It seems like this is really catching on. Rumors are going around that Sen. Jim Alesi is considering switching parties, taking him from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. In doing so, Alesi would provide the Democrats with something they aren't assured of getting from the "Gang of Three": A vote for Sen. Malcolm Smith.
Of course, that is probably the only good thing about this. As far as Republicans go, Alesi is a Republican. There is nothing moderate about him. In his Project Vote Smart interest group ratings, Alesi is clearly anti-choice and isn't too much better on marriage equality either. He is a conservative, so depending on Alesi to push through progressive legislation would be a joke. Alesi also didn't fare too well in the Drum Major Institute's legislative scorecard, which awarded Alesi a score of 43 percent and a "D-" on DMI's key issues.
These same rumors also suggest that Alesi might not be the one. This is just speculation, but could Sen. Joe Robach be considering a switch as well? It wouldn't be beneath him. After all, he was campaigning without mentioning his political party and it was reported that there was literature out there tying Robach to Barack Obama.
In Robach's case, switching sides would make him vulnerable in 2010. Surely he would draw a real Republican challenger, but he also would draw a Democratic challenger. Robach, if he were to switch, would be exposed for his flip-flopping. Whichever party is in charge, he wants to be a member of it. That's not how it should be. But again, his switch is only speculation.
These rumors bring a whole new element to the New York State Senate saga that has unfolded. If there are more Republicans out there like Alesi who are considering a switch, that would make for a very interesting January. It also might make the "Gang of Three" powerless. Let's say Alesi does switch. That would mean that one of the "Gang of Three" will be irrelevant. And if another Republican switches, another member of the "Gang of Three" would be. Not that Republicans switching is the ideal way to get the "Gang of Three" to come to their senses, but it would make them obsolete rather quickly.
This model describes Jim Alesi's fundraising, but you can pretty much apply a similar one to any member of the GOP Senate caucus. From the good folks at Rochester Turning:
This is actually quite a clever, if sneaky, way of getting you and I to contribute to Alesi's campaign twice. Here's how it works:
1) We pay taxes
2) They go into a slush fund, out of which, Alesi gets $3.9 M (for 2005-2006, which is the latest I could find from The Albany Project's very handy pork spreadsheet)
3) Alesi gets to look like a hero for funnelling some of that ca$h to various high-PR value interest groups (like the Jazz festival), and gets his name on things
4) The interest groups kick back money directly to Alesi's campaign fund
Like I said, this model works with just about the whole Senate GOP caucus. Just switch the names and you'll find the community groups that receive taxpayer money and then kick some of it right back to their benefactor. it's a nice trick having community groups and non profits essentially launder public money for political purposes and it happens all the time.
David Nachbar is facing a serious attack on the campaign trail. The SRCC, on behalf of Nachbar's opponent Sen. Jim Alesi, released an ad accusing Nachbar of some shady stock sales and targeting Nachbar for being named in a federal lawsuit initiated by former Bausch & Lomb employees who feel that they were wronged in their pension funds.
Nachbar's campaign responded to these allegations today in a press release featuring a couple of former Bausch & Lomb executives who praised Nachbar for his job as an executive.
A number of high-ranking business executives, including the retired CEO of Bausch and Lomb, came to the defense of State Senate candidate David Nachbar today, in response to a wave of misleading personal attacks ads. Two former execs issued statements today, in an effort to set the record straight.
According to Ron Zarella, retired B&L CEO,
"This type of attack shows how little Alesi knows about business. First, unfortunately, companies doing business in New York must deal with frivolous lawsuits all the time. This was a lawsuit that Bausch & Lomb had committed to fight. Second, Nachbar's stock sales were completely legal, reported and unquestioned by the SEC."
"It defies reason why a state Senator would attack one of the region's most respected companies and its employees."
The TV and direct mail ads were released this week by the Republican Senate Campaign Committee on behalf of Senator Jim Alesi. The ads in question used information taken out of context from a pending class action lawsuit against Bausch and Lomb, one of the area's top employers.
