| As was usually the case in this district, the conventional wisdom was that Bruno would waltz to victory like every other incumbent was expected to and almost always does (with the notable exception of Stewart-Cousins beating Spano, a clear example of why every seat should be contested!) But this summer, after initially indicating support for Brian Premo to run as the Democratic challenger to Sen. Bruno, the Saratoga Dems broke from the Rensselaer Dems and did not endorse a candidate. Its all a bit complicated, but what's key is that it was Democrats who filed a complaint with the Board of Elections to get Primo off the ballot. That didn't mean the Republicans were leaving the outcome to chance :
While Bruno's camp maintains it had nothing to do with the four Democrats who objected . . . Bruno's attorneys came out in force. During the hearing, where the state Board of Elections was supposed to defend its position, Bruno's attorneys . . . took over. Todd Valentine, an attorney for the state board, only asked one question of the seven witnesses who testified.
We see that the Republicans understand how significant having a challenger is. Had there been an aggressive challenger, the Bruno FBI investigation may very well have come to light BEFORE the election. And if the Dems had been able to field a challenger and Bruno actually had to defend his own seat, it may have discouraged some of his enthusiasm for sending funds from his re-election campaign coffers to other races across the state. What we might have avoided:
$25,000.00 NYS CONSERVATIVE PARTY
$25,000.00 NEW YORK COUNTY INDEPENDENCE PARTY
$10,000.00 CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF NYS
$8,500.00 FRIENDS OF JOHN FLANAGAN
$8,500.00 FRIENDS OF CARL MARCELLINO
$8,500.00 FRIENDS OF BALBONI
$8,500.00 CITIZENS FOR HANNON
$8,500.00 FRIENDS OF NICK SPANO COMM.
$8,500.00 LEIBELL SENATE COMMITTEE
$8,500.00 FRIENDS OF FARLEY
$8,500.00 CITIZENS FOR JOSEPH ROBACH
$8,500.00 CITIZENS FOR BROWN/THE EMPIRE CLUB
$8,500.00 SALAND FOR SENATE
$8,500.00 SEN. VOLKER CAMPAIGN COMM.
$8,500.00 FRIENDS OF MARYLOU RATH
$8,500.00 FRIENDS OF SENATOR LIBOUS COMMITTEE
$8,500.00 CITIZENS TO ELECT JOHN BONACIC
$8,500.00 CITIZENS FOR MORAHAN
$8,500.00 FRIENDS OF SEN. SELR MALTESE
$8,500.00 FRIENDS FOR FUSCHILLO
$8,500.00 CAESAR TRUNZO CAMPAIRN FUND
$8,000.00 SENATOR FRANK PADAVAN RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN COMM.
$5,400.00 FRIENDS OF JOE GRIFFO
$5,400.00 ANDREW LANZA FOR STATEN ISLAND
$5,000.00 JACOBS FOR SENATE
$5,000.00 FRIENDS OF JOHN FASO
$3,100.00 FRIENDS OF JOE GRIFFO
$3,100.00 ANDREW LANZA FOR STATEN ISLAND
And maybe an aggressive challenger would have asked some questions, raised some eyebrows, and gotten some press about what the heck this was doing in the campaign expenditures filing?** $98,953.00 PLUG POWER INC. OTHER - LOSS ON SALE OF STOCKS
$18,901.50 MECHANICAL TECH INC. OTHER - LOSS ON SALE OF STOCKS
This is a small part of what could have been on the table during the 2006 State Senate elections cycle. NY State Senate Democrats could have very well shared in the great wave of progressive reform sweeping the country. Instead, they may have to buy their way to the majority with massively long and expensive campaign fights… the first of which we will see this month.
Howard Dean's 50 state strategy, to challenge EVERY seat held by the Republicans and "build[ing] a strong opposition party with a clear message of change" is the right way to elect representatives to our government. We need to end the backroom wheeling and dealing that leads to incompetence and corruption.
** This from the Times In July 2001, Mr. Bruno took credit for securing $500,000 in state money for a joint research project involving Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy and Plug Power Inc., a maker of fuel cells, near Albany, that has had contracts with the state and received other government assistance. At the time, Mr. Bruno was a shareholder in both Plug Power and a sister company, Mechanical Technology. He bought stock in both firms in 2000, according to his financial disclosure reports.
Mr. McArdle said the senator sold his shares in both companies in 2005 at a loss. |
