The new Siena Polls are hot off the presses an things look pretty good for Dems across the state. In fact, if these numbers are correct and the election wre held today, the GOP would lose it's Senate majority.
The biggest numbers to pop out is the lead Brian Foley has over Caesar Trunzo (R-FL) and the huge comeback by incumbent Dem Bill Stachowski. Foley leads Trunzo by a whopping 22 points and Stachowski has turned a 13 point deficit into a 4 point lead.
A rundown:
3rd SD - Suffolk County - Caesar Trunzo (R, incumbent) vs. Brian Foley (D)
Foley has a 56-34 percent lead over Trunzo. Trunzo led 46-40 percent in the previous Siena New York Poll. While Foley has picked up a little more support among Democrats, he has cut Trunzo's lead among Republican voters to 53-39 percent, down dramatically from 71-16 percent. Additionally, Foley has opened up a 63-27 percent lead among independent voters, up from 43-40 percent previously.
Foley has expanded a two-point lead in Brookhaven to a 12-point lead, and reversed 12-point deficit in Islip and turned it into 30-point lead. Where Trunzo had a nine-point lead among voters 55-years of age and older, Foley now leads with those voters 52-40 percent. Foley leads by 13 points with men and 30 points with women. The only demographic group in which Trunzo leads is among Republicans.
If Foley leads by even 10 points in Trunzo's Islip backyard, this thing is over. The poll shows a 30 point lead. And before the GOoPs start screaming about the poll sample, look at the Obama/McCain numbers. They are essentially dead even. It's not like they are only polling Dems.
6th SD - Nassau County - Kemp Hannon (R, incumbent) vs. Kristen McElroy (D)
Hannon has a commanding 56-30 percent lead, in a district that is virtually evenly enrolled between Republicans and Democrats. Hannon has the support of 80 percent of Republicans and picks up the support of nearly one-third of Democrats. McElroy only wins among Democrats 55-32 percent, while only attracting support from 10 percent of Republicans. Hannon leads among independent voters 56-21 percent.
McElroy leads among young voters and those in the Council District 1 section of the Hempstead portion of the Senate district. However, Hannon has much bigger leads in the remainder of the district and has better than 60 percent among voters who are at least 35-years old.
Ouch. Got some work to do here.
15th SD - Queens County - Serph Maltese (R, incumbent) vs. Joseph Addabbo, Jr. (D)
Addabbo currently has a slim 45-43 percent lead over Maltese. In the September Siena poll, the two were tied at 42 percent, in this district that has an overwhelmingly Democratic enrollment edge. Maltese has the support of more than three-quarters of Republicans and one-quarter of Democrats. Addabbo leads 61-27 percent among Democrats and picks up the support of 20 percent of Republicans. Maltese leads among independent voters 51-31 percent. Maltese leads by four points with men, while Addabbo has a seven-point lead with women. Addabbo leads in the southern part of the district and Maltese leads in the north.
Maltese is viewed favorably by 45 percent of voters and unfavorably by 33 percent of voters, down from a 48-16 percent favorable rating previously. Addabbo's favorable rating is 42-30 percent, and was previously 38-20 percent.
Obama leads McCain in this district 57-32 percent, up from 49-31 percent.
48th SD - Oswego/Jefferson/St. Lawrence - Darrel Aubertine (D, incumbent) vs. David Renzi (R)
Aubertine, who had a 51-31 percent lead over Renzi in the last poll, has seen that lead drop to 49-38 percent. Aubertine has the support of nearly three-quarters of Democrats and more than one-third of Republicans in this district with a heavy Republican enrollment edge. Renzi leads 57-35 percent with Republicans, up from 41-37 percent previously, and only gets 13 percent of Democrats. Aubertine is winning among independent voters 49-34 percent, up from 41-37 percent previously. While Renzi has erased a 20-point Aubertine lead in Oswego County, and now leads there 44-37 percent, Aubertine has widened his leads in Jefferson (25 points, up from 16) and St. Lawrence (30 points, up from 27) Counties.
Aubertine is viewed favorably by 54 percent of voters and unfavorably by 31 percent of voters, down from 58-21 percent previously. Renzi has a 40-35 percent favorability rating; previously it was 34-15 percent.
Aubertine is going to fine.
