Where Are The Democrats — Is Anyone Running For State Senate?
One of the bromides of politics is that serious candidates thinking of challenging incumbents start to show some type of activity after the first of the year. Take a look at the Congressional races, announced opponents for Walsh, Kuhl and Reynolds.
But what about the big names who are thinking about running for State Senate? David Koon — the gentleman who announced he was going to run against Jim Alesi — he has just under $15,000 in his campaign account. That’s not enough money to run for county legislature. Perhaps his son’s actions in East Rochester have effected the elder Koon’s fundraising ability. Or perhaps Koon realizes voters may start to experience Koon Fatigue and he is having second thoughts. The son’s conduct may play in well in the Koon’s native West Virginia, but it is beneath the dignity of those of us living on the east-side.
And what about a challenge to Senator Joe Robach? Do you really think the Democrats will wait around for Richard Dollinger — the man who showed his true colors by deserting his party as chairman to realize his personal dream of signing off on traffic infraction plea bargains as a Brighton Town Judge? We doubt the Democrats are waiting for “The Judge” to make up his mind. How can they be assured he wouldn’t abandon them as he did as chairman — or how about when he announced twice he has going to run for re-election in 2002 and practically handed the seat to Robach when he announced at the last minute that he didn’t have the fire in the belly? Not to mention the two failed tries for higher judicial office.
I guess that leaves us with perennial candidate for every office Sandy Frankel. As Mr. Peabody posted on the other day, she is up to her usual tricks and pandering to the neighbors in her town. She reports raising a grand total of $0.00 during the past six months and has a campaign balance of about $25,000 — better than Koon, but still not enough for anything more than running for re-election as Supervisor of the People’s Republic of Brighton.
In the end, the smart bet is that she will not run for Senate. Or for County Clerk against Cheryl Dinolfo. As much as she needs to feed the beast that is her ego, that same beast is what will prevent her from running. A huge defeat would expose her for the paper tiger she is.
We will be waiting anxiously to see what happens in the coming weeks.
2 Responses to “Where Are The Democrats — Is Anyone Running For State Senate?”
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It would be a huge lose for Upstate and esp. Rochester if Democrats take control of the Senate. If NYC liberals run that house too then we are in even bigger trouble –Rochester should petition the state legislature to let us join Pennsylvania if that happens!
Dear Prudence Izguhde,
I’d like to set the record straight with regard to my campaign and election record.
I have run for four offices: BOCES #1 Monroe Board of Education, Brighton School Board, Brighton Town Supervisor, and Lt. Governor of New York State. In all, I have come before the voters 15 times, and have won all but 3 elections.
I ran for the Brighton School Board in 1977 after having lived in town for nearly one year, and did well but didn’t win. I continued to work at raising our three young children with my husband (we have now been married for 43 years), as a Speech Language Pathologist with the Hearing and Speech Center of Rochester at the Anthony Jordan Health Center and several city day care centers, and as a volunteer in the community.
In 1982, I was elected to the BOCES #1 Monroe Board of Education and re-elected in 1987. I served the interests of children with handicapping conditions, vocational education, and shared educational services for 10 years, including service as Vice President.
I was elected to the Brighton Board of Education in 1985, and was re-elected in 1988 and 1991. My 6 year service on the Brighton School Board included time as Vice President, as well as service as President of the Monroe County School Boards Association. I was proud to be part of our community’s continuing commitment to quality education and to achieving national recognition as one of the finest school districts in the country.
In 1989 I ran as a Democrat for Brighton Town Supervisor and lost by a very small margin. I thought that if the incumbent administration addressed the concerns that we as a slate had raised, then I would be happy to continue my life as it was. Unfortunately, inadequate progress on issues of community concern, e.g. the lack of public parks, financial management, and delayed but needed infrastructure improvement, motivated me to run again two years later.
In 1991 I ran and won election as the first woman and first Democrat to hold the position of Brighton Town Supervisor in modern history, despite more registered Republicans than Democrats at that time.
I ran for re-election eight more times and won each election, the most recent in 2007 with 75 percent of the vote. The voters spoke clearly about their ongoing satisfaction with the performance of my adminstration.
In 1998, I was honored to be asked to run for Lt. Governor of New York State. The poliltical wisdom of the day said that Democrats from upstate need not apply, since the preponderance of registered Democrats was in the downstate and New York City area. Nevertheless, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to put important issues on the table, to get to know our state better, and to work for the interests of upstate, which had lagged behind the economic boom enjoyed by downstate and the rest of the nation at that time.
To the surprise of many, I won a three-way Primary Election to become the Democratic Nominee for Lt. Governor, and I won 82 percent of the Democratic votes in Monroe County in that primary. Although Lt. Govenor and guberatorial candidates run separately in our primaries, the winners become a single ticket and that is the basis on which voters vote in the General Election. Our ticket did not win, but I opened the door for Democrats from upstate to participate in a meaningful way in statewide elections, and for candidates from downstate to take needs, concerns, and interests of upstate more seriously. I was pleased that the campaigns and subsequent elections of U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton and Governor Eliot Spitzer included a sincere focus on upstate and western New York.
Interestingly, in 1998, voter registration in the Town of Brighton shifted from more Republicans to more Democrats.
Those are the facts about the campaigns I have run, won, and lost.
It is certainly more satisfying to run and win, than to run and lose. Winning allows you to work directly on positive policy changes, to improve the delivery of government services and programs, and to make capital improvements that will benefit the community for years to come, like the creation of a town-wide park system, an expanded library, stronger police and other public safety services, safer sidewalks and roads, and improved sewer and drainage systems.
But even if one doesn’t win an election, it is still a worthwhile endeavor. Giving the voters a choice in competitive elections is important to our system of democracy. Putting issues important to the community on the table for public consideration and discussion helps to move policy and programs forward. Perhaps best of all is the opportunity and privilege of meeting and getting to know so many great people in our wonderful community.
So, the next time you think about people on either side fo the aisle who are willing to put themselves out there in a public election, please consider that public service is, indeed, an intrinsically gratifying type of work, win or lose. My hope is that more people will decide to throw their hat in the ring and give it a try. In fact, we could use more women elected officials as well. How about you, Prudence?
Sincerely,
Sandra L. Frankel
Supervisor
Town of Brighton