Last night I wrote about Christa Construction's big contributions to Sen. Joe Robach and other Republican state senate candidates. Now the Republicans are spinning this story by saying that not only has Christa Construction given to the Monroe County Democrats, but Robach's Democratic challenger Rick Dollinger has accepted money from George Soros.
Democratic State Senate candidate Richard Dollinger demanded Thursday that his incumbent opponent Joseph Robach, R-Greece, and his Senate Republican colleagues return more than $74,000 in campaign contributions from Christa Construction, the construction manager of a botched $120 million capital renovations project at the Greece Central School District completed in 2005.
Dollinger's campaign said Robach received $1,850 in contributions from Christa over the past six years, while other GOP Senators received $48,450 and the Senate Republican Campaign Committee received $24,000.
"The message, it seems to me, is very clear," Dollinger said Thursday outside Longridge Elementary School in Greece. "Senate Republicans and Joe Robach need to give back this ill-gotten taxpayer money to the town of Greece and the taxpayers in this community."
A spokesperson for the Senate Republican Campaign Committee criticized Dollinger's demands Thursday.
"It's clearly the height of hypocrisy since this same firm has been giving major contributions to the Monroe County Democratic Campaign Committee, as well as to local leaders of the Democratic Party like Mayor Duffy and Assemblyman Morelle," said Joe Conway, campaign committee spokesperson.
According to records filed with the state Board of Elections, the Monroe County Democratic Party received $7,250 from Christa in six contributions since October 2006. Christa's most recent contribution to the county Democratic party was in July 2007, records show.
If Soros is the best one you can come up with because he's for "drug legalization," I take it the Republicans and Joe Robach don't have a rebuttal to taking money from a construction company that robbed Greece blind. An audit of the Greece School District earlier this year by the Comptroller's office showed that there was a pattern of waste and abuse, especially when it came to capital projects.
As for the money that was given to the Monroe County Democrats, the point is that Dollinger has not received a penny from Christa Construction. Joe Robach has. Plus, the Republicans have benefited greatly from Christa Construction's money. Jim Alesi has been a recipient. Michael Nozzolio (SD-54) has been a recipient, among others. If Joe Robach cared about his home base of Greece so much, he would have defended his home school district and defended his hometown from this waste and abuse.
Instead, Joe Robach was bought and paid for and kept his mouth shut. That's not the type of representation the people of Greece and the 56th Senate District need.
The taxpayers of Greece know who Christa Construction is. Christa Construction profited from a botched renovation venture valued at $119.5 million. In all, Christa Construction made over $5.3 million from the deal.
So why does all this matter? Ask Sen. Joe Robach and the Senate Republicans. Today, Robach was called out by his Democratic opponent Rick Dollinger in a press conference where Dollinger called on Robach to return the contributions he has received from Christa Construction.
From the press release:
Democratic State Senate candidate Rick Dollinger today was joined by Greece taxpayers who slammed Robach and the Republicans, and demanded that these contributions be returned immediately.
Dollinger explained, "People can tell when someone is speaking out of both sides of their mouth, and that is exactly what Joe Robach and his Republican cronies are doing by taking this money and condoning this kind of unethical behavior. Robach and the Senate GOP must return this tainted money-particularly as our neighbors are working so hard to recoup these wasted funds." Today's event came days after citizens' groups filed an audit request with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office as part of their financial recuperation effort.
Christa was originally set to profit $3,999,400.00 for serving as contractor, but actually pocketed an additional $1,375,761.00.
So far, Christa Construction (through Christa Construction, LLC., Christa Development Corp. and David Christa) has donated more than $24,000 in recent years to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee (SRCC). An additional $50,300 was given to Senate Republicans, including $1,850 directly to Robach whose campaign coffers have been filled with $143,900 from the SRCC for this year's election.
For the record, not a single contribution has been made by Christa Construction to Dollinger or the Senate Democrats.
So why is this important? Here is a company being accused of robbing taxpayers of their money and who are they giving to? The Senate Republicans. Other Republicans have been on the receiving end of contributions from Christa Construction as well, but obviously the impact on Greece makes for an interesting story in SD-56.