58th SD - Erie County - William Stachowski (D, incumbent) vs. Dennis Delano (R)
Stachowski now has a 47-43 percent lead over Delano, after trailing 49-36 percent in the previous Siena poll in this district where Democrats have a better than two-to-one enrollment edge. Stachowski has increased his lead among Democrats to 62-30 percent (up from 51-34 percent). Delano maintains a 63-25 percent lead among Republicans (virtually unchanged from 64-23 percent) and has seen his lead among independent voters fall to 54-36 percent, down from 67-19 percent.
Whereas Delano led in all three sections of the district previously, Stachowski now leads 47-37 percent in Buffalo/Lackawanna, 48-45 percent in Cheektowaga, and 47-44 percent in the southern suburbs. Stachowski has a 12-point lead with men, while Delano has a two-point lead with women. Delano has a significant lead with Protestants. Stachowski leads with Catholics, and has a big lead among younger voters.
Stachowski has a 50-31 percent favorable rating. It had been 39-14 percent. Delano's favorable rating, 53-33 percent, is down from 63-15 percent. Delano continues to have a positive favorable rating with voters of every party, while Stachowski has increased his favorability among Democrats but lost ground with independent voters and saw his favorability among Republicans drop from 35-12 percent to 29-50 percent.
More than half of voters would like to see the Senate controlled by Democrats, and Obama has opened 55-37 percent lead over McCain, up from 45-41 percent previously.
"Senator Stachowski has turned this race around. In four weeks he has erased a 13-point deficit and turned it into a tight four-point lead. Where Delano previously had a much better favorable rating with voters, the two are now viewed by voters in virtually the same light. We will have to wait until Election Day to see if Stachowski continues his momentum to win re-election, or if Delano can turn this race back around again and defeat a 27-year incumbent in this overwhelmingly Democratic district," Greenberg said.
Stach is back. That's what a comeback looks like. I guess the more folks learn about Delano, the less they like what they see. Also, this one of those races that an Obama wave could seriously affect. If that wave reaches Buffalo, Stachowski could end up blowing Delano right out of the water.
61st SD - Erie and Genesee Counties - Michael Ranzenhofer (R) vs. Joseph Mesi (D)
Ranzenhofer has a 47-42 percent lead over Mesi, who had a slimmer 40-38 percent lead in the previous Siena poll, in this district where Republicans have a very small enrollment edge over Democrats. Ranzenhofer leads among Republicans 69-25 percent, up from 59-21 percent. Mesi leads among Democrats 62-29 percent, closer than the previous 63-19 percent. Mesi leads among independent voters 42-37 percent, although Ranzenhofer closed the gap from 43-28 percent. Mesi leads in Tonawanda by seven points (down from 10). Ranzenhofer leads in the Clarence/Newstead/Genesee County portions of the district by 15 points (up from two points), and in Amherst by three points (up a tick from two points).
Ranzenhofer has a 47-26 percent favorable rating, compared to 35-12 percent previously. Mesi's favorable rating is 46-37 percent, compared to 45-18 percent in the previous Siena poll.
While the race has shifted seven points from Mesi to Ranzenhofer, a reverse trend occurred on the question of who voters support to control the Senate. Previously, voters supported Republican control by a 44-38 percent margin, while now a slim plurality, 43-41 percent, support Democratic control. The presidential race also flipped, with McCain's 45-40 percent lead now becoming a 51-42 percent lead for Obama.
"This district is close in enrollment between Republicans and Democrats. The voters are close in their view on which party should control the Senate. The voters have switched their support from McCain to Obama over the last few weeks. And a small Mesi lead has turned into a slightly wider Ranzenhofer lead. Which party's voters turn out in larger numbers on Tuesday may well determine the outcome of this race. Either way, it figures to be a late night as the votes get counted in this race," Greenberg said.
This one may very well come down to Obama's GOTV operation as well. If his voters show in force, I think Mesi wins this thing. Mesi likes to remind folks that he is undefeated. If the Obama wave does indeed materialize in the manner that it appears to be, he'll be able to call himself undefeated still. Give him a hand.
Now, I know who Rus Thompson is. He is the blogger that featured this rambling from Delano. Thompson is a conservative and for him to say that we are all Democrat, all the time over here is hypocritical. You have your allegiances too, pal. We don't hide our bias and who we are aligned with. You don't either. So let's get beyond this shock that The Albany Project is a bunch of liberals. We know. We have known for some time.
As for Delano, there are a few things he said in his rebuttal that are funny, stupid and shows how uninformed he is.
