NY-29: Do You Know Who Our Candidate Is?

from out here in Burdett... (0.00 / 0)

wow, the silence is deafening. So tell us: who is he actually?

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by: c u stageguy @ Thu Apr 08, 2010 at 05:29:22 AM UTC

The whole process stinks (0.00 / 0)

The lack of transparency and apparent tossing aside of qualified candidates has been amazing to watch.

Yes, the "bosses" choose the candidate for a special. But that doesn't mean that they can't involve the rest of the party via an open system, with open meetings, questions and answers, and straw polls-- at the minimum.

We now have a completely unknown candidate who apparently doesn't currently live in the district.

Eric won this race by working his ass off for three years plus. He tirelessly drove the district, East to West and North to South, visiting, talking, and meeting.

He put forward a platform that not everyone agreed with but he was passionate about it. His long and honored career in the military added credibility and gravitas to him.

Before Eric, there was Sam Barend. She also worked hard but never really found a resonant message. She also came across as young and inexperienced-- because she was: roughly the same age as Zeller is now. She never really gained traction and the final numbers showed that-- she picked up about 40% of the vote; roughly what the enrolment numbers would have predicted.

Before Sam, the candidates appeared to be more or less place holders.

Are we back to a place-holder?

This roll out and introduction have been horrible. If Zeller wants to be a credible candidate, he needs to start travelling the district, speak to everyone who will listen, put up a web site with positions and plans and message. If the party wants him to be a credible candidate, they need to see that his campaign account is funded very quickly.

Otherwise, a place-holder we have.

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by: davesnyd @ Thu Apr 08, 2010 at 11:57:01 AM UTC

He might not be eligible (0.00 / 0)

Zeller may not live in New York.  If that's the case, he would need to re-establish New York residency in order to run.

I don't know how long you have to live in the state to establish residency, but if it's any significant length of time the he wouldn't be able to qualify in time for a special election.

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by: Dan Jacoby @ Thu Apr 08, 2010 at 15:07:27 PM UTC

Didn't he keep his permanent residency in NY (0.00 / 0)

even though he was stationed in VA?

When I was stationed in NC, I still voted in NY.

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by: CaseStreet @ Thu Apr 08, 2010 at 18:42:06 PM UTC

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Residency requirements for federal office are minimal (0.00 / 0)

Mr. Zeller must only be an inhabitant of NY on the day he's elected.  Although I'm not aware of a precedent in the Second Circuit (covering NY/VT/CT), other federal courts have very consistently found that states may not impose more stringent residency requirements, and the Supreme Court has overturned other restrictions that states have attempted, such as term limits.

The most famous example is Tom DeLay. In mid-2006, he tried to be taken off the ballot in TX-22 by moving to VA. However, the federal courts decided that he could not be removed from the ballot because he could potentially become eligible if he moved back to TX by election day.

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by: bschak @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 02:49:45 AM UTC

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Define "inhabitant" (0.00 / 0)

My dictionary (and others) define an inhabitant as a "permanent resident."  If we follow that definition, then what constitutes a "permanent resident" of New York?  Is there a minimum time during which a person must live in New York in order to qualify as a permanent resident?

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by: Dan Jacoby @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 15:09:55 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Zeller (0.00 / 0)

I went to college with Matt at Hamilton College. He grew up in the Rochester area and has roots in the area. I'm not sure if he currently "lives" in the district, but he has strong connections there.

He signed up for the ROTC through Syracuse university and traveled to Syracuse at least twice a week from Hamilton.
Matt was always involved with politics on campus and was very proud of his continuing ROTC (he was one of only a handful of students at Hamilton).

After college I believe he got a masters in Public Administration at Syracuse's Maxwell school. He then continued his service overseas (I believe in Iraq).

I believe he currently works in D.C. at Dept. of Defense.

I believe that during his service time, his views on the wars in Afghanistan/Iraq had changed. I bet he has some powerful stories to tell that will work well on the campaign trail....

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by: mega @ Fri Apr 09, 2010 at 01:55:12 AM UTC

Thanks for this (0.00 / 0)

while my post was a little toungue and cheek, this was the exact type of insight I was hoping for.  Matt's service and commitment to military affairs is honorable and I hope he can bring some of that knowledge with him into the district.  Right now I'm a bit nervous about his campaign and the events surrounding his selection, but if he proves his viability and presence in the district, I'll be the first one in line supporting him.

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by: BingChester @ Fri Apr 09, 2010 at 06:02:14 AM UTC

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