The big set of polls from The Siena Research Institute that everyone has been waiting on since last week are finally live. The news is overall is pretty damn positive for Dems, but I'd caution everyone to take these numbers with a massive grain of salt. The polls have a pretty high MoE and these races are historically difficult to poll. That said, I like what I see.
Short summary: Our freshman are safe. They are absolutely crushing. Both Craig Johnson (SD-7) and Darrel Aubertine (SD-48) have leads of 20 points or more. Ceasar Trunzo (SD-3) and Serph Maltese (SD-15) are in trouble. Trunzo holds a 6 point lead on Brian Foley in the poll but is well below 50%. Maltese is tied with Joe Addabbo. The poll says that race is dead even. Rick Dollinger is within striking distance of Joe Robach, but has his work cut out for him and Joe Mesi has small lead on the Republican in the race for the open seat in SD-61.
From Siena:
Siena New York State Senate Polls:
Six Key Races Will Help Determine Control of Senate In '09
Republicans Lead in Suffolk (3rd SD) & Monroe (56th SD)
Democrats Up Big in Nassau (7th SD) & North Country (48th SD)
Races in Queens (15th SD) and Erie (61st SD) Are Neck & Neck
Loudonville, NY. With Republicans currently holding a 31-30 majority in the State Senate, the political eyes of New York are turning to legislative races across the State that will determine whether Republicans continue to control the State Senate or Democrats gain a majority for the first time in more than four decades. The two newest senators - both Democrats elected in special elections - have leads of at least twenty points, while two incumbent Republican senators have smaller leads, another Republican incumbent is tied with his opponent, and an open seat shows a very tight race, according to new Siena (College) Research Institute polls of likely voters released today.
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:
Liz has a great breakdown of recent campaign finance filings from the Democrats and Republicans that tell where their resources are being spent and what their primary focuses are heading into November.
On the Democratic side, the three big ones are SD-3 (Brian Foley), SD-15 (Joseph Addabbo) and SD-56 (Rick Dollinger). These seats should go without saying. In SD-15, Republican Serph Maltese narrowly won in 2006 and is vulnerable this year. Here in upstate New York, Dollinger is presenting a serious challenge to Sen. Joe Robach. Robach hasn't received the same love from the SRCC that Dollinger has received from the DSCC. Meanwhile, SD-3 is interesting. Foley is getting plenty of money and support from the DSCC and Republican Sen. Caesar Trunzo is getting backing from the SRCC. Trunzo will need it since he has apparently entered his cave for the winter.
The top target for the SRCC is Maltese, who they have invested a lot of money in hoping he keeps that seat.
The second biggest target for the SRCC? One would think either Trunzo or Robach, right? After all, their counterparts with the DSCC have invested a lot of money in SD-3 and SD-56. But neither are their second biggest target.
Actually, Barbara Donno in SD-7 (Republican challenger to Sen. Craig Johnson) is. The Republicans have spent over $142,000 on Donno, which is remarkable considering she is, at best, a long shot to Sen. Johnson. The reason for this is Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his personal issues with Sen. Johnson. I think the Republicans are crying because Sen. Johnson broke up their nine seat stranglehold out on Long Island. By January, that should be down to seven seats.
There are a couple things that surprise me with the recent filings:
- The lack of money invested in Robach. I would think that they would want to keep this seat that has such a high Democratic enrollment with a candidate that has been able to win there multiple times now. Maybe they will invest more in Robach come October, but the fact they are investing more in races they can't win (SD-7) should raise some questions about what the Republican strategy is for November. Do they really think they are going to keep the majority? It sure seems that way. Of course, these are the same people saying McCain is close in New York.
- The money invested by the SRCC in SD-43 and no money being invested by the DSCC there. The GOP is investing a lot (over $84,000) to keep Bruno's old district red. Are they really worried about keeping this seat or what? It's a Republican district with a Republican assemblyman as the candidate. That's not to take away anything from Mike Russo. If the DSCC can give a modest amount of money to challengers like Kathy Konst, they should be giving up some cash to Russo in SD-43. That seat seems to be one that the Republicans are afraid to lose and the Democrats aren't interested in winning.