For example, Delano said this: "#6. There is no federal law that prohibits "politicking while collecting a public paycheck!" Actually, there is. It's called, well, the Hatch Act. And the Hatch Act DOES apply to state and local employees. For state and local employees, you can run for non-partisan office (for Delano, that is an election where no political parties are involved), you can join and be a member of political clubs and organizations, campaign for candidates who are running for any office, partisan or non-partisan, and contribute money to political organizations.
But one of the things you CAN'T do is run for partisan office. Delano is suspended with pay from his post with the Buffalo Police Department. The Buffalo Police Department, like many police departments in this country, receives funding from the federal government. So what you are going to argue Delano? That the Buffalo Police Department doesn't receive federal funding?
In relation to this topic about police officers and the Hatch Act, Larry James (General Counsel for the National Fraternal order of Police) wrote an advisory opinion on this. As Delano correctly noted, this is just an advisory opinion. However, everything James said was true. Delano doesn't think so though. Delano said this about James' advisory opinion: "#22 (A) an advisory is a written opinion on something not a person to person communication like it seems to be here, but either way it is a Totally false statement, and must be cut from a longer statement!"
That is partially correct. While an advisory opinion is an opinion (or else it wouldn't have the word "opinion" in there), the advisory opinion in this case includes what is permissible and impermissible according to the Hatch Act. When Delano says "... either way it is a Totally false statement" he is referring to this line:
In an advisory by Larry James, General Counsel to the National Fraternal Order of Police, it is plainly noted as impermissible to "run for any elected partisan office."
Apparently Delano didn't bother researching the advisory opinion. Not surprising since he doesn't care about the issues. In James' advisory opinion under "It is impermissible to" it says, among other things, "Run for any elected partisan office."
It would appear so. Check out this rather lame, self serving, and seemingly self penned defense at Albany's Insanity. It contains such gems as this:
We know that SD-58 hopeful Dennis Delano, the guy who won't debate or talk to the press,
#2 I HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO ACCOMMODATE THE PRESS IF IT WAS POSSIBLE, WHY WOULDN'T I?)
...
By remaining on the public payroll while running for the Senate and not getting a waiver from the US Office of Special Counsel,
#4 At the very end of this article, the author admits that he doesn't know if I got a waiver or not, no one called them to check!
So, Delano won't speak to the press, his protestations notwithstanding, but he will furiously spew and spin on a local right-friendly blog.
OK, got it.
Also, notice that his big defense seems to be that no one ever asked him if he got a waiver from the US Office of Special Counsel, not that he actually did secure such a waiver. That's, um, hardly the same thing.
And the Special Counsel's Office is indeed concerned. From an emailed release:
Contact with the Special Counsel earlier today confirms the legitimacy of this concern. According to the Special Counsel, the law specifically applies to any federal, state or local official who duties or employment are carried out in full, or in part, with federal grants and funding. Buffalo law enforcement has been and continues to be the recipient of federal funding and grants.
And Delano isn't just putting his own campaign at risk, he's risking the federal funding and grants given to the Buffalo PD:
According to the National District Attorney's Association (NDAA) an employee funded in part with a federal grant is indeed covered by the act, and cannot "run for partisan office without resigning from her position or risking a funding penalty for her agency."
NDAA also states that "Hatch Act restrictions apply to any act in furtherance of candidacy, including acts before a formal announcement. Canvassing for votes, circulating petitions for candidacy and soliciting funding are prohibited."
Furthermore, it was reported just last month that the U.S. Congress held hearings on the Hatch Act regarding a proposal that "would allow state and local employees to run for partisan offices such as city council or sheriff in cities with 100,000 or fewer residents. These government employees currently are prohibited from partisan campaigning, and if found guilty of violating the Hatch Act, they would be fired and could not be reinstated for 18 months."
This race just keeps getting weirder and weirder. I'm not really sure what to make of these developments short of the realization that maybe Dennis Delano is just full of crap.
More evidence of the "hide the candidate" strategy of the Dennis Delano campaign from his very own campaign site.
He can ask people to call 911 about lawn sign tampering, but can't seem to bring himself to actually appear in public. I mean, it's the Friday before E-day and his "upcoming events" schedule is "tba?"
