Van Robinson Makes His Choice

Councilor-At-Large Van Robinson, who is running unopposed for Common Council President, endorsed Joe Nicoletti in the Democrat primary race. With this endorsement, all nine Democrats on the Common Council have picked sides. Common Council President Bea Gonzalez, Councilor-At-Large Van Robinson and 1st District Councilor Mike Heagerty are supporting Joe Nicoletti. Councilors-At-Large Bill Ryan and Kathleen Joy and District Councilors Pat Hogan, Tom Seals and Lance Denno are supporting Councilor-At-Large Stephanie Miner. The lone Republican on the Common Council, Ryan McMahon, has not made an endorsement in the Republican primary between Otis Jennings and Steve Kimatian.

Walt Dixie Endorses Stephanie Miner

Walt Dixie, political activist and local representative of Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, endorsed mayoral candidate Stephanie Miner today. Having the NAN helping her out (or at least the local NAN leadership) will help her get “boots on the ground” in the form of volunteers for her get-out-the-vote effort on Primary Day, which is only three weeks away. This is a handy endorsement for her to receive. It is not an endorsement free of controversy, however. The NAN is a mostly black organization and both parties have prominent black candidates in the running. Giving the endorsement to a non-black candidate is sure to raise some eyebrows. Ken Jackson, publisher of the Syracuse Constitution, took a swipe at Walt Dixie a few weeks ago for intentionally downplaying the viability of the black mayoral candidates in the mayoral race in an interview. This endorsement will certainly fuel further tension.

DeFran4Otis

State Senator John DeFrancisco endorsed Republican mayoral candidate Otis Jennings on the steps of City Hall yesterday. This is a big endorsement for Mr. Jennings, though it is unclear how the fiasco in the State Senate this summer has affected the Senator’s image among the Syracuse voters. Otis’ September 15th primary with challenger Steve Kimatian is fast approaching and this is the second time Otis made headlines this week. Kimatian has not had much of a presence in the news media lately. On a side note, does anyone else think it’s sort of creepy how DeFran and Otis are wearing matching suits and ties?

Massa Sparks Controversy

Representative Eric Massa, the Democrat elected to New York’s 29th congressional district last year, has apparently already forgotten what the title “Representative” means. Speaking at a convention in Pennsylvania for left-wing bloggers over the weekend, Rep. Massa declared that he “will vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I’m doing is going to be helpful.”



His comment has created a firestorm of opposition in his district and has received national media attention. It will be interesting to see what sort of backlash his controversial remarks may generate and if it will affect his bid for re-election next year. Massa and his Republican opponent, Corning Mayor Tom Reed, have yet to make any statements regarding the controversy.

Democrats Duel on TV

Democrat mayoral candidates Stephanie Miner and Joe Nicoletti took their primary battle to the airwaves. Both campaigns released their first TV ads. In this clash of the titans, Nicoletti’s ad beats Stephanie’s hands down. Stephanie’s ad is run-of-the-mill and boring, while Joe’s ad shows some energy and pep. Boiled down, Joe’s ad is memorable and Stephanie’s is . . . forgettable. See the ads below.

Tom O'Hara Becomes a Footnote in Mayoral Race

Tom O’Hara, a candidate for Mayor of Syracuse, has dropped out of the race. He originally intended to run as a Democrat, but after he failed to collect enough signatures to gain access to the primary ballot (he needed 1,000), he decided to run as an independent. The deadline for filing the 1,500 signatures he would need to run as an independent is this Tuesday, August 18th, but O’Hara has announced that he is no longer a candidate. Mr. O’Hara, we barely knew thee.

Former Mayor Endorses Mayoral Hopeful

Mayoral candidate Stephanie Miner received the endorsement of former Syracuse Mayor Tom Young. Young, a Democrat, was mayor from 1985 to 1993. Miner is the designated Democrat in the race, but her primary opponent Joe Nicoletti has been rolling out major endorsements (mostly former State Assembly colleagues) with some regularity. This endorsement gets Stephanie back in the news as the primary election fast approaches. September 15th is just one month away. Keep an eye out for endorsements from former mayor Roy Bernardi and current mayor Matt Driscoll. I don't expect Bernardi to make an endorsement, but there's a good chance that Driscoll will endorse a candidate late in the game.

Democrats Pick Candidate in NY-23

North Country Democrats selected lawyer and Air Force veteran Bill Owens to run for John McHugh's soon-to-be-vacated congressional seat. He will be running against Republican Dede Scozzafava and Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman. The seat will not become vacant until McHugh is confirmed as Secretary of the Army by the Senate, which won't happen until the Senate reconvenes next month, so the special election will likely be held on Election Day this November.

Blue Collar Government Workers Pick Sides in Mayor's Race

The Local 400 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has endorsed Joe Nicoletti for Mayor of Syracuse. This is big news for Mr. Nicoletti. The designated Democrat in the race, Stephanie Miner, was a labor lawyer until she resigned to run for Mayor, and already has the endorsements of several local unions, most notably the Teamsters, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW 43), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU 1199).

Doug Hoffman Still Running in NY-23

Republican Doug Hoffman, of Lake Placid, was passed over by Republican Party leaders in New York’s 23rd Congressional District a few weeks ago when they selected Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava to be their nominee for the soon-to-be vacant seat currently held by Congressman John McHugh. Doug Hoffman, however, is still a candidate. After the Republicans selected the liberal Scozzafava, the New York State Conservative Party refused to allow her to run on their ballot line. Just last week, they announced that Doug Hoffman would be the Conservative Party’s pick for the seat. Hoffman is a businessman, community leader and is active in his local Republican Party organization. The Democrats have yet to name a candidate in the race, but their selection could come as early as today. Democrat Mike Oot, who ran against McHugh in 2008, has reportedly taken his name out of consideration.

Joanie Appoints Bernie's Successor

County Executive Joanie Mahoney announced her appointment of a new County Legislator on Wednesday morning. Mark Rupprecht, a former Clay town supervisor, will hold the 2nd District seat for the next five months. The Clay-based seat became vacant last week when longtime County Legislator Bernie Kraft passed away. The winner of November’s election will assume office in January. Rupprecht is not a candidate. Donna Marsh O’Connor is the Democrat and Working Families Party candidate. David Stewart is the Independence and Conservative Party candidate and is facing John Dougherty in a Republican primary.