I will have more about these filings in my power rankings tomorrow.
"New York is clearly facing major fiscal and economic challenges right now, and we will need strong, fiscally responsible leadership to overcome these challenges.
"When upstate and downstate Democrat politicians come together, taxpayers better guard their wallets.
"Their agenda would be a disaster for Western New York, and our state as a whole."
One rule here: If you are going to play the whole upstate-downstate divide game, you might not want to be such a downstate player yourself.
Case in point: Mike Ranzenhofer's money from downstate donors. If we want to talk about upstate and downstate, then all the facts should be laid on the table.
First, we must define "downstate New York." In reviewing a Wikipedia entry on downstate New York, we'll say that the downstate New York area is around New York City and Long Island.
In reviewing Mesi's three filings, the total amount given from downstate donors to Mesi is $11,100. That is the total from all three filings.
Ranzenhofer's three filings shows us that Ranzenhofer has benefited greatly from downstate donors. In all, Ranzenhofer has received $38,150 from downstate donors. This includes $9,000 from Dean Skelos' committee and $14,500 total from two PACs - both located in the New York City area.
Also, Ranzenhofer has received $176,000 from the SRCC. As of these three filings, Mesi has yet to receive party money.
A tip for Republicans: If you are going to play the downstate divide card (like they always do) you might want to check your own bankroll and see who is funding your campaign. Chances are the results will surprise you. In this case, Ranzenhofer has received over three times as much money from downstate than Mesi. So Ranzenhofer invoking the upstate-downstate Republican myth actually backfires here. Or at least, it should.
In a bold move, Joe Mesi has challenged his Republican opponent Mike Ranzenhofer to three debates to talk about the issues important to voters in the 61st Senate District.
"We owe the voters of the 61st an opportunity to hear more than sound bites from radio and television ads for such an important election." said Joe Mesi. "I believe Albany is broken and I want to have a debate on how we're going to fix it, and how we can make our economy work for us."
Mesi proposes the following town hall debates, which will focus on challenges facing working families of the 61st Senate District:
Friday, October 10th 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Wednesday, October 15th 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Wednesday, October 22nd 6:00 pm -7:30 pm
"I believe that voters want new energy, new leadership, and a real plan that focuses on the issues our working families are facing today," Mesi added. "For voters, the choice is clear: we can continue to elect career politicians who produce more of the same business-as-usual politics, or we can choose the change that we need, here at home and in Albany."
I say this is bold because I have mixed feelings about how savvy Mesi is. Regardless, he is very good in front of a crowd and has the likability factor. He also cares about people and is very genuine. So he might do very well in this setting.
"from 2003 to 2006 Mesi's charity, Baby Joe Mesi's Fight for Organ Donation paid Mesi's father Jack Mesi at least $16,500 while giving out only $13,500 in grants." He also noted that the charity's biggest expense "has been professional services, all to undisclosed sources, except for some paid the husband of Mesi's cousin." Those professional services were for things such as legal fees and accounting, which were apparently all done by Mesi's cousin, Julie Bargnesi.
Look, I've been telling you Joe Mesi is wrong for this job all along. He's as arrogant as they come, a well-known cokehead, an idiot made worse due to a permanent brain injury, and now it comes out that he's a thief too.
And stealing from a CHARITY, no less. This is no WKR/Powers crap - the evidence is all right here: 2003, 2004,
2005, 2006.
I am told that 2006 is the last year they filed.
Please, this is what happens when you let Republican Billionaires try to pick our Democratic Candidates. He can not be allowed to win this primary against two Great, Loyal, Progressive Democrats in Michele Iannello and Dan Ward.
(Sam Williams has submitted this for publication here. This is his case for Joe Mesi. He makes a very strong case for Mesi. Anything written below should be taken as Sam's opinion.)
Meeting Joe Mesi
By Sam Williams
I'd like to start by thanking Robert Harding for giving me the chance to do this. I don't blog that much, but I wanted to share with you some thoughts about the critical upcoming primary for State Senate in SD-61.
