Rachel Barnhart’s response to this article is posted here.
The low-key Harry Bronson is probably never going to set the world on fire. Rachel Barnhart, on the other hand, is a serial arsonist, drawing and demanding attention almost everywhere she goes. But while their styles are opposed, they are probably less than a hair’s width apart on the issues. The two are waging a closely watched primary election battle for State Assembly.
Bronson is an attorney and the incumbent. Barnhart was a well-known news anchor and reporter — and she’s still a star on social media — who let her contract with WROC channel 8 expire at the end of May so that she could challenge Bronson. The September 13 primary will determine which candidate gets the right to represent the party in November’s general election.
CITY is endorsing Bronson in this race because of his record, his reputation, his depth, and his grasp of both the legislative process and the issues that are critical to the 138th Assembly District, which includes some city neighborhoods as well as the towns of Henrietta and Chili.
Barnhart is a forceful challenger who knows how to craft a message and get it out; she’s clearly learned a lot during her 17 years in Rochester TV journalism. And the message she’s sending right now is that Bronson hasn’t done enough during his time in office; he’s the invisible man, she says.
“He talks a lot about minimum wage, paid family leave, marriage equality; those are all wonderful things that I would have actively supported along with him, but they weren’t his bills,” Barnhart says.
She also says that Bronson is unwilling to challenge the governor or legislative leadership, that many of his constituents don’t know him, and that he’s not engaged. These are all standard attacks for someone challenging a sitting state legislator. And in this case, they are wrong.
Sure, Bronson’s name wasn’t at the top of big bills implementing paid family leave, legalizing same-sex marriage, or raising the minimum wage, but so what? His work on each of those issues dates back to well before he was elected to the Assembly; who gets credit for a bill is about the last thing a lawmaker should worry about.
“He’s behind the scenes,” says Bess Watts, a well-known local LGBTQ activist and union leader. “He does the work.”
When the Assembly took up minimum wage this year, Fight for $15 representatives asked Bronson to help convince other legislators to vote for the increase, which he did.
He spent at least 10 years working with advocates to advance paid family leave, and when it was included in this year’s budget, he joined other rank-and-file members to press the governor and Assembly leaders to make sure it stayed there.
And on marriage equality, he spent a lot of time talking to people outside of the LGBTQ community, building support for legislation.
The bottom line is that Bronson outguns Barnhart on knowledge of policy, of issues, of legislative process, and of the finer points of legislative negotiation. Of course, when you have Bronson’s experience, which also includes a stint as an Assembly staff attorney, you’re naturally going to have an edge on a rookie opponent.
But when Barnhart calls Bronson a “behind the scenes” legislator, it’s not a compliment. Bronson’s knowledge of process and skill at negotiating have earned him respect and a reputation as someone who people can work with. Those aren’t qualities to be used as a weapon against him, which is what Barnhart is doing.
Barnhart says that she’ll be a watchdog legislator who will push back against power. She’ll ask tough questions, and her audience, including her large following on social media, will help ensure that leaders listen to her.
“Do you think I’m going to have a problem with anyone listening to me?” she says. “I don’t think so.”
Even though Barnhart says that she can work with people and that she’s “not going to go to Albany to be some sort of a tornado,” that is the impression that she gives off. The district doesn’t need a rock star, it needs a worker. Maybe Barnhart can be both. But with Bronson, you know you’re getting the latter — and that’s what matters.
The candidates agree on most of the big issues. They’re both concerned about the growing number of charter schools and the lack of oversight around them, for example. They both want to see changes to the state’s teacher evaluation rules. They agree that climate change is a problem that the state should act on. And they both support the SAFE Act.
Where they don’t agree is on state economic development programs, particularly START-UP NY, which Barnhart says is “a complete failure.” Under START-UP, companies tie in with one of the state’s public or private universities, and for 10 years, neither the business nor its employees pay state taxes. But Barnhart says it, and some other state job-creation programs, throw money at companies without getting a significant number of new jobs in return.
Bronson says that he has doubts about START-UP NY, but that it’s had some important successes in the Rochester area. The program helped convince Datto, a cloud-based data storage and disaster recovery provider, to open an office in downtown Rochester, for example. The company had 60 employees at the start of the year, and has outgrown its current space in an RIT-owned building on Franklin Street.
Bronson says that he wants to see a better accounting of what the state spends on the program. He wants to if state investments have paid off, and how much the companies are putting in, he says.