What the hell? Though he may be suspended from the Buffalo Police Department, Dennis Delano was still a cop for many years. You would think that he understands that 911 is a number hat should only be dialed in actual emergencies, ya know life and death stuff. Apparently not. Check out theis "ALERT!" from his campaign site;
Please be aware that my opponent has people out there stealing our lawn signs from just about every part of the district, if you see anyone tampering with our signs please call 911 and report it after getting a plate number. We will press charges. Thank's (sic) for all of the help and support! Den Delano
Please call 911? Because someone is "tampering" with your lawn signs? Really? Does Delano believe his signs are so important that they should take precedence over people with, ya know, honest to God emergencies? Are you kidding me?
Dennis Delano, the Republican candidate for New York Senate District 58, has created a close race for incumbent Bill Stachowski despite the fact that he's turned down numerous debate and interview offers.
...
"Certainly a Democrat should win that district, and if a Republican wins it, and they don't come out and talk with folks about the issues and appeal to them on that basis, then it's all about name recognition," Hardwick, a Canisius College professor, said.
According to Delano's campaign, he prefers to go door-to-door and talk with voters one-on-one as opposed to talking through a television camera.
Delano turned down 2 On Your Side's interview requests both yesterday and today and also declined to participate in a 2 On Your Side debate.
...
"The process is: You want our votes, you've got to answer our questions," Hardwick said. "I think the only way you find that out is seeing him think on his feet, in a debate, finding out what he's all about, and I don't know how that comes out unless you talk to the media."
Stachowski said he's attended at least ten public forums and events and that Delano has not been at any of them.
We believe it's a shame my Republican opponent didn't feel it was necessary to come out in public and talk about the issues. The fact is--that is part of the process."
That's Dennis Delano. This site says it's an actual campaign photo. If so, someone is probably in the wrong line of work.
UPDATE: Yep. It's true. That photo is cropped from this one on Delano's campaign site. I have to admit that I've never seen a candidate include a shot of himself out drinking with the boys on a campaign site before.
We know that SD-58 hopeful Dennis Delano, the guy who won't debate or talk to the press, was suspended from the Buffalo Police Department back in February and has continued to collect a paycheck ever since, even as he is running for office. The hole thing sounds pretty damn fishy to begin with and now there is this. By remaining on the public payroll while running for the Senate and not getting a waiver from the US Office of Special Counsel, it seems rather clear that Delano is violating one of the oldest campaign laws on the books, the Hatch Act. That's a pretty big no-no. I just received this release from the Stachowski campaign:
IS DELANO IN VIOLATION OF THE HATCH ACT?
Campaign in shambles as Republican candidate-in-hiding breaks the federal law that prohibits politicking while collecting a public paycheck
Buffalo - (October 29, 2008) - Republican State Senate candidate Dennis Delano was slammed today with questions regarding his candidacy and likely violation of federal law. Delano, who has hid from the public after a series of high profile embarrassments in which he showcased ignorance about the Taylor Law, gerrymandering and other 8th grade lessons, has failed to provide any documentation that proves his campaign is not in direct violation of the Hatch Act of 1939, officially known as an Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities.
"Voters have a right to know that the person asking for their vote is not intentionally breaking the law," declared Campaign Manager Cathy Calhoun. "Delano has failed to provide any proof so far that his campaign is legit. If appropriate documentation is not readily accessible, the consequence is clear: he must cease his candidacy or resign effective immediately"
Calhoun added, "Dennis needs to take a civics course. He has displayed nothing but contempt for the public."
Under the Hatch Act anyone paid with federal dollars must seek an advisory opinion and waiver from the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel before launching a political candidacy.
"Has Dennis spoken with legal advisors who have previously advised him on this issue? If so, whom? Does he have a written advisory or waiver from the Special Counsel? Do his actions place any liability on the City of Buffalo or the local police?" Calhoun demanded. "Dennis's actions could have far-reaching consequences. Not knowing the Hatch Act, the Taylor Law and other important laws has left us wondering what he actually does know."
It was reported October 26th by Channel 7 News that since being suspended in February, Dennis Delano has continued to collect his salary. About $41, 297 has been paid to Delano in that time. Since dedicating himself to his Republican candidacy, Delano has pocketed an additional $26,000, all of which comes at the expense of taxpayers. Channel 7 also noted that Delano has purposefully prolonged his suspension, delaying the hearing into his alleged misconduct until after the election.
"Talk about the sweet life, the guy is getting paid to campaign. Long Islander Dean Skelos has lined his pockets and taxpayers are footing his bills," said Calhoun. "No wonder this guy can't find the time to talk to voters, he's too busy finding ways to skirt the law. As it turns out ignorance is bliss, and profitable!"