Although I'd followed his boxing career, I'd never met Joe Mesi until he came, like the other candidates for the 61st Senate District, to speak to the Working Families Party's Western New York Chapter this past June.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Joe, but almost instantly I understood why so many people are rallying behind his campaign, and why he's exactly the right person to represent working people in Western New York.
Simply put: he's one of us. Joe was born and raised right here in Tonawanda. The son of a secretary and police officer, Mesi understands the issues facing middle class families because they're the same ones his family faced growing up.
Joe Mesi described watching as hundreds of thousands of family-supporting jobs have left New York, as more and more families struggle to afford healthcare or keep up with the mortgages on their homes. And how politicians in Albany did nothing to stem to the tide.
Joe spoke passionately about the New York he wants to see. One where kids who grow up here don't have to move away to find a decent job. One where seniors aren't forced out of their homes by property taxes while the wealthiest 1% of New Yorkers take home huge tax giveaways. And one where we finally change the broken political culture in Albany that lets lobbyists for the powerful set the agenda.
With Democrats poised to finally take back Albany after almost 50 years of Republican rule this fall (thanks in part to a big assist from the Working Families Party), the task for progressives is clear: how do we make sure a change in parties also means a change in politics?
Democrats have staked out a bold, progressive agenda to return government to one that meets the needs of the working men and women of New York. But once they take power, they'll be under incredible pressure from big corporate interests - the insurance companies, the real estate industry, and the entire big-money crowd - to back away from their promises and let us down.
That's why we need to send leaders to Albany like Joe Mesi, someone who won't stop fighting for progressive causes, even when it's not the easy thing to do politically.
Joe Mesi doesn't have the political pedigree of most Albany politicians, but that's exactly why he has what it takes to shake things up in the Senate.
Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing more opinions from the netroots.
I have remained unbiased about who the best candidate is in the 61st Senate District Democratic primary. The choices are good ones: Michele Iannello, Joe Mesi and Dan Ward. If you go by the personalities of all three candidates and their desire to lead, all three have great personalities and all three want to lead. That is why in perhaps the state senate race I know the most about I have not given my opinion either way.
When progressive Democrats go to vote in the district (and there are plenty of progressives in SD-61) they will have their hands full. I will say this: Dan Ward is the least progressive among the three. Dan is a great Democrat and his least progressive "status" doesn't take away from the service he has given to Amherst. But Ward is admittedly a conservative Democrat who is pro-gun, pro-life and against marriage equality. He also is a fiscal conservative. Ward is a great asset locally in Amherst and again, he's a great Democrat. But if a progressive asks themselves who they should vote for, Dan Ward isn't it.
That leaves Iannello and Mesi. I have problems with who Mesi affiliated himself with politically (i.e. Steve Pigeon) but with all that on the table, I like Mesi. Taking all the background information and putting it off to the side, Mesi is someone who cares. He wants to be a leader. He wants to see better times for this district and Western New York. He wants to see better out of the New York State Senate.
I do have one problem with Mesi though: His consistency. I have a hard time trying to piece together why Mesi would receive the backing from the Working Families Party and then be endorsed by the local Conservative Party. In listening to other Democrats and hearing from other Democrats in this district, it has been said that Mesi tends to "preach to the choir" that he is speaking to. That worries me, especially when it comes time to stand up to the Republicans. When it's time for Democrats to stand up, we don't need Joe Mesi to sit down.
It is also interesting to note that Mesi has been inconsistent on marriage equality. When I interviewed Mesi in mid-April, he told me that he supports a "strong civil union." Recently though while debating Iannello and Ward, Mesi said, "I don't see myself not being supportive of equal rights." When asked if he would vote for a bill supporting gay marriage, Mesi called it a "fairness" issue and again referred to it as an equal rights issue before adding, simply, "yes." That is the most glaring example of Mesi's inconsistency.
That leads me to Iannello. I have my disagreements on more than a few issues with Iannello. But she is the most progressive candidate in this race. She has presented and will continue to present new ideas every day on her "40 Ideas In 40 Days" blog featured on the front page of her website. Again, I don't agree with all of the ideas presented. But Iannello has proven herself as a progressive when it comes to the issues impacting the state and her desire to change how the game is played in Albany.
