SCHENECTADY COUNTY Splinter faction seeks election upset Conservatives vying for reins of party BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
The leader of the Schenectady County Conservative Committee remains confident of victory in Tuesday’s primary against a faction led by an insurgent member. “What will happen? We will win,” said Chairman Randy Pascarella. Longtime political activist and Conservative Kelly Rhinesmith is seeking to wrest control of the committee from Pascarella, Bob Hamilton, president of the Schenectady City Police Benevolent Association, and others. She is the committee’s recording secretary. Rhinesmith and her faction, which she terms “reformers,” filed designating petitions for committee seats in 126 election districts; the current leadership filed petitions for 111 districts. Each district has two representatives. There are 128 total districts in the county, but one does not contain any enrolled Conservatives so only 127 districts are in play. The Rhinesmith faction already has candidates for 52 seats that are uncontested going into the primary. To control the committee, 128 seats are required. There are 2,700 enrolled Conservatives in the county. The party is considered important, however, because of its strength in the ranks of police and fi refighters and their supporters. It is second to the 3,619-member Independence Party in numerical strength. Rhinesmith was not available for comment Fri- day. However, Bradley Littlefield, a member of Rhinesmith’s faction, said in news release that he is working with her to retake the Conservative committee “from those who have betrayed the party membership by endorsing liberal candidates for public office.” Rhinesmith has also criticized the current leadership for allowing Democrats to collect and witness signatures for Conservative committee positions. Donna Novotny, another Conservative working with Rhinesmith, said in a news release the party “needs to be run by Conservatives, for Conservatives and under no circumstances should Democrats or any members of other parties be collecting and witnessing signatures on our committee primary petitions.” Pascarella said Democrats carried Conservative designating petitions in districts where they were running their own candidates. He called the practice a courtesy. He added that Republicans, rather than Democrats, are attempting to take over the Conservative committee. Rhinesmith’s faction also filed opportunity to ballot petitions for two local races, forcing primaries on Tuesday. The races involve Schenectady County Legislature District 3 candidate Martin Finn and Scotia Village Trustee candidate Andrew Kohout. Both are Democrats and have the Conservative committee’s endorsement in their races. Challenging them are Republican Armon Benny for Scotia trustee and Republican Tim Macfarlane for county legislator. They hope to see their names written in on the Conservative ballot Tuesday. If successful, they will gain the line for the Nov. 4 General Election.
Really? I didn't know that Brian Quail, County Attorney Chris Gardner and his staff were running for public office. And someone should have told Andy Kohout that his election was only in the Village of Scotia (8 out of the 28 election districts in the Town of Glenville), but it sure was nice of him to cover the entire town as a "courtesy".
Kelly contacted several of us recently to ask if we wished to meet w/ Mr. Lamendola so that he could do a story that would appear in the days leading up the the Primary Election. We all agreed that the track record of the Daily Gazette in reporting news without bias was unacceptable. We further agreed that the interview and story could be granted to either the Times Union or the Spotlight. At this time, however, we are working to inform those enrolled in the Conservative party all across Schenectady County of the Primary Election on Tuesday and the issues.
On a separate topic ...
I submitted a FOIL (Freedom Of Information Law) request for the financial disclosures filed with the Schenectady County Board of Elections by the Schenectady County Conservative Committee for the time period from July 1, 2007 to present. I was provided with all that was on file. The latest disclosure was dated January 2008. The Executive Board of the Committee is in violation of state election law in that the July 2008 Periodic Report and several pre-Primary Election filings have not been submitted. I further checked for the disclosures that have been filed with the New York State Board of Elections and found that the aforementioned reports have also not been filed with the state. I will be contacting someone at the State Board of Elections next week to file a complaint.
My concern is that there were thousands of dollars that was contributed by party members over the past year or so. Much of it has been spent supporting the campaigns of liberal Democrats who were endorsed by those who currently control the Conservative party. There was a check for $700 written to the Schalmont Athletic Association. I question why money that was donated by Conservative party members from across the county to advance the objectives of the party was given to a school sports program which coincidentally happens to be the district in which Hamilton and Pascarella live. The funds of the Schenectady County Conservative party belong to the party committee and should not be used as personal accounts of those who have responsibility for the funds. I will be interested in obtaining the disclosures that have not been filed. There was a party mixer/fundraiser held in May 2008. I will be examining the contributions that were received and the expenditures made.
If anyone is interested in obtaining a softcopy file of the party disclosures, please PM me with your email address. I would be pleased to sent you the file. It is, after all, public information despite what some of those presently in control of the party may believe.
if your research into the conservative party's finances are anything like that into metroplex, then I guess it is safe to say you are once again confused and deluded. you have a propensity for confusing facts that you think you understand -- and then misrepresenting them completely to suit your self-righteous agenda.
Kelly contacted several of us recently to ask if we wished to meet w/ Mr. Lamendola so that he could do a story that would appear in the days leading up the the Primary Election. We all agreed that the track record of the Daily Gazette in reporting news without bias was unacceptable. We further agreed that the interview and story could be granted to either the Times Union or the Spotlight. At this time, however, we are working to inform those enrolled in the Conservative party all across Schenectady County of the Primary Election on Tuesday and the issues.
On a separate topic ...
