Some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets

Ken Kruly

Oct 16

Time marches on. Three weeks until Election Day, 12 days until the start of early voting. Daylight savings time ends on November 5. The current federal budget continuing resolution expires on November 17. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

Here are some facts, observations, and heard-on the-streets:

Kevin, we hardly knew 'ya! With all the continuing excitement about electing a Speaker it is only a matter of time before DraftKings and FanDuel start offering specialty bets on who the speaker candidates will be and how many ballots it will take to elect one.
Steve, we hardly knew 'ya! At least you could have hung around for a vote on the House floor.
How long will it take to resolve the speakership question? For a Democrat the schadenfreude is great. Sure it is the interest of the country and world to get these political shenanigans settled as quickly as possible, but it is the Republican political combatants not the citizen observers who hold the keys to wrapping things up. The burn-it-down caucus of the Republican Party, aka MAGA, seems content with things as they are. Never mind doing such things as paying our military and other federal employees. And for them, Ukraine and Israel do not seem to matter.
Jim ("what sexual assaults in the Ohio State wrestlers locker room?") Jordan perfectly embodies the hollowed-out carcass of what once was the Republican Party. Waiting to hear his plan on the continuing resolution and aid to Ukraine and Israel. The Reps loved to attack former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Having Jordan as Speaker would be a great gift to Democrats in the districts Biden carried as well as some of the other marginal ones.
The Republicans four-vote majority in the House includes one George Santos, Republican from NY3. Six freshmen Republicans from New York State, including Nick Langworthy representing District 23, have called for the expulsion of Santos from the House. Gee, then why did they vote to table such a move last spring?
Most of those six had very narrow victory margins in 2022. The election of those members is directly responsible for creating the totally dysfunctional and out-of-control House majority, which will make them prime targets in 2024.
Speaking of next year's elections, convicted felon Roger Stone was in town last week to attend an event for Assemblyman David DiPietro which also honored "Defender of Freedom" Senator George Borrello. Only speculation, but would Borrello, who reportedly harbors an interest in challenging Congressman Nick Langworthy, have possibly spoken with noted "conservative political consultant" Stone about such an endeavor?
The story about Congressman Brian Higgins becoming the President of the Shea's Performing Arts Center continues to circulate. One of the potential candidates to replace Higgins, Senator Tim Kennedy, is making his interest known. With $2.1 million in his campaign treasury he has the ability to expand his political reach. The corporate money contained in his state political account could not be used in a federal election, but he can send money to local political committees and candidates who might support a congressional run.
Kennedy would need to give up his Senate seat if he runs for Congress in a 2024 special election and/or primary. Maybe some ambitious members of the Buffalo Common Council and Erie County Legislature might want to take a shot in a Senate race. Those folks could hold their current job while running for higher office.
The Assembly and Congressional District lines for the 2024 elections still are under court order to be re-drawn. Time is getting short for that. Petitions for the 2024 elections will hit the streets in just about four months.
The Buffalo Association of Black Journalists announced this past Friday that Republican/Conservative candidate for Erie County executive Chrissy Casilio has declined to participate in a forum sponsored by the organization. In recent years the debates organized by the Association have developed an important role in the political process in Buffalo and Erie County. In a statement the Association said that they "find it disappointing and highly insulting to the African American community that the Republican Party nominee (Casilio) has declined our invitation to participate in this public forum."
The Republican and Conservative candidate for the Erie County Legislature's 10^th District, Lindsay Lorigo, last week submitted an "Another Voice" column in the Buffalo News criticizing the process of developing the 2024 county budget. In her campaign Mrs. Lorigo has highlighted her college degrees and her work on the staff of the Legislature, but perhaps she was absent when the County Budgeting 101 course was offered. Some corrections to her opinion piece: The additional sales tax imposed in the county is actually 1.75 percent, not one percent. Republican budget fiascos in 1983 and 2005 led to an additional one percent in 1984 and then another 0.75 percent increase in 2005. The sales tax next year will produce $1.08 billion in revenues for the county, its cities, towns, villages, and school districts as well as the NFTA. What appropriations is she looking to cut if the sales tax revenues were reduced? Also Mrs. Lorigo, the 2024 county tax levy is $328.7 million, not $1.94 billion. Just wondering: doesn't the News fact-check such postings?
Robert Gilmour is a former Chairman of the Town of Amherst Republican Committee; present chairman of the town's Planning Board; and current candidate for member of the town Board. A review of campaign financial filings indicates that Gilmour has received a total of $15,000 (out of a total of $35,089 raised) from three developers active in the town; each gave $5,000. Amherst Democratic Committee Chairwoman Michele Iannello has filed a complaint with the state Board of Elections against Gilmour, noting that the law limits contributions to candidates in Amherst to $4,241. Iannello is also calling for Gilmour's resignation from the Planning Board. Developers often have projects before the Board for approval.
Jim Heaney's recent column about the travails of the Buffalo News (Further decline at The Buffalo News - Investigative Post : Investigative Post) reports on the newspaper's major decline in circulation as well the results of a Pew Research Center survey that noted "nearly nine in 10 Americans get their news from digital platforms; only one in three turn to print."
The New York Coalition for Open Government and its President, Paul Wolf, perform an important community service by regularly highlighting the failure of various local governments to comply with the requirements of the Open Meetings Law and other laws designed to provide the public with valuable information about the activities of their government officials.
A win is a win, but it seems that the Bills are lacking focus, which is the coach's job.