While at Bausch and Lomb, Nachbar was part of a leadership team that helped create over 400 new jobs. In his capacity as Senior Vice President for Human Resources, Nachbar built a strong record of accomplishments, detailed on his web site, in making the company one of the nation's best places to work.
Commenting about Nachbar's character, Dwain Hahs, retired SVP of Bausch and Lomb noted, "I worked for Bausch & Lomb for 28 years. I got to know Dave Nachbar well over the years and trust him completely."
Nachbar added today, "Alesi is upset about my demand to see results from his 12 years in office, and his 10 years as chair of the Economic Development Committee. With no record of results, Jim Alesi resorts to personal attacks. This is an example of how Albany works, and why I am running for office. We need to talk seriously about the issues that matter: creating jobs, cutting spending and taxes, and reforming Albany."
"It's unfortunate," he added, "that in their attempt to smear me, they also attacked a local employer that is one our best corporate citizens, one that has actually added hundreds of jobs to the Rochester economy. That's not very smart."
These are serious attacks against Nachbar. Of course, you always have to watch out for attacks that come from a party or attacks that are fed through the media by a party. This is what happened in this case and they should be taken with a grain of salt.
That said, Dave Nachbar is an honorable man and he is running an honorable campaign. Alesi is showing he's a desperate man.
Here's some video from the debate between SD-55 challenger David Nachbar, a guy who has actually created jobs upstate, and GOP incumbent Jim Alesi, who has not.
This segment includes both candidate's opening statements as well as their responses to the moderator's first question. I like the producer's use of a split screen for long sequences. Pay attention to Alesi. He looks like he really doesn't even want to be there.
To say that Nachbar outclasses Alesi in both style and intellect is something of an understatement...
It's a great deal if you can swing it, really. You give away thousands of public funds and then a good portion of those funds come right back to you as campaign donations. Though it's nowhere near as uncommon a practice as it should be, it's exactly what GOP incumbent Jim Alesi is doing -- essentially laundering public funds through a third party and then using them for his campaign. At the very best, it's a gross conflict of interest. Don't think the Nachbar campaign hasn't noticed.
David Nachbar, the former Bausch and Lomb executive challenging Jim Alesi, Republican incumbent state Senator (SD-55), issued a statement today charging that Alesi has taken money from a group that he regularly procures State money for.
Information released today by the Nachbar campaign shows that money moved from taxpayers to New York State coffers, from the state to the Rochester International Jazz Festival in the form of grants secured by Alesi, and then from the Festival to Alesi in the form of campaign donations.
Grants "to support/promote the Jazz Festival"
$145,000 in 2008-2009 Budget
$100,000 in 2007-2008 Budget
Donations from Jazz Festival to Alesi Campaign
$15,320 in contributions since 2004
"At best this is inappropriate," Nachbar said, "and Senator Alesi should know better. It's also only the tip of the iceberg. It makes plain, or more plain than usual, how 'member items' are a vital part of what Albany does best: get reelected."
"There is always a major benefit to the legislator with pork-barrel money, as Senator Alesi knows well: name recognition. As the result of these handouts of taxpayer money, his name is everywhere: programs, websites, news broadcasts, even on buildings. In this case, it looks like he actually got some cash back directly."
But, wait a second, you say. Isn't the Rochester International Jazz Festival, now officially the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, some sort of non-profit org? No, dear reader, it is not. It is an LLC with big, fat corporate sponsors like Xerox and M&T Bank. That makes this story all the more troubling. An event with that kind of sponsorship probably doesn't need pubic money to begin with, especially since we don't have all that much money to spreading around anyway. It's not like the festival, awesome as it may indeed be, is going to educate a single child, help heat anyone's home this winter or lower a single family's property taxes.
The good news for Alesi is that they obviously didn't need all the money he's sent their way because they were able to turn right around give a nice little chunk of it back. The money didn't go back into state coffers of course, it went into Jim Alesi's campaign fund. I'm sure would thank you personally if he could.