Rochester, NY - October 8, 2008 - New York Senator Hillary Clinton announced her endorsement of Democrat Rick Dollinger for the New York State Senate in the 56th Senatorial District today.
"Voters in Monroe County know that our state faces the tough challenge of rebuilding our middle class, creating a healthcare system that is accessible to all, improving and safeguarding our children's education, and remedying the dysfunction in Albany," said Senator Clinton. "Rick Dollinger possesses the integrity, vision, and know-how to create real change in Albany and deliver results for our community."
"We are at a turning point, the stakes are high, and New York cannot afford to fail. This election is of paramount importance, and it will require all of our strength, energy, and passion in order to elect a new Democratic Majority in the State Senate," explained Clinton. "Together, we can accomplish this goal, and through it we will make New York state great again."
"I am honored to have Senator Clinton's support as we fight to move forward New York State forward," said Dollinger. "Senator Clinton demonstrates the caliber of leadership that is so desperately needed all across our nation and she's an invaluable asset to our progress here in New York.
Senator Clinton's endorsement comes at a time when the state's top leaders and officials are mobilizing behind Dollinger as he continues to build an unprecedented level of local and statewide support. Democrats are fighting to take back the State Senate majority for the first time in over 40 years. On Friday, October 10th Governor David Paterson will be in Rochester to host a fundraiser and make his endorsement of Dollinger official.
I don't normally like to run full press releases but when they involve someone who got 18 million votes in a presidential primary, I make an exception.
Rick Dollinger unveiled his new economic plan. I'll put up the details as soon as I figure out how to upload a word doc here. For now, here's the outline from the press release.
The plan is divided between the ideas of innovation and reform:
INVESTING IN INNOVATION:
· Form a Green Jobs Investment Fund for Rochester. Rochester could become the Silicon Valley of renewable energy as our nation transitions from foreign oil to more sustainable forms of energy such as fuel cells, bio-fuels, and solar panels. Our region has the advantage of top-flight research institutions with a highly skilled industrial workforce, and testing has begun already. Rick Dollinger proposes a Green Jobs Investment Fund that jointly uses public and private investments to start up new research projects and build the manufacturing facilities necessary to bring the newest generation of jobs to Rochester.
· Create an Emerging Technologies Research Institute. Our region must continue its reputation of leading the world in the study and development of new technologies. Our research facilities will allow Rochester to take the lead on development of new technologies with will cure diseases, improve urban infrastructures, and develop technologies marketable worldwide. This institute will establish education majors, programs, and research facilities in a collaboration of state and private investment with Rochester area universities. Major areas of study could include stem cell therapy, water purification, and waste management.
· Form a New York "PRIDE" Authority (Public Roads, Infrastructure, Development, and Efficiency) by combining the NYS Thruway Authority, NYS Bridge Authority and NYS Department of Transportation. The PRIDE Authority would be charged with creating jobs via projects to improve New York's aging transportation infrastructure and maintenance operations. The projects undertaken by this agency would provide a substantial number of good paying jobs to the region, which would be partially paid for by combining three authorities with similar missions into a single entity with legislative oversight.
REFORMING FAILED STATE POLICIES:
· Prohibit Tax Breaks to Companies that Outsource Jobs. New York State has continued to provide tax breaks to companies even after they have outsourced jobs. These tax breaks come largely from incentives offered by Empire Zones and Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs). Dollinger proposes a ban on any tax break given to companies that ship jobs overseas and a requirement that all aid be tied to the number of new living wage jobs actually created in the region.
· Opening New York for Business. Businesses have left our region as New York has done little to curb out-of-control spending or reduce the property taxes that force businesses to move away. Rick Dollinger supports reducing the property tax burden through a property tax cap and supports a constitutional amendment to cap state spending at the rate of inflation. Reducing state deficits and fighting wasteful spending allows New York to demonstrate a willingness to open its doors to good paying jobs once again.