Bess Watts says that it was Bronson who got her and her wife, Anne Tischer, involved in activism. The couple had been speaking at County Legislature meetings, trying to get domestic partner benefits for county employees. Bronson, who was a county legislator at the time and is openly gay, approached them.
Even then, Bronson spent a lot of time talking with people one on one about the importance of equal marriage, Watts says. He also readily accepted invitations to serve on panels and to speak to groups about the issue.
In 2009, before Bronson was elected to the Assembly, marriage equality suffered a disheartening defeat in the State Senate. The Assembly and Senate took up marriage equality again in 2011, and Bronson worked to mobilize supporters in his district, and to convince Republican State Senator Jim Alesi, who delivered a pained “no” vote the last time, to change his mind. That year, the marriage equality bill passed, 33 to 29. (Alesi voted in favor.)
Bronson’s record has many stories like this; it’s a testament to the pivotal role that fundamental advocacy plays in passing big pieces of legislation.
“The claims of me not being involved have a premise that suggests if you’re not the prime sponsor of a bill, somehow you have nothing to do with that bill, which lacks an understanding of what the process is all about,” he says. “If you have to be a sponsor of every single bill that happens, then a new member in the Legislature will have absolutely nothing to do because most bills, especially high-profile bills, go to the chairs.”
Bronson also sponsored some unsexy, but important legislation. One of those bills, which was voted into law, required continuing education and certification for people who sterilize increasingly complex surgical equipment. The sterile processing law was sought by a professional association, and involved a back and forth between Bronson’s office, hospitals, and unions.
Bronson also drafted and pushed for a law giving judges greater discretion to waive public notification requirements for legal name changes. The bill passed, and though its original intention was to protect people transitioning genders, it also has value for victims of domestic violence and victims of crimes such as stalking.
During this year’s budget negotiations, Bronson teamed up with Assembly members from other Upstate cities to push changes in budget language on struggling schools. If left in its original state, the budget would have undermined a turnaround effort at East High School, Bronson says, which involves a partnership between the city school district and the University of Rochester. (Bronson and Barnhart both support the partnership and say that it should be replicated if successful. Barnhart expresses some concerns over the cost, though.)
Within the past year, former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos were convicted on corruption charges, and both face jail time. The scandals fueled debates about ethics reform in Albany, particularly concerning outside income for legislators, who are considered part-time under state law.
But the outside income limits became a sticking point that helped doom the broader ethics packages introduced this year. Legislation curbing independent political expenditures did pass, as did a constitutional amendment requiring elected officials convicted of corruption charges to forfeit their pensions. The next Legislature will have to pass the amendment, and the public will have to vote in favor in order for it to become law.
Bronson supported the bills on independent expenditures and pension-stripping, and says that he’s frustrated that the Legislature didn’t pass broader ethics laws. He co-sponsors a bill to close the LLC loophole; companies can currently skirt campaign contribution limits by funneling money through various affiliated LLC’s. He also co-sponsors a public campaign finance bill. The Assembly passed both pieces of legislation, but the Senate’s Republican majority blocked them.
“It’s fair to say that there are still things to be done,” Bronson says. “It’s not fair to say the Assembly is holding it up.”
Barnhart supports limiting outside income for legislators and closing the LLC loophole. She says that she also leans toward public financing of campaigns. And she faults Bronson for not pressing legislative leadership hard enough on this year’s ethics bills. Challengers often make this sort of attack on sitting legislators, or cast the incumbents as a cog in a broken machine.
But voters tend to shrug off this line of attack, although this year might be different given the high-profile convictions of Silver and Skelos.
Barnhart deserves credit for her emphasis on transit, a topic that often isn’t even mentioned by candidates. Even as a reporter, she was an unabashed advocate of city living, of walkable, bikeable neighborhoods, and of public transit. She serves on the board of Reconnect Rochester, an organization which champions those causes.
She says that she’d like to get more funding for the Rochester Genesee Regional Transit Authority, so it can improve its system. The authority has cut several routes that it says were no longer financially sustainable.
“Transit riders are taxpayers; I think we forget about that,” Barnhart says. “And I think we forget that our roads are subsidized, too. The gas tax doesn’t pay for all the roads.”
Public transportation has strong potential to bolster local job-creation and poverty-reduction efforts, Barnhart says. But state and local governments often don’t make it an issue when they provide incentives to businesses, she says. The governments should ask companies how they plan to get employees to their workplaces, and they should use the incentives to nudge the companies toward locating on bus lines, she says.
