State Senate Watch: Dispute Over Municipal Funding May Decide Who Wins Winner Race
Tonello hopes to topple Investigations chair and get leaders’ attention
Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:49:00
Eliot Spitzer’s chief tormentor in the State Senate has a new tormentor himself.
Elmira Mayor John Tonello (D) has announced his underdog candidacy against Sen. George Winner (R-Chemung), who rose to fame chairing last year’s Troopergate investigation into the then-governor.
Tonello, in the middle of his second two-year term as mayor, said he decided to enter the race based on what he sees as Winner’s failure to address the needs of his community and other cities in the district, including Ithaca. He argued that Winner has not delivered funds for Elmira and Ithaca simply because the cities have Democratic mayors.
Tonello said that while Winner had delivered money for non-profit organizations in the two cities, the respective municipal governments had not received funds. A search of the Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s (D) Project Sunlight database confirms that none of the member item funds Winner has obtained in his four years in the Senate has been directed to the two city governments. Winner has obtained funds, though, for various town and village governments in his district, along with non-profit groups in the two cities.
While Tonello said the non-profit funds, which includes a workforce development group in Elmira, has benefited his residents, there are projects the city government needs to address as well. He said these projects, mainly roads, sewers and technology-related, could improve economic development in the economically battered region.
“Our infrastructure is some of the oldest in the nation,” Tonello said. “In Elmira, our sewer system is from the turn of the last century.”
Winner disputes Tonello’s opinion of his record on Elmira funding issues and said that the city, his hometown and Ithaca have prospered under his time in the Senate and previous service in the Assembly. He points towards his funding of the workforce development center, along with the other non-profit groups he funded through his member items. In addition, he said he has worked to obtain state grants outside of member items to fund projects in Elmira and Ithaca, and redirected revenue-sharing grants to the cities.
“I don’t think there is anybody in the history of the State of New York that has helped Elmira more than me,” Winner said.
Outside of funding issues, Tonello said he plans to focus his campaign on economic development and agriculture issues, along with the favorite topic of Democratic challengers statewide: reforming Albany. As a senator, he said he would look to develop ways to prevent the harvesting of natural gas under the Southern Tier from negatively impacting local farmers. A former journalist who now works in public relations for Cornell University, Tonello added that he would like to put more focus on the connection between higher education and economic development.
Though he was not recruited into the race and admits his is a long-shot race, Tonello has drawn the attention of top Senate Democrats. He has had preliminary discussions with Minority Leader Malcolm Smith’s office about the campaign, but says he has at this stage been focused on introducing himself to local Democratic activists and beginning fundraising.
Senate Democratic insiders said that while there have been some discussions about the race amongst the party hierarchy and it will be monitored, the race does not break in to the second tier of watched races and will likely not be targeted.
Fundraising ability may also play a factor, especially given Tonello’s late start. As of the January filing, Winner had $244,106 in his campaign account, while Tonello had just $1,555 in his mayoral account.
Winner said he is not taking the race for granted and will run a hard race. But he did acknowledge the easier time he expects with David Paterson as governor rather than Spitzer. Winner had been expecting Spitzer to target him as payback for helping lead the charge on Troopergate as chair of the Investigations Committee. Though this, too, has drawn attacks from Tonello, who argues that the money Winner spent on outside attorneys and investigators could have been better spent on Elmira projects, Winner says he believes he will now be spared major interference from Democratic leaders in November.
“I have a good relationship with Governor Paterson and his staff,” Winner said. “I don’t think he’s out to get me.”
Elmira Mayor John Tonello (D) has announced his underdog candidacy against Sen. George Winner (R-Chemung), who rose to fame chairing last year’s Troopergate investigation into the then-governor.
Tonello, in the middle of his second two-year term as mayor, said he decided to enter the race based on what he sees as Winner’s failure to address the needs of his community and other cities in the district, including Ithaca. He argued that Winner has not delivered funds for Elmira and Ithaca simply because the cities have Democratic mayors.
Tonello said that while Winner had delivered money for non-profit organizations in the two cities, the respective municipal governments had not received funds. A search of the Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s (D) Project Sunlight database confirms that none of the member item funds Winner has obtained in his four years in the Senate has been directed to the two city governments. Winner has obtained funds, though, for various town and village governments in his district, along with non-profit groups in the two cities.
While Tonello said the non-profit funds, which includes a workforce development group in Elmira, has benefited his residents, there are projects the city government needs to address as well. He said these projects, mainly roads, sewers and technology-related, could improve economic development in the economically battered region.
“Our infrastructure is some of the oldest in the nation,” Tonello said. “In Elmira, our sewer system is from the turn of the last century.”
Winner disputes Tonello’s opinion of his record on Elmira funding issues and said that the city, his hometown and Ithaca have prospered under his time in the Senate and previous service in the Assembly. He points towards his funding of the workforce development center, along with the other non-profit groups he funded through his member items. In addition, he said he has worked to obtain state grants outside of member items to fund projects in Elmira and Ithaca, and redirected revenue-sharing grants to the cities.
“I don’t think there is anybody in the history of the State of New York that has helped Elmira more than me,” Winner said.
Outside of funding issues, Tonello said he plans to focus his campaign on economic development and agriculture issues, along with the favorite topic of Democratic challengers statewide: reforming Albany. As a senator, he said he would look to develop ways to prevent the harvesting of natural gas under the Southern Tier from negatively impacting local farmers. A former journalist who now works in public relations for Cornell University, Tonello added that he would like to put more focus on the connection between higher education and economic development.
Though he was not recruited into the race and admits his is a long-shot race, Tonello has drawn the attention of top Senate Democrats. He has had preliminary discussions with Minority Leader Malcolm Smith’s office about the campaign, but says he has at this stage been focused on introducing himself to local Democratic activists and beginning fundraising.
Senate Democratic insiders said that while there have been some discussions about the race amongst the party hierarchy and it will be monitored, the race does not break in to the second tier of watched races and will likely not be targeted.
Fundraising ability may also play a factor, especially given Tonello’s late start. As of the January filing, Winner had $244,106 in his campaign account, while Tonello had just $1,555 in his mayoral account.
Winner said he is not taking the race for granted and will run a hard race. But he did acknowledge the easier time he expects with David Paterson as governor rather than Spitzer. Winner had been expecting Spitzer to target him as payback for helping lead the charge on Troopergate as chair of the Investigations Committee. Though this, too, has drawn attacks from Tonello, who argues that the money Winner spent on outside attorneys and investigators could have been better spent on Elmira projects, Winner says he believes he will now be spared major interference from Democratic leaders in November.
“I have a good relationship with Governor Paterson and his staff,” Winner said. “I don’t think he’s out to get me.”
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| Comment By: Test on July 29th, 2008 |
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