Ken Ronk. (Photo: Dan Barton)
Ronk’s goal, it appears, is to unite a legislature divided between pro-executive and indifferent-executive members. His 14-9 election as chairman reaffirmed (with a slightly different mix) the Parete-Donaldson bipartisan coalition that elected Democrat John Parete chairman the last two years (in league with Ronk’s Republicans). Ronk is attempting to extend that majority of like minds to numbers that speak real clout. Toward that end, he is expected to reform the committee system to include committee chairs from minority Democrats.
Chamber music
I don’t think this has happened before, but three former chairmen are now sitting in the Ulster legislature: Richard Gerentine, Dave Donaldson and John Parete. Parete and Donaldson are seated in the back row on the Democratic side; Republican Gerentine, as long-standing chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, retains his front-row perch.
Parete is seated just across a narrow aisle from his son Richard, who after being elected on the Republican ticket is now caucusing with the GOP. Father and son are close enough to hold hands if they so choose.
Donaldson declared himself “quite torn” in voting for Ronk, but that was just Dave being Dave. Donaldson voted for chairman with Ronk’s Republicans for Parete the last two years.
John Parete, in his down-home style, praised the man who made him chairman and took it away. “He’s not the Judas goat type who would lead you to the cliff and then step aside,” Parete said. “I would imagine that if they wrote something in his high school yearbook [a dozen years ago] it would be ‘works and plays well with others.’”
What with rumors of Democratic mischief in the air, newly-elected Majority Leader Mary Beth Maio wasn’t taking any chances. The Republicans had heard that disgruntled Democrats might raise objections to Ronk’s election. “You’ll sit next to me if there’s any bullshit,” she whispered at caucus to legislature attorney Erika Guerin just prior to the organizational session. Democrats, perhaps sensing futility, behaved.
Under the heading of time flies, freshman Woodstock Democrat Jon Heppner, at 27 the legislature’s youngest member, advised me that I once covered his great-grandfather, legislator Addison Jones.
Ad, as Jones was fondly known, was a colorful character. A dairy farmer with a grip like iron, he operated Jones Dairy and sponsored numerous local championship bowling teams under that name. Some competed in national tournaments. Unlike his great-grandson, the “bowling milkman” came to government in his twilight years some 50 years ago.
Mea culpa
An old editor once told me reporters were allowed only one mistake a year. I hit my quota the first week in January and then some.
Ken Ronk, at 30, is the youngest chairman of the legislature. Former chairman Lou Klein was 35 when elected chairman in 1978.
There are also errors of omission. I failed to mention in the same piece that Ronk defeated T.J. Briggs of Ellenville in straight party-line voting. (Donaldson and John Parete voted with Republicans to produce the 14-9 outcome. Republicans hold a 12-11 majority.)
Briggs couldn’t have been too upset. His focus is on running for Wawarsing town supervisor next year.
Racing around
This just in: Democratic sheep farmer declares for state Senate. Could be baaad news for incumbent Republican George Amedore.
No, we’re not talking about former Democratic senator Cecilia Tkaczyk, the sheep farmer Amedore put out to pasture in 2014, but one Sara Niccoli, sheep farmer from Montgomery County and current Town of Palatine supervisor. Niccoli, 38, announced on her Facebook page that she was considering a run.
Elsewhere, Assemblyman Pete Lopez, citing family health issues, announced he was withdrawing from the race for the Republican nomination for Congress. Lopez could have been a contender, but was up against two challengers who had raised more than a million bucks each.
Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach — they call him “the ponderer” — has become a walking encyclopedia of the 19th Congressional District since announcing last month he was thinking of seeking the Democratic nomination. Meanwhile the Working Families Party is urging former party candidate for governor Zephyr Teachout to run. Andrew Cuomo, whom she challenged in a primary last year, might have something to say about that.
News of progressive Dem Teachout’s possible candidacy drove Republican hopeful Andrew Heaney over the edge. In a recent press release, he called her “a threat to our way of life.” Really? And I thought the urbane Heaney the more temperate of that gang. More a threat to Heaney’s political future, Teachout was seen walking around Uptown Kingston last Friday.
Down Orange County way a spokesman for veteran Sen. Bill Larkin confirms he’ll seek reelection to a 13th term in November. Larkin, who turns 88 next month, served five terms in the Assembly before being elected a state senator in 1988.
And finally, the winner of last week’s trivia contest on what building in Kingston is named for former congressman Joe Resnick, was, ta-da, nobody. Apparently, Joe, who died in 1969, has been all but forgotten. The county public works building on Hurley Avenue in Kingston was named for him when Democrats controlled the legislature in 1978-79.
