| County Executive Chris Collins, a Republican who is being considered as the GOP's "Plan B" for governor in 2010, has found another candidate to target one of the so-called "obstructionists" to his agenda.
WBEN radio host and Canisius College professor Kevin Hardwick announced on Sunday that he would be running against Erie County Legislator Michele Iannello and now another local media personality will resign from her post and run for Erie County Legislature on the Republican line.
Lynne Dixon, who resigned from Buffalo's NBC affiliate WGRZ Channel 2, will run against Legislator Bob Reynolds, who represents the 12th Legislative District.
Here is more on the story from The Buffalo News:
Dixon, 43, is a registered member of the Independence Party, which is expected to give her a strong claim on that nomination. The sources say she also has submitted a letter to Conservative leaders declaring her intention to run. They have scheduled her for an interview on Tuesday.
The Channel 2 reporter marks the second, high-profile media figure selected by Republicans in recent days to run for the County Legislature. Kevin R. Hardwick, a Canisius College political science professor who hosted the "Hardline with Hardwick" government and politics show on WBEN Radio, said over the weekend he will challenge Legislator Michele M. Iannello, D-Kenmore.
When Collins started out, he was targeting three incumbents. Two of those incumbents were Iannello and Reynolds, both of whom he claimed are "obstructionists." The third target is Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz, who will be a much more difficult candidate to find an opponent for. It is a countywide race and Poloncarz will be a very tough candidate to run against.
It is interesting that Collins has turned to the local media for his talent pool. Hardwick wasn't a huge shocker, given his past in politics and clearly the desire was there to get involved again. But getting Dixon to run is something that is a bit of a risk. She was referred to in the News piece as a "high-profile" pick, but it's hard to tell just how high her profile is. It would be another story if she was an anchor. They tend to be more recognized. But she was a reporter and got minimal face time.
Collins is trying to flex some political muscle here. In November, the test will take place to see if he has any political muscle. Hardwick will be a tough challenger, but Iannello is very popular in her district. Dixon might be a "high-profile" figure, but I don't see her beating Reynolds. And Collins will need to find someone with real credentials to run against Poloncarz, who is a very tough opponent and is already being considered a challenger for county executive in 2011. |
