Republican Supreme Court candidate breaks ethics rules

Republican Supreme Court nominee Dianne Freestone will likely find herself brought before the Commission on Judicial Conduct on her first day in office, the result of a violation of judicial campaign ethics requirements.

Freestone, a Saratoga attorney and former President of that county’s Republican Women’s Club, publicly endorsed Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matthew Veitch for re-election on social media, violating the Rules of Judicial Conduct. Judges, and judicial candidates, have long been required to be publicly impartial in elections in which they are not a candidate...

Freestone's endorsement of Veitch, a violation of ethics rules for judicial candidates

Prior precedent from the Commission on Judicial Conduct, the body responsible for overseeing (and sometimes, removing) New York’s judges indicates that a censure is all but certain. As explicitly stated in Matter of Decker, “public support of another candidate’s campaign merits public sanction”. The Commission is likely to take a dim view of any attempt to blame campaign staff for the errant endorsement, as Freestone refers to herself in the first person in at least 10 posts to the very same Facebook page.

Even with disciplinary proceedings all but certain to begin immediately if elected, Freestone remains a likely victor in the six-candidate race for four Supreme Court judgeships in the 4th Judicial District. But her official record is likely to, and should be, blighted for partisanship.....

Tonko’s Republican Challenger: Abortion is “Genocide”

In a video unearthed by the Observer, Republican congressional candidate and Schenectady County Republican Committee vice-chair Liz Lemery Joy referred to abortion as “blatant legislated genocide”, and implored evangelicals considering leaving New York to stay and “fight for those babies threatened by complete and total genocide”.

Joy has little professional history outside of local right wing activism and in 2016 self-publishing “How to Be Salt and Light: The Christian's Guide to Voting”. She was recently made a vice-chair of the county GOP, alongside Niskayuna Supervisor Yasmine Syed, after a stint as the President of the Republican Women of Schenectady County Club.

Joy’s extreme views, which can be traced back to her evangelicalism, are unlikely to raise eyebrows at Republican events, but pose a unique problem for suburban Republicans facing re-election this fall, such as Syed and Glenville Councilwoman Gina Wierzbowski.

The problem is especially pronounced for Niskayuna’s Syed, a close friend of Joy who is also a born-again evangelical and longtime member of her Republican Women’s Club (her mother, Anne Marie, even serves as Joy’s club Vice President). Syed has gone to excruciating lengths to avoid sharing any opinions on women’s reproductive rights, gay rights, or gun control, although she has noticeably skipped Schenectady Gay Pride as a candidate and in both her years as Supervisor.

Joy is unlikely to stop talking any time soon, but you have to wonder if there’s a point where her friend Yasmine would disavow her.  Keep an eye on this...

Ex-Glenville Chief, author of controversial Troy PD report, is frequent GOP donor

State Board of Elections records reveal that ex-Glenville Police Chief Michael Ranalli, the author of a controversial rebuttal report claiming that Troy Police Sgt. Randall French did not lie to internal affairs officers investigating the shooting death of unarmed civilian Edson Thevenin, is a frequent donor to local Republicans, having given over $1,500 to Republican candidates for state and municipal office since 2008.

Foremost amongst Ranalli's contributions is nearly $600 given to Glenville Supervisor and County GOP boss Chris Koetzle; another $110 was given to the Koetzle-alligned Focus on Glenville committee.  No such contributions were made to Koetzle's predecessor, Frank Quinn, who was Supervisor when Ralalli was appointed police chief in June 2006.

Ranalli was closely linked to Koetzle during his tenure in Glenville, having been appointed to a four-man senior management committee in one of Koetzle's first decisions as Supervisor.  Also appointed to the committee was Town Attorney Michael Cuevas, a longtime GOP operative and current candidate for State Supreme Court; records show that Ranalli was also a contributor to Cuevas's 2015 campaign for Schenectady City Council.

Koetzle and Cuevas's former employer, the State Assembly's Republican conference, has also been a significant beneficiary of Ranalli's political contributions, with $125 going to then-Assemblyman Jim Tedisco and another $650 to Long Island's Michael Fitzpatrick.  Ranalli's personal contributions to Assembly Republicans pale in comparison, however, to those of relatives residing in his Niskayuna household, which account for a whopping $4,685 in combined contributions to Fitzpatrick's committee and the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee since 2000.

Odd how suburban Republican parties in Schenectady County being in the pocket of the police always seems to slip under the radar...

Yangmentum? Eyes on Schenectadian at Democratic Debate

Many neutral observers will be watching to see if Schenectady’s Andrew Yang is able to pick up momentum in tonight’s third Democratic presidential primary debate. Yang has already beat early expectations by qualifying for tonight’s debate, something which better known politicians, including Albany’s Kirsten Gillibrand, were unable to pull off.

