Quoted from 37

I don't know Mr Kosiur, however, I have had business dealing with George Amedore.  I can say unequivocally, that Mr Amedore is one dishonest fellow when it comes to dealing with his customers.  I purchased a new home from George about 13 years ago and tried to get him to come back and fix things, to no success.  I ended up filing a complaint with the Attorney General's office and taking him to small claims court.  After repeatedly denying any fault on his part, the judge awarded me a settlement for the repairs.  During that time I took a walk around the "neighborhood that George built" to see if others had similar experiences.  Virtually everyone that I talked to had similar complaints.  I still remember the parting line that was thrown in my face when the judge ordered that Amedore write the check to me ... "You should be ashamed of yourself".  George, you should be ashamed of yourself for calling yourself a Christian  business man and claiming that you are all for honesty in government,  Right.... If you go through our neighborhood, you will see a few sparse signs for George.  Most of them are either on his relatives lots or his family friends.  The rest of us?  Well, let me tell you that we will not be voting for Mr Amedore no way, and no how.

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NEW YORK STATE
Tedisco betting heavily on local contest
105th race has weight in Albany
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

   Now entering its third week, the 105th Assembly District special election is shaping up as a mighty battle between state Democrats and Republicans, with more than just a single seat at stake. Voters will decide July 31.
   On the grassroots level, Republican George Amedore Jr. and Democrat Edward Kosiur are vying for the seat held for 24 years by Paul Tonko, DAmsterdam, who left the Assembly to head the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
   But on a higher level, there is a power play between Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, and Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan.
   Tedisco personally recruited Amedore, the 38-year-old executive vice president of Amedore Homes, a construction company founded by Amedore’s father that specializes in high-end homes. A win would boost Tedisco’s political capital and invigorate the state’s moribund Republican Party, said political analyst Alan Chartock.
   “Tedisco has a huge amount of prestige on the line. If he loses this race, he is in real trouble. It’s his hometown,” Chartock said.
   As evidence of the stakes involved, Tedisco is pouring resources into Amedore’s campaign. He has members of his staff working as volunteers for Amedore and has placed the campaign under the direction of the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee. The state committee, in turn, is providing additional volunteers.
   On the other side, the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee is running Kosiur’s campaign. At least 300 volunteers from labor unions AFL-CIO, CSEA and SEIU Local 1199 “are actively involved, going door to door, doing literature drops and making phone calls,” Kosiur said.
   Kosiur, 51, is director of teen employment with the Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady.
   Both state campaigns are blitzing the district with mass mailings. Voters have already received two mailers from each candidate. Democrats are planning to send at least 10 more before July 31.
   Also, both campaigns are running TV and radio spots, with newspaper advertisements soon to come, all paid for by the state committees.
   “It’s evidence of just how much [Tedisco] has to lose. He has no choice. Leaders are evaluated on whether you pick one up or lose one,” said Chartock, who is president and CEO of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio and executive publisher of the Legislative Gazette, a weekly newspaper that covers state government.
   In terms of resources, Democrats have more to offer, Chartock said. “They have a well-oiled campaign machine that collects tons of money for competitive campaigns like these,” he said.
   County Legislator Gary Hughes has worked on several city and county political races and is volunteering to help with the campaign of his longtime friend Kosiur, who is also a Schenectady County legislator, representing District 2 in the city of Schenectady. Kosiur is also a former city councilman.
   “There is an inside game and there is a local game” at play in this race, Hughes said. “The local game is about representation. The inside game goes beyond the seat, as it does not turn the balance of seats in the Assembly.” Democrats, who control 108 of the 150 state Assembly seats, can afford to lose one.
   Hughes called the 105th race “something to watch. This is different than any campaign I’ve worked on; it’s like a local campaign on steroids.”
   Both Amedore and Kosiur themselves are working hard to win votes. Both are on leave from their jobs and are spending each day campaigning.
   During the past week, they held dueling news conferences and sent out news releases, all while maintaining their schedules of attending community events, going door to door and making phone calls to voters.
   Political observers view the race as highly competitive, too close to call. Both political camps expect voter turnout in the entire district to equal 6 percent to 10 percent, about on par for a special election.
   Democrats outnumber Republicans 28,190 to 24,852, and there are 21,313 people registered with smaller parties or no party.
   “It will be a close race; that’s why we are working hard,” Kosiur said. If the turnout expectations are right, “we’re looking at 3,900 votes wins the race.”
   Amedore campaign spokesman Phil Oliva said Republicans are going after every vote.
   Chartock said a low turnout would benefit Amedore. “My opinion is if it is a 10 percent turnout, the Republican will win. Higher turnouts benefit Democratic candidates,” he said. “The idea here is to turn out your own people, to turn out your base as much as possible.”
   The 105th district includes all of Montgomery County, the towns of Duanesburg, Princetown and Rotterdam and more than half of the city of Schenectady

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Amedore has been committed volunteer
MARIANNE CRARY Schenectady

   For too long, residents have had to put up with a broken state government that has repeatedly failed to address a sagging upstate new York economy, forcing businesses and families out of our state in search of more affordable opportunities elsewhere.
   From skyrocketing property taxes to the lack of business growth, our state lawmakers have failed to address the growing needs and concerns of our region.
   It is clear that we need candidates who have already proved themselves dedicated to our community — and not career politicians — to steer our state back on track. That’s why I was pleased to hear that George Amedore will be running for the special election for state Assembly.
   George is an upstanding individual who has greatly contributed to our community through various charitable means. Although he is locally best known for his role in the rebuilding of a local home on NBC’s “Extreme Home Makeover,” he has done so much more.
   George has personally been involved in the redesign and construction of the Ronald McDonald Wing at Albany Medical Center, construction of a Schenectady group home to house hospice patients, remodeled a Texas orphanage, supported orphans in San Diego and has donated 4,000 bottles of water to the Rotterdam Little League.
   In addition, George has made the American Dream a reality for thousands of families across the Capital Region. He is vice president of Amedore Homes, a locally owned and operated secondgeneration family business, which has created hundreds of private-sector jobs throughout the community by building quality homes for thousands of satisfi ed families.
   As a business owner, community volunteer and local resident, George has the qualities and background needed to be our representative in the state. My vote goes to George Amedore for state Assembly.  

Quoted from bumblethru

I don't know this as 'fact'...I just heard it yesterday from someone who heard it from someone.....I'm hoping someone could find out or confirm if this is in fact.....FACT OR FICTION.....

I heard that the Amsterdam dems endorsed George Amedore. I find it hard to believe....but I thought I would just pass this tid bit of gossip along for verification.

Quoted from Shadow

I got the flyer in the mail today that states all the tax increases that Kosiur has voted for. People better realize that he's going to rubber stamp every tax increase that the Dems want for their pet projects.