For the Rochester area – and for the country – an exceptionally important election takes place June 26: a primary to choose the Democratic candidate for Louise Slaughter’s Congressional seat. While only Democrats can vote, for anyone troubled by the actions of President Trump and the Republican Congress, keeping Slaughter’s seat Democratic is vital.
While this seat has been considered safe for Democrats, it isn’t. It wasn’t in 2014, when Slaughter narrowly won re-election, and it probably won’t be this November, when the winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican-Conservative-Reform candidate Jim Maxwell, a neurosurgeon said to be putting a substantial amount of his own money into the race.
Four people are competing for the Democratic nomination: former television journalist Rachel Barnhart, City Council member Adam McFadden, State Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle, and Brighton Town Board member Robin Wilt.
We endorse Morelle.
On key issues, there’s little difference among the four candidates. All have progressive views on health care, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, the environment, gun control, immigration. They’re all smart, and they’re passionate about issues and public service.
Ultimately, our decision rested on two questions:
- Who has the best chance at winning the general election in November?
- Who would be most effective in Congress?
On the second question, we believe that Morelle and Wilt would be the most effective. Wilt is a newcomer to the Brighton Town Board, but she has accomplishments there, and she has a long history of building coalitions around such things as single-payer health care.
Morelle has a big advantage because of his long experience in local and state politics and his political connections and influence, both in New York and among members of the Democratic caucus in Washington.
Most important, we’re convinced that Morelle has the best chance of winning in November.
The general election won’t be a cakewalk. Not only will the Democratic candidate face a heavily funded opponent, but the district includes both the predominantly progressive city and suburbs that are moderate to conservative.
Wilt is a strong candidate. She’s been endorsed by the statewide New York Progressive Action Network and the local grassroots organization ROCitizen. In her months on the Brighton Town Board, she has pushed for diversity and inclusion measures, sponsored Community Choice Aggregation energy legislation, and helped coordinate the push for dedicated bike lanes on East Avenue in Brighton and Pittsford.
But Morelle has a record of accomplishment at the state level that includes shepherding the state’s gun-law reform through the Assembly, helping secure state funding for Rochester-area projects, and serving on the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council.
Critics say Morelle’s experience in the Assembly, on the County Legislature, and chairing the Monroe Democratic Committee makes him too much of a political insider. But that experience gives him a depth in both politics and elected office that the other candidates lack. That’s important. Slaughter’s effectiveness in Congress was crucial for this region. Her successor will need to follow her example.
Among some voters, Wilt will have the advantage of being an outsider at a time when many Americans are fed up with current politics. But Republican Jim Maxwell is an outsider, too. Both of them have the handicap of low name recognition, but Maxwell would likely be able to outspend Wilt and overcome that problem.
What about Barnhart and McFadden? Both have strong records of their own, and neither is afraid to step into a fight. As a reporter, Barnhart was a veritable bulldog. She knows how government works, and she knows how to dig out and expose its shortcomings. There’s a big difference, though, between having a journalist’s strong investigating and advocacy skills and working with other elected officials to accomplish something.
McFadden says he will be a voice for the voiceless in Washington, and he has been that on City Council, pushing on issues ranging from poverty and children’s needs to police conduct. He has valuable experience in city government and in lobbying members of Congress, but his legislative experience is no match for Morelle’s.
We’re choosing Morelle over Wilt with some reluctance. Morelle would do a good job in Congress, but he represents the Democratic Party status quo at a time when the party is changing. Wilt represents where the party is headed – and where it needs to head.
Prime examples of the status quo’s problems: Morelle continued to support former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, despite the accusations against Silver. And Morelle was dismissive of an Assembly staff member’s sexual-abuse charges against a Silver aide.
Another problem: If Morelle is elected, we’ll be sending yet another white man to Congress when Congress badly needs more women and more people of color.
It’s essential, however, that Democrats hold this seat. Active Democrats in this district outnumber active Republicans, but there are many active unaffiliated voters, and Republicans are generally more effective than Democrats at turning out voters.
Money has far too much influence in politics. And yet, as Morelle himself points out, this is the system we have. Republicans will have no compunction about spending money on this campaign, and state and national Republicans sense a chance to pick up a seat Democrats have held for decades.
Morelle is highly qualified. His experience and connections in politics will make him an effective member of Congress. His connections and experience as a fundraiser mean he’ll have the money to mount a strong campaign in the general election.
With Slaughter’s death, Rochester lost a powerful, successful representative. Whoever replaces her will start miles behind her in influence and effectiveness. But if Morelle is elected, he’ll take office already knowing quite a few of the people he’ll serve with. He’ll know how things work.
