Politics Now

Charles M. Swanick, the Conservative Party candidate for the 60th Senate district seat, speaks during this morning's debate at St. Joe's as Democrat Michael Amodeo, left, and Republican incumbent Mark J. Grisanti listen. (John Hickey / Buffalo News)

By Charity Vogel

The three chief candidates in the race for the 60th Senate district seat this fall criticized each other – in matters personal and political – and offered arguments for their own agendas in a debate before a packed auditorium at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute Wednesday morning.

The discussion was heated and humorous by turns, before an audience of several hundred students, faculty members, and members of the press.

The debate, an autumn tradition at the Catholic high school on Kenmore Avenue, was the first – and could be the only – time that the three main candidates in the contentious race have engaged in a debate on the issues.

Incumbent Republican Mark J. Grisanti spoke about his record over the past two years since his election to the office in 2010, and referenced several times his close working relationship with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat.

Grisanti, a Buffalo resident, called his record a testimony to his “fantastic rapport” with Cuomo. Michael Amodeo, an attorney from Hamburg who is challenging Grisanti on the Democratic line, called Grisanti’s record of voting with the Republicans in Albany “95 percent of the time” a sign that Grisanti is not as independent as he claims to be. “People want change,” said Amodeo. “They want people who fully represent their community.”

Charles M. Swanick, the challenger running on the Conservative Party line, said that he has knocked on 7,200 doors in the district so far, and is hearing from constituents that they want to see change in Albany.

“We need to change the mindset of the people in Albany, to get things moving for once and for all,” said Swanick, a Town of Tonawanda resident and former Erie County Legislature chairman.

A live video debate among the candidates in the 60th Senate district will be hosted by The Buffalo News on Oct. 31, but so far only Swanick and Amodeo have agreed to participate in that discussion.

Grisanti has declined the invitation of The Buffalo News to take part.

Election Day is Nov. 6.

Send in your questions for a live video debate among candidates for the 60th District seat in the New York State Senate.

The debate, hosted by The Buffalo News, will take place at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, and be shown on BuffaloNews.com.

Democrat Michael Amodeo and Conservative Party candidate Charles Swanick have agreed to participate in the half-hour debate, which will be moderated by the News’ Bob McCarthy and Brian Meyer. Readers will have the chance to have their questions answered.

Simply email your questions to Assistant Online Editor Aaron Besecker at abesecker@buffnews.com by noon Tuesday, Oct. 30.

(Republican incumbent Mark Grisanti has not accepted The News’ invitation to participate in the debate. Grisanti's campaign rejected three proposed dates and was given a chance to suggest a time that worked for them, but they did not offer any alternative.)

By Robert J. McCarthy

Could Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, be facing a competitive race?

A new poll commissioned by the New York AFL-CIO shows Democrat Nate Shinagawa trailing incumbent Reed by just five points. The poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling, has Reed at 49.7 percent and Shinagawa at 44.7 percent with 5.6 percent of voters undecided.

Shinagawa, an Ithaca hospital administrator and Tompkins County legislator, has conducted a relatively low-key campaign that some observers say is now picking up steam. Though it should be noted the new poll is backed by a group supporting the Democrat, AFL-CIO President Mario Celento said Shinagawa's "commitment to middle-class values" is the impetus behind his showing in the poll.

"We will build on this momentum and work as hard as ever in the final two weeks to help elect Nate Shinagawa to Congress," he said.

The poll had a sample size of 959 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percent.

By Tom Precious

ALBANY – The state’s highest court, in a ruling that surprised few legal watchers, declined to hear a case today challenging the procedure by which the state Senate approved gay marriage rights last year.

The now-dismissed lawsuit, brought by New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, whose leadership is composed mostly of evangelical ministers, featured a number of claims, including that the state’s open meetings law was violated at least twice prior to the vote that okayed the measure.

The court was not asked to look at the broader constitutional issue of same-sex marital rights, a course some critics of the law could still try to launch. "What is most troubling is that the court has surrendered its rightful role as a check and balance on an out-of-control Legislature," said Rev. Jason McGuire, executive director of group that brought the suit.

Critics noted one Senate Republican who voted for the bill – Roy McDonald of Saratoga County – has already seen his political career end with a September primary defeat and another, James Alesi of Rochester, decided against facing voters this fall by retiring. Buffalo Senate Republican Mark Grisanti lost the Conservative Party line because of his support for the bill, though he is leading in general election polls. The fourth Senate GOP backer, Steve Saland of Dutchess County, is facing a tough re-election fight this fall, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo came to his defense last week by crossing party lines to endorse the veteran lawmaker.

Cuomo, who made the gay marriage bill his signature policy piece of 2011, praised the Court of Appeals decision not to hear the legal challenge. "The freedom to marry in this state is secure for generations to come," Cuomo said in a statement this afternoon.

By Tom Precious

ALBANY – The clock is ticking, but President Obama has still not given a road map to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for where the New York Democrat can serve as a surrogate in the final weeks of the presidential campaign.

Cuomo, who had a low-key role at the party’s convention this summer in North Carolina, last week began talking up his plans to go to swing states on the president’s behalf to woo Democratic voters in the all-important get-out-the-vote effort. 

Asked again if he had gotten word from the White House about when he will hit the trail, Cuomo, in a brief session with reporters today, said, “I don’t think so.’’ His spokesman, Joshua Vlasto, quickly added, that there has been no official notification yet, but, “We’ll go where they need us to.

Discuss Monday night’s third and final presidential debate with The News’ Washington columnist Doug Turner.

Mitt Romney and President Obama face off for the final of three debates before Election Day.

Washington Bureau Chief Jerry Zremski reports from Buffalo as he looks forward to reporting on the Collins-Hochul race and looks back at his reporting from several swing states.

 

President Obama's appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart took a serious turn when the President discussed the fatal attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Obama said when something goes wrong, his job is to fix it. (Source: Associated Press)

The governor in Batavia in August. (Buffalo News file photo)

By Tom Precious

ALBANY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he will be doing more surrogate campaigning for President Obama in the final weeks of the presidential campaign, but said he is worried if he goes too far on the national political stump it could hurt his ability to govern at home.

With his name in the mix as a possible contender in the 2016 White House campaign, Cuomo told an Albany radio station this morning that he has to be aware of the pitfalls such political chatter can create. Cuomo appeared in the spin room promoting Obama after the president's debate the other night on Long Island against Mitt Romney.

"It hurts me as governor. If you politicize me, you cast aspirations on my motivations and intent … you’re going to hurt my capacity and ability to serve as governor," Cuomo said of perceptions that could come with him campaigning for Obama and his 2016 aspirations.

Cuomo ended with a slap at the press for speculating about such things in the first place, adding that it is easier and less "fatiguing" to write such stories than looking at real policy matters.