If I was a progressive in this race, I would be backing Iannello. She has what it takes to be a progressive state senator. I do think though she is trailing behind Mesi in the race. It will be close, but it will be tough for Iannello to overcome the strong name recognition Mesi has.
Citizen Action of New York and Citizen Action's Western New York chapter have sent a letter to Erie County Board of Elections Commissioner Dennis Ward, who serves as the Democratic commissioner with the Erie County Board of Elections, asking him to "delegate [his] oversight responsibilities" due to his personal connections to the 61st Senate District Democratic primary. Dennis Ward is married to candidate Michele Iannello and Ward's brother, Dan Ward, is also a candidate in the race.
Dear Mr. Ward:
On behalf of advocates for good government practices and campaign reform, we are writing to express our concerns about the integrity of the upcoming primary election in the 61st Senate District on September 9th. It is your office's mission to provide complete oversight and ensure fairness, and we are concerned that your ability to oversee a fair election has been compromised. We understand you are in difficult position, no matter how fair your intentions may be.
There have been recent news reports indicating a greater level of interest by your office in this particular election in contrast to other elections. We are also very concerned about recent public disclosures of financial contributions in the order of $8,000.00 that you have made to your wife's campaign.
Transparency is the hallmark of the elections commission, and we ask you to hold yourself to the same high standard that you normally display.
We are also requesting assurance that you will be delegating your oversight responsibilities for this particular race to a more objective person.
Sincerely,
Ellen Kennedy
President of Citizen Action of New York
Jim Anderson
Chair of the Western New York Regional Board of Citizen Action of New York
Iannello's 11 day pre-primary filing shows that Dennis Ward has loaned Iannello's campaign $8,000 which could provide for a perceived conflict of interest. And as the saying goes, sometimes the perception of a conflict of interest is worse than an actual conflict of interest.
I believe Dennis Ward's intentions are in the right place. However, as Erie County BOE commissioner, he should delegate responsibilities for this race to ensure that the process is a fair one. No one is accusing Dennis Ward of anything, but Citizen Action calling for a more objective process is arguably the right thing to do here.
This is a complicated primary. It's not too often you see a brother-in-law and sister-in-law running against each other. You're not going to see too many of these races. That said, it would be best for everyone involved if Dennis Ward stepped aside this time.
Joe Mesi is different than his two opponents in the 61st Senate District Democratic primary. Unlike his Democratic opponents Michele Iannello and Dan Ward, Mesi is not an elected official nor has he ever been an elected leader.
That can be a good thing in politics. However, if there is a criticism of Mesi it is that he is not very savvy when it comes to the issues. When he debated his two other primary opponents on "Hardline with Hardwick" yesterday (a local political radio show in Buffalo), some of Mesi's answers to questions were shaky. Ward, who is a long-time elected official and has run for a number of different offices in Erie County, was a force. He handled the debate with ease while Iannello started off a little nervous but ended up finishing very strong.
Suddenly, the "Baby" is gone from his name and his new opponents are a veteran Town Council member in Amherst and a former Kenmore village trustee turned county legislator.
Four years after that fateful night in Vegas, Mesi's eyes are on a new title - New York State senator. But there are people in his way and they have the one skill he lacks - experience in politics.
"Don King versus Sheldon Silver," Mesi said of the boxing promoter and Assembly speaker. "I've never been persuaded by money or personality. And that's the way it's going to be in Albany."
...
Of the three Democrats running, Mesi is the one with the name and fame. But will his popularity as a sports figure translate into votes?
"What's that old [Walter] Mondale quip, 'Where's the beef?' " asked Daniel J. Ward, the Amherst council member running against Mesi.
To hear Ward talk, Mesi's run for the Senate is equivalent to a young, inexperienced boxer seeking an immediate shot at the heavyweight title.
The image of Mesi as an unqualified but polished former athlete turned politician is one that both Ward and fellow candidate Michele Iannello have helped foster.
Iannello, a county legislator, contrasts her background as a small-business owner and paralegal with Mesi's career as a nationally ranked boxer.