And crucially, he’ll help other Congressional Democrats resisting Donald Trump and the complicit Republicans. Democrats must not lose Slaughter’s seat, and Morelle stands the best chance of holding it.
This article appears in Jun 6-12, 2018.
No surprise with this endorsement. Politics as usual. Morelle is the career politician, far from progressive but very close to Albany corruption.
The comparisons between Morelle and Wilt take me back to 2016 with Clinton and Sanders. Morelle and Clinton being the proclaimed frontrunners, with Wilt and Sanders having the better ideas and true progressive vision. Please note frontrunner Clinton lost.
My endorsement goes to Robin Wilt.
Exactly how long are progressives supposed to wait for the Democratic establishment to move on from what they consider ‘safe’ candidates? “Sure he’s enabled criminals and sex offenders and helps oversee one of the most corrupt legislative bodies in the country, but he knows people and can win in November.”
If the party establishment gets its way this general election will be closer than anyone ever anticipated. Voters: vote your issues and ideals. The only way to break the cycle.
Not quite the ringing endorsement. We all know that New York Politics is as corrupt as the fictional Gotham City. Yet, to endorse a candidate based upon their electability over substance is why I changed my party affiliation to Independent. Morrelle is part of the system. He and his kind are a big reason why the Democrats along with the Republicans are suffering at the ballot box. We need change, not career politicians, to bring us into the next decade. I, for one, am going to support Rachel Barnhart. She is a non-career politician, former local personality, and she has been actively campaigning and listening instead of patronizing people. She has been seen frequenting city establishments such as Hart’s Local Grocery and has sat and asked for opinions. Now, don’t misinterpret: Adam McFadden has done the same but again, I choose to think that his time in local politics is a detriment not an advantage. The people (we) need a fly in the ointment, not a party line yes-person that I fear Morrelle would be.
The primary reason that I am a member of the Democratic Party is Joe Morelle. When did experience become a negative? I like and respect Robin Wilt and the others competing for this seat, but Joe’s experience and knowledge make him my choice. I respect all of the candidates and will support whoever wins the June 26 primary.
Joan Roby-Davison. The main reason I left the Dem Party was Joe Morelle. Got to know him working on a local campaign.
City – the alt-news weekly that is as alternative and newsworthy as a Sinclair TV channel. As predictable and cowardly as an industry shill. Who could have ever guessed that City, that bastion of independent intellectual political thought, would pick the most entrenched, corporate lame-duck in the running. Oh right, anyone paying attention. So many opportunities over the years to endorse the change candidate, and you consistently refuse and stump for the insider. Out one side of your mouth you say we desperately need change to upset the status quo, and out of the other you endorse one of the most establishment, corrupt, conservative, tone-deaf Democrats in the area.
Rachel Barnhart is the obvious endorsement for this seat. She’s the clear choice to carry Louise’s mantle. She’s shown dogged loyalty to the area, she speaks her mind, hunts down the truth, and advocates and endorses policies based on her own research and analysis. Meanwhile Morelle recently told my wife that he wouldn’t back a bill that would give Nurse Anesthetists the power to practice their full scope, and cited, word for word, the talking points of the biggest Anesthesiologist’s lobbying group. Is that what City wants for this area – someone who can’t even think or speak for themself?
Perhaps the sorriest part of this endorsement is that in 2018, in the face of the #MeToo movement, City Newspaper would choose the one candidate that called a woman a liar for calling out her abuser. He never even properly apologized. It seems to me that a paper like City really only survives on having its finger on the pulse – yet this endorsement shows how numb and out of touch this paper is.
This article is deeply flawed, because their endorsement rests on the faulty premise that the NY-25 has even a chance of being competitive. Louise Slaughter may have had a close scrape in 2014 (which by the way was a Republican wave year) but that means nothing. She won by at least 15 points in almost every other election, which is the same amount that Hillary won this district. There is no way that a Republican nobody will be competitive in a district like ours, even if he has a lot of money. Republicans are defending over 70 seats this year; they will not have the money or motivation to target ours. If anything, Morelle’s time in Albany will make him a target for Republicans eager to portray Democrats as untrustworthy and corrupt.
Any qualified Democrat can win this seat. If that’s true, then why should we vote for the “safe” candidate who epitomizes the corruption and lack of judgment of Albany? Louise Slaughter was effective not because she spent time in office before Congress and had experience; she was effective because she had convictions, put Rochester’s interests ahead of her political career, and was a fighter. I’m deeply disappointed that a newspaper that I respect so much would use such a weak argument to justify the endorsement of a candidate like Joe Morelle. Rochesterians deserve better.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/men-thriving-metoo-article-1.3851867
If Morelle is the candidate the GOP will beat him like a drum over his ties to Shelly Silver. They’ll also use the Crothers case (and others) to portray *themselves* as the real champions of women. You think a blue wave will overcome all that in Monroe County? Good luck.