In an advisory by Larry James, General Counsel to the National Fraternal Order of Police, it is plainly noted as impermissible to "run for any elected partisan office." The advisory also states that it is against the law to "allow one's name or likeness to be used in campaign literature in the police officer's professional capacity."
An advisory by the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel states:
Covered employees are those whose principal employment is with a state, county or municipal executive agency, and whose job duties are "in connection with" programs financed in whole or in part by loans or grants made by the United States or an agency thereof. 5 U.S.C. § 1501(4). Employees are subject to the Act if, as a normal and foreseeable incident of their principal employment, they perform duties in connection with the federally financed activities. In re Hutchins, 2 P.A.R. 160, 164 (1944); Special Counsel v. Gallagher, 44 M.S.P.R. 57 (1990). Coverage is not dependent on the source of an employee's salary, nor is it dependent upon whether the employee actually administers the funds or has policy duties with respect to them. Special Counsel v. Williams, 56 M.S.P.R. 277, 283-84 (1993), aff'd, Williams v. M.S.P.B., 55 F.3d 917 (4th Cir. 1995), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1071 (1996) (unreported decision).
"Thankfully for Dennis's sake, the requirements are clear if he reads them. If he has not broken the law, just show us the proof already. The public's trust hangs in the balance," concluded Calhoun.
This seems to be a rather cut and dry case. Either Delano obtained a waiver from the Office of Special Counsel or he did not. If he did, he needs to produce it pronto. If he did not, he's in deep doo-doo.
Yesterday, Phillip highlighted Dennis Delano and his suspension from the Buffalo Police Department. There appears to be another (and possibly bigger) story coming out of that suspension. The question is this: Is Dennis Delano in violation of the Hatch Act?
The Hatch Act, as it applies to police officers, prohibits municipal employees (police officers in this instance) from running for partisan office. There are some things, as public employees, that police officers can do. They can even run for non-partisan office but it is against the Hatch Act to run for partisan office. A state senate election pitting Delano, a Republican, against the Democratic incumbent Bill Stachowski would be a partisan election.
How does this apply to Delano? He is suspended from the Buffalo Police with pay. He has been paid throughout his suspension from the force pending a hearing. That hearing has been delayed and pushed back until after the election.
Here is more on this from Stachowski's campaign:
Under the Hatch Act anyone paid with federal dollars must seek an advisory opinion and waiver from the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel before launching a political candidacy.
"Has Dennis spoken with legal advisors who have previously advised him on this issue? If so, whom? Does he have a written advisory or waiver from the Special Counsel? Do his actions place any liability on the City of Buffalo or the local police?" Calhoun demanded. "Dennis's actions could have far-reaching consequences. Not knowing the Hatch Act, the Taylor Law and other important laws has left us wondering what he actually does know."
It was reported October 26th by Channel 7 News that since being suspended in February, Dennis Delano has continued to collect his salary. About $41, 297 has been paid to Delano in that time. Since dedicating himself to his Republican candidacy, Delano has pocketed an additional $26,000, all of which comes at the expense of taxpayers. Channel 7 also noted that Delano has purposefully prolonged his suspension, delaying the hearing into his alleged misconduct until after the election.
"Talk about the sweet life, the guy is getting paid to campaign. Long Islander Dean Skelos has lined his pockets and taxpayers are footing his bills," said Calhoun. "No wonder this guy can't find the time to talk to voters, he's too busy finding ways to skirt the law. As it turns out ignorance is bliss, and profitable!"
It appears to me that Delano is breaking the law (ironic, isn't it?) just by running for state senate.
But this raises other questions: Would Delano still take his police salary (while on suspension or not) if elected to the New York State Senate? I'm sure he would. That shouldn't sit well with the taxpayers.
It looks like Delano didn't have to talk to us after all about the issues. With his silence, we have still been able to find out interesting and necessary information about him that people should know.
58th District: William T. Stachowski. For years, William T. Stachowski has been a senator with a public profile that verged on invisibility. A Democrat in the Republicancontrolled Senate, Stachowski had what appeared to be a safe seat and not a lot to do in a Legislature that muzzles members of the minority party.
But Stachowski has been energized this year by the prospect of a potential Democratic takeover of the Senate and by surprisingly strong opposition from Dennis A. Delano.