There's been talk for weeks about some sort of overt support by the Governor for SD-56 challenger Rick Dollinger. Now CapCon is reporting that it will indeed happen.
Gov. David Paterson will attend a fundraiser for former Sen. Rick Dollinger, who is running against Republican incumbent Sen. Joe Robach.
The fundraiser is currently being organized by the Dollinger campaign, and Paterson will attend, confirmed state Democratic Party spokeswoman Carly Lindauer.
Paterson has said publicly that Dollinger is a friend and that helping him is an exception to his rule of not being overtly partisan in the fight for the Senate majority.
Paterson has attended fundraisers for other Senate Democrats - namely Eric Schneiderman and Liz Krueger, but this is the first fundraiser for a Senate challenger in a contested race against a Republican incumbent.
While I'm glad that the Governor seems to finally be coming out for candidates of his own party, I'm still a bit dismayed by the fact that it's expected of him not to do so. When did it become taboo for a sitting governor to support his own party's candidates? Why is it expected that Paterson shouldn't advocate for those challengers that share his views and will help pass the legislation to realize them?
Before Bush's presence became utterly toxic, he regularly would stump for GOP candidates. Ditto that for Clinton or loads of other Executives. Why is it expected that Paterson should do differently? Am I missing something?
The Dollinger campaign has new ad up. I think it's a good one.
It is interesting to see the word "values" used by Democrats after so many years of being an almost exclusively Republican term. It fits perfectly here: Joe Robach is a right-wing Republican representing a progressive district. Dollinger's values are much more in line with those of the district.
Someone is polling the SD-56 race according to the good folks at Rochester Turning.
I was just polled in the Dollinger/Robach senate race. Only 4 questions...
1. What is the most important issue facing NY? Economy, high taxes, health card, education, gas prices or the cost of living
2. How would you describe yourself...Liberal, moderate or conservative? (The first time she asked the question, she said would you consider yourself liberal or conservative? I asked if those were the only choices and she reread it, adding moderate as a choice.
3. Is change or experience more important to you in selecting a candidate?
4. If the election were held today, who would I vote for, Dollinger or Robach?
Already two readers at RT have come forward to say that they have been polled. I'm curious to know if anyone else out there has gotten this call.
In light of the recent findings by NYPIRG regarding the New York State Legislature and the bills that were passed and introduced by New York State legislators, Rick Dollinger came out today to express his strong support for implementing the Brennan Center report's recommendations, which is something he has talked about throughout the campaign.
"From the Brennan Center report to the most recent study done by NYPIRG, the New York State legislature is universally recognized as the most dysfunctional in the nation," said Dollinger. "But this isn't new information. These reports were common knowledge eight years ago, and Republicans in the State Senate haven't even taken the baby steps needed to make things better, like requiring legislators to read the bills they pass, to be in the chamber when they vote, or to allow bills to get to the floor that aren't rubber stamped by the majority leader."
"It's ludicrous to think that Joe Robach will fix a problem that he has supported for his entire career in Albany. For the past 40 years, New York State has been marred by the failed policies of the State Senate Republicans, who have stalled at every turn, and have been the number one road block to passing a critical economic reform package," continued Dollinger. "Republican Joe Robach isn't a reformer. He's a rubber stamp for the 'three men in a room' model."
In the State Senate Rick Dollinger will fight to enact the recommendations of the 2004 Brennan Center for Justice's report on New York's legislative process. Once elected, Rick will address five areas that require immediate reforms - legislative committees, barriers to new legislation, legislative rules, the lack of transparency within the legislative process, and legislative inefficiencies and high costs.
Dollinger spoke on reforming Albany earlier this month at a town hall meeting without Joe Robach. As a refresher, here are the videos of Dollinger talking about reforming Albany and his emphasis on the Brennan Center report.
A reliable source tells me that the NYSDC has been making media buys for Dollinger with money that was raised by Governor Paterson. Paterson has reportedly encouraged the NYSDC to make these buys because of a belief that this race is winnable and that Dollinger will be a strong advocate of the governor's reform agenda.