Barnhart also criticizes Bronson and state lawmakers for leaving Albany this year without passing legislation to allow ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft; the first Uber bills were introduced in 2015. It’s what the public wants, and there has to be a way to reach a compromise with the taxi industry so it can happen, she says.
She emphasizes other important issues in her campaign, too.
The state and local governments should step up their efforts to expand fiber optic internet connections to homes and businesses, she says. For example, Monroe County has a vast fiber network with lots of extra capacity, and it could allow broadband providers to tap into the network under the condition that they provide a basic, affordable option to all of the households that they serve, Barnhart says.
The state should also give funding for providers to build out fiber connections, with similar conditions, she says.
She also says that the state should fully legalize marijuana. The prohibition on pot has led to more crime on city streets and mass incarceration of young black men, Barnhart says.
Bronson could take a lesson from Barnhart on communication.
Barnhart has cultivated a large social media following, particularly on Twitter, and has made her visibility and accessibility a central part of her campaign. She also lays out a digital-age approach to representation which, while not exactly new to the world of politics, hasn’t been embraced by many Rochester-area politicians.
Bronson has a reputation as an accessible and responsive leader, but he could do more with social media, which serves as an information gateway for many people, if not their main source of information. Social media also provides a conduit for easy back and forth with constituents.
We’re not saying that Bronson needs to be on Kik, but his profile could use a bump. The old days of sending a press release into the ether and waiting for the media to call are over.
Otherwise, Bronson is the best choice to represent Democrats in the 138th Assembly District. He knows the area, he works hard for the people in it and the organizations serving it, and he’s shown that he knows how to get things done in the crowded, often chaotic capital.
“I strongly believe that my role as a state legislator is to look out for the interests of the people I serve and to make sure that they have every possible opportunity to fulfill whatever their dreams are,” Bronson says. “That’s why I do this and that’s why I work so hard at it.”
Don’t forget about the Republicans
Harry Bronson and Rachel Barnhart better save some energy for after the primary. Whoever wins their Assembly race will have to defeat one of two Republican challengers in the November general election to take the 138th District seat. Bob Zinck and Peter Vazquez, both of Henrietta, are fighting for the GOP ballot line.
There’s another GOP primary, too: a contest for the 133th Assembly seat between controversial Conservative icon Bill Nojay, the incumbent, and Rick Milne, the mayor of Honeoye Falls. The winner will face Democrat Barbara Baer in the general election, although Nojay goes on no matter what since he also has the Conservative Party’s endorsement.
The GOP candidates in the two races have a lot in common. They all say that business is best served when government gets out of the way, and that the state needs to cut regulations and end bureaucratic delays that make it difficult for businesses, nonprofits, and local governments to operate.
They also say that the state pushes too many requirements on local and county governments without providing funding to meet them. They want to see more local control over education and fewer state requirements for things such as high-stakes testing; they also say that charter schools can be a good option for some families. And they all oppose the state’s SAFE Act gun control law to some degree, particularly because it was rushed through the Legislature.
None of this is new. Republicans across New York have pushed these points for years, though it’s debatable whether sitting legislators have made a real effort to address them.
The 133rd District covers Rush, Wheatland, Mendon, and Pittsford — including the villages of Pittsford, Honeoye Falls, and Scottsville — as well as all of Livingston County and several communities in Steuben County.
Nojay, an attorney who hosts an hour-long radio talk show every weekday on WYSL, has the backing of Republican committees in all three counties within the district. He would only agree to answer CITY’s question via email.
Nojay’s narrative contrasts with the one often given by other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle: Upstate’s economy isn’t on the upswing; in fact, it’s falling behind, he says. People are leaving for jobs in other states, and roads, bridges, public water systems, and sewers are crumbling, Nojay says.
He blames state policies and regulations. For example, he calls the state’s various economic development programs “a combination of pay-to-play linkages between campaign coffers and the government cash trough, corporate cronyism, public relations opportunities for politicians, and wasteful spending.” He’d prefer policies that lower taxes and energy costs, and eliminate regulatory burdens on businesses, Nojay says.
“I’ve been honest with people about what we need to do, and have spoken out about the need for change even if it is politically unpopular,” he says.
Nojay is a high-profile opponent of New York’s gun control laws, and was a plaintiff in the New York Rifle and Pistol Association’s lawsuit, which sought to overturn the SAFE Act. “It is a political law, enacted so the governor can claim to have taken action in the wake of the shootings in [Connecticut],” he says.
