Republicans Stay on Ballot in North Greenbush
In the David vs. Goliath fight within the North Greenbush Republican Party, Round One has gone to David. Judge Henry F. Zwack upheld petitions filed on behalf of Republicans Jeffrey D. Cleary, Stephanie A. Piel, and Charles W. Marshall. The decision sets up a September 18th primary for the town’s Republicans. Cleary is running for Supervisor and Piel and Marshal are vying for Town Board seats. Their petitions had been challenged by Lillian Parsons at the behest of the Rensselaer County Republican Party, which financed the challenge.
"We are pleased that this political sideshow hit a brick wall in the form of the rule of law, and we can get back to talking to the people of North Greenbush about what matters most to them," Cleary said. "I'm confident that Republicans, who want real change in their government, will now unite behind their hometown Republican team and help us return integrity to town government."
Cleary, a former Republican candidate for County Sheriff, said in over 19 years working in government and for elected officials like former Governor George E. Pataki, he had not seen anything quite like the tumultuous political environment in Rensselaer County.
"The idea of county political bosses injecting themselves into a local race like this, taking us to court to prevent Republicans from challenging non-Republicans for the Republican nomination, is a bit bizarre," Cleary said. "But just as we must do in the management of town affairs, we must reject political skullduggery and back-door dealing, turn our backs on the pay-to-play arrangements of the past, and embrace a new and accountable system of electoral government, where integrity begins with the first knock on the first door."
Cleary, a principle with Knickerbocker Partners LLC who recently held a fundraiser in New York City, plans to continue fundraising with the rest of the Republican ticket soon. He will face incumbent Supervisor Mark Evers, who was elected in 2005 on the Democrat line.
Spain’s “Democrats” Work to Remove Premo
When leaders of all four major parties work together to remove all competition from the ballot in order to take control of a town, the public interest is defied. This is what is taking place in North Greenbush as Democratic Chairman Jeff Spain’s lawyer allied himself with county Republicans, Conservatives controlled by Casale Excavating of water contract fame, and the Independence Party, run by Tom Connolly who orchestrated challenges to petitions which would have provided them competition. They would also have put Highway Superintendent Mark Premo on the November ballot. The group also engineered a primary for the Working Families Party by running a 19 year old who cannot legally drive the town trucks in an effort to defeat Premo and remove him from that party line as well.
A lawyer who works in the State Senate in an office with Tom Connolly, represented every political party in lawsuits aimed at removing all competition, thereby ensuring only their slate is on the ballot. Rather than working at their State jobs, the pair were instead spending their time in Rensselaer County Court trying to install their candidates as “rulers” of North Greenbush. Who is paying the lawyer remains a mystery as neither Spain nor Casale has filed a required financial report.
The Democratic candidates working with the GOP to deny ballot choice are Al Spain Jr., Kathryn Connolly and Kyran Devery. They are allied with Conservative Evers and Lou Desso for town board. Their plans were boosted by one of the most irresponsible and partisan court decisions in an election case ever seen in the Capital District. A Pataki appointed Court of Claims Judge, forwarding his party’s wishes, disenfranchised voters by invalidating an entire petition, removing Premo from the ballot. The judge also assailed the reputations of political opponents. Despite acknowledging there was “nothing in Election Law which expressly requires a person whose name is set forth as a candidate on a designating petition to provide prior authorization”, this unelected political appointee removed every candidate from the ballot.
The only way to thwart this plan is for town Democrats to attend a Caucus of all party members and vote to endorse a slate of true Democrats to oppose Chairman Spain’s slate which is the Republican-Conservative-Independence slate allied with developers. Spain is keeping the date of the Caucus secret in an effort to minimize public participation and notice. Democrats must watch for the Caucus announcement and stop the GOP inspired takeover of the Democratic Party by supporting Mark Premo and a slate of candidates who will oppose this corruption.
Robert Price
Chairman, NG Democrats Club
Late Financial Disclosure Count:
Today is Day 32 for the North Greenbush Democratic and Conservative Committee violations of State Election Law requiring the filing of a Financial Disclosure Report due July 15, 2007. Laws apparently don’t apply to the “reformed” democrats under Jeff Spain and his Treasurer, Tax Collector Kyran Devery. Nor under Michael Casale and his Treasurer, J. David Wos.
2 comments:
Mr. Cleary is so right. One must ask themself, "Why do Joe Bruno and Jack Casey, et al, so badly want non-Republicans to win in North Greenbush? Let's see: Is the other ticket is tied to the big campaign contributing developemnt group? Are any of the contributors FBI Joe's Consulting clients? Are they afraid that if they fail in North Greenbush, the rest of the County will follow our lead and they will be ousted? My guess is the answer is YES to all of these questions. we need the good people of North greenbush to say YES to change this primary day - vote Cleary, Marshall & Piel.
I was reading another blog recently and thought they should remember: "People in Glass Houses..."
They (Katty and crew), commented on Mrs. Razzano not smiling at the Town celebration Friday night. I heard she was frowning because she couldn't figure out what the Town was celebrating. Could it be the Comptroller's audit; the overspent water district #14 contract; the Clerk who can't remember to sign the Oath Book; the convicted felon aspiring to be a Councilman; the temporary assessor trying to defraud the pension system, with the aid of the Supervisor; the new $71,000 contract signed by Mr. Evers without approval; the 19 year-old highway superintendent candidate, who can't drive a truck; the brother of the Clerk who can't seem to find her a job (she would have to work at a real job); or the Court security, (a cop wannabe), who can’t shoot straight? Let’s see, why wasn’t she smiling, what were they celebrating?
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