| There are further signs that a new Long Island front is opening in the statewide political war between Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Brunswick) that began last February with a special Senate election race in Nassau.
A fundraiser is scheduled next Tuesday for Nassau Legis. David Mejias, at the Manhattan home of Senate Democratic Campaign Committee finance chairman Bill Samuels, featuring Spitzer as a "special guest."
None too subtly, the invitations to the evening event state the limits for contributions by individuals and to state Senate campaigns. Tickets go for $500 and up. A $5,000 donation rates the contributor as a "VIP" to the Friends of David Mejias committee.
Mejias this month survived one of the strongest of re-election challenges from Republican Joseph Belesi by a mere 228 votes as of the count Nov. 13, allowing the Democrats to hang on to their 10-9 legislative majority.
Asked Monday night about the rather clear new evidence of a brewing Hannon challenge...
Dan Janison
...which was first broached by the News' Liz Benjamin here, Mejias maintained: "I am honored the governor and state party think highly of me and want to see me run for higher office. But I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm happy being the legislator from Farmingdale. I love being a county legislator - it's a great job. The only thing I'm running in for sure will be the Long Island Marathon."
But Belesi, who lost the razor-thin race, had a statement of his own.
"He's dishonest," Belesi just told us. "He promised that he's not running for any other office...The ink's not even dry on this election. People in the 14th district deserve better than him. He's way off base. He recently missed the vote for the independent budget review position for Eric Naughton."
"He's a typical professional pol. If I won election by 1.5 percent, I would say I have to work harder at it... He's never going to beat Kemp....If you want to run for office, do the right thing for the people and step down."
As previously reported by Celeste Hadrick in Newsday, Mejias changed his voting address on Oct. 26 from North Massapequa to Farmingdale, prompting speculation that he'd challenge state Sen. Kemp Hannon next November as Spitzer and the Democrats attempt to oust that house's Republican majority. To run Mejias would have to live in the district for 12 months preceding the election.
Mejias said at the time he just wanted a swimming pool and a garage. |