A federal court ruled against the association and the group chose not to pursue a Supreme Court challenge.
The state should look to other areas for crime prevention, including sentencing reform, rehabilitation programs, and job training, Nojay says. He also wants the state to provide more resources for mental health diagnosis and treatment; he’s working on the issue with Republicans and Democrats through his post on the Assembly’s Mental Health Committee, he says.
Milne’s tone is more moderate. For example, he says that state economic development programs are important, but that the resources aren’t spread around as much as they should be. He uses this year’s $100 million downtown revitalization initiative as an example. The state provided a $10 million award for one downtown in each of its 10 Regional Economic Development Council areas; in the Finger Lakes region the money went to the City of Geneva.
Geneva deserves kudos for winning the award, Milne says. Honeoye Falls or Livonia may not have needed that much money, but if the state also steered $50,000 or $100,000 to those communities, they could do a lot with it, he says.
Milne bases much of his pitch around his experience as Honeoye Falls’ mayor. He’s developed several budgets under the statewide property tax cap and says that the intent of the cap is generally good. But the state imposed it without boosting municipal aid or much-needed road and infrastructure funding, which has put increasing pressure on local budgets, he says.
He says that he was convinced to run for Assembly because residents and elected officials in the district repeatedly told him that Nojay isn’t engaging or representing them. Milne says that, if elected, he won’t wait for people to contact him to set up meetings; when he’s not in Albany, he’ll reach out to elected officials, businesses, and community groups, he says.
“I think we need a stronger voice that is a common voice, a voice together,” Milne says. “We all have our differences, but we all have to figure out projects in areas that we can work on together.”
Milne is a member of the National Rifle Association, a gun owner, and an avid hunter. And like Nojay, he doesn’t see much value in the SAFE Act. He’d prefer to see more emphasis on helping law enforcement get illegal guns off the street and making sure that people who shouldn’t own guns do not own them, he says.
Milne says that he wants to see more scientific information on climate change, but that the state should help advance technologies and industries that can help keep the planet clean. Nojay is dismissive of climate change and the state’s efforts to address it. The state has lost the balance between protecting air, water, and soil, and growing the economy, he says.
The 138th District covers part of the City of Rochester and all of the towns of Henrietta and Chili.
Zinck, who is the county GOP’s endorsed candidate, is co-owner of Lovin’ Cup, a popular restaurant and music venue next to RIT in Henrietta. He also has a long resume in government: he’s a former county legislator, former State Workers’ Compensation Board member, and former commissioner of the Rochester-Monroe County Youth Bureau.
He says that he can’t be all things to all people, and would focus on a few specific areas as an Assembly member, such as youth development programs. His background makes him a good advocate for afterschool programs, for example, he says.
“The state has been shortsighted in reducing funding for positive youth development programs,” Zinck says. “You wonder why kids are ending up in facilities, well, if you take away all the funding that stresses the positives, kids are going to be left to their own devices and they’re going to get in trouble.”
Like other Republicans, he says that the state’s regulatory and bureaucratic structures make it difficult for businesses to start or operate. As a legislator, he can help businesses in his district navigate those systems, he says.
Zinck says that the state needs to make more funding available for addiction treatment, given the heroin and opioid problem facing New York communities. If someone wants help but can’t get immediate access to treatment, they’ll probably continue to use, he says.
Vazquez, who founded a process-serving business and serves as president of the conservative Frederick Douglass Foundation, is making his third run at the Assembly seat. He lost to Democrat Harry Bronson in his previous two attempts.
Vazquez is running as an anti-establishment Republican candidate, and is calling for Monroe County GOP chair Bill Reilich to step down “for the good of the party and the community.” Reilich and other state Republican leaders compromise on harmful Democratic proposals too often, and don’t support candidates who might speak out against them, Vazquez says.
Albany has a problem with corruption and backroom deals, and the problem starts at the local levels because office-holders won’t question or buck leadership, Vazquez says. The GOP’s platform won’t advance until that dynamic changes, he says.
“No one’s stepping out and saying ‘We’ve got issues here’ and challenging that authority,” he says.
His positions generally concern government overreach. He uses the state’s inaction on ride-sharing and the way that it’s handled professional mixed martial arts as examples.
Uber and similar companies can’t operate in New York because the state’s laws don’t allow ride-sharing services to get insurance to cover their drivers and riders. Some critics are also concerned that the service would harm the taxi industry. Through its failure to change the laws, the Legislature is standing in the way of business competition and job opportunities for state residents, Vazquez says. Allowing ride-sharing would also force taxi businesses to improve their service, he says.
