GOP leaves a lot to be done
 Westchester Republicans ended their convention last night with a lot of work still be done to fill their 2008 ballot.
So far, the party has not found candidates to run for Westchester County Court Judge or to take on Democratic Assembly members Gary Pretlow, Amy Paulin, Adam Bradley, Richard Brodsky and Mike Spano.
They also did not nominate anyone to take on Rep. Eliot Engel of the Bronx and state senators Jeff Klein of the Bronx and Ruth Hassell-Thompson of Mount Vernon
“We’re interviewing candidates,” said Westchester Republican Chairman Doug Colety. “We still have a convention process that hasn’t been finalized.”
Colety said he’s confident the party will have candidates for all the offices being contested this year. The GOP will meet again Monday night to continue the nomination process and Colety noted that the petition signing process does not begin until June 3rd and stretches through July 11th.
The only Assembly candidates nominated last night were Putnam’s William Gouldman (versus Sandra Galef); New Rochelle’s Robert E. Biagi (versus George Latimer) and Assemblyman Greg Ball.
Ball’s nomination came despite the bitter dispute going on within the Putnam GOP over that seat, which spans both counties. Earlier this month the Putnam GOP nominated former Brewster Mayor John Degnan for the post instead of Ball, who is finishing his first term.
Last night, Degnan was nominated but the nomination was not seconded, Colety said.
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The GOP in Westchester does have alot more to do. But the serious candidates that they have already put forward are solid candidates, who will diffinently put up a good fight and might win. Greg Ball will win reelection. William Gouldman is a strong good challenger to Sandy Galef, he has the money, energy and really wants to win. So he has a very good chance to win. Robert Biagi is a good young man who will give the right message and will put up a good fight.
William Gouldman will be the next Assemblyperson for the 90th Assembly District. He has the ambition and has the ideas for change that this community needs.
They should let some of those losers sitting on the dais run…
They should let those losers sitting on the dais last night run…
If the Republican Party supports – Greg Ball, William Gouldman, Robert Biagi financilly and with volunteers they could win these seats. At this stage in the Westchester GOP we should concentrate on a few key races and win them. Then next year concentrate on a few more we will take this county back 1 seat at a time.
Here’s the bottom line:
Oppenheimer WINS over Feld
Stewart-Coiusins WINS over Murtaugh
Galef WINS over Gouldman
Latimer WINS over Biagi
The Republican message has been discredited from George W. Bush through George Pataki. Anything these challenger candidates say about us needing to run govt better, cut bureaucracy, etc. – their boys ran the country for 8 years and the state for 12 and did nothing of the sort. We’re in a bad soup now, and you can’t blame it on the Dems since YOU guys ran the governments.
Plus, the incumbents above, particularly the Assembly two, stay in very close touch with their local govts, their residents, etc. Some Republican rhetoric in a press release, and some attack mailings aren’t going to convince people who actually know and like Sandy, George, and for that matter, Suzi, all of whom are well visible.
This hit my mailbox from the Westchester GOP. Biagi’s speech was the best one at the convention, he received six standing ovations.—-
BIAGI NOMINATED AT WESTCHESTER GOP CONVENTION
Receives unanimous support in his bid for State Assembly
(NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK) – Rob Biagi, a litigator and former prosecutor, was endorsed by the Westchester County Republican Committee to challenge career Democratic politician George Latimer of New York’s 91st Assembly district in 2008. The political landscape of the Sound Shore is shaping up for a heated campaign season as credible challengers immerge to take on incumbent members of what the nonpartisan New York University School of Law’s Brennan Center for Justice deemed the “least deliberative and most dysfunctional legislature in the nation.â€
From 1997 to 2000, Rob served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Bronx DA’s Office, prosecuting crimes from the Narcotics Division and busting criminals involved in illicit drug deals. In his address to the convention delegates, he made “fast, aggressive and permanent tax relief” a primary focus of his campaign, commenting that “I’ll go up north to shake things up and fight tooth and nail for everyone who gets up everyday, drives or takes the train back and forth to work and barely has enough left over to enjoy the life they thought they’d have here.” He also vowed that when elected he would support law enforcement officials and ensure they had all necessary resources to make Sound Shore neighborhoods safe from criminals and predators.