Crap like this has been a cog in the incumbency protection racket for far too long.
Alesi/Nachbar - this debate is now cancelled. Senator Jim Alesi (R-Perinton) of the 55th District committed to debate his opponent - Democrat David Nachbar - on September 9th. From that day forward I worked to schedule this, providing exact times and dates when we'd be available by the 30th of September. I placed countless phone calls to Sen. Alesi's campaign to nail down a date and was unsuccessful in getting something scheduled. On Friday Sen. Alesi called me directly to say his scheduler will nail something down this week - I was optimistic. Today I was told the Senator would not schedule a debate and was in essence backing out of his commitment.
I spoke to Senator Alesi directly a few moments ago and was told by him that he has "a very full schedule...and is committed to various other debates and candidate's nights." I was also told that it took me awhile to get them dates and times and that a debate with us just wouldn't fit into his schedule because he's also working "full time as a State Senator" right now too.
I'm told Mr. Nachbar remains ready and willing to debate should Senator Alesi change his mind or find openings in his schedule.
--emphasis mine.
It seems the Nachbar campaign noticed this absurdity as well. From an emailed release:
"The station's been getting the runaround," Williams said. "I can see only one reason why he would avoid debating on the station with the biggest audience. He's afraid of tough questions. The argument that he's too busy is nonsense. The Senate is on vacation."
"As long as we just talk about cardboard checks and ribbon-cutting photo-ops, and nothing else, Alesi does fine. Anything more substantive than that, and he's harder to find."
"This is probably the most important election of our lifetimes, both federal and State. We face enormous, urgent problems, mostly the consequences of years of failed, ethically challenged policies set in Albany and Washington. Voters deserve to know exactly what they can expect from candidates. They deserve every opportunity for a full discussion of the issues."
Nice try, Senator. Either you think your constituents are dumb or that they don't deserve to see the candidates debate some rather damn serious issues in a time of crisis.
A reader writes in about our post on the Democrat and Chronicle piece on Joe Robach's and Jim Alesis's use of taxpayer-funded mailers:
The story was interesting and useful, and credits go to Jill Terreri (the writer) and the D&C for running it, but it was incomplete -- as was the quote in this post. The $35k she mentioned being spent by Alesi was, she said, the figure from October 2007 through March 2008. That's only a 6-month period, and NOT during campaign season. The problem is the mailers sent in the last 60 days, during his campaign, which we estimate cost taxpayers at least $100k, and more likely closer to $200.
The core problem is actually even bigger and more complicated than just mailings. The Senate runs pretty much like a Republican reelection machine. The internal rules for taxpayer funded mailings, which change frequently and are almost impossible to find in writing, are skewed heavily in favor of Republican incumbents.
The abuses extend into other campaign areas. Here's a little-known anecdote that I heard from sources unnamed that indicates how the machinery can work. In the 2006 campaign to defend Republican incumbent Nick Spano in SD-35, Senator Bruno, who controlled the purse strings, authorized an abrupt upsizing in Spano's staff, the hiring of an additional 18 staffers, who were then sent into the field as canvassers. Spano, if I understand the data correctly, won reelection by 418 votes.
It would be extremely interesting to track the staffing levels for incumbents on a month to month basis, and map it against the reelection campaign cycles.
And of course, that's not to mention member item handouts, no doubt all to good causes. These are actually a major, crucial tool in the "reelection machine" toolbox. Who's going to vote against Santa Claus?
If you live in Joe Robach's district, you've been receiving a few mailers each week from the State Senator over the past month. And you may have noticed that some of these mailers are marked "paid for by the New York State Senate." Because in New York, State Senators can send out mailers on the tax-payer's dime until 30 days before the election. Here's the the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on this:
The cost of the mailings isn't clear. The latest government expenditure reports from state lawmakers, available on the Empire Center Web site, cover October 2007 to March 2008. During that time, Sen. Joseph Robach, R-Greece, spent $64,654 in state funds and Sen. James Alesi, R-Perinton, spent $35,666 on mailings.