Although he has led in the polls, Delano is coasting only on name recognition and his reputation as the cop who helped free Anthony Capozzi from 25 years of wrongful imprisonment. He has said virtually nothing substantive about what he would seek to accomplish as a state senator, and has avoided discussion of issues. Voters deserve better.
Buffalo Police detective Dennis Delano was suspended from the force in February. He was accused of handing out unauthorized, highly sensitive evidence in the Lynn Dejac murder case. According to police, it was crime scene video and the polygraph exam of a suspect. "There saying on thing. I'm saying another. I deny em", said Delano back in February.
Delano was suspended with pay. It's been 8 months without a hearing. Eyewitness News has learned that a hearing has been scheduled for January.
Sources also tell Eyewitness News that a deal was in the works, but there was a hitch. We're told the Delano camp wanted the words "no wrong doing" included in the resolution, but police commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson would not do it.
It is nearly a year later. Since then, Delano has announced he is running for state senate, and has had plenty of free time, with pay, to do it. Using 2007 numbers Delano's base pay was $61,946. Since he's been suspended, just after March, Delano has made about $41, 297.
He announced his candidacy at the end of May. Starting in June, tax payers have funded a salary of about $25,810 for Delano while on suspension. During that time he ran for office.
Neither Delano or the Buffalo Police department would comment about the delay, but his opponent in the upcoming election, State Senator Bill Stachowski is wondering why it's taking so long. "I have no idea why he wouldn't want to get it over with sooner, which if he is in-fact innocent or do anything wrong then you would think he would want to get it over quicker and get it out of the way." said Stachowski.
Delano has done very little with the media, and has not participated in any public debates. After granting an interview with Eyewitness News, his campaign manager called later to cancel. They also would not comment on anything.
Political analyst Bob Davis says it's strategy. Delano is doing well in the polls as a republican in a heavy democratic district. "It's like the Jimmy Carter strategy back in the 1970's, where it's Rose Garden strategy. You don't want to make a mistake with 8 days to go." said Davis.
Delano is running a completely idea and issue free campaign. He won't debate and won't talk to anyone about anything. And now we learn that after being suspended from the BPD in February, there won't actually be a hearing until after the election.
The whole thing sounds sketchy as hell to me.
UPDATE: In the comments, Robert adds some context.
He didn't just hand these things out, as Channel 7 indicates. He gave these things to the media (at least one local station, if I'm not mistaken, received crime scene video). So it's not like he was just passing them out to the families of the accused or something. He was going right to the press with it.
There are more mentions of law enforcement than legislation. Delano has a list of missing children on his website. Even his campaign logo resembles a police badge. A few people have asked if Delano is running on his fame, then what is Joe Mesi running on? Mesi is a different case. Mesi is running an issues-based campaign. When you go to Mesi's website, three issues hit you in the face: Jobs, environment and reform. When you visit Delano's, apparently there has been no news out of his campaign for two weeks (the last story came on Oct. 12) and there are a number of law enforcement-related items, including a picture of Delano with two of the people who benefited from Delano's hard police work: Lynn DeJac and Anthony Capozzi.
While Delano is trying real hard to play the career politician card, he could actually show that there are signs of intelligent life in his campaign. He might not want to talk about issues, but his constituents want to know what he's going to do to help cut their taxes, lower their health care costs and help create jobs. Bill Stachowski can answer those questions. Delano can't.
Lastly, while Delano isn't telling us where he stands on the issues, he is fighting crime. From his campaign website:
ALERT.... Please be aware that my opponent has people out there stealing our lawn signs from just about every part of the district, if you see anyone tampering with our signs please call 911 and report it after getting a plate number. We will press charges. Thank's for all of the help and support! Den Delano
First off, as a cop, Delano should know that accusing someone of a crime without proof or evidence is a no-no. Pointing the finger at Stachowski is bold. How does he know it isn't some kids just taking the signs? Saying it's your opponent without proof is wrong. A police officer should know that.
Stay tuned for more on Delano's non-issue campaign.
According to the GOP spinmeisters, all influence by anyone south of Westchester is bad...if you are a Democrat. The upstate GOP rolls out this yarn every cycle against any and all Dem challengers to the same tired gang of yes men that have lorded over the economic devastation of the region for decades. "You can't vote for them because they are in the pocket of those downstaters fron NYC and Long Island." They don't "share our values" and all. The Senate GOP loves to bash NYC and its money, but they have no qualms whatsoever raising their own money there. I'm sure we all remember where Joe Bruno was the day after he lost the seat in SD-48 -- picking up a $500K check from a NYC Billionaire.