One of the things most people don’t know about Louise is that she was not only beloved by Democrats, but also by many suburban GOP women for being stalwart on women’s rights issues. Many of them supported her, and so, in many cases, so did the men in their lives. Morelle doesn’t bring that.
Wait, isn’t the name of this publication “City”? Yet you gave the two *city* candidates only a cursory glance. The way you used Wilt as an opportunity to ignore both Rachel Barnhart and Adam McFadden is astonishing and facile.
It is not Louise Slaughter’s seat. It is a Congressional seat that belongs to the people and the representatives we elect. Also wish everyone considered ever election an open seat.
Just what Rochester and America needs: another corporate owned middle aged white man in power.
Your logic fails me, & the inconsistency of the article belies the endorsement.
If the qualities for election to & work in Congress include having name recognition, being progressive, being a “fighter,” & not being the “status quo,” the choice is clear: Rachel Barnhart.
1) You open by implying a “fighter” is needed to balance Trump/GOP.
Rachel Barnhart has two decades of publicly asking the tough questions & calling out lack of transparency/accountability in politics. She is the clear “fighter” of the four. Morelle only plays the game and doesn’t challenge power, even when clearly the power is bad.
2) You pick & choose significance of legislative experience.
While a coalition builder for a number of years within the activist community, Wilt has just a little bit of time in elected office. You praise her time there but dismiss Adam McFadden by saying his many years on City Council don’t compare to Morelle which means you have inconsistent yardsticks.
3) You claim all four are “progressives?”
While three are consistent in that regard, Morelle has a mixed history when not politically beneficial to him. He voted “no” on NY Health Plan vote, then claimed it was a poorly written bill when he should have helped shape it as the majority leader, all while he gets a ton of money from insurance companies. He offhandedly dismissed a woman’s claim of sexual attack & never stepped back when it seemed she was likely right, until it recently was politically helpful to do so under public pressure.
4) Working in the current House is very different from all the candidates’ current work with each facing little or no opposing party strength.
Morelle is majority leader in a Dem-controlled legislature, McFadden is in Dem-controlled city council, Wilt is in Dem-controlled town council, & don’t have records of tough negotiations for bills. No benefit beyond Rachel Barnhart’s history of studying, challenging, and reporting on both parties in many different settings.
5) The work in Congress often is in committees including asking probing questions with opposition party doing same.
Rachel Barnhart clearly has the smarts, skills, experience, and qualities to ask questions that are tough.
6) You don’t consider who actually can represent the whole of NY-25.
Rachel Barnhart knows the whole district, both city & suburbs, as she’s been to every corner of it for years, covering news, & studying both sides of politics & issues. The other three are in areas that are only slices of the larger district.
7) Morelle’s fundraising skills is a major quality? Ugh!
If the seat is important for the Dems/progressives, whoever wins the primary will be able to secure funding from any of many sources, so one candidate’s history of gathering lobbyist money won’t be the deciding factor.
City Paper, you missed the opportunity to help the community see how Democrats can move forward. With smarts, love of Rochester, knowledge of the whole district, clear fighter qualities, and not being “status quo,” the endorsement should have been Rachel Barnhart.
Morelle needs to explain what he didn’t do… https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story…
To all Rachel’s supporters. You should be thanking City for endorsing Morelle. It will save her from becoming one of those evil corporate career politicians. Of course, this third crushing primary defeat at the polls will make her a professional losing candidate.
There is one, and only one progressive candidate for this seat. We are sadly making a mistake in thinking that the people of this district want a career politician, above mentioned Joe Morelle. Robin Wilt is our only chance to retain this as a Democratic seat in Congress.
How disappointing… I have never doubted the CITY Newspaper so deeply before.
Joe Morelle is not going to represent the interests of our people in a well-informed progressive way. His lack of knowledge about HIV and HIV prevention which he uses to support legislation that allows police officers to obtain the health records of people that they have arrested…. its a sham. HIV is an LGBTQ issue, HIV is a Racial Justice issue and Joe Morelle has displayed how superficial his support will be with this statement.