A mailing sent during the last two weeks from Robach touts "Senator Joe Robach's Job Creation Plan" and states, "Senator Robach wants to slash taxes to make businesses more competitive and to bring new jobs here." The full-color mailer was printed and mailed at taxpayer expense.
Robach has sent out at least five such mailings this year, on topics ranging from property taxes to lead poisoning to education.
This is yet another example of the absurd ways in which New York State Legislators are able to milk the advantage of incumbency. And like most of the other examples, it involves wasting tax-payers money.
New York State legislators have something called a "franking privilege." That means that they can send out mailers, constituent newsletters and similar literature to those in their district at taxpayer's expense. However, the Assembly puts a moratorium on these mailings within two months of the election. The Senate though, still allows these mailings to be sent out right up until Election Day.
Today, David Nachbar took Republican Sen. Jim Alesi to task because Alesi has been sending out taxpayer-funded mailings. According to Nachbar's campaign, Alesi has sent out four taxpayer-funded mailings over the last month. The campaign says that the mailings have cost well over $100,000 to send out.
This is now the fourth glossy campaign-style mailing that Alesi has sent out on the taxpayer's dime in the past month. Ironically, this most recent abuse of taxpayer money touted Alesi's record of "real reform." The mailings have cost New York's taxpayers well over $100,000 this campaign season.
"Times are tough, and yet Jim Alesi has no problem spending our tax dollars to promote his image. This misleads voters about his record of reform. Senator Alesi recently reported that he has over $700,000 cash on hand in his campaign account. Using taxpayer dollars for his campaign is shameful, especially given our current fiscal challenges in New York State. I strongly urge he reimburse the taxpayers immediately."
From October 2006 to March 2008, Alesi spent $336,299 on mailings from his Senate office. While the State Assembly places a moratorium on constituent mailings 2 months prior to an election, the State Senate, which is notorious for crafting the house rules to favor the majority party, does not.
Nachbar said that if elected he would push for a similar moratorium, and a limit of two constituent newsletters per year for all members of the Senate.
Nachbar's campaign is one of several challenger races in the State, including two in the Rochester area, that could flip control of the Senate from Republican to Democratic. "This election is a major opportunity for change," Nachbar said. "I believe that there's hope, and that we can rightly expect much more from our government than what we've been getting."
I know I have received at least two mailings from my senator, Sen. George Maziarz. I have heard other stories from across the state about these mailings being sent out in the heat of election season. This should not be allowed and we need to make sure that when we take back the Senate, we impose our own moratorium. Taxpayer dollars should not be spent paying for campaign mailers, especially when those mailers are intended on informing the public about what you're doing as a state senator.
Alesi's TV advertising, coincidentally, is being produced by former County Republican party chair Steve Minarik's advertising firm.
Minarik, you may recall, is the legendary former Monroe County GOP Chair whose stint as New York State GOP Chair was among the most disastrous in state political history. He was supposedly kicked to the curb by the Monroe County GOP a few months ago, but more than one person has told me he's still the man behind the curtain. This would seem to corroborate that.
With the 32 day pre-general election filings rolling in, David Nachbar has submitted his filing which shows that he has raised $111,931.64, $74,335.00 of that total coming from individual contributors. Nachbar also spent $255,479.76 mainly due to the two television ads that Nachbar has already put.
Nachbar's opponent, Republican Sen. Jim Alesi, has a large filing with over $706,000 cash on hand. Alesi has benefited greatly from corporate, PACs and special interest donors. While most of Nachbar's money came from individual donors, most of Alesi's came from corporations ($40,150.00), PACs and special interests ($89,800.00) and transfers in from certain committees, like Joe Bruno's ($9,500), Dean Skelos ($9,500) and the Monroe County Republican Committee ($101,982.00).
