to packing the committee with (anti-Gallo) members “in an apparent effort to remake the committee to fit the desire and needs of the chairman [the unnamed Joe Donaldson].”
Chairmen stacking their committees to their own ends? My, my. Roars of laughter will be heard from Albany to Kingston, if anybody bothers to read it.
This is why people hate politics
You just can’t get good nominating help anymore.