Politics on the Hudson

State GOP chairman Joseph Mondello has told county GOP chairmen this morning that he will not seek re-election as state chairman, even after over the weekend he was lining up Rudy Giuliani’s support for another term.

He said he will focus on Nassau County politics; he remains the county GOP chairman.

“My first love has always been the Nassau County Republican Committee,” Mondello stated in the news release forwarded by a Republican source.

“And with Republicans making great strides in races to retake the county executive’s office and win back the county legislative majority I feel that my obligation to the county committee I have led for the past twenty-six years requires that I focus my attention exclusively on achieving a Republican victory in my home county during the critical seventy-one days between now and Election Day.”

Mondello’s decision opened up the opportunity for Niagara County chairman Henry Wojtaszek to re-emerge as a candidate. Wojtaszek was telling county chairmen Friday that he was bowing out after it appeared Mondello planned to seek re-election.

Wojtaszek put out a letter this morning saying he’s running.

But several county chairmen said this morning that it appears Mondello realized there isn’t support to run again because Ed Cox has secured more than 50 percent of the weighted vote in the party.

With Mondello out, several county chairmen today will announce they are backing Cox: Rockland, Dutchess, Sullivan, Saratoga and Putnam, for example.

Here’s Mondello’s statement and Wojtaskek’s letter.

Declaring that voter outrage over skyrocketing property taxes and a new home energy tax has catapulted Republican candidates into tight races for Nassau County Executive and several key county legislative seats
currently held by Democrats, New York State and Nassau Republican leader Joseph N. Mondello declared today that he will not seek another two year term leading the state party when his term expires this September in order to “devote 100 percent of my time and energy to my duties as Nassau Republican chairman.”

“My first love has always been the Nassau County Republican Committee,” Mondello stated.  “And with Republicans making great strides in races to retake the county executive’s office and win back the county
legislative majority I feel that my obligation to the county committee I have led for the past twenty-six years requires that I focus my attention exclusively on achieving a Republican victory in my home county during the critical seventy-one days between now and Election Day.

“While, after conversations with many of my fellow county chairs and state committeemembers from across the state, I am confident that I would win re-election as state chairman by a comfortable margin, I have
determined – after much soul searching and reflection – that I must set aside my desire to complete the work of rebuilding the state committee that I have devoted myself to over the past three years so that I can give my undivided attention to this year’s critical campaigns in Nassau County.

“I had determined several weeks ago that this was the right course for me to follow and my wife and family wholeheartedly endorse my decision.  I delayed making a formal announcement of my intentions in order
to minimize to the greatest extent possible the period of time that potential successors would be waging a potentially divisive intra-party contest.

“My friends and supporters know that I have always been a fighter.  Had my decision been to seek another term, I would have weeks ago been actively and aggressively campaigning for it across every corner of the
state.

“I am very proud of my tenure as chairman of the New York  Republican State Committee,” Mondello noted.  “I took a state committee that was adrift, demoralized and virtually bankrupt and placed it on a firm financial footing, reestablished its autonomy as a party organization, made great strides toward modernizing state committee operations and helped Republicans win victories in local races across the state in 2007 including
in five key county executive campaigns.

“While the 2008 Obama electoral tsunami and the stratospheric popularity ratings that our new president enjoyed well into 2009 dealt Republicans across the nation – and particularly here in the northeast – some severe blows, I am very proud that my efforts as state chairman helped produce a state organization with the extraordinary resiliency that finds it – less than a year later—playing a key role in hard fought campaigns
for local offices throughout the state and poised to make sweeping gains in 2010’s statewide, state legislative and congressional races.

“Tip O’Neill is famous for saying that all politics is local. With the words of that legendary Democrat firmly in mind, this very excited and upbeat Republican county chairman is looking forward to immersing himself once again in the local politics of Nassau County and leading the outstanding slate of Republican candidates there to victory,” Mondello concluded.

Chairman Mondello will continue to serve as state chairman until the state committee elects a successor.  Chairman Mondello looks forward to being re-elected as chairman of the Nassau County Republican Committee at the county reorganization convention that will be held at the end of September.

Wojtaszkek letter:

August 24, 2009

Fellow New York Republicans,

After nine years leading the Niagara County Republican Party, I am writing to you today to seek your support for my candidacy for chairman of the New York State Republican Committee.