The Nachbar campaign also saw the difference. In a press release about their filings, they exude a positive attitude about where they are getting their money, what that means for their campaign and what that says about their campaign.
One striking difference in the campaigns is the source of the money raised so far by the candidates. The majority of Alesi's funds come from Political Action Committees, corporations, and Republican Party organizations. The Monroe County Republican Committee, for example, contributetd over $100,000 to the incumbent's campaign. Alesi's TV advertising, coincidentally, is being produced by former County Republican party chair Steve Minarik's advertising firm.
Nachbar's reported donations, in contrast, come almost entirely from individual donors. Nachbar campaign spokesperson Kate Bardsley said, "The nature of the money says a great deal about the nature of the candidates. Dave is proud of the fact that his message is resonating with individuals and working people, who have been unrepresented in State government for too long.
Cash-on-hand figures, which are not directly indicative of relative strength of campaigns, show Alisi with an incumbent's advantage. Alesi, who started the race with over $500k, ended the period with a balance of $706k, while the Nachbar campaign reported just under $80k on hand. The imbalance partly reflects the Nachbar campaign's earlier roll-out of a sizable TV advertising campaign, which involved significant spending outlays. The campaign expects the pace of advertising spending to continue through the election.
While reported financial numbers are important, they never tell the whole story. In Nachbar's case, unnamed State Democratic Party officials asserted that "the party is fully committed to this race."
Nachbar has shown that he is a great fundraiser among individuals and has received outstanding support from individuals. His ActBlue page proves that.
Make no mistake: Nachbar is in this race. The money does tell one story here. That is the Republicans are investing locally into Alesi because they know Nachbar is a real contender. They wouldn't be giving all that money to Alesi if Nachbar was just a token candidate. Keep that in mind.
The folks at RochesterTurning have been doing a fantastic job of keeping up with all the polling going on in the Rochester area. Here's the latest: Jim Alesi's campaign is running a push-poll, or a negative message-test poll, against David Nachbar.
Would you favor a candidate who's playing in politics because they're bored with their job?
Would you favor a candidate who has a history of tax evasion and bankruptcy?
Would you say a candidate who supports Gov. Patterson's plan to recognize gay marriages performed in other states reflects your values?
I believe this probably is a push poll, not simply a negative message-testing poll, because the first two questions are obviously so negative.
This means one thing for sure: Alesi is nervous. This race could be a big sleeper. It's not getting the attention some other races are, but Nachbar's a strong candidate and Alesi may not be quite as accomplished a glad-hander as he's reputed to be.
The other day I asked when those who have presided over the economic devastation of the upstate economy for over a century would ever be held accountable. I mean, Republicans have been running the show up there for as long as anyone alive can remember and running the state Senate for almost as long. They've been the ones in power as the region has lost not only millions of jobs, but literally millions of people over the decades. They've witnessed entire towns decimated by depopulation and economic decline and yet they still keep coming to voters every two years and telling them that they are the only ones who can look out for their interests. Otherwise, ya know, things could be even worse!
The last Republican Senate Majority Leader of our lifetimes, Dean "Chemung County is just like Nassau County" Skelos of Long Island, has an op/ed in this morning's Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that is simply stunning to read. Skelos promises yet another plan to revitalize upstate (this time we really mean it!) and basically begs for folks not to turn out Joe Robach and Jim Alesi. Skelos even has the gall to title his missive "State Senate is poised to improve Rochester's fortunes", to which I ask, "Um, what the hell have you been waiting for?"
We soon will unveil a new economic development plan to strengthen the upstate economy because while we have targeted $1 billion in capital investments across the state as part of this year's budget, more needs to be done.
As I traveled to cities and towns across upstate, I saw many economic success stories of businesses that are planning to grow.
The Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology is a shining example of the good that can come out of cooperation between private institutions and the government. The Senate has always been supportive of job creation efforts throughout the region, and led by Sens. Robach and Alesi, we have always fought for programs and incentives to encourage job creation so children and grandchildren can stay in New York.