As for MMA, the state legalized it, but with onerous tax and insurance requirements, he says.
Casinos are a contentious issue in the 138th District. Henrietta residents fought a proposed Seneca Nation of Indians casino in their town, and the Seneca Nation ultimately backed away. A Seneca casino has also been proposed as a possible use for a vacant parcel at the Midtown site in downtown Rochester.
Zinck is open to a casino downtown if it would stimulate growth, but his support depends on what his constituents want, he says.
Vazquez says that he doesn’t have an issue with gaming generally, but that a casino would just suck money out of downtown. There are enough casinos in New York already, he says.
Zinck pushes back on Vazquez’s insistence that Reilich must step down. To accomplish anything in Albany, you have to be able to get along with people, he says. But Vazquez has turned off some party members by attacking the leadership, he says.
Vazquez is not going to have a lot of luck in Albany if he can’t get along with people, Zinck says.
CITY is not endorsing in the Republican primaries.
This article appears in Aug 31 – Sep 6, 2016.
This writer does a great job cherry picking all the things he thinks Harry is doing well. He forget to mention that Harry supported disastrous common core. He forgets to mention that Harry used tax payer money to send out a blitz of campaign literature literature that shows that Harry supports this and Harry helped do that but doesn’t list one piece of legislature that Harry wrote, sponsored or even co-sponsored. He forgets to mention that Harry recently stated that seeing the corrupt Sheldon Silver arrested was like seeing a family member arrested.. Silver a man who for years bullied people around and lined his pockets with millions of dollars. The writer also forgot to mention that Harry was one of the people who voted to set up a commission to investigate if the state legislature should get an increase in pay. To boot, the most recent revelation of Harry’s time in office has shown him to be one of the top users of tax payer funded travel expenses.. A stipend he receives daily but most likely uses for other expenses with no receipts or proof to show what he’s been using that money on or for. While it’s easy to cherry pick and not mention these things, we should hold accountable those people who have abused the system and have been part of the status quo. The writer, not mentioning these things, tries to spin a non-existent record to defend a person who has played an active role in the corrupt political machine in Albany. While I have no doubts about Harry’s activism in the LGBTQ community, being a great activist does not automatically equate to being a great assemblyperson. Time for some new blood.
“… that many of his constituents don’t know him, and that he’s not engaged. These are all standard attacks for someone challenging a sitting state legislator. And in this case, they are wrong.”
In this endorsement, City gets it wrong. I helped petition to get Rachel on the primary ballot and of the 32 signatures I obtained, across several neighborhoods, only 3 people knew who Bronson was. Only one of those people refused to sign for her. He isn’t known to his constituents. To pick one person that he worked for and say that proves he is known and engaged is not convincing.
This is a puff piece for Bronson (I understand that is what endorsements usually are), but it’s pretty sad for City Paper. You rarely get endorsements wrong, even when you pick someone who fails to win (Zephyr Teachout comes to mind), but in this case you just don’t seem to get it. I read in your paper week after week about how broken Albany is, but then I turn around to read an endorsement for an entrenched pol who achieves little except for voting for what his party tells him to vote for. If Albany is to change, we need a challenger, not someone who takes orders.
And though you brushed it off – we also need someone who respects taxpayer money. Those mailers and his attitude towards travel expenses prove he feels the taxpayer owes him and not the other way around.
You want us to take your word for it that he is working for our area, but provide almost zero evidence. Do you really think your readers are so analytically weak? That is pathetic, City – you just lost some credibility with this longtime reader.
Rachel has proven her effectiveness as a leader via her career in journalism. She worked to get an innocent man out of jail. She did stories on transgender people in our community. She criticized StartUpNy and other failed/failing business initiatives that were sketchy to anyone with a critical eye. Clearly Rachel has shined a spotlight on the area’s issues – dwindling population, failing schools, government corruption both local and state, teacher evals, standardized testing, etc. But just as importantly she has celebrated the area’s strengths – our history with Douglas and Anthony, our amazing business accomplishments with Kodak, B&L and Xerox, our culture and arts, our fantastic festivals and all that our beautiful downtown has to offer.
This endorsement came as a real surprise and I still can’t really make sense of it. “Hands down” is right – as in, put your hands down Rochester – Albany doesn’t want to hear from you, put your hand down Bronson – the Dems will tell you what to think, put your hands down readers, we’re phoning this endorsement in.
