Politics Now

From Kathy Hochul to Carl Paladino, and from hydrofracking to school aid, people and policies tied to Western New York made news elsewhere this week. Here's a roundup of some political headlines from outside the area.

Politico was one of many national outlets that picked up on the story of Rep. Kathy Hochul and her comments about her rationale for supporting President Obama's contraception mandate. (Our Washington Bureau Chief Jerry Zremski tackled it here.) "Freshman New York Rep. Kathy Hochul is getting a taste of the feverish town hall angst that boiled up and over in 2010," writes Politico's David Catanese -- Hochul feels wrath of the town hall, Feb. 28

Carl Paladino's run for governor was a teachable moment, at least in one way, for Republicans in Onondaga County, according to Capital Tonight. County GOP Chairman Tom Dadey said he is looking for a greater share of the weighted vote at the state Republican convention. “The next time we run a gubernatorial candidate against the Democrats, we’re going to run somebody from Onondaga County,” Liz Benjamin quotes Dadey as saying. “A lot of people voted for Carl Paladino -– all walks of life -– on the Republican line -– and Erie County is the largest county.”-- Erie County Envy, Feb. 28

The New York Daily News' Daily Politics blog notes that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced his support for hydraulic fracturing -- but only in certain places in the state. "Bloomberg gave it a thumbs up –- so long as it is not near the New York City watershed or any of the vital conduits that bring water into the five boroughs," writes Glenn Bain. -- Mayor Bloomberg Supports Fracking Outside NYC Watershed, Feb. 29

Rochester officials want a boost in school aid from the state, bringing what the city receives more into line with what other places -- like Buffalo -- get. They've formed a new group called Building a Better Rochester to help their push. -- Mayor Richards, other Rochester leaders seek state aid parity, March 1

HuffPost poked a little fun at Byron Brown. The governor defended his promise for Buffalo. Mark Grisanti continued to make news. Here's a roundup of some recent political headlines from outside the WNY.

David Murray of the Huffington Post offers a tongue-in-cheek review of how municipal leaders fill up their annual “State of the City” addresses when many don’t have much good to say. He references Mayor Byron W. Brown’s Feb. 15 speech, in which Brown announced his call for local employers to hire at least one city resident this year. Brown’s announcement landed under the heading “Paint a picture of hope -- bold, yet fuzzy -- and then propose an idea so feeble that it makes people giddy.” - How to Write the State of the Town Speech, Feb. 22

Continue reading "The Read: What they're saying about WNY" »

From the local home for cargo planes to the ongoing aftermath of the same-sex marriage vote, our local pols, political issues and policies are making news elsewhere. Here's a quick look at a few of the highlights.

With a new round of military base closings on the horizon, The Hill's Kevin Bogardus says lobbyists are gearing up for work from community's looking to save their installations. Bogardus' reports that a number of lobbying firms are starting to hear from former clients. He mentions Hyjek & Fix, who still represents the Niagara Military Affairs Council, which worked to help save the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. -- Defense lobbyists mobilize for Obama administration's round of base closures, The Hill.

The Albany Times Union's Jimmy Vielkind reported from the state Conservative Party's political action conference, where a network of evangelical Christians said they would be taking aim at State Senate Republicans who voted in favor of same-sex marriage last year, including Western New York's Mark Grisanti. --Conservatives air primary issues, Albany Times Union

City & State's The Notebook blog reports that the Rev. Al Sharpton and others are taking issue with proposed redistricting lines upstate -- including in Buffalo -- which would would "unfairly divide up black communities." Al Sharpton: Senate GOP 'Treating us like dogs after crumbs', The Notebook

The Associated Press looked at Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's upcoming run for re-election, which was published before The News' Bob McCarthy wrote that challenger Marc Cenedella was dropping out of the race. Republicans have high hopes that a win over Gillibrand is possible for them, the AP reports. 2 Senate runs in 2 years: NY's Gillibrand gears up, Assocated Press

From Carl Paladino to Mark Grisanti, our local pols, political issues and policies are making news elsewhere. Here's a quick look at a few of the highlights.

City & State's weekly roundup of winners and losers found plenty of good for freshmen State Sen. Mark Grisanti in the Legislature's proposed redistricting maps. How well did they think Grisanti made out? Here's a teaser: "Holy favorable partisan gerrymandering, Batman!" -- Winners & Losers, Jan. 27 Edition, City and State

The Observation Deck, the Albany Times Union's Editorial Board blog, questioned whether investing in upgrades to Ralph Wilson Stadium to keep the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park really warrants state economic development efforts. "But aren’t there better ways to spend the state’s money and to save a city?" they asked. -- New York has other bills to pay, The Observation Deck

The Auburn Citizen's blog, Eye on NY, points out that when former Syracuse Mayor Matthew Driscoll brought the governor's State of the State message to Auburn earlier this month, he left out one important component: The $1 billion promise for Buffalo. "It's a tough spot for Cuomo and state leaders to be in," writes Robert Harding. "While Buffalo does have its troubles, other upstate cities (Rochester and Syracuse come to mind) also have problems. But they aren't getting $1 billion from the state." -- Glaring omission in regional State of the State presentation, Eye on NY

The New American's Bob Adelmann says that one problem with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to shower Buffalo with $1 billion in economic development incentives is a history of "political corruption" in Buffalo. The piece refers back to the Wall Street Journal's recent "How Stimulus Spending Ruined Buffalo." "Cuomo failed to say where the money was going to come from, but that didn’t stop politicians from salivating," Adelmann writes. -- Another $1 Billion Won’t Help Buffalo, New York, The New American

The Times Union's Jimmy Vielkind, over at Capitol Confidential, caught up with Carl Paladino by phone and learned that Paladino thinks of Newt Gingrich as a "kindred spirit." Paladino told Vielkind he plans to be a delegate for Gingrich. "He campaigned in New Hampshire, and now Carl Paladino says he is working to help fill Newt Gingrich’s slate of delegates. — starting with himself," Vielkind writes. --  Paladino says he’ll be a Newt delegate, Capitol Confidential