I submitted a FOIL (Freedom Of Information Law) request for the financial disclosures filed with the Schenectady County Board of Elections by the Schenectady County Conservative Committee for the time period from July 1, 2007 to present. I was provided with all that was on file. The latest disclosure was dated January 2008. The Executive Board of the Committee is in violation of state election law in that the July 2008 Periodic Report and several pre-Primary Election filings have not been submitted. I further checked for the disclosures that have been filed with the New York State Board of Elections and found that the aforementioned reports have also not been filed with the state. I will be contacting someone at the State Board of Elections next week to file a complaint.
My concern is that there were thousands of dollars that was contributed by party members over the past year or so. Much of it has been spent supporting the campaigns of liberal Democrats who were endorsed by those who currently control the Conservative party. There was a check for $700 written to the Schalmont Athletic Association. I question why money that was donated by Conservative party members from across the county to advance the objectives of the party was given to a school sports program which coincidentally happens to be the district in which Hamilton and Pascarella live. The funds of the Schenectady County Conservative party belong to the party committee and should not be used as personal accounts of those who have responsibility for the funds. I will be interested in obtaining the disclosures that have not been filed. There was a party mixer/fundraiser held in May 2008. I will be examining the contributions that were received and the expenditures made.
If anyone is interested in obtaining a softcopy file of the party disclosures, please PM me with your email address. I would be pleased to sent you the file. It is, after all, public information despite what some of those presently in control of the party may believe.
Bradley:
I appreciate your dilligence. While you are at it, please FOIL from the Board of Elections the financial rcords of the "Schenectady County Reform group" or whatever you are calling yourselves. I am certain that the true Conservatives are more concerned about the more than $10,000.00 spent by your reform group on legal fees, mailers and the cost of having Republican staffers go door to door than a $700.00 donation to Schalmont Athletics Association. Your associate Kelly claims that a few Conservatives have chipped in to cover those expenses. I gave you an opportunity weeks ago to confirm her statement that these expenses are being covered by these so called few true Conservatives. Would you care to comment on that? And, as you know, a financial statement must also be filed by the Rhinesmith/ Littlefield crew as well. Did your research turn up anything from the Board of Elections from that group? I looked for it as well, but found nothing.
Would it be so unusual for the conservs to get financial backing from reps? I'm not saying that is the case, cause I'm not in this reform thing. But conservs and reps have historically been almost in lock step with one another with a similar ideology for decades. With exceptions of course..... http://www.amconmag.com/article/2008/mar/24/0002/
I guess I'm just missing the point here. If the dems helped out the current conserv party, why then would it be an issue if the reps, (who represent more of the conserv ideology), helped out this reformed group of conservs? And again, I'm not saying this is the case. I just don't know what the big whoop is here.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I appreciate your dilligence. While you are at it, please FOIL from the Board of Elections the financial rcords of the "Schenectady County Reform group" or whatever you are calling yourselves. I am certain that the true Conservatives are more concerned about the more than $10,000.00 spent by your reform group on legal fees, mailers and the cost of having Republican staffers go door to door than a $700.00 donation to Schalmont Athletics Association. Your associate Kelly claims that a few Conservatives have chipped in to cover those expenses. I gave you an opportunity weeks ago to confirm her statement that these expenses are being covered by these so called few true Conservatives. Would you care to comment on that? And, as you know, a financial statement must also be filed by the Rhinesmith/ Littlefield crew as well. Did your research turn up anything from the Board of Elections from that group? I looked for it as well, but found nothing.
Thanks again
You never cease to amaze me with your flexible off-the-cuff estimates, papa...and your accounts of my actual comments are about as accurate as the People's Gazette. Real conservatives already know everything papaRandy, because unlike you, we have been out there with them all along. Before us, no one from this party bothered with them - and they know it is because THEY are the real conservatives in this county, for whom current and past leadership has had no use because they are not among their recruited yes-men. TRUE conservatives aren't concerned with anything we're doing - EXCITED maybe, but not concerned - they know we HAVE ALWAYS been on their side. What they are concerned with, papaRandy, is the obvious fact that the party "leadership" has become so profoundly detached from rank and file members of this party. And just so you know, this will be my last response to your clueless rants. Your rhetoric is completely devoid of facts, or reality for that matter, and simply aren't even worthy of response.
If anyone is interested in obtaining a softcopy file of the party disclosures, please PM me with your email address. I would be pleased to sent you the file. It is, after all, public information despite what some of those presently in control of the party may believe.
It's unfortunate that you don't put them here for everyone to download, anonymously. Emailing you (someone that chooses to use their real identity) would potentially reveal the identity of many anonymous users such as myself (another subject I realize).
Maybe joann could post them on her website so we can download ourselves?
Maybe someday, this information (and other) won't need to be "FOIL'd" - it'sll just be available for everyone, anytime, anywhere ... what the hell is the big secret?? The State/County/Locals have invested millions into technology - when will the y get with the program?
IMHO -- your effort will do nothing but marginalize the conservative party -- as most of the 2700 registered people are not Real Conservatives, but friends of leadership and such. so when u are done with your purge, aka Stalin, you will find your numbers seriously depleted and your influence greatly diminished. Do u really think there are 2700 real conservatives in the county?
IMHO -- your effort will do nothing but marginalize the conservative party -- as most of the 2700 registered people are not Real Conservatives, but friends of leadership and such. so when u are done with your purge, aka Stalin, you will find your numbers seriously depleted and your influence greatly diminished. Do u really think there are 2700 real conservatives in the county?
If they're not "real conservatives" - what party are they - and why are "friends of leadership" enrolled to a party they're not truly backing?
I'm thinking your statement, Nickleplated bonehead" might come back to bite you in the a** at election time. Nice job.
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