After getting back from the truly amazing Democratic convention, I still have one of Barack Obama's lines from his speech stuck in my head:
Change doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington.
I feel that it would be just as easy, if not easier, to substitute "Albany" for "Washington" in that sentence. Compared to Albany, Washington looks like a bastion of functionality.
In one week from today, co-Governor Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is facing his first electoral challenge in 26 years. In that time, he has committed many transgressions, from repealing the commuter tax, to killing the congestion pricing without even giving the voters of NY the dignity of letting them know where their legislators stand on the issues, to overseeing a pork-distribution system that almost puts Washington to shame, to presiding over a system of legislative district gerrymandering in which he agrees to let the GOP control the State Senate just so he can have a superfluous 108-seat majority in the Assembly, to engaging in truly shameless patronage, to negotiating budgets year after year behind closed doors with virtually no public input or oversight, to using underhanded legislative tactics to bankrupt municipalities at the behest of special interests, to refusing the public the respect to know how much he makes doing his day job work as a trial lawyer. All of this has happened with zero voter accountability since Ronald Reagan was President and McCain wouldn't be a national laughingstock for referring to "Checkoslovakia."
One week from today, all that changes. Obama delegate and reformer Paul Newell is running a spirited campaign against Sheldon Silver in the Democratic primary a week from today. Silver also has another challenger, Luke Henry- Luke is a good guy and I do not buy the conspiracy theories that he is a stalking-horse for Sliver to divide the opposition. However, Newell has run a better campaign, has deeper roots in the district, and has passed the credibility threshold indicated by his endorsements by the New York Times and other newspapers.
Errol Louis said the AD-64 race is the "the single most important political contest in New York this year" and he's dead right. Now it's the voters' turn to have their referendum on over 2 decades of Albany status quo.
If you want to help turn the tide and bring change to Albany, please get involved in the Newell campaign. Here is an excerpt of an email they sent out a few days ago:
Every day for the next 10 days we need your help. Handing out literature, making phone calls, knocking on doors or just helping around the office.. It's a lot of fun, and it is the only way we can compete with Sheldon Silver's millions of dollars in special interest money.
In particular, if you have time on September 9th - we need all hands on deck. Please call us at 646-415-8273 today to let us know when you can make it in.
With just over a week to go, the campaign is speeding up. Since we received the New York Times endorsement, we have directly contacted over 1,000 voters, and raised over $40,000 from over 200 donors. Lower Manhattanites are ready for New Ideas. Help us deliver them.
Together we can bring real change Downtown.
In one week, I promise all my fire will be directed at Republicans, and if Shelly hangs on to his seat, I will completely support him against any Republican opponent he may have.
But until then, please consider helping bring change to Albany. Paid troll confused Carl Brinkers of the world notwithstanding, a Crain's poll back in 2007 found that 73% of New Yorkers favored removing Sheldon Silver from power. Let's hope the voters get their wish in 7 days.
UPDATE: Azi is reporting that Newell has outraised both Shelly and Henry in his 11-day pre-primary report:
In the pre-primary filing report (which candidates are required to file 11 days before the primary), Newell raised $40,015. In that same time period, Silver raised $19,575.44. Attorney Luke Henry raised only $510.
But that's just a snapshot of what's going on in the race. Here's the bigger picture: overall, Silver has on hand $2,941,159.64, Newell has $37,729.78 and Henry has $9,086.34.
Sorry, Henry supporters- $510? Newell is running the stronger campaign. Please coalesce around the strongest opposition to Silver, that being Paul Newell. Henry has established himself well to run for Alan Gerson's city council seat in 2009. |