Ben Kieran
Eleven summers ago I was one of the organizers of the “Chill the Fill” campaign against filling the subway tunnel. With my background in local government (worked for president of the Monroe County legislature, a Democrat who represented LD-24) and local politics (worked full time on campaign for first LT governor candidate to be backed by the Working Families Party) I was the one frequently tapped for media interviews. Not being a TV person, I didn’t initially know most of the reporters, but one stood out for her knowledge of the issue and savvy questions: Rachel Barnhart. At a crucial moment for the effort came one of the savviest moves I’ve ever seen in local journalism: when the candidates for mayor (there were five in ’05) arrived for a debate hosted by her station, Rachel asked each one on camera about the subway tunnel. Each and every one was against filling it. Rachel’s story, “Victory for Chill the Fill,” was indeed the sign that we had won the battle. (Although a portion was later taken down, Mayor Duffy left most of the tunnel intact.)
After that, I kept an eye on Rachel Barnhart’s career, and have seen several such moments, most recently the re-opening of the Torres conviction. Rachel has asked the right questions, refused to back down, declined to go away (ask former RCSD Superintendent Brizard), and has always had the pulse of the community. The opportunity to have someone like that representing them in Albany is one that is too good for the community to overlook, as this endorsement does — dismissively, in my opinion.
As for Assemblyman Harry Bronson, while he may work hard behind the scenes, and have a lawyer’s grasp of the legislative process, he also is a poster child for much of what is wrong with local and state-level politics. You get rewarded for playing ball with the local party, and with the downstate-dominated leadership of the legislature. Harry has taken that to an extreme: when asked by Evan Dawson on WXXI about the indictment of Speaker Silver, a despised figure on our side of the Soda/Pop Line, he fondly referred to Silver as a family member.
This year, of all years, when people across the state are disgusted even more than usual with Albany culture, the last thing the area needs is an elected official who so clearly embodies it. Overlooked by your endorsement is Bronson’s abuse of franking (free mailing) and travel reimbursements, of which he was the second-highest recipient. That’s astonishing. Whatever promise he might have shown as a county legislator, he’s clearly been so marinated in the Albany culture that it’s become part of his DNA.
Finally, Bronson is so tone deaf and clearly out of touch with his district that it’s nothing short of astonishing. When reporters for CBS6 in Albany finally managed to track him down to ask him about his franking abuse, he was caught on video pushing away the microphone and saying “I’m done.” When WHEC’s Brett Davidsen asked him about whether it’s OK to get reimbursed for travel expenses never incurred, he said he’d take a look at it. Bronson’s challenger has discovered that even prime voting Democrats in large swathes of the district have neither seen nor heard from Bronson in his six years in office.
After everything that’s happened in Albany recently, this should be a “throw the bums out” year. But the reason incumbent Albany bums — who embrace corrupt leaders, abuse privileges, and lose touch with their constituents — don’t often get thrown out is because local party leaders and hometown papers (as evidenced by this endorsements piece) keep supporting them. Sure, Albany is corrupt, and we hate Albany, but we like *our* guy. So most communities send *their* guy back again. Lather, rinse, repeat.
2016 is a great opportunity for the 138th Assembly district to replace some dead wood by electing someone who is, in every respect, exactly the kind of person we should be sending to Albany. Your endorsement has it exactly backwards.
During the entire 6 years that Bronson has represented my Assembly district, I have not seen him once. I live a block from him. You would think you’d see him walking a pet or just strolling through his “base.” I never saw him. As a registered Democrat, you would think he would ask my support. Nope.
I come from a family of politicians. People know who they are. People inside the neighborhood know my family because they take the time to know who they represent. That is the thankless job of an elected official, but it’s very educational as well.
If Harry Bronson took a litmus test of just a solid 6 blocks in each direction of his South Wedge base, he’d realize that petty crime is on the rise. When people turn a blind eye to crime and they cannot turn to their representatives in government for help, who do you trust? He belongs to a Highland Neighborhood Facebook page and doesn’t comment or say “let me handle this” whenever our residents report crime.
After scrolling through his Twitter feed, it’s plain as day that he is a “special interest” politician. Bronson has “staged” meet and greets. Due to his sexual orientation, he seems to gravitate particularly towards the LGBTQ community for support. That’s great! But what about the rest of us? Why can’t you knock on my door and ask for support? Are you anti-social? Can you talk to heterosexuals?
