CAROLEE CONKLIN Of all the great human institutions created during the past centuries, democracy ranks right up there at the top. It has its warts, but there is no other political system I would trade it for. Democracy works best when people actually vote and make an effort to inform themselves about the issues and […]
Elections
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ELECTIONS 2012: Evaluating Slaughter’s record
Democratic incumbent Louise Slaughter is one of the most liberal members of the House of Representatives, and proudly so. She’s quick-witted, a master zinger-slinger, and energetic. Her folksy populism marinates in an endearing Kentucky accent, but she can get down in the weeds, too — she’s a microbiologist — and discuss in minute detail the best circumstances to grow algae for conversion to gasoline, for example. Slaughter’s critics like to say, “Sure, she’s likeable, but what has she done?” The answer is quite a lot.
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ELECTIONS 2012: Gillibrand has earned second term
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Manhattan attorney Wendy Long are graduates of Dartmouth. They’re not far apart in age, and they’re both working mothers. But the similarities between Gillibrand and Long, her Republican challenger, end there. Gillibrand, a Democrat, was sworn into the US Senate in January 2009, filling the seat once held by Secretary of […]
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ELECTIONS 2012: Hochul over Collins
The 27th Congressional District race is essentially about two things: health care and jobs. Incumbent Democratic Representative Kathy Hochul wants to keep the Affordable Care Act in place, though she’s said it could be improved. Her Republican challenger, business owner and former Eric County executive Chris Collins, wants to repeal the ACA. But he’s offered […]
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ELECTIONS 2012: Aldersley for County Legislature
Democratic Legislator Stephanie Aldersley is looking to win the seat she once held for a decade. Aldersley was appointed to the Monroe County Legislature earlier this year to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Vinnie Esposito. She’s running now to fill the remaining three years of Esposito’s term, and faces a challenge from […]
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ELECTIONS 2012: O’Brien should win Senate slugfest
Republican State Senator Jim Alesi’s decision not to seek re-election set off a savage political scramble that only gets uglier and more personal as the election gets closer. The race between Democrat Ted O’Brien and Republican Sean Hanna for the 55th Senate District is about local representation, but also about control of the Senate. The […]
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ELECTIONS 2012: Dinolfo seeks third term as clerk
Incumbent Republican Cheryl Dinolfo and Democrat Susan Vandervoort are the candidates for Monroe County clerk — an office that probably shouldn’t require an election in the first place. Dinolfo was appointed clerk in April 2004 after former clerk Maggie Brooks became county executive. Dinolfo, widely seen as a Republican loyalist, was elected later in 2004, […]
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ELECTIONS 2012: The case against Brooks for Congress
Congressional candidate Maggie Brooks almost never refers to the “people” of Monroe County; they are “taxpayers,” even when the context seems to demand another noun. The subtle bit of messaging aligns with Brooks’ signature and much-touted accomplishment as county executive: freezing the property tax rate.
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Looking for a change
Talk with Republican candidate John Parrinello about his campaign for Rochester mayor, and you quickly realize that one issue dominates his focus: public safety. Like the erratic orbit of a comet around the sun, Parrinello’s mind seems tethered to the problem of crime, no matter what he’s talking about. Discussions of schools, administrative appointments, or […]
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Election 2005
This year’s general election has none of the excitement of the September primary for Rochester mayor, but it is an important election, in MonroeCounty and in the city. In the county, all 29 seats are on the ballot — with more than 40 candidates running. No newspaper can do justice to every candidate in that […]
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Looking for signs of life in the Lej
Last year, the prestigious BrennanCenter for Law and Justice at New YorkUniversity branded the New YorkState legislature the most “dysfunctional” in the United States. The phrase stuck. Even people who’d never read the report hopped on the Albany-bashing bandwagon. The momentum the BrennanCenter generated carried past the splash of the initial press coverage and, improbably, […]
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The Lej roundup: power and possibilities
For the first time in its history, the entire county legislature is up for grabs