But they sing a rather different tune about their own. Case in point, one Dennis Delano who is challenging incumbent Dem Bill Stachowski in the 58th. Delano is essentially being entirely funded by Dean Skelos' Senate Campaign Committee and by fat cats from NYC and long Island. Better than 90% of the money in his coffers comes from south of Westchester and it's coming in rather large chunks from folks who are quite obviously skirting our ridiculously lame campaign finance laws, the same laws that the Senate GOP has been viciously defending for years. As many of us have been saying for a long time, there's a reason that they have blocked any meaningful reform of those laws -- namely that large mostly unregulated contributions by individuals with vested interests in the output of state government is the only way they have a chance at holding on to their doomed majority in the Senate.
On Saturday, Stachowski accused Delano of relying on New York City and Long Island interests for 90 percent of his contributions.
"Delano is more beholden to Long Island and NYC interests than virtually any other candidate for office this year," Stachowski said in a statement.
His campaign provided an analysis suggesting donations from Delano's 144 contributors average $3,022, more than three times the $961 average for Stachowski's supporters.
Stachowski also singled out a Delano downstate donor - he identified him as Leonard Litwin, one of Forbes Magazine's 400 richest people - who gave a total of $28,500 through several sources.
"Supersized donations to Delano and the GOP are a great big thank-you for their willingness to carry the water for Long Island and Wall Street," Stachowski said.
Delano responds by admitting his campaign is being funded by downstate fat cats, but excuses this because, oh I don't know, IOKIYAR or something.
Delano acknowledged the large number of contributions from downstate but said they were necessary given Stachowski's fundraising advantages as an incumbent.
That's a pretty lame defense from someone who claims to be all McMavericky and an "anti-politician" and all. This is a man who has refused any and all debates because that's what "politicians do" and "I'm not a politician."
Debates are a crucial part of the electoral process. Presidential candidates engage in debates. Gubernatorial candidates engage in debates. Candidates for House and Senate seats debate, as do candidates for local and state races.
Republican Dennis Delano believes that he can run his own style of campaign by not debating, according to today's Buffalo News:
Republican State Senate candidate Dennis A. Delano is guaranteed not to lose any debates this election season - which happens when you refuse to square off against your opponent.
Newspaper endorsements might prove hard to snare, too, since he has declined invitations to appear before at least one editorial board.
Ditto for community forums.
Indeed, the former Buffalo police detective makes it quite clear he will run his campaign his own way.
"That's the way politicians have been doing things for years," he said. "I don't have time to do things traditionally."
Delano will not meet his Democratic opponent, incumbent William T. Stachowski of Lake View, in any debate or public forum this election season because he says he doesn't believe in them.
"Debates are what career politicians do, and I'm not a career politician," Delano said.
The paper also says that Delano has not responded to invites to meet with the paper's editorial board for its endorsement. Delano says that's not important to him.
So what is important to Dennis Delano? If debates are "what career politicians do", then what does Delano do? If elected, will we never see him in person because that's "what career politicians do?" It sure sounds that way.
Make no mistake, this is the GOP strategy at the state and national level this year. They play games with debates because they want to avoid talking real issues. In Delano's case, he is running on his police record and only his police record. Anybody can throw out broad terms like cutting taxes and fixing Albany, but people want to know how you are going to do all of this. If you can't face a crowd in a debate and tell them what you are going to do if elected, you shouldn't be elected at all.
Delano is running against Sen. Bill Stachowski, who many media outlets believe is in danger of losing this seat to Delano. If he was before, I can't imagine he is now. Delano should be debating. If he isn't, that means he's got something to hide. I don't think people want to elect someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. Maybe that's what the GOP is hiding here.
Republican SD-58 challenger Dennis Delano is simply refusing to debate Bill Stachowski at all. This is an odd position for a challenger to take, to say the least. Speculation is that he won't debate because he doesn't know all that much about state government or how it actually works and he doesn't want to look clueless in front of the very voters he's asking to send him to Albany. maybe he's just shy. I honestly don't know what his deal is.
That said, I'm also wondering just what the hell is up with the Buffalo News. The online version of their story about Delano's "I won't debate" story reads, "Delano skips debates and community forums." This seems an accurate headline given the content of the story:
Republican State Senate candidate Dennis A. Delano is guaranteed not to lose any debates this election season - which happens when you refuse to square off against your opponent.
