It is said that general elections define the type of government we want while primaries define what kind of party we want. That said, Democrats in North Greenbush will have an opportunity to define the kind of party they want in what is called a caucus. It’s the party’s version of a primary with the difference being that the election is not held at the polls or with voting booths, but rather at a sort of town meeting of Democrats.
North Greenbush Democrats will hold a caucus in the coming months and when they do, they will be able to nominate candidates for every town office and then vote for the candidates of their choice. As they approach that day, many are asking serious questions of the announced and unannounced candidates. The answers will help the rank and file Democrats define the kind of party they want. It won’t necessarily be the party as defined by either of the two factions in which the Democratic Committee has found itself divided.
It’s time for soul searching and Democrats representing the two factions see it differently. The Ashley faction support a Comprehensive Plan Committee in which members of the community from each election district help define what kind of development and growth best suits our town and where that growth should take place. Their opponents on the Democratic Committee were financed by development interests. They support Mark Evers, the GOP endorsed candidate who misled the town Democratic Committee and deserted the Comprehensive Plan after winning election. He even voted against an $80,000 grant to fund it.
Ashley Democrats called for an audit of the overspent Water District 14. The Evers faction led by Chairman Jeff Spain have never expressed support for the audit or criticized the overspending which went into the pockets of Casale Excavating which runs the Conservative Party. Instead, this faction has aligned itself with Casale who has already endorsed the slate of Democratic nominees Spain supports which includes Evers, former GOP candidates Lou Desso and Al Spain, the Democratic Chairman’s brother.
The Ashley faction opposes the $83,000 check Evers gave to Casale Excavating without town board approval. Spain’s group has remained silent and supports Evers without criticism. Ashley’s faction opposes Evers plan to bail out the overspending in Water District 14 with an $830,000 bond which, thanks to resident Robert Price’s efforts in gathering 200 signatures from town residents, will be voted on by town residents later this year.
Perhaps the clearest defining difference between Ashley and Spain Democrats is support for Highway Superintendent Mark Premo. Ashley's faction staunchly supports him while Spain is supporting a developer who is supported by Casale Excavating and the Conservative Party they control which includes Michael Casale, the Chairman and Lou Desso, the Vice Chairman.
When the finger pointing between the two Democratic Committee factions ends and one examines substantive issues, there is a clear delineation between the candidates supported by Chairman Spain and those who might become candidates supported by former Chairman Ashley and his committee members along with the N.G. Democrats Club, a fund raising committee formed to oppose Spain’s agenda. Democratic voters will sort it all out at a caucus. Iowa has it easy compared to our little town of North Greenbush!
Next week:The GOP Soul Search
2 comments:
We are all fortunate to live in the USA.
When I think of the men and women serving in Iraq, it is a reminder that each of us needs to involve ourselves in our election process so that at the very least, their sacrifices are not in vain.
I urge every Registered Republican to vote in the primary and every eligible Deomocrat to attend the Caucus.
Give us a choice on election day!
- A Registered Conservative
it's a shame it's got to come to this but either ur with PREMO or ur agin'em ,myself i'm 110% behind PREMO: joe spairana,wynantskill resident.
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