SamPratt.com

Hudson’s attention in the past 24 hours has been riveted on the Hudson City Democratic Committee’s feverish efforts to restore the possibility of candidate Nick Haddad’s name appearing on the top line of the ballot. A paperwork deadline was missed, thus invalidating the HCDC members' petitioning efforts for Haddad. (Those petitions had already been recalled once before prior to filing due to a shakeup in the Dem ticket.) 

Less attention has been paid, meanwhile, to another developing situation on the Republican side of things: namely, persistent rumors that GOP Common Council President nominee Bart Delaney has dropped out of the race.

Word is that Delaney (currently serving as 5th Ward Supervisor) failed to accept the Conservative and Independent nominations, and would like his name removed from the Republican line as well. If true, this would leave Dem nominee Donald Moore—who himself is a replacement for his party's initial choice, Sarah Sterling—unopposed. Another source has it that former Dem chair Linda Mussmann wants her close ally and former Dick Tracy mayoral aide Lynn Sloneker to replace Delaney on the Republican line if he drops out, but that does not appear to be technically possible at this point.

Notably, perhaps, Delaney did not appear in this group photo of the Hudson Republican candidates when they announced their slate less than six weeks ago.

There’s been some political chatter about the residency status of Timothy (Tim) Rodgers, who was recently endorsed by the Hudson Democrats to run for Alderman in the City’s 1st Ward.

One of his likely opponents, Geeta Cheddie of Warren Street, raised the question of where Rodgers lives in the context of his application to become a Commissioner of Deeds in Hudson—normally just a formality to help candidates overcome some of New York’s more arcane petitioning requirements.

In over a dozen years in these parts, I have never heard of any such application (including my own) being rejected. There are many, many Commissioners of Deeds on file with the County Clerk; the designation sounds like a lot bigger deal than it actually is. It’s kind of like becoming a Notary, only a lot less onerous—as there are few qualifications besides having a pulse and promising not to lie.

Naturally, an applicant needs to provide a valid address on their application. But anyone familiar with the shenanigans that mark each Hudson election cycle knows this unusual objection was purely political. It’s long been a local convention that all other differences get put aside when approving CoD applications, since they involve the fundamental right to get candidates on the ballot. As such, the objection is extraordinary, even if the grounds have some technical merit.

And indeed, my understanding is that Cheddie was engaged in a friendly dialogue with Rodgers—who’s prominent in the local hospital union, and who she may have imagined could help her electorally—right up to the moment she heard that he was running for a 1st Ward seat, at which point she went ballistic. (There are, by the way, two Alderman slots for each ward, and currently three likely candidates: Cheddie, Rodgers, and Larissa Parks.)

Now, I don’t have a dog in this fight, and have never met this Rodgers—though I’d be charmed to learn that he wears cardigans, speaks in a kindly voice, and sings helpful songs about getting along... But whether or not Tim Rodgers can become a Commissioner of Deeds right now is irrelevant to whether he can run for 1st Ward Alderman. Because as far as I can see New York State Election Law does not to require him to be a resident of Hudson’s 1st Ward in order to run for Alderman. It would only require that he become a 1st Ward resident before his term started next year.

The full election law can be downloaded here (as a PDF), but the relevant section seems to be this:

§ 6–122. Designation or nomination; eligibility, restrictions

A person shall not be designated or nominated for a public office or party position who (1) is not a citizen of the state of New York; (2) is ineligible to be elected to such office or position; or (3) who, if elected will not at the time of commencement of the term of such office or position, meet the constitutional or statutory qualifications thereof or, with respect to judicial office, who will not meet such qualifications within thirty days of the commencement of the term of such office.

Unless the City of Hudson has some local prohibition against petitions being circulated for Council candidates who do not yet live in that district (and I’m not even sure such a rule would be legal), it appears Rodgers could run for any City office—so long he is a resident of New York State at the time his petitions are circulated, and so long as he becomes a resident of the district in question by the time he was administered the oath of office.

Indeed, the Democrats of the 1st Ward could circulate petitions for Bill Clinton to be one of their 1st Ward reps, and if he got enough votes and moved to the ward by January 1st, he could assume office. (Just beware, Bubba; Hudson elections are in many ways tougher than national ones.)

If that Ward’s voters want to hold Rodgers’ residency against him—though he’ll surely find an apartment there soon if he’s serious about running—they can do so with their ballots. But as a practical matter, this early election year fracas is not about whether Rodgers will be able to run, it’s just a chance for Cheddie to try to throw a clod of Spring mud at her opponent, and see if any of it sticks.