The Siena polls released today have created quite the buzz. No one said this New York State Senate fight would be easy, but it certainly is quite intriguing. These polls showed that these races are going to be very competitive in some places and not-so competitive in others.
But how seriously should we take these polls? Let's use this disclaimer from the poll to get this analysis started:
These SRI surveys were conducted from September 11-17, 2008 by telephone calls to likely registered voters in each State Senate district. For the 3rd SD, 405 voters were called, with a margin of error of + 4.9 percentage points. For the 7th SD, 402 voters were called, margin of error + 4.9. For the 15th SD, 401 voters were called, margin of error + 4.9. For the 48th SD, 437 voters were called, margin of error + 4.7. For the 56th SD, 429 voters were called, margin of error + 4.7. For the 61st SD, 450 voters were called, margin of error + 4.6. Data was statistically adjusted by respondent age - and in the 3rd SD, party - to match likely voters.
Phillip mentioned the high margin of error earlier. I would also like to point out that only 400-plus voters were surveyed in each district. That is a very small sample when you take into consideration how many voters each senate district contains.
There also some questions I had after looking at the crosstabulations for each poll. Take SD-56's crosstabs, for example. Sen. Joe Robach had a favorable rating in Greece/Parma of 71 percent. That is Robach's turf, but 71 percent still seems high to me considering Rick Dollinger had a 56 percent favorable rating on his turf in Brighton. Those numbers tell me that when they conducted this poll and especially when they called voters in Greece, they called more Republicans than Democrats. That Greece/Parma portion of the poll just seems to be inflated to me. This race isn't a double-digit race. We are talking single-digits, if not a dead heat.
The SD-3 crosstabs also boggle my mind. Trunzo is viewed favorably by 54 percent of Democrats? Really? That seems very high to me, especially since this guy is in hiding somewhere. Also, Trunzo is viewed more favorably than Brian Foley in Foley's hometown of Brookhaven. That doesn't sound right to me. And Trunzo is viewed more favorably among people ages 18 to 34? I'll have to take you word for it.
I will echo what Phillip said earlier and that is take these results with a grain of salt. Overall, I think SD-15 and SD-61 are about right. It would make sense that both of those races are tied at the moment. I do think SD-3 is much closer than that and I would even bet Foley is leading. The SD-56 poll also doesn't show how close that race truly is. Again, it depends on your sample. If your sample leans one way or another, that's the way the poll will lean. I'm not accusing Siena of anything (they do great work there) but the sample you have is the sample you work with.
What the Siena polls did tell us today is that we have a fight on our hands. But it also gave the Republicans a nice warning shot across the bow. We are coming for them with everything we have. To think, we could have four races (SD-3, SD-15, SD-56 and SD-61) in play and the Republicans are spending their resources in two races (SD-7 and SD-48) where our incumbent senators are up by double-digits.
November 4 is going to be very, very good for us. But we still need to work hard. There are other races throughout the state we should keep an eye on and work just as hard in. This election is ours for the taking. So let's take it.
- Paloma Capanna, a candidate who is running arguably the most grassroots campaign in the state against Republican Sen. Michael Nozzolio. Nozzolio has never faced a challenge to his seat in the 54th Senate District.
Each candidate spoke and gave brief remarks (see below the fold). If you listen to anyone's remarks, please listen to Capanna's. She gave the most passionate speech I have ever seen in such a short amount of time about the need to replace these Republicans. I really liked Barber's remarks too considering it was the first I've had the chance to see him in person.
There are few things you won't see in these videos. Something Sen. Smith said really resonated with me, especially during this election season. The Republicans will play the downstate card any chance they get because that's really all they have against the Democrats. Sen. Smith stressed "One New York" during his remarks, some of which you will see on video and some of which weren't recorded.
Democrats are united statewide, whether it's Brian Foley running against Sen. Caesar Trunzo or Joe Mesi running for an open seat here in Western New York. We have real chances to win seats on Long Island, in New York City, retain a key seat in the North Country, win seats in the Southern Tier and pick up a few seats here in Western New York. Having three of our leaders from the Senate who represent New York City districts come to upstate and show their strong support for candidates means a lot. There are a lot of key races up here and they are clearly paying attention.