We know that it's more important than ever that we redouble our efforts to cut property taxes and create jobs so that upstate can build on the talent and determination of its people.
Apologies for the repetition, but, seriously, wht the hell have you been waiting for? Have you just now noticed that the region has been in economic distress for decades? Have you just now come to realize that all those upstate constituents "represented" by GOP senators have been on the short end of the stick since the Truman era? I know you've noticed that many of those same constituents are now represented by other folks in other states because you've done everything you possibly can to inflate the numbers of "residents" in these ever shrinking communities, even to go as far as to count prisoners in upstate prisons, prisoners who are largely from NYC, as "residents."
What the hell have you folks been doing for those you were elected to represent all these years? Is this the same song and dance you guys shovel every two years, or is it different now that two of your incumbents are in real, genuine jeopardy? Is that it?
In Skelos' defense, however, at least he didn't trot out the whole "We're the only thing standing between you and NYC" thing again. I mean, it would be a rather cynical thing to do considering that he spent time just last week begging our Mayor for $10 million bucks so as to save his majority and his party's grip on power in a region that quite simply no longer afford to be represented by Republicans.
Democrats David Nachbar and Rick Dollinger criticized their opponents over the special session that they call a "political public relations gimmick."
Today, the Senate voted 38-20 in favor of a property tax cap. The Senate was in session and Nachbar and Dollinger took their opponents to task for this move, a move they said was a gimmick because of the GOP's desperation this election year.
"As the working and middle class families of upstate New York continue to be devastated by skyrocketing property taxes, the increasingly burdensome cost of day-to-day living, and a lack of sustainable good paying jobs, Republicans Joe Robach and Jim Alesi are participating, while on the public dime, in a special session of the state Senate that has served as nothing more than a political public relations gimmick meant to bolster a fading Republican Senate Majority.
"Republicans Robach and Alesi have flip-flopped on putting a stop to unfunded mandates, have sidestepped a real solution to the property tax crisis facing New Yorkers, and have cut-and-run without addressing the need for a circuit breaker. The time for excuses is over - we need real leadership in Albany that will get the job done."
Nachbar and Dollinger are right. This can be extended to the full Republican Senate. They had six months to accomplish something and they failed to do so. That's why we need a Democratic state senate.
One more note: Jerri and I will be sitting down with Nachbar on Monday. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section or e-mail them to me at robert.harding22@gmail.com.
First, I want to see David Nachbar, New York State Senate candidate. In Western New York, we have seen this Chris Collins-type politician arise. The politicians that make the transition from the private sector to the public sector and use their private sector experience as some sort of proof that they are qualified to be a legislator or be a government executive. On a personal level, I don't buy that argument. If we did use this as a basis to elect our officials, Bill Gates would be President, the Waltons would be in his Cabinet and our Congress would contain the executives from Google, Microsoft and many other corporations and businesses.
I am not trying to knock Nachbar. Business experience is a good thing, not a bad thing. You could apply that to economic issues or state financial issues, but there is more to the state government than that. For now, I think Nachbar is sticking with what he knows (his business experience) but he will evolve as this campaign progresses.
That said, this race is an interesting one. In the towns that comprise the 55th Senate District, Democrats have been making gains. So while the enrollment advantage is 70,213 Republicans to 65,445 Democrats (with 47,211 blanks), this district is very vulnerable and within reach for the Democrats and for Nachbar.
One thing to note about this race is that the Monroe County Republicans will more than likely spend a lot of their resources on SD-56 to keep Robach safe. That may or may not leave Alesi hanging out to dry. Not so good for Alesi, but really good for the Democrats and Nachbar.
My words earlier in this post might seem like I don't like Nachbar. On the contrary - I REALLY like this guy as a State Senate candidate. He has a lot to offer. I look forward to sitting down with him and learning more about his candidacy.