Newspaper endorsements might prove hard to snare, too, since he has declined invitations to appear before at least one editorial board.
Ditto for community forums.
But the print version has a completely different headline. It reads, "Delano running on his own terms." I guess ducking the public at every turn and claiming to do so because he's the "anti-politician" could possibly warrant such a heading.
He also has not responded to invitations from The Buffalo News to discuss the issues with its Editorial Board in a process that leads to the newspaper's endorsement. He said the endorsement is "not as crucial to me as it is to other people."
"They would make me jump through hoops to make it seem fair and equal," he said. "But I have an instinct for things that says they've made a decision long before I go through the door. I have a plan, and with the response I'm getting, it's working."
It sounds like a load of crap to me and apparently the web editor agrees. The copy editor, on the other hand, apparently lapped up this drivel and ran with it. Regardless, it's the public that is getting screwed here, all McMavericky talk aside.
Laura McDade, Southtowns coordinator for the League of Women Voters of Buffalo Niagara, called Delano's stand a "shame" because events like the Hamburg community forum he declined to attend allow candidates to state their case and answer questions from voters.
And she says the league has sponsored a Hamburg event for more than 50 years because voters want to see their potential representatives in more than ads.
"They want to see them answer questions pertinent to the race and how they think on their feet," McDade said. "People deserve that chance."
There is a lot of talk about the race in the 58th Senate District today on CapCon. (See here and here.) I found this rather comical because it's another case where the Republicans are trying to make it seem like there is a race when there really isn't one.
Sen. Bill Stachowski is the incumbent Democratic senator who is being challenged by Republican Dennis Delano, a cold case cop from Buffalo who gained notoriety for two local cases: Lynn DeJac and Anthony Capozzi. And if you think that he's not running on his fame gained from those races, just check out his campaign website.
All Delano has is his fame. If you look at his media page, it brings up the two cases that brought him to prominence but it mentions nothing about issues. He has his announcement video up there, but nothing about where he stands on the issues or what he supports. In fact, the only things I could find on his website about New York State issues include a letter he wrote to Dean Skelos urging him to pass the property tax cap and a press release saying that Delano is running to get to the bottom of the mess in Albany.
In other words, Delano is the Barbara Donno of Western New York. A candidate with something (Donno has money, Delano has fame) that the Republicans need to bring their candidate to the forefront and make them appear to be competitive when they really aren't. The truth is that Bill Stachowski is backed by four parties: Democratic, Conservative and Working Families. Stachowski is in a safe Democratic seat. There are 109,577 Democrats in the district compared to only 45,281 Republicans. With 202,378 registered voters in the district, Democrats account for more than half of the registered voters.
This race isn't competitive. Stachowski has the incumbent advantage and enrollment advantage.
Besides, probably the most famous Republican locally, former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, has backed Stachowski. Kelly isn't new to politics. In 2006, he made calls on behalf of Rep. Tom Reynolds to numerous voters throughout the district. Kelly passing over someone in his own party to back Stachowski won't be the only time a Republican backs Stachowski.
This one is in the bag for Stachowski. If the Republicans want to keep giving Delano money, that's fine. He is going to lose, but that means they are blowing their money on another race they cannot win.
This district is very Democratic, so Delano faces an uphill battle. He does, however, have name recognition on his side. According to McCarthy, that's all he has.
Cold Case Squad Detective Dennis Delano today announced his candidacy for the State Senate against long-time Democratic incumbent William T. Stachowski, acknowledging he has no real answers about how to change the ways of Albany.
But the veteran detective, who gained fame cracking cases that freed two wrongfully incarcerated inmates in the last year, vowed that he would use all the investigative skills he has accumulated over three decades to find out where taxpayers' money is going.
"I'll go to Albany to find out what the problems are," he said at a Statler Towers news conference, "and why we are not getting money for this area."
Delano might have fame, but he clearly knows nothing about Albany and to say that you will go to Albany and find out what the problems are isn't exactly something you want out of a candidate. You want a candidate who sees problems now and will go to Albany and fight to fix those problems.
Nevertheless, this is a safe Democratic district. Of the 202,378 registered voters in SD-58 as of March 1, 109,577 of those voters are Democrats. Delano might be able to capitalize on his fame to pick a few votes here and there, but this district is pretty safe for Stachowski.