P.S.: Some also may recall that former Congressman John Sweeney lived in Cohoes—outside of the 20th Congressional District—when he announced his candidacy for U.S. Representative. Sweeney only moved into the district shortly before the election, well after petitions were circulated on his behalf. His successor, Kirsten Gillibrand, likewise had a shaky claim to local residency. But it wasn’t an issue for either.

In the last Hudson election, voters were given relatively few choices by the major party committees. Many incumbents ran unopposed, and many of the contested races occurred with only minimal public discussion and debate.

With no mayoral race on the ballot, turnouts for major contests such as the Council President race were unusually low—about half that of each of the previous five cycles. But this time around, it appears that voters may actually have some choices—both between the party nominees, and also in some primaries.

As already reported here, the Hudson Democrats are endorsing Nick Haddad and Sarah Sterling for Mayor and Council President, respectively. Many now expect the Republicans to run a ticket of Bill Hallenbeck and Bart Delaney for those offices.

In the 1st Ward, at least three Democrats (maybe more) will be vying for two Alderman slots—Tim Rogers, Larissa Parks, and Geeta Cheddie—and the Republicans may find at least one candidate of their own. Ditto in the 5th Ward, with three Democrats rumored to be running: Paul Beaumont, Bob Donahue and Cappy Pierro.

In the 3rd Ward, Democrat Chris Wagoner will seek a third term as Alderman, on a ticket with attorney John Friedman, with Ellen Thurston running for Supervisor. Mike O’Hara will challenge incumbent John Musall for 1st Ward Supervisor in a Democratic primary.

Though several incumbents in the remaining wards appear vulnerable to challenges, it remains to be seen if other party nominees or independent candidates emerge.

In this site’s opinion, contested primaries (in September) and general elections (in November) are good for democracy. Those already in positions of power will invariably rail against such competition—typically invoking expectations of “party loyalty” to whip others back into place. But it should be remembered that with or without party committee backing, anyone can run for office.

All it requires is to prepare petitions carefully, secure the necessary signatures, and file them in a timely way. If more candidates in a party file petitions for an office than there are slots open, that party committee can’t spend money on its endorsees until after the primary. So the playing field is more level than many assume, with the candidates who work hardest to reach the voters directly having the best chance of winning.

And that goes for all towns, not just Hudson.

The Hudson political rumor mill continues to churn; every day brings a fresh round of whispered tips, red herrings and general speculation about the upcoming Fall elections. Below is an update on the previous passel of possible candidates for office—with the usual caveat that until petitions are circulated and submitted, nothing is the least bit certain.

Whenever there’s no incumbent in a race, a lot of names surface and many trial balloons get floated by the major parties—most of which sink without a trace. So with Rick Scalera spreading the word* that he’ll run for 5th Ward Supervisor against former ally Bart Delaney, the number of names floating around has multiplied.

Initial rumors that Gary Graziano would seek the Republican nomination have been tamped down, as the former Police Commissioner has hitched his star to that of Assemblyman Molinaro (who wants to become the new Dutchess County Executive). Likewise, word is that former mayor Ken Cranna has shelved his biennial exploration of another mayoral bid.

As a result Dick Tracy, another former one-termer who was said to be contemplating running for Council President on Cranna’s ticket, is now rumored instead to be mulling a second shot at the Mayor’s office—though he didn't seem to like the job much the first time around. Tracy is a member of the Independence Party, meaning he’d need the authorization of the Republican, Democratic and/or Conservative chairs to run on any of their lines except as a write-in candidate. The Hudson Republican committee, chaired by George DeJesus, is not known to have expressed any firm preference one way or another regarding any of these options so far.

Meanwhile, on the Democratic side Mike O’Hara has joined Don Moore in telling friends that he wil not run for Mayor. Expectations are that O’Hara will try for 1st Ward Supervisor, and Moore for City Treasurer... This of course assumes that the popular existing Treasurer, Eileen Halloran, will not seek re-election, aiming instead for the HDC position vacated by Peter Markou. Also indicating interest in the Treasurer’s position is current 1st Ward Alderman Sarah Sterling. Her fellow 1st Ward Alderman Geeta Cheddie had been thought to be eyeing that Citywide job as well, but indications are that she will try to defend her seat instead, and will have at least two Democratic challengers.

