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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Democrats Vote For Town Slate



The North Greenbush Democratic Committee endorsed their slate of town candidates last night at a meeting held at the American Legion.

The slate is led by Josephine Ashworth who will be part of what Democrats call a "Professional Management Team" for town government. Mrs. Ashworth will be the party standard bearer for the office of Supervisor and has already received the endorsement of the Working Families Party and is expected to be the candidate of the powerful Greenbush Party which led all parties in total line votes in the 2007 election.

Joining Ashworth are town council candidates Patricia Noel, a former town clerk and Richard Fennelly, a former councilman and supervisor. Democrats also endorsed Janice Liberty for town clerk in the only contested vote of the evening. Kathryn Connolly, the incumbent Town Clerk accepted the Republican endorsement this month and as a result, the Democratic Committee, after telling her in her endorsement interview of the unanimous vote of the committee not to endorse anyone who accepted the Republican line in order to ensure voter choice, endorsed Ms. Liberty as their choice for town clerk.

Despite having voted for the resolution not to endorse anyone who also accepted the Republican line, Doreen Connolly and Kyran Devery voted for Connolly. They were the only votes for Connolly in what must be described as a lopsided weighted vote of 2007 to 326 for Jann Liberty.

Rounding out the ticket are Raymond Elliott and Joshua Sabo for town justice. Elliott is a top voter getter and incumbent in this office and Sabo has extensive trial experience as well as service as the town attorney. Also previously endorsed is the town's top vote getter, Mark Premo who is seeking re-election as Highway Superintendent.

Democratic Chairman Dan Ashley expects a caucus battle later this month as Connolly is expected to try to win the Democratic endorsement, despite the lack of support from the committee. So who needs an election when you can schedule a coronation instead, right?

We'll have more on the candidates and the election picture in the days ahead.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

KYRAN UR NEXT !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Interested Party said...

Looks like a winning slate except for Jann- poor choice for your Clerk candidate- just handed Katie another 2 years.

Let's see if you have the balls to print this comment :)

The North Greenbush Pipeline said...

We're not afraid to print your comment, nor are we hesitant to tell you we think you are wrong about Ms. Liberty.

Usually colorful terminology keeps a comment like this off. Suffice to say you meant to say guts.

Anonymous said...

Let's see- Ms. Liberty has over 30 years of Secretarial background, not to mention she know the ropes. She has the kahunas to run year after year-even with the comments of the likes of Interested Party. Perhaps, you would like to challenge her. Give the girl a shot. She has never backed away from any challenge. Obviously, you don't even know her. Besides, if Ms. Connolly is so disabled she cannot work- how do you justify handing her another two years? Can't argue with that.

Interested Party said...

All good comments- I express my thoughts based on the facts- she has run against Katie 2 or 3 times and has been crushed every time- what makes you think she's going to turn the corner this time? She's just not a legit candidate- believe me- I'd love to see her beat Katie but precedence is not on her side. And I would not want the job- I'd have to take a huge cut in pay, and , unlike the Supervisor who left a good paying job to work for nothing- I need to adequately provide for me and my family. Thanks for the time.

The North Greenbush Pipeline said...

You have to look at very different circumstances of this year's election. Connolly has steadily lost support which provided past victories. She embroiled herself in a party committee fight, ultimately lost a committee seat in her own election district.

In addition, she has alienated many Democrats, has screwed up with embarrassing missteps, leaving her records open and accessible to political opponents who "borrowed" the town oath book and copied it showing she twice forgot to sign a critical oath of office as clerk and registrar.

She won her last caucus fight with the party apparatus supporting her by only 50 votes and should have won by more than 100 as Mark Premo did.

She no longer enjoys the support of the organization which is stronger via the victory in committee seats which translates to more caucus support.

You must also consider that her support with the Republicans is really non existent. She has this line because her brother bartered Independence Party endorsements for the GOP in exchange for her endorsement. Most Republicans will not support her at the polls any more than they did Evers in the last town election.

In any struggle you must keep trying, keep your eye on the ball. Liberty is not afraid to loose while Connolly is afraid to have an opponent explaining why she is going to try to be a Democrat and a Republican at the same time.

Jann Liberty said...

I run because I have to. No one else has ever stepped up to the plate. Sure, it's a little disheartening to lose-but when you have political bosses sacrificing you for the "Greater Good", making those back door deals, forcing people to fill out absentee ballots when they are in Town to ensure THEIR win- I will NEVER back down. I take exception to the comments same old face,flying monkey,etc. Childlike comments from people too scared to do anything about it for themselves. I am proud to run again. I want my family and friends to know- I am NOT a quitter. So I will take those negative comments and only let them make me stronger. I am in excellent health and look forward to a very vigorous campaign. How can you judge someone's ability when you have no real knowledge. Actions speak louder than words. I deserve the respect I have earned. The Democratic Committee has graciously put their support behind me. For that- I will be eternally grateful. They asked for nothing in return. After all the campaign shenanigans I have been put through in years past- this year is truly a breath of fresh air. Like it or not- I do NOT plan on going away anytime soon. My thanks to all who have worked so tirelessly to support my endeavors. Finally, I may reach my goal- to serve the Town I love and grew up in. Dreams can come true.