SD-61 Democratic candidate Joe Mesi is on the verge of receiving the Conservative Party endorsement in the 61st Senate District race, according to a press release issued by the Mesi campaign.
Erie County Conservative Party Chairman, Ralph C. Lorigo said the party decided to recommend Mesi after meeting with him Thursday night. "He understands that the taxpayers in Erie County have been hit hard by this economy, and wants to help them get back on their feet by bringing fiscal restraint to the Capital," Lorgio said.
"I am grateful for Conservative Party's support," said Mesi. "This year, we face difficult economic times, and yet Albany voted to increase spending in our State Budget. Having run my own business, I know it's important not to spend more than you take in and I think the politicians in Albany have forgotten this rule. I will work hard to bring fiscal responsibility to our State Legislature."
I must preface my remarks here by saying that I really like Joe Mesi as a candidate. I was very impressed with him following my interview with him and he has been working hard in the district.
Only one Democratic senator (oddly enough, it's a Buffalo-area senator - Sen. William Stachowski) has received and won with the Conservative line.
The problem with the New York State Conservative Party are their "legislative priorities", which don't necessarily fit into the Democratic platform.
Just some tidbits from their priorities:
- We are opposed to taxpayer financing of political campaigns.
- We staunchly reject any effort to reinforce current abortion laws. We support parental notification and/or consent prior to the performance of an abortion on an unmarried minor and we support New York passing a ban on the procedure known as Partial Birth Abortion, the elimination of Medicaid funding of abortions and support Informed Consent.
- The Conservative Party staunchly believes that all human cloning must be banned and that stem-cell research specifically prohibits the use of progenitor cells and/or pluripotent cells and is limited to adult stem cells and fetal cord blood research.
- We support a constitutional amendment that will define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. We also believe that any attempt to amend the Human Rights Law to include "transgender" language as a special class of citizens should be rejected.
Again, I like Mesi. But I do not know why Democrats would want to associate themselves with that full platform. That is pretty troubling, to say the least.
There are 3,967 Conservative Party voters in the 61st Senate District. Mesi has also received the Working Families Party endorsement. |