"My common-sense life experience is what I offer the voters," she said. "I've been a single mom. I've been a small-business owner. And I've worked multiple jobs to put food on the table."
This race is a tough one. Mesi has people backing him who aren't well liked in Erie County Democratic circles. Yet Mesi is someone I find to be a strong leader, someone who wants to work for the "average Joe" (no pun intended) and someone who will go to Albany and be a fighter (again, no pun intended). I'm not a huge fan of who Mesi has aligned himself with. But I also know how sincere Mesi is about this opportunity to lead and how much passion he is pouring into this.
I met Ward for the first time when the news broke of Eliot Spitzer's involvement with a prostitute. Actually, we were just leaving the restaurant where I sat down with him for an interview when the news broke on the television in the restaurant. Ward is very smart. He is by far the most experienced candidate in this race. He is well educated (a lawyer by trade) and he has represented the people of Amherst for several years now as town supervisor and as a town board member.
Iannello doesn't bring that same career politician feel. She will remind you of her history right off the get-go. She was a single mother at one time and also a small business owner. Then she went for paralegal training and also served in the Village of Kenmore as a village trustee before becoming an Erie County legislator. While she's not a career politician, she is far from inexperienced. On her website, Iannello has been posting a "40 Ideas In 40 Days" ongoing blog which presents an idea of Iannello's every day lead up to Primary Day. It is a smart idea, gives voters an idea of where she stands and what ideas she will push forth and it gives people a chance to reach out to her for feedback.
This is a primary to watch. And I know I will be watching on Sept. 9.
If you are a Democrat and live in the 61st Senate District, you might have received a mailer from Joe Mesi today.
The Mesi campaign sent out the mailers targeting Democratic voters in the district and used the mailers to tout Mesi as a candidate who, if elected, will protect jobs here in Western New York and prevent them from leaving New York and going overseas, as well as promote job creation in Western New York.
I will be sitting down with Mesi next week for an interview. If you have any questions for Mesi, please let me know.
Michele Iannello has filed a complaint against Joe Mesi for his connections with Responsible New York which include ties to Steve Pigeon, former Erie County Democratic Party chair and current co-chair for Responsible New York - the committee started by billionaire Tom Golisano to fund political campaigns. One of the campaigns reported to be a possible beneficiary of Golisano's giving was Mesi's, which was in line to receive $1 million from Golisano before Golisano declared that no decisions about giving had been made.
Iannello laid out the extensive connections and coordination between Mesi and Responsible New York, focused mainly around Steve Pigeon.
Pigeon, who has been a major advisor to Mesi since his campaign began earlier this year and has been authorized to sign checks for the committee, is now the co-chair of Responsible New York. Responsible New York has indicated that it intends to spend up to $1 million dollars on Mesi's behalf. New York State Election Law prohibits the coordination by candidates and independent committees if they intend to spend more than the contribution limits. In the State Senate primary the contribution limit is $6,000.
"I'm not a lawyer, but the law is clear - you can't spend more than the $6,000 on behalf of a candidate if you are coordinating with them - period. It is clear that there has been extensive coordination between Mr. Mesi and a committee that wants to spend $1 million on his behalf," stated Iannello.
Iannello also called on Mesi to answer questions about his association with this group.
"Mr. Mesi needs to look the voters in the eye and tell them whether or not he is going to allow the law to be broken to help him try to win the election. We can't afford any more politics as usual in Albany. Politicians hiding behind "lawyer-speak" to try and justify shady actions is exactly what the voters are sick of," continued Iannello."
Iannello provided supporting documentation which shows the connection between Mesi and Pigeon. According to the committee designation form submitted to the state Board of Elections, "Friends of Mesi" authorized two people (other than the treasurer) to sign checks. One of those people is Steve Pigeon.
Here is a flow chart showing this relationship:
Iannello and her campaign have made a compelling (and strong) case against this. The evidence looks damning. Let's wait and see if this is investigated or not.
Mesi is in a three-way Democratic primary against Michele Iannello and Amherst Town Councilman Dan Ward.
From the press release announcing the endorsement:
"For too long the health care needs of working families in Western New York have been overlooked by Albany," said Terri Schelter, Political Director of CWA 1168. "Joe is a strong leader who is committed to making access to comprehensive health care for families in our community a top priority."