Like you, I’m frustrated by the difficulties our party has faced winning elections in an increasingly challenging political environment. There’s really no way to sugarcoat this: New York State does not have a single statewide Republican elected official. Our state’s 29-member congressional delegation contains just three Republicans. The GOP is in the minority in both the Assembly and – for the first time in decades – the State Senate.

More than that, I’m fed up by what’s happened to our great state. High property taxes are chasing jobs, talent, and investments away. Our values are under attack.  Albany is paralyzed by deadlock and drift. Nearly two-thirds of New Yorkers said in the most recent Siena College poll that New York is headed in the wrong direction. Working families in our state are crying out for steady leadership and ideas grounded in common sense and conservative principles.

Our party, however, must be prepared to meet the moment.

Getting there requires turning around our party in short order, which is something I know a thing or about. In 2000, things were going badly for the GOP in my home county of Niagara.  We lost our majority in the County Legislature and other key offices.  The Democrats were riding high. So we went back to the nuts-and-bolts of party building.

With a relentless focus on recruiting the right candidates and an aggressive, rapid response-style communications operation, we elected and re-elected a super-majority Republican caucus. The Republican-led government in Niagara County streamlined operations and lowered taxes.  We cut our municipal workforce and eliminated lavish fringe benefits.

In Niagara County, the Republican Party is the true party of reform and the voters know it. It took hard work and determination – and, as with anything in politics, a little luck too – but we got the job done because we had in place the candidates and the organization to communicate our winning message of smaller government, lower taxes, and greater personal responsibility.

I am running for the state chairmanship to engineer a turnaround for the New York State Republican Party and return its focus to doing what parties are designed to do, and that’s win elections.

Our success in this effort will depend in large part on our ability to work as a united team, so here are four commitments I am going to make you to now:

·         A Collaborative Candidate Recruitment Process. As you know, the mark of any good party chairman is his or her ability to identify solid candidates. That’s what I’ve done over the last nine years in Niagara County, and it’s what I will do as head of the state committee.

As your chairman, I will spearhead a process to recruit top-flight candidates for the unprecedented six statewide offices that are up for election in 2010.  This process needs to start from the ground up with input from rank-and-file Republicans in every region of our state.  We need candidates who are ready to do what it takes to outwork and overpower their opponent in all the key facets of modern campaigns – communications, fundraising, and building grassroots coalitions.

·         A Real Support Network for Local Parties. When I ran for Congress against long-time liberal incumbent Louise Slaughter, I was fortunate to have the local party organizations with me every step of the way. That kind of support network out of Albany would have made an incredible difference for our campaign. As your chairman, I will make it a priority for the state committee to be there for you, whether it’s good times or lean times.

·         An Investment in New Technologies. One thing we’ve all noticed as county chairs is how technology has made a major impact on how campaigns are run and won. It nearly goes without saying that our opponents have done a better job of taking advantage of the Internet. Of course, we can’t just invest in technology for its own sake. As your chairman, I will develop and execute an aggressive new media strategy that makes smart use of these platforms to win the spin wars, build grassroots support, and tap into new donor networks.

·         A Full-Time Leadership Team. There’s no question that the chairmanship of the New York State Republican Committee is a demanding job.  After all, ours is a 62-county state, and each region has its own political idiosyncrasies. If elected, I will step aside as Niagara County Chairman. Additionally, when I made the decision to pursue this office, I put my legal career on hold. This was not an easy decision to make, but it is a reflection of how personally committed I am to the task at hand.

Because as you know, the stakes could not be higher. Depending on your perspective, our time in the governing and political wilderness may not seem like very long, but it is sure to grow much longer if we fail to act. If left unchecked, the liberal Democratic leadership of this state will control redistricting and gerrymander out every Republican district that they possibly can.  Those maneuvers add up to a blank check for the anti-middle class tax-and-spend policies that failed us in the past and are failing us now. Next year’s elections will be without question the most pivotal for New York’s future.

That’s why I have made these commitments to you, to jumpstart a partnership that ultimately leads to victory for our party and prosperity for our state.

You and I know that New Yorkers deserve better than a government that gives up on itself and kicks hard-working families when they’re down. Join me for the battle that lies ahead. The season for soul-searching is over. The turnaround begins today.

Sincerely,

Henry F. Wojtaszek

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