I don’t know Bronson and my neighbor’s have never seen him. I have a lot of friends who are homeowners in the South Wedge. If this is Bronson’s base, I bet the people in Henrietta and Chili think he’s a myth! I mean, who cares about his “behind the scenes” role. It seems every politician has a “behind the scenes” role. That’s just political talk for “it’s acceptable to ignore your constituency because I’m working hard for you and it’s just not being recorded.” Well that’s great! A secretive person in a secretive govt telling me that if I vote for you, “I’m not going to show much effort on paper, but take my word for it, I’m working for you.” How would everyone like to say that to their bosses? They’d be fired!
This is what really went down for Bronson: Susan John retired. He was her Chief of Staff. He was just grandfathered into the Morelle regime. He didn’t need the votes or name recognition because he knew the donors and just had to come out as gay to have some base to work with. During all this time, he’s been a pawn, placeholder, and proxy for Morelle and Albany. It lasted 6 years before the voters in his district were like “who is this guy?” I mean, a television news reporter had more recognition than him and he has been in office 6 years!!!
You can’t run an office representing people when you really don’t represent the people. Voters will eventually figure it out! Maybe he’s not a people person. Maybe he’s only comfortable being with certain groups of people. That’s fine and good if you are a lobbyist, but not a politician who taxpayers pay to allow you to make “behind the scenes” deals and legislation.
All I’m saying is that he has no problem running around NOTA playing Pokemon Go with gay advocates, but when I called his district office to get genuine help because I had rival drug dealers living on my street, fighting almost daily, he never returned my calls…and he lived a block away! That is not something the Morelle family would have ever done.
Rule #1 of politics: never let voters forget who you are. Bronson has never had to be responsible to his constituency because the MCDC put him in power. Bronson had 6 years to let everyone know who he was. He didn’t even bother to get to know people within his base. And he wants to continue to represent you in Albany?
I am happy to see City Newspaper endorse Harry Bronson for the 138th Assembly District. I am tired of listening to Ms. Barnhart whine chronically about everything that is wrong in a manner that she would like to have the voters believe that she possesses a magic wand that will make everything in the world right again. Quite frankly, my mind was made up to NOT vote for Rachel Barnhart when I heard her co-hosting the Bob Lonsberry radio show one morning on my drive into work. She was commenting on how Scott Hetsko, the weatherman on Channel 8 was leaving to go to work for Channel 13. In her remarks, she stated that Hetsko was smart for making the move to the #1 station in the Rochester area, and how one has to maneuver for where the ratings are in broadcasting, and that in turn would relate to the salary one would make for such a career move. She further explained how when she first started out in broadcasting, she made 30 some thousand dollars, and that currently, a new reporter starting out now would only make a salary in the 20 something range.
Rachel Barnhart has been around the block more than a few times with more than a few local stations, and in relation to her “time” in the business, she has grown a little long in the tooth as they say, and her value – by her own definition – isn’t that great in terms of salary.
So she decides to take her “watchdog” reporting skills to Albany to get paid double what she made in TV news and it’s there that she will tell us all how terrible our government is and how no one is worth their weight except for herself? Is that what a government representative is? A reporter? I think we can all agree that progress is measured in performance and when researching Harry Bronson, there is not only progress, but leadership. And as my representative, I am grateful for the good he has done, and I want him to continue his work on behalf of the people he serves.
Some things just can’t be said in 140 character tweet, and I think it’s absurd for anyone to believe that social media will make or break campaigns. What the internet is good for is researching the facts. And to quote City Newspaper, “It’s Bronson, hands down.” Keep up the good work Harry. You’ve got my vote, and that of my husband as well.
I’m a heterosexual woman in Harry’s district, do not live in the South Wedge, and have both seen him out and about in my neighborhood and received a personal phone call from him. I see the differences between these two candidates as more style than substance and wish Rachel had chosen instead to go up against a Republican incumbent in the Senate. As it is, I feel Harry does a good job representing my views and interests, and he has my full support in the primary and in November.
Wow. What a biased article! How much did Bronson pay you for the fluff and the tear down of his opponent. All in one article.
CITY newspaper, of course has the right to endorse whichever candidate they see fit. Though it is up for debate as to whether it is the duty of journalists and newspapers to make a political statement, the way in which CITY newspaper chose to endorse Mr. Bronson was problematic. The piece depicts Mr. Bronson as a poor, hapless candidate who needs to learn how to be savvier on social media. On the other hand, Ms. Barnhart is a crazy, ego manic running around setting things on fire, and going so far as to call her a “serial arsonist. A man conducting himself in the same fashion as Ms. Barnhart would be called a hard hitter eager to see change. While the sexist undertones of the piece are concerning the true issue here is commitment to change and improvement locally.
