Well, Eric Massa has gone from not running for re-election to resigning in the space of 3 days.So much for the "health scare" theory. It's pretty clear that Democrat leaders did not want Massa staying in office for the rest of the year, threatening to turn his sexual harrassment problem into a "Foleygate".
More interesting to me is the flurry of interest from so many politicians, in both parties, to become the person who replaces Massa. Local contenders include David Koon, Susan John and Sandy Frankel on the Democrat side and Maggie Brooks, Randy Kuhl, and Brian Kolb from the GOP. There is also lots of interest by Democrat and Republican office holders in the Southern Tier, as well.
I initially wondered why Maggie Brooks would be interested in this spot when the likely result (after the Census is reviewed) will be the elimination of the 29th Congressional District. From that perspective, it might seem that Randy Kuhl is a more obvious choice, since he is already at the end of his career. Maggie Brooks, on the other hand, seems to have more of a potential future (although GOP prospects in New York do not seem good in the longer term).
Maggie would be a great candidate and a great Congressperson. She can raise money with the best of them and altthough she's relatively unknown in the Southern Tier, she has both a warm and dynamic personality which would quickly win over support. She would be an articulate and effective spokesperson for our district.
There is some risk in such a run, however. If Maggie were to run unsuccessfully, it could damage her prospects in seeking re-election as County Executive. Another potential consequense of a run by Maggie, could be a succession controversy with regard to the County Executive slot. Several names have bubbled up as possible replacements, including Cheryl DiNolfo and Joe Robach, among others.
The fact that we will now have a special election makes the situation all the more interesting. The 29th should be a GOP seat. Massa won it due in large part, to "Bush fatigue". Randy Kuhl had been a very staunch supporter of the President's Iraq policy. The seat should go back to GOP hands due to both the enrollment advantage and the clearly growing "Obama remorse" factor.
All in all, it makes for an exciting time in local politics!
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4 comments:
Glad to see Massa going. Back when I was a reporter I covered him (during his first run) and got strange vibes from him. I did not vote for him either time, and I've been critical of his position on abortion while listing himself as a Catholic.
But Brooks running? She might win, but I think the former Corning mayor should have the edge for the GOP nod because he is already after the seat. Plus, I think Brooks has baggage. Unlike you, I have reservations about the way she has run the county.
I hope she doesn't run.
Randy Kuhl??? Again??!!??? I hope you were just kidding. He was kicked out because he was a Bush goosestepper. We need someone with fresh ideas, not a retread. Maggie would be an interesting choice. I could almost vote for her...almost.
What stinks is that Congress is so polarized right now it is getting ridiculous. The current state of our Nation's Congress is almost as bad as our present national joke called the NY State government and that is saying a lot. Nothing is getting done in Washington at this time. The new guy, Scott Brown from Massachsetts, gets lambasted by his party for doing something he believed in, though he admitted the bill was not perfect but thought it was better than doing nothing, which was voting for the jobs bill. Whether that bill does any good will be interesting to see. But still he showed he was trying to be independent. How long that lasts will be interesting to see as I am sure the GOP bigwigs have laid him out on the carpet in private for that vote. I am sure the GOP minority leader did not call him after the vote saying "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job".
PS: I have returned!!!!
Brooks and Kuhl both opted not to run.
Wise decisions.
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