Community leaders endorse Gantt

State Assembly member David Gantt got a big boost this morning when a group of influential black ministers and community leaders endorsed his re-election. The endorsement was announced during a press conference in the FIGHT Village Community Center
Elaine Cook-Greene, the executive director of the Coalition of North East Associations, listed organizations and programs that Gantt has helped throughout his career, including Edison Tech’s youth construction program, Baden Street Settlement, and the Anthony Jordan Health Center.
“We gather here to support a man who has no need to ask for our support,” Cook-Greene said.
Other speakers made similar statements. The Rev. Franklin Florence referred to Gantt as “our No. 1 neighbor.” And Gantt said that, while he probably has done things to make people angry during his 30-year political career, he will not back down from his record.
“This is my neighborhood and I intend to fight for it,” he said.
Monroe County Democratic Committee chair Joe Morelle, who was present at the press conference, though in the crowd, says he supports Gantt.
Gantt faces two challengers in next month’s Democratic primary: city school board member Jose Cruz and County Legislator John Lightfoot.
This week, Cruz received endorsements from the Public Employees Federation and the Rochester Fire Fighters Association. Many unions appear to be staying out of the race, however.

This article appears in Aug 29 – Sep 4, 2012.

Gantt has done things for the community, yes, but his support doesn’t come without strings and obligations. A perfect example is The Vineyard. Shirley Edwards was a key force behind its founding, and Gantt supported the effort. However, several years ago, when former school board member Jim Bowers decided to run in a primary for the northeast City Council seat and his opponent was Gantt protégé Lovely Warren, Shirley Edwards was brought into line by Gantt after she initially showed her support for Bowers in a fairly small way. If I remember correctly, it was by making a brief appearance with Bowers at the Vineyard, or perhaps by acknowledging his past efforts on behalf of The Vineyard. Or some similarly small, but appropriate gesture.

But when Gantt found out, he called Edwards and told her she was to have nothing to do with Bowers. She told Jim, and Jim graciously said that he understood. Later, at a Democratic committee designating meeting where the two candidates were appearing to ask for party support, Bowers asked Warren directly about that incident and got no reply. However, when word got back to Gantt that Edwards had revealed to Bowers that Gantt had told her not to have anything to do with him, he contacted Edwards again and this time threatened her funding. Although Gantt may not have wanted his heavy hand in this incident made known, it did become common knowledge during the campaign, even if not covered by the media. In fact, I believe there was an attempt to make the incident an issue later in the campaign, but no media outlet in Rochester would run the story as there hadn’t been any coverage of it at the time it occurred. And, of course, Edwards would have no reason to go on the record if it might put her funding in jeopardy.

The other example, of course, is the House of Mercy, that has been able to hang on doing its crucial work for some of Rochester poorest and most at-risk residents with support from Gantt. But apparently not without strings: it’s well known in local political circles that the House bringing clients to the polls on behalf of Gantt. One well-known former elected official told me that during his campaigns they had to send poll watchers on election day to keep an eye out for this, as there had been cases of House of Mercy folks trying to go into the voting booth with clients. And while I was poll watching for the Bowers campaign at the Hudson fire station, I watched House of Mercy clients brought in to vote en masse, each holding a sandwich in his or her hand that they had clearly just been given.

During the same campaign, by the way, a well-known local reporter called Gantt with a question about that election. He angrily called her a racist (something I’ve heard from others is a common epithet for him to make) and hung up the phone on her. Do the nice folks and ministers offering Gantt their support today condone that kind of behavior?

Whether this year or another one soon, Gantt’s days in the Assembly are coming to an end. He’s become a mean, angry dinosaur. No one has ever suggested any impropriety with Gantt of the kind at the center of the Vito Lopez scandal. But I think the days are similarly numbered for the type of politician they both became: chairs of powerful committees, supporters of Speaker Silver, the most powerful State legislators in their respective counties, old-school, bluntness corrupting over time into needless combativeness, etc. From constituent representative to political boss–and bully.