Biagi’s opponent is the former Chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, which, since 2000, has increased real property taxes by over 54%. Since leaving the board to become a state legislator, George Latimer has refused to cap property taxes and stop unfunded mandates from being placed on municipalities. New York’s Empire Center believes this is why New York leads the nation in outmigration, with 1.2 million New Yorkers having moved to other states since 2000. Rob Biagi will fight to reverse this trend and reinvigorate New York’s economy by attacking property taxes head-on, and providing incentives for people and businesses to stay in New York.
Latimer, a lock step voting foot soldier of Assembly leader Sheldon Silver, represents the cities, towns and villages in Westchester County along the Long Island Sound, and has been called “addicted to spending,” when according to the latest estimates, New York faces budget gaps of close to $5 billion in 2009 and $7.7 billion in 2010. Promising an end to “business as usual,” as Biagi spoke, a palatable excitement filled the room, and popular Westchester State Assemblyman Greg Ball later called Biagi’s speech “energizing.” New Rochelle based County Legislator Jim Maisano has also lined up to support Rob.
“I’m truly honored and humbled to receive the Republican Party’s nomination,” Biagi said of the endorsement. He added, “I’m running against a career politician who for his whole political life has been raising taxes by the billions on county and state taxpayers, voting for billions in unfunded mandates, and failed to bring reform to Albany as he promised years ago.”
George Latimer is beloved in the Sound Shore. Biagi – who has a rabid conservative base in the South End of New Rochelle and that’s it – will find this kind of rhetoric will fall dead flat everywhere else. George has been a true bi-partisan; he stood up to Silver and Spitzer, and was singled out for punishment by the once-Steamroller. He reformed the Board of Legislators, before Bill Ryan messed it up. He worked with Republicans, gave them committee chairs. Absurd for Biagi to assail George for the last 8 years at the BoL, when he wasn’t eve there the last four.
And George was in business for years before he entered politics. Some career pol. George wins elections because he is liked. If Biagi gets nasty, it will boomerang back on him. Mark my words!
Biagi has a nice rap, but he can’t hold a candle to George. when the dust settles, Latimer wins 61-39.
George Latimer is truly beloved in the Sound Shore and has built up solid relationships on both sides of the aisle. His opponents should check his facts, as any knowedgable and well-prepared lawyer would do. George is not a career politician-having served for many years in the corporate world, at subsidiary companies of ITT and Nesltle’s, to name just a couple. He also has a solid record as a volunteer in his home town and up and down the Sound Shore.
George has hardly marched lockstep with with Sheldon Silver-George’s most recent vote agains licenses for immigrants is one recent example that comes to mind. He stood up to Governor “Everything Changes On Day One”, who planned to embarass every legislator who voted for Tom DiNapoli. The Ex-Governor backed off when his vendetta against Latimer back-fired big-time.
Rob Biagi is intitled to his own conservative, partisan opinions but he is not entitled to his own set of facts.
I agree that Biagi will probably get crushed by Latimer, unless he’s willing to spend a few hundred thousand of his own money, in which case Latimer is probably in serious trouble as the 91st is not a gerrymander.
Let’s be fair about two things though. When Latimer “stood up to Spitzer”, he was actually running roughshoud over the will of an Independent panel which recommended qualified comptroller candidates to elevate one of his own who had hummed the party tune long enough to get a promotion. If Client #9 hadn’t tried to pass out drivers licenses to illegals (and hadn’t been Client #9), he’d likely still be getting credit on this issue, and Latimer would be in the dog house.
Second, its true George hasn’t been on the BOL for the last four years—but the two largest tax increases, in ‘03 and ‘04, where his, and they makeup more then half of that overall 54% property tax increase.
I think since George has not faced a credible challenger in a decade, he might not be used to a little bit of rough and tumble campaigning. If anything, its a good way to hold his feet to the fire and get him to work even harder for us.
Biagi will indeed get crushed and it will be an embarassment for Doug Colety and his merry men. Also, don’t be so fast to write off the coservatives in the South End of New Rochelle. Moderate Democrat Susan Kettner pulled off 45% of the vote in an odd-numbered year against likeable townie, Lou Trangucci. Latimer will do even better in a presidential year against Biagi, who hasn’t lived in New Rochelle for long and hasn’t partipated in any volunteer activites.
So you have to participate in Volunteer activities to get elected. What has Latimer been involved with?
Do we have a orkut account..?