Meanwhile Hudson Valley native Nick Haddad, owner of an electrical supply business, expressed interest in a Mayoral endorsement at Tuesday night’s Hudson Democratic Committee meeting. Haddad indicated that he would also reach out to other major parties.

In the 5th Ward, respected firefighter Paul Beaumont has indicated his interest in running for the Alderman’s seat which Dick Goetz is said to be vacating, while others intimate that former Alderman and current Mayoral aide Cappy Pierro wants back in the Council game there... Back in the 1st, Da|Ba chef and owner Daniel Nilsson, previously reported here to be exploring a Mayoral bid, is said now to be more interested in an Alderman seat.

If any of the above is to believed, then the most time-consuming but least-appropriately paid political position in Hudson, that of Council President, appears to have no takers so far. The most obvious pool of potential candidates is that of the existing Aldermen, and various parties have suggested that either Sterling or Chris Wagoner step up to the plate. Long-serving 3rd Ward Alderman Ellen Thurston is planning a move to the County Supervisor level, assuming she can best incumbent Bill Hallenbeck. Recent election cycles have attracted mainly CCP candidates who were afterthoughts, or even liabilities to the rest of their ticket; for example in 2005, Dan Grandinetti’s bid for mayor was thought by many to have been harmed by his selection of a running mate, Jablanski, who appared to have little interest in or familiarity with this detail-oriented, hands-on position.

Finally, it should be noted that several rumors were sent this site’s way which turned out to have been based solely on anonymous (and often slanderous postings) on anonymous chat sites best never visited, especially if your computer hasn’t been vaccinated for tetanus, rabies and dysentery... Whether or not Dan Grandinetii is returning to Hudson, or if Bill Hughes would really give up his County position to run for Mayor, are not topics about which one can gain any useful insight from unmoderated forums—90% of whose posts typically are made by the same 4-5 lurkers using multiple aliases.

As noted at the outset, all political rumors in this small city founded by whalers should be taken with several grains of the coarsest sea salt. The periodic election reports here aim less to convey hard facts, since so few are discernable at this stage, and more to expose to a broader public audience to the types of chatter which normally circulates only among Hudson’s tiny, incestuous insider circles. The actual candidates on the September and November ballots may prove to be only a few, or even none, of the above. Slightly more clarity may emerge once the party committees make their picks, but that does not preclude surprise entries as late as June or early July, since a member of a political party or independent candidates can always file their own petitions. The endorsements of the parties carry weight, but are not necessarily the final word on who may run.

* NOTE: In almost every election cycle after his original run in the early ’90s, Scalera has initially leaked word that he’s not running, or running for some other office, but often this proves to be misdirection. In 1999 and 2005, when his political negatives were way up, Scalera did in fact sit out the race, and his surrogates (Pierro in ’99, Grandinetti in ’05) lost in his place. In 2007, once Linda Mussmann announced her candidacy as a spoiler against Mike O’Hara, he appeared to change his mind about seeking other opportunities and ran, knowing there was a very low risk of losing a three-way race. While it appears that Scalera very much wants revenge on Delaney for some reversal of position or perceived slight, don’t count Scalera out of the Mayor’s race until it’s too late to petition for it.

Columbia County Board of Elections officials are authorizing back payments to several Hudson Democratic election custodians who were improperly paid less than their Republican counterparts in recent election cycles.

Members of the Hudson City Democratic Committee allege that former Board of Elections Deputy Commissioner (and current 1st Ward Alderman) Geeta Cheddie unilaterally lowered payments due to fellow Democrats in retribution for their challenges to former HCDC chair Linda Mussmann, with whom Cheddie has been closely allied. Cheddie, who narrowly defeated incumbent Democratic Alderman Carole Osterink in a bitter 2009 primary, has disputed the allegation.

The current City Democratic leadership also charges that Republican officials submitted vouchers for payments either without bipartisan approvals required as a matter of Board of Elections policy, or may have altered payment paperwork after the fact without notifying their Democratic colleagues.

After Democratic Commissioner Virginia Martin sought to work out a resolution of the matter with GOP Commissioner Jason Nastke, custodians Michael O’Hara (a former Mayoral candidate, who defeated Mussmann in the 2007 Democratic primary), Victor Mendolia (the current HCDC chair, who replaced Mussmann) and Donald Moore (the current Common Council President) are expected to recoup back payments ranging from $150 to $300 each for services rendered during six Hudson election contests in 2008 and 2009. Neither Martin nor Nastke was in office at the time the disputed practice began.