Of PEP for HIV Prevention Morelle spreads this dangerous misinformation:
~~~
“These drugs are debilitating,” said Morelle. “These drugs are expensive and obviously, aside from all the cost, just the anxiety this officer is going through not knowing if he has been exposed to a deadly virus weighs heavily on his mind. I’m going to do everything I can.”
http://13wham.com/news/local/state-law-could-better-protect-first-responders-after-13wham-story-airs
~~~
CITY, you also make your own argument as to why Robin Wilt is the right candidate and by siding with Joe Morelle you are declaring that MONEY, CONNECTIONS, and being ON THE INSIDE is more important than DIVERSITY, PROGRESS, and INTEGRITY.
Is that the legacy you are looking for CITY Newspaper? If you passed by Robin because she doesn’t have NAME RECOGNITION than you are passing up an opportunity to DO YOUR JOB and create some buzz, create some fire, and create some recognition. People need a call to action, not a weak submission to the unacceptable status quo.
So if my electrician makes a mistake in wiring my house, I should call a hair dresser who, even though she has no practical experience, claims to have a lot of new ideas gained from years of turning electrical appliances on and off? Makes as much sense as backing Barnhart because some current elected officials have screwed up.
This is shameful, weak endorsement of a corporate dem. Vote for Robin Wilt (or Barnhart if you like). You know where the voters are when Morelle keeps leafleting us with a claim that he’s progressive, so there’s no excuse to back the career politician, and this shows how much things have changed at The City.
“Morelle would do a good job in Congress, but he represents the Democratic Party status quo at a time when the party is changing. Wilt represents where the party is headed and where it needs to head.”
and
“Another problem: If Morelle is elected, we’ll be sending yet another white man to Congress when Congress badly needs more women and more people of color.”
These two critical missteps in the logic of this endorsement are exactly why interesting and motivated Millennials like myself are leaving Rochester and why the city cannot attract young professionals. My friend and I sat on her couch last night shouting “This is SO Rochester. This is Rochester in a nutshell!”
Somehow influential folks in Rochester can identify the right thing to do, but they are unwilling to do what it takes to execute it. This endorsement of Morelle was irresponsible. Our city is doomed.
Wilt for Congress
Here’s what I want to know. How are the candidates for the 25th Congressional district hoping to be better than Louise Slaughter? It’s fine to say you’ll carry on her legacy, but what ideas do you have that are better than hers? Every election is the opportunity to put someone better in office…
What were Slaughter’s failings or shortcomings?
So let’s review our choices:
(a) an old-line party hack Albany insider (need I even say white male?), with a metoo-once-removed problem;
(b) a white woman with high name recognition (former TV reporter) but who can’t get an endorsement over the usual hacks;
(c) a black male coming from a long term on city council; and
(d) a black female with the most unique background and highest potential.
Naturally, all the money and all the endorsements are on “a.” Even yours, which barely mentioned the metoo problem and justified the endorsement by saying, “This seat’s too important to lose! Joe knows how to Get Things Done!” The same pablum that’s been getting useless incumbents re-elected until death since I’ve been alive. They may as well put a “No N-words need apply” sign on the door, because the only Person of Color that matters is the person holding the green:P
Citys analysis of the situation regarding the seat left vacant by Representative Slaughter is excellent as always. The conclusion – not so much so.
Democrats can’t afford to lose the seat check.
Morelle and Wilt are the two candidates that would be most effective in Congress check.
People (at least some) are tired of Washington insiders check.
Congress needs more women and more people of color check.
Morelle represents where the Democratic party has been; Wilt represents where the party needs to go check.
It seems the endorsement of Morelle over Wilt is based on the proposition that Morelle has more money and name recognition than Wilt. We live in a culture where white men can pretty much be assumed to have more money than women of color, and it makes my heart sick that anyone might choose to vote against Wilt on that basis. Democrats can’t afford to lose this seat, and I think they will be willing to pony up for the Democratic candidate. Low name recognition will be an issue for both Wilt and Maxwell, but again the argument is that the white man has more money and thus will be a more viable candidate. No wonder we have so few women and people of color in elected office!
The point was also made that Republicans are better at turning out the vote than Democrats. If Joe Morelle is the candidate, I think this will be true. But look how Democrats turned out to vote when Barack Obama ran!
Morelle against Maxwell, white male insider versus white male outsider. Wilt against Maxwell paints a very different picture, doesn’t it?
Maybe if a smart, articulate coalition-builder like Wilt is on the ticket, people of color, women, fed-up Democrats and even independents will turn out in a way they wouldn’t for a white male Washington insider. Maybe the entire community will be energized by someone who represents the future, and will turn out to vote for her with passion and enthusiasm.
READ BEFORE VOTING ON JUNE 26
https://waterfrontonline.blog/2018/06/22/k…