At the event today, the future majority leader led off things before introducing the candidates:
I really like this from our candidates. Following last week's event here at City hall in NYC, a number of our upstate candidates are holding another event in Rochester. It's a great way to score some free media at a time when interest in these races is really beginning to pick up steam. (And trust me, that interest really is picking up. My server logs don't lie. Google action on these races is through the roof in the last few weeks.)
From an emailed release:
Upstate Democratic Senate Candidates Blast Republicans for Failing New York State
(Rochester, NY) Throughout their 40 years in control of the State Senate, Republicans have failed to meet the needs of working class New Yorkers and revitalize the Upstate economy. With a struggling economy statewide, rising energy costs and crumbling housing market in Upstate communities, New York can no longer afford the unfulfilled promises of Senate Republicans. Democratic candidates for the State Senate are holding a press conference to blast Republicans for failing to make the changes needed to get New York back on track.
Invited:
I like four of these races they are pulling. I am eager to see the poll for Foley vs. Trunzo out on Long Island. That poll should tell us how Trunzo's faceless campaign is working out for him.
I also like the polling for Addabbo vs. Maltese, Dollinger vs. Robach and Mesi vs. Ranzenhofer. Those are three races we can win. The poll results should tell us how we stand at this point and what we have to do to make these end up in our column.
I do think Siena wasted their time polling SD-7 and SD-48. I might be able to understand SD-48, but I have yet to see anything from the GOP or Renzi to show me that they really want SD-48 back. And polling SD-7 is a waste, considering the only reason this race is being talked about is Dean Skelos and his vendetta against Sen. Johnson. Skelos needs to get over himself. I rated SD-7 "safe Democratic" for a reason. Barbara Donno is the Sarah Palin of New York State politics. Donno is going nowhere but the Republicans are spending money on her campaign like she was a real contender.
It is safe to predict that these polls tomorrow will show most of these races to be close. The one sleeper could be SD-61. Joe Mesi has name recognition, which is something Ranzenhofer lacks. Staunch Republicans might know who Ranzenhofer is, but the low information Republican males in the district probably don't care who Ranzenhofer is. But they know who Joe Mesi is and they would vote for Joe Mesi.
The three big races for us are SD-3, SD-15 and SD-56. All three should show tight races, although SD-3 might be leaning more towards Foley. Foley is out and about in the district and has made himself very visible. Trunzo hasn't done that. That might not be reflected in this poll, but it will be reflected in the only poll that matters on November 4.
Pride Agenda gave a glowing endorsement of Dollinger which cited his previous experience as a state senator and his support for the LGBT community.
In addition to his experience as a State Senator, Dollinger has also served as a Monroe County Legislator and as Brighton Town Justice. A friend of the LGBT community then, Dollinger long supported the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act and voted for both SONDA and the Hate Crimes Bill when they finally passed and became law in 2002 and 2000, respectively. Because of his consistent support for LGBT issues throughout his career in public office, the Pride Agenda honored Dollinger with the Community Service Award at our annual Spring Dinner in 2003, shortly after he left the Senate.
In an interview with The Albany Project, when asked why he has chosen to return to the State Senate, Dollinger replied: "New York wasn't getting any better. The Senate GOP did nothing while I was there and haven't done anything since I left. I decided that this was my chance to bring about real change." And in his Pride Agenda candidate questionnaire Dollinger said "Quite simply, I've always been a champion for the LGBT community and I look forward to being a champion again as we gain the opportunity to make historic changes in the New York State Senate. It goes without saying that my opponent and the leadership that he supports has simply not taken the right stands on critical issues."
Dollinger would not only be a "yes" vote for LGBT New Yorkers, he would be a vocal advocate for issues that are essential to our community-issues like marriage equality, banning discrimination against transgender people and making schools safe for LGBT youth. In his candidate questionnaire, Dollinger stated that he would not only support these bills but sign onto them as a co-sponsor, as well. Dollinger has stated frequently that he intends to help our community find more "yes" votes on these issues in the State Senate once he is elected.