Election custodians are selected by party leaders in consultation with the BOE to ensure that voting machines are set up and operate properly on each Election Day; they are also supposed to be on call to respond to any polling site emergencies which may arise, and assist with the recanvassing of machines to verify reported outcomes. At times in the past, a few around the County have treated these positions as virtual “no show” jobs intended to reward party loyalty, though typically such roles involve extensive training and responsibilities.

In a message widely-circulated among City and County Democrats late this week, Mendolia writes that Hudson City Democratic Committee members have

“assembled documentations of a repeated pattern of underpayments to the Democratic Hudson Custodians who attend to the election machines on election days and the re-canvass. This past week the County BOE Commissioners (both Republican and Democrat) agreed that we had indeed been underpaid and they have now submitted payment vouchers to make whole those who were underpaid. [...] The commissioners are in the process of implementing new policies to be certain that this type of tampering and vindictiveness, never happens again.”

To support their case, City Democrats are citing Board of Elections fee schedules showing that equal payments have been slated consistently for both the GOP and the Democratic custodians in Hudson. (The pay rate is higher in Hudson than other towns, since City custodians have seven election districts to monitor.)

Board records appear to show that in prior 2007 cycles and also the February 2008 Presidential primary, longtime GOP custodian Brian McDonald had been paid the same amount as his Democratic counterpart, Michael Chameides. Chameides has been an employee of Time and Space Ltd., the arts organization co-directed by Mussmann, and was also employed by her unsuccessful 2003 campaign for Mayor.

But the HCDC found that once O’Hara and Mendolia replaced Chameides as custodians in 2008, payments authorized by Cheddie to the Democrats were cut in half to $150, while the Republican custodian was paid the usual $300 by another, unspecified method. (Note: Neither party has suggested that the payments to McDonald were anything but deserved.)

Not disputing that the payments were different, Cheddie has instead suggested that the Democratic custodians earned and deserved less pay (see below). In 2009 after Cheddie had lost her BOE post, the half-payments nevertheless continued, as new BOE staff were unaware that a discrepancy in custodial payments had quietly become standard practice, according to the current Hudson Dems leadership.

The Hudson Democrats further contend that the GOP made alterations to paperwork that had been presented to Martin after she had already signed them (and in one case may have made payments to a Republican party rep who did not appear for duty). A November 2009 voucher shows a payment co-signed by Martin and then-GOP Commissioner Donald Kline, with printed $150 amounts crossed out and changed in handwritten notes to $300. Democrats allege that these changes were made after Martin’s signature was obtained.

Prior to the Spring of 2009, it was possible (if not proper) for such payments to be requested by a single BOE official. Martin then convinced Kline to institute a long-overdue BOE policy consistent with New York State Election Law requiring that such payments be made solely with bipartisan approval. The County payroll, accounts payable, and other committees were alerted that vouchers should not be processed unless they bore both Democratic and Republican signatures. Yet an October 2009 voucher for a payment to former Deputy Commissioner Michael Nabozny shows a pre-printed amount of $50 has been changed by hand to $150; and that voucher bears a signature by Kline but none from Martin. Instead, the second signature looks to be that of then-Board of Supervisors Chairman Art Baer. Further alterations seem to have been made to the document, such as a whited-out portion of the duties listed for Nabozny,

Mendolia’s message also includes copies of a lengthy exchange of emails with Cheddie, in which the former Deputy makes a very different case.

Again while acknowledging that the Republican and Democratic fees were not the same, Cheddie contends that the “standard rate” for custodians was $150, not the $300 indicated in the BOE’s rate sheet—and that McDonald was owed more because he “performed work above his role as custodian which explains the difference in pay rate.” Without citing any specific authority from either of the Democratic Commissioners she served (Ken Dow and David Cohen), she complains that the issue was raised with reporters rather than handled privately, and lambastes Mendolia’s position:

“I take issue with this. You were not paid differently out of spite but rather because your duties were different. [...] I do not believe that back pay was warranted or deserved and to accept it is fraudulent.”

Mendolia counters that “any additional work that Brian does that is not related to the official duties of a political party custodian, he is paid for as the county employee he is. He is paid $300 for his duties as Republican custodian. By statute, there must be parity between the parties. You had no right to change the rate paid to the Democratic custodian which had been paid previously and is printed on official BOE documents.”

The Mendolia-Cheddie exchanges further indicate that members of the local press have been alerted to the situation; articles are said to be in the works at both the Columbia Paper and Register-Star.