Rachel Barnhart’s commitment to the region can be seen in her chosen career path. Those who understands the media world knows that if Rachel was simply interested in “drawing and demanding attention” she would have left Rochester long ago to pursue reporting opportunities in much larger markets. But she didn’t. She made the decision to stay in her hometown and fight for the citizens of Rochester. People know Ms. Barnhart and she is not afraid to engage with anyone about the issues that are important to them. Voters should be very concerned that Mr. Bronson is not a presence in the community he represents. Mr. Bronson should not take pride in always being a behind the scenes legislator, his silence is what allows other cities and towns in New York state to see revivals while we are left behind, grappling with lack of jobs and little economic growth. Not to mention, leaders in Albany know representatives who do not connect with their voters are not invested in the community’s future making it much easier to sway their vote. Ms. Barnhart has worked hard making those connections and will demand what is best for her constituents.
I am a supporter of Ms. Barnhart, which I am sure is quite clear. To reiterate I absolutely appreciate that the folks at CITY can endorse whichever candidate they choose. I just wished they would have done so in a more professional manner. The bar in politics has been set so low but CITY has found a way to go ever lower which is disappointing.
Megan Ball
It’s simple: term limits. Bronson has been in office long enough. Time for new bloid and fresh ideas. Voters are lucky to have a candidate as good as Barnhart .
Insider vs. outsider. This is the year of the outsider.
Big shock. The newspaper that is wrong about everything else is wrong about this.
City readers should remember:
Mayor Warren has endorsed Harry Bronson. Bronson concealed his position on mayoral control of schools, prior to his last primary,. then supported it. Some of his on line supporters write of private assurances that he has shape shifted his position again. Like Bronson, City concealed their position on this issue, until after elections where it was a crucial issue, elections about which they editorialized. At some point an honest issue difference is not the problem — trust is.
It was this newspaper that wagged its finger at the public and said a democratic mayoral nomination selection process in 2011 would scare off developers. Rochester’s fearless progressive alternative newspaper strikes again. I could fill a book with examples of this sort of thing.
Amid labored efforts to create an impression of accomplishment, attributable to an obviously undistinguished legislator seeking his fourth term, City remains insensitive to two important public concerns.
The first is increasing displays of contempt for fair play democratic process in our civic and political life.
The second is epic bi-partisan corruption in Albany.
Bronson’s campaign has no apparent understanding of the first concern.
Mr. Bronson is heavily invested in the power arrangement that sustain the second.
The best Harry could do was lament the “mistakes” of his “brother” — an assembly speaker now off to prison. The best Harry’s supporters can do is denigrate Rachel Barnhart’s lengthy and very widely recognized record of courageous public interest journalism. Born arsonist? This would be funny if it were not so sad. City readers are too thoughtful to fall for this. City newspaper itself is capable of far better.
Here we have two candidates fighting over who can cause the most misery and hopelessness to their own constituents. Promoting the increase in minimum wage and other anti business policies just keep jobs away. Little good comes about from people with nothing to do.
Johnny, I don’t know that either candidate will spend much time promoting an increase in the minimum wage since the increase is already a done deal.
Although only given brief mention (“They agree that climate change is a problem that the state should act on.”) Climate Change is a major factor in all our elections. It is our government officials who must plan and protect the public health and ready our aging infrastructure on a rapidly warming planet.
Not only our states but Rochester and Monroe County must act on Climate Change. They can do so by educating the public on the specific Climate Change challenges to our region—more flooding, more droughts, more heatwaves, more tropical diseases, and the inevitability of more public funds to address extreme weather consequences.
We are at an amazing point in our human history, where our generation is facing the twilight of our opportunities to plan properly for the worst consequences of Climate Change. Yet, we still have to suffer the opinions of politicians who dismiss Climate Change.
More examination of those political candidates who would address Climate Change and how they would do so would be good. Less exhibiting of those political candidates who dismiss science would be nice.
Challenging those politicians by the media who still dismiss the world crisis of Climate Change would offer up a spectacle for the public which would reveal the pathetic poverty of responsibility for those we entrust our future.
More on Climate Change in our area: http://rochesterenvironment.com/weather&cl…