Like other candidates, my experiences with Dollinger have been a learn-as-you-go experience. Over time, I have found Dollinger to be a great progressive who brings common sense and intelligence to the table. His support of LGBT issues highlights the kind of progressive he is and the type of legislator we will be.
It is important to elect senators like Rick Dollinger. In reviewing the legislative scorecard for state senators, 19 senators have said publicly that they will support marriage equality. Two other key pieces of legislation (Dignity for All Students Act and Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act) have more support, but that support tends to be split along party lines.
We need more Democrats and we need Democrats who will support these and other important causes for the LGBT community. We can start by electing Rick Dollinger to the New York State Senate.
But let's assume for the sake of simplicity that the exact same people who voted in this race in 2006 will vote again in 2008, with no more and no less.
Scenario #1: Dollinger wins Rochester with 60%, and Robach wins Brighton with 51%, as well as Greece and Parma with 70%. In that case, Robach will be re-elected by a wide margin, 56% to Dollinger's 44%.
Scenario #2: Dollinger wins Rochester with 65% and Brighton with 54%, while Robach wins Greece and Parma with 65%. Then, Robach will still be re-elected, but by a much smaller 51-49.
Scenario #3: Dollinger wins Rochester with 68% and Brighton with 57%, and Robach wins Greece and Parma with 62%. Using those numbers, Dollinger would win the seat with less than 52% of the vote.
Conclusion: Of course those aren't the only three possible outcomes, but for Dollinger to clinch the seat, he has to do three things: win by a 2-1 margin in Rochester; win Brighton by a double-digit margin; and make sure Robach doesn't go much above 60% in the western towns.
I don't think anyone thinks that the electorate will look exactly the way it did in 2006, a point the author concedes, but those numbers do provide a pretty good baseline. As they say in blogland, go read the whole thing.
After three would-be debates that turned into community town hall meetings, Democrat Rick Dollinger will finally get the change to debate with his Republican opponent Joe Robach.
It was announced today by Dollinger that Robach has agreed to a debate - a televised debate - on the Rochester ABC affiliate, 13 WHAM.
Today, Democratic State Senate candidate Rick Dollinger announced a major victory for voters as he learned that Republican Joe Robach had finally agreed, after numerous invitations, to participate with him in a debate on the issues that are critical to the future of upstate New York. Dollinger cited his persistence, and the growing unrest from within the community, as being the key reasons for Senator Robach ultimately agreeing to a debate. The debate will be hosted by Rochester's local ABC network affiliate 13 WHAM-TV.
"I am delighted that my opponent, Republican Joe Robach, has finally agreed to join me in a substantive public discussion," said Dollinger. "At last, Robach has realized that he has to account for his record, and has acquiesced to calls for a debate. This is a major victory for the voters who have continually been betrayed by Robach and his Senate Republican colleagues in Albany."
Dollinger continued: "Joe has been completely absent from the community and from this campaign for the last 3 months. As jobs continue to fly out of Monroe County and property taxes continue to skyrocket, our community deserves answers on what is happening in Albany to address the problem. Our community deserves a full public accounting of Joe's record in the New York State Senate and an explanation for his lockstep support of a failed Republican Majority".
This past Friday, Robach finally agreed to a debate on ABC network affiliate 13 WHAM-TV. In his comments on Friday Robach alluded to "several debates" that he had agreed to but failed to provide specifics. Recognizing the fundamental need for an extensive discussion on all the issues, Rick Dollinger has been vocally advocating the need for a series of six public debates. By participating in a series of 6 debates Rick Dollinger and Joe Robach would be providing voters the opportunity to clearly distinguish their platforms and agendas.
That last paragraph certainly catches my eye. If you have been following the debate challenges between Eric Massa and Randy Kuhl, you know that Kuhl has been saying he is willing to debate but there has yet to be a debate. So Robach saying that he has agreed to "several debates" is worth noting.