Those mentioned in this article as supporting Gantt are, I think, both nostalgic and blind to what Gantt has become. Many of those they claim to represent will pull the lever for someone else next month. Whether it’s next year, or a couple years later, someone else will be representing Rochester in the Assembly. When that happens, I for one won’t be nostalgic.

2 replies on “Community leaders endorse Gantt”

RaChaCha says:

August 30, 2012 at 2:34 pm

Gantt has done things for the community, yes, but his support doesn’t come without strings and obligations. A perfect example is The Vineyard. Shirley Edwards was a key force behind its founding, and Gantt supported the effort. However, several years ago, when former school board member Jim Bowers decided to run in a primary for the northeast City Council seat and his opponent was Gantt protégé Lovely Warren, Shirley Edwards was brought into line by Gantt after she initially showed her support for Bowers in a fairly small way. If I remember correctly, it was by making a brief appearance with Bowers at the Vineyard, or perhaps by acknowledging his past efforts on behalf of The Vineyard. Or some similarly small, but appropriate gesture.

But when Gantt found out, he called Edwards and told her she was to have nothing to do with Bowers. She told Jim, and Jim graciously said that he understood. Later, at a Democratic committee designating meeting where the two candidates were appearing to ask for party support, Bowers asked Warren directly about that incident and got no reply. However, when word got back to Gantt that Edwards had revealed to Bowers that Gantt had told her not to have anything to do with him, he contacted Edwards again and this time threatened her funding. Although Gantt may not have wanted his heavy hand in this incident made known, it did become common knowledge during the campaign, even if not covered by the media. In fact, I believe there was an attempt to make the incident an issue later in the campaign, but no media outlet in Rochester would run the story as there hadn’t been any coverage of it at the time it occurred. And, of course, Edwards would have no reason to go on the record if it might put her funding in jeopardy.

The other example, of course, is the House of Mercy, that has been able to hang on doing its crucial work for some of Rochester poorest and most at-risk residents with support from Gantt. But apparently not without strings: it’s well known in local political circles that the House bringing clients to the polls on behalf of Gantt. One well-known former elected official told me that during his campaigns they had to send poll watchers on election day to keep an eye out for this, as there had been cases of House of Mercy folks trying to go into the voting booth with clients. And while I was poll watching for the Bowers campaign at the Hudson fire station, I watched House of Mercy clients brought in to vote en masse, each holding a sandwich in his or her hand that they had clearly just been given.

During the same campaign, by the way, a well-known local reporter called Gantt with a question about that election. He angrily called her a racist (something I’ve heard from others is a common epithet for him to make) and hung up the phone on her. Do the nice folks and ministers offering Gantt their support today condone that kind of behavior?

Whether this year or another one soon, Gantt’s days in the Assembly are coming to an end. He’s become a mean, angry dinosaur. No one has ever suggested any impropriety with Gantt of the kind at the center of the Vito Lopez scandal. But I think the days are similarly numbered for the type of politician they both became: chairs of powerful committees, supporters of Speaker Silver, the most powerful State legislators in their respective counties, old-school, bluntness corrupting over time into needless combativeness, etc. From constituent representative to political boss–and bully.

Those mentioned in this article as supporting Gantt are, I think, both nostalgic and blind to what Gantt has become. Many of those they claim to represent will pull the lever for someone else next month. Whether it’s next year, or a couple years later, someone else will be representing Rochester in the Assembly. When that happens, I for one won’t be nostalgic.
Tom Janowski says:

August 30, 2012 at 5:01 pm

From everything I know about Gantt, he is worst of the old time political bosses. In order to play in Gantt’s realm, you have to do him favors. Only then do you get your reward.

I can’t help to feel weird to here people describe him as a power broker and King of the local delegation because Gantt is only as powerful as people/voters let him. For Gantt to be powerful, others have to willingly give up their power and their voice. Gantt has stopped representing people and has started controlling people…but only because people let him.

It’s also weird how when Gantt was called out on missing votes in Albany, it was because of his health. It seems Gantt uses his health as an excuse much of the time. Doesn’t that, if anything, signal its time for him to retire?

My vote goes to Drew Langdon because I know he will be a true representative to constituents in Gates.