Local 1168 represents over 4,000 healthcare professionals in Western New York. Like Joe Mesi, they believe affordable, quality healthcare should be available to all working families in Western New York.
"I know personally how important it is for working families to have health care. When my mom got sick my family was fortunate that we had healthcare, but there are too many families who aren't as lucky," said Mesi "With the support of groups like the CWA, I will work hard to help working families gain access to comprehensive, low cost healthcare."
"As healthcare professionals, we know firsthand the impact poor healthcare has on families," said Cori Gambini, Executive Vice President of CWA 1168. "Because of high costs, families are often forced to chose between paying for adequate health care and buying essential items, such as food and clothing. I know Joe Mesi will work hard to make sure families in Western New York no longer have to make this choice."
On the front page of her website, Michele Iannello has introduced a new feature that presents a new idea or brings up a past idea that Iannello has had to address a different issue or set of issues. Iannello started this daily blog on Wednesday with a short introduction explaining this ongoing series.
I started this blog as an outlet to talk about real ideas to make Western New York and all of New York State a better place. I've been so busy out campaigning door to door I haven't had as much time to embrace critical new mediums like the internet and blogging as I had hoped too.
Just like most other people, I can get frustrated with the coverage of politics by traditional media, there is too much focus on fundraising and polls, who's ahead, who's behind. My goal with this blog is to bring my idea driven agenda directly to the voters.
In the first couple of days Iannello has discussed a number of different issues. Yesterday, she made an interesting proposal for a blog post: "Turn off the computers." That didn't mean turn them off all day long. Based on her experiences as an Erie County legislator, Iannello learned that computers throughout Erie County's government buildings are left on after an employee's shift ends and are left on over the weekend. A recent policy was instituted - with Iannello's pressing - to mandate that employees shut off their computers over the weekend. Iannello called it an "important first step" and could save up to $400,000 a year.
Iannello wants to bring this idea to the state level if elected state senator. If we could save $400,000 a year in Erie County, just imagine how much we could save statewide.
Today Iannello is talking about a sales tax reduction on hybrid cars.
We can use the tax code to encourage New Yorkers to buy cars that will help cut the demand for gas and reduce the emissions polluting our air. We all know that prices are based on supply and demand, and by reducing the demand for gas we can help cut the prices.
This is a great idea. If you want to ask Iannello a question or pass along a comment, you can contact her and let her know.
The influential union backed Mesi, one of three Democrats running for State Senate, during a news conference at the soon-to-be-closed American Axle forge plant in the Town of Tonawanda.
"He understands working people in Western New York," said Kevin Donovan, regional vice president of the UAW. "And he comes from a family of working people."
The UAW endorsement, considered among the most important locally, gives Mesi easy access to the union's 30,000 active and retired members.
Mesi, with 50 union members surrounding him, said the endorsement is especially gratifying because of his brother Tom, a UAW member who was laid off from his job at American Axle last year.
"Jobs are leaving the state and leaving the region," he said. "We need a louder, stronger voice."
This is a big endorsement for Mesi. I remember him telling me when I sat down with him for an interview about his brother and American Axle. That really hit Mesi hard and it really pushed him into trying to change things for the 61st and for New York.
This is one of the bigger races in New York. Republican Sen. Joe Robach is defending his seat against Democrat and former state senator Rick Dollinger. However, Robach doesn't have incumbent-like money. For example, Sen. Jim Seward is facing off with Don Barber. Seward has over $490,000 cash on hand, which is a pretty strong figure. Other Senate incumbents have plenty of money. Sen. Tom Libous has over $752,000 in the bank and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has over $1.3 million cash on hand.
The same cannot be said of Joe Robach. In his filing, it shows us that Robach only raised $121,625.00 and now has $270,048.95 cash on hand. That figure is very small considering fellow Republican incumbents have double, triple or even six times that amount (like Skelos does).
Other Senate notable races and filings (more to come later):
- The aforementioned Libous, the new deputy majority leader, has $752,279.30 cash on hand and received $357,397.46 in contributions over the first of the year.