While Yang has impressed many with successful media appearances, particularly those in unconventional settings, he has languished when it comes to getting his message out in the first two debates, finishing dead last of 20 candidates in speaking time at both events.

In June’s event, Yang spoke only 594 words, less than a 6th of the number spoken by Joe Biden, and nearly 300 behind 19th place Jay Inslee. Particularly troublesome was that none of Yang’s 594 words were particularly memorable.

Yang improved in quality if not quantity in time for the July debate, appearing more comfortable and having more success in pushing his unique message. While it was hardly impressive to see Yang fall back on his “the opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math” line, it was successful in introducing Yang to audience members who have not heard his podcast appearances or seen his social media posts.

Going into tonight, Yang sits in a respectable 6th place, giving him podium placement just off the center of the stage, with Kamala Harris to his left and Beto O’Rourke to the right. If he performs well tonight, a move to the middle of the stage could be in Yang’s future...

Who are the Rotterdam GOP’s mystery donors?

It has been a rough cycle for Rotterdam Republicans, with the party not even fielding a candidate for Supervisor, but that doesn’t mean that the town’s Republican Committee has shut down and stopped accepting money.

In the 16 months since May 2018, the party has accepted $2,720 in contributions without disclosing the donor’s identity, accounting for 75% of its $3,636 cash on hand as of the July reporting period.

The contributions include a $1,110 payment with no name recorded on May 7, 2018, and a mysterious $120 installment from an unnamed corporate entity on June 6 of this year.

The Rotterdam Republican Committee is chaired by Brian McGarry, who is up for re-election to the County Legislature in November. Maybe he could solve the mystery of where 75% of his committee’s money came from....

Carl Falotico’s very awkward, really strange, pretty good year

One of the more interesting campaigns to watch in the 2019 cycle has been that of a candidate with no opponent: Schenectady Corporation Counsel and Democratic City Court nominee Carl Falotico.

The lawyer’s campaign for the city’s fourth judgeship was unofficially launched in early March with the City Democratic Committee’s endorsement. Unfortunately for Falotico, this normally celebratory occasion was overshadowed by a bizarre fight between the City Council and Mayor over whether a fourth judge was necessary. Especially complicating matters was the fact that as Corporation Counsel, Falotico was both the Mayor and the Council’s lawyer.

Falotico recused himself from the Council-Mayor fight over the judgeship, which was more a matter for the state legislature anyways, and the minor controversy fizzled out when the Council overrode the Mayor’s veto of a resolution recommending there be four judges.

The lack of a Republican candidate - none has won a city judgeship since Karen Drago - makes Falotico a certain victor in November, but he remains the city’s chief attorney until December 31, and complicated issues, often placing him in awkward situations, have continued to cross his desk.Settlement negotiations stemming from the in-custody death of Andrew Kearse were delegated to Falotico by the City Council. The judge-in-waiting eventually reached a seven figure agreement with Kearse’s widow on the city’s behalf, but the dark irony of a wrongful death at the hands of the city’s police department being settled by a soon-to-be member of the city’s criminal bench hung over the situation.

Much less dark, but no doubt still contentious is the ongoing dispute over a sick-time payout to Police Chief Eric Clifford. Council members opposing the $8,000 payment have often cited an advisory opinion by Falotico, which states that Clifford did not meet the requisite 120 days accrued during his 14-years on the force before becoming Chief. While there is no doubt that Falotico’s reading of the law is correct, being caught between the police chief and City Council is certainly an uncomfortable position for the incoming judge.

But no matter what, Falotico will get the last laugh when he starts his 10-year term on the bench in January...

Christou's Troublesome Tweets: Supports Trump, Ogles Fitness Model

The Observer can exclusively reveal that Rotterdam Deputy Supervisor Evan Christou, a Conservative Party member nominated for re-election on the Democratic ticket, has repeatedly tweeted in support of Republican President Donald Trump, and has often ogled at photos posted by fitness model Mia Kang.

Christou has been tweeting in support of Trump since his account was created in December 2016, and has touched numerous issues.  Christou has tweeted in support of the Supreme Court confirmation of Neil Gorsuch, and defended Trump's response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.  In late 2017 he tweeted in support of a tax reform bill which devastated suburban homeowners in Schenectady.

Christou has even tweeted a bizarre message to Trump suggesting that he visit the tailor of Fox News sex-pest Bill O'Reilly to buy new suits.

Christou's right-wing tweets were not even limited to national issues, with the Councilman retweeting an attack against Governor Andrew Cuomo by Republican Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh.

In November, Christou will appear on the Democratic line for another 4-year term as a Rotterdam Town Councilman.  Strange situation, even by Rotterdam's standards...