| DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
New York state is a finalist for up to $700 million in federal education funds as part of the Race To The Top competition. This is a direct result of the Senate Democratic majority pushing through major legislation in recent months that allow test scores to be used in teacher evaluations and that raise the number of charter schools in the state to 460 from 200.
The Women's Campaign Forum has endorsed four Democratic candidates: Didi Barrett, Regina Calcaterra, Mary Wilmot, and Robin Wilt. The WCF is dedicated to advancing the political participation and leadership of women who support reproductive health choices for all. WCF, founded in 1974, is a non-partisan national network dedicated to achieving parity for women in public office.
The Human Rights Campaign New York endorsed numerous Democratic challengers and incumbents who are all supporters of marriage equality and whose election will "put New York on a path to fairness and equality for same-sex couples in the state." They endorsed incumbent Senators Brian Foley, Craig Johnson, Tom Duane, and Dave Valesky -- and Democratic candidates Dave Mejias, Tony Avella, and Regina Calcaterra. Not a single Republican was endorsed by the group.
Tony Avella, running against 38-year Republican incumbent Frank Padavan, was endorsed by a massive retail union . The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents 100,000 workers across the United States and Canada, gave Avella the nod, calling him "an independent voice for working New Yorkers and taxpayers." "He's exactly the kind of reformer we desperately need in Albany right now," said Stuart Applebaum, the union's president.
Democratic Candidate Mike Kaplowitz proposed massive pension reform, advocating for the elimination of overtime for calculating a public employee's pension and called for creating a pension plan for new public employees that would be similar to a 401K plan. Both measures, he said, could save taxpayers an estimated $2.2 billion over the next three years. "The costs of public pensions are killing New York State taxpayers," he said. By 2013, Kaplowitz said, public employee pensions will cost taxpayers $6.8 billion -- up from $2.4 billion in 2009.
Kaplowitz was also profiled by Jimmy Vielkind on The Albany-Times Union's Capitol Confidential blog. In the piece, Kaplowitz spoke about how the GOP primary schism in the district is sure to play to his advantage. "There's no question that the schism between the two of them will benefit me, because there are a lot of rank and file Republicans very angry with and very unhappy with the shenanigans of Assemblyman Greg Ball," Kaplowitz said. Those shenanigans include an allegation that Ball denies that he groped a woman at an Albany bar, sleeps with a gun under his bed and once found a dead goat on his driveway.
Democratic Candidate Didi Barrett, running against Republican incumbent Stephen Saland, weighed in on a variety of issues in a wide-ranging interview with The Register-Star. She said "It's not about upstate or downstate, it's about New York state. Politics has gotten in the way of progress for New York. We need an era that doesn't complain and blame, but gets things done." On balancing the budget, Barrett said that's "something someone like me brings to the mix. I'm not a politician; I spent a long time in the not-for-profit sector. I learned to stretch a dollar by thinking outside the box. Everything should be on the table as a way to explore the best solutions."
Democratic Candidate Joanne Yepsen has continued to fight for the future of Saratoga Race Course. Yepsen and Sen. Eric Adams, head of the state Senate's racing committee, held a roundtable at Saratoga National Golf Club to discuss the racing industry's impact on the local economy. Yepsen said all stakeholders - New York Racing Association, New York City Off Track Betting and the Aqueduct racino operator - should be brought together to deal with racing's future collectively. Several years ago, NYRA had a management contract with MGM to run Aqueduct's racino, but the state wouldn't approve it for unexplained reasons. "We've got different people running the state now," Yepsen said.
Sen. Darrel Aubertine said that he is honored to have the endorsement of independent voters throughout his district. "I'm so pleased and honored to have the endorsement of the local independent voters and the Independence Party ballot line this fall," Sen. Aubertine said. "Working for all of us means working together. I want to thank all nine members of the local Independence Party Committee and all of the local voters who signed petitions for your support and endorsement." Over the past year, more than 50 pieces of legislation sponsored or co-sponsored by Sen. Aubertine passed the Senate.
REPUBLICANS
Showing just how out of touch he really is, Republican incumbent Stephen Saland attended a $19,000 black-tie dinner for his re-election campaign that was thrown by a politically connected couple in April at their Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, estate. The $19,000 dinner was listed as an in-kind donation to Saland's campaign. That means it was for services rendered for a political function, but not a direct monetary contribution. "There's a lot of trust with the reporting by the campaigns," said Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union, a good-government group. "There's very little if any verification." |