SD-51: Seward's filing shows that he raised $176,634.00 during the first half of 2008 and now has $490,559.27 cash on hand. No filing yet from Barber, but that should be one to watch for.
SD-61: The Democratic primary is heating up in SD-61. Michele Iannello and Joe Mesi have yet to submit their filings, while fellow Democrat Dan Ward has. Ward's filing shows that he has $7,525.33 cash on hand. Republican Mike Ranzenhofer has yet to file. These filings will also be ones to watch for.
In more petition signature news, Michele Iannello has submitted over 2,850 signatures to secure her place on the ballot in the 61st Senate District Democratic primary.
To get on the ballot as a Democratic running for New York State Senate, you need 1,000 signatures. Iannello's figure is a strong, nearly tripling the number of signatures required.
In a statement, Iannello touted her grassroots support while taking a not-so subtle jab at her primary opponent Joe Mesi.
"I am honored to have such a strong showing of support from the Democrats in the 61st. I may not have a Republican billionaire trying to buy me a job in Albany like my opponent, but I have overwhelming grassroots support from the Democrats in the district," stated Iannello.
...
"As I have been going throughout the district it is clear that my proven record of fighting for change and defending the middle class is resonating with the voters. We need real reform in Albany, and that means action not more words," explained Iannello.
According to Iannello's campaign, 100 percent of the petitions submitted were carried by residents of the 61st Senate District. In addition, 125 registered Democrats from the district carried these petitions and "none of them were paid to do so," the press release states.
Arguably the most impressive statistic is that Iannello gathered 578 signatures on her own. That's a little over 20 percent of all the signatures Iannello received.
Iannello is hardworking and a believer in running a strong grassroots campaign. I have been told many times that she is out walking throughout the district. That is one of her most impressive traits. She is willing to walk and do the hard work.
Today, Mesi's campaign manager came out strong against Iannello's remarks. Here is his statement:
I think it's hard to talk about reform when you're a part of the system that needs to be reformed. Michele Iannello's campaign is putting out statements filled with very technical language that seem like they could have been written by a Board of Elections Commissioner, which her husband happens to be. She's a member of a legislature that authorizes her husband's $115,000 per year salary for his 'part-time' job. Because the job is part time, he runs his election law practice full time - apparently to the benefit of select state senate candidates. It is also interesting to note that the legislature provides funding for the commissioner's staff - many of whom happen to be Iannello campaign 'volunteers'.
You can't just talk reform talk. You have to actually walk the walk. We welcome Michele back to the campaign trail, and urge her to engage in a serious discussion of the challenges facing our district. Joe Mesi is going to continue his issue-based campaign to bring strong leadership, an independent voice and working class values back to Albany.
I had a feeling that this primary would get a bit ugly. Both Iannello and Mesi are strong candidates. Having met them both, I know that they offer a lot in terms of leadership and intelligence.
Personally, I want to hear how many signatures Iannello and Mesi nabbed in the last month and I want to hear them address key issues like public financing of elections, marriage equality, property tax reform, among many other important issues.
So what's the word Iannello and Mesi campaigns? How many signatures did you get? That will give us an idea of how well your ground games are working for you.
Michele M. Iannello, candidate for the 61st State Senate district, denounced the political committee formed by Tom Golisano, saying the contributions violate New York Election Law. Iannello called on the New York State Board of Elections and, the Office of the Attorney General to begin immediate investigations.
Golisano stated that he was depositing a check for $5 million dollars into his political committee, and press reports have said that Golisano would spend up to $1 million on behalf of candidate Joe Mesi. Iannello said that both would be in violation of campaign finance law.
"Just because Mr. Golisano and Mr. Mesi call it reform, doesn't make it so. In fact, it is just the opposite, it is nothing more than politics as usual and Mr. Mesi looks like just another politician with a with a price tag on him," said Iannello.
Golisano might be a Republican but he's not a traditional Republican. The only reason he turned Republican was for a possible gubernatorial run in 2006. That never happened.
That said, Iannello and her campaign have been outspoken on this issue and very critical of Golisano, especially when it comes to the questions of how legal this PAC is.
