Bruno Applying Pressure Against Legislative Hopefuls
Sources have confirmed that Republican Assembly candidate Peter Santiago is staying in the race for the 108th State Assembly District seat now held by departing Assemblyman Pat Casale, despite some heavy-handed intimidation by some political bosses and at least one confirmed attempt of Albany insiders trying to "buy Peter out of the race" with a six figure State job.
Offers You Don't Refuse
It's always about jobs in Albany, eh? Jobs being giveth and jobs being taketh away, pensions being giveth and pensions being taken away, reputations being giveth and reputations being taken away -- all in the name of political expediency, incumbency protection and sustaining the "same ol', same ol'" political bosses.
Santiago and Tom Dadey are just two examples of legislative hopefuls standing up to the threats, often at risk or detriment to their economic welfare.
Dollars won't sway either man and Santiago's race in the 108th Assembly race appears to be impressing a lot of credible insiders. Many are now admitting that Santiago's call to take the fight right to "Bruno's backyard" might be the best thing that has happened to the GOP in the Hudson Valley in a long time.
Santiago's not the only candidate taking heat in this four-county district.
The 75 year old Casale is now reported to be "trash talking" both Santiago and the other Republican in the race, Rensselaer County Legislator Martin Reid, prompting many to conclude that all the fuss in the 108th is about whom might succeed State Senator Joe Bruno. Sources close to George Pataki described efforts to find former Troy City Councilman Carmella Mantello the kind of State job that would have allowed her to run for Casale's seat, in preparation for a future run in Bruno's State Senate district.
Santiago is headed on a collision course with Joe Bruno, sources revealed to News Copy this morning, over what has been described as "bullying" to steer endorsements to Reid. He's not running to pursue a State Senate seat (he was apparently handed a chance to run against State Senator Neil Breslin), he explained, and he even would support Mantello if she chose to eventually run for Bruno's seat when it is vacant.
Santiago is sizing up to be more of a team player than the Renssalaer bullies planned on and the "Delmar boys" (a Democrat, Republican, Conservative and Independence Party member) are clearly viewed as the favorites in this race, despite every effort on Joe Bruno's part to steer the focus away from Albany County.
Bruno is reportedly getting ruthless but this is nothing new.
Just ask well-intended State Senate challenger John Fleming in 2004, who still has not told the entire tale to journalists about what some observers still believe was an inside shakedown of the former New York City Police Detective and close Rudy Giuliani aide. Despite some ideological miscues, Fleming's race drew the heavy hammer of Bruno's office -- and much arm-twisting to get everyone to endorse Democrat Steve Kaufman (a reasonable candidate who was actually ill-served by some of the State Senate Majority Leader's younger political strategists).
Bruno doesn't learn, still relying on intimidation and offers that challengers are not supposed to refuse to short-change democracy.
Dadey Lawsuit Looms
The same reports have come out of Central New York State over the 49th State Senate District where Republican Tom Dadey, who is busying collecting petitions to get on the ballot.
Both Santiago (who expects to at least be in a Republican Primary against Reid) and Dadey (who could also challenge Republican nominee Jeff Brown in the Conservative and Independence Party primaries) will depend heavily on that legal permission slip to run in a Conservative Primary called a "Wilson-Pakula" that is bestoyed on non-Conservatives by State Conservative chair Mike Long and his State Executive committee.
The Auburn Citizen had stories on the Cayuga County Conservatives endorsing Dadey over Jeff Brown and an initial non-endorsement by the Independence Party.
In choosing Dadey, the committee picked the candidate that demonstrated conservative values the most.
“On issues that matter to Conservatives, (Brown) was not that much different than (state Sen. David) Valesky,” Cayuga County Conservative chairman Greg Rigby said, referring to the Democratic incumbent.
Dadey ran unsuccessfully on the Conservative and Independent lines two years in the race won by Valesky. Backers of former Republican state Sen. Nancy Larraine Hoffmann, the other candidate in that race, blamed Dadey for taking away votes.
But the county Conservative party appreciated Dadey's willingness to stay in the race after losing the Republican primary two years ago, Rigby said.
“That is important to a small party like us,” he said.
At the Independence Party's state convention, Brown would prevail and secure that party's nomination.
Dadey, seeking the Republican and Conservative lines again this year, said he might mount a write-in primary against Brown for the Independence line. Dadey has won the support of Conservative committees in Oneida and Cayuga counties. Though Brown won the Onondaga County Conservative Committee's endorsement, the ultimate say goes to the party's state executive committee.
That committee is controlled by State Conservative Chairman Michael Long, who has said he thinks Dadey deserves another shot at the Senate. Brown noted that the Independence Party was the only one whose support all three candidates for the 49th Senate District sought. But Dadey said the Independence Party didn't back Brown in either of his two races for the Assembly and he found their support for him now "curious."
Curious is an understatement.
Dadey's progress in this race won't be easily ignored by voters but the inside political game is expected to get complicated.
The Albany Times Union blog, Capitol Confidential, reported that Dadey is "the thorn in Bruno's side" -- but News Copy is also hearing that all is not united within this Upstate insurgency against the State Senate Majority Leader's office.
It seems Dadey would want to curry favor with Long, which is why eyebrows were raised at the state GOP convention when Dadey cast his vote (via proxy) for moderate Bill Weld rather than the Conservative Party’s gubernatorial candidate, John Faso.
Dadey, who didn’t attend the convention, gave his proxy to state GOP Chairman Stephen Minarik, knowing full well Minarik would back Weld, as well as former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer for U.S. Senate. A proxy can’t be split, explained Dadey, who said the real reason he threw his lot in with Minarik is because he’s angry with Onondaga County GOP Chairman Bob Smith and didn’t want to give the local chairman his vote.
Dadey's reasoning raised a lot of eyebrows at the convention, except he has a steady legion of support in Central New York that is poised to get him on the ballot -- and Mike Long isn't about to turn his back on this well-liked reformer (who also has a persuasive civil lawsuit against Bruno's offices that could turn into a criminal case if certain people aren't careful).
Liz Benjamin of Capitol Confidential had an extensive story on Dadey's predicament.
"Over the last several months, Bob Smith has done Tom Dadey no favors," said Dadey, who seemed to be channeling Bob Dole. "When Bob Smith needed my vote, he’s always gotten my vote. This had nothing to do with anything other than me not giving my vote to Bob Smith."
Privately, sources also to Onondaga County GOP chair Bob Smith have repeatedly told News Copy that he is also enduring severe pressure from above -- namely operatives in Bruno's political circle and not necessarily Bruno himself. Though News Copy can't officially confirm the following, enough sources have told us that the outgoing Central New York chair (who is frequently mentioned as a possible State GOP chair) likes Dadey's candidacy.
We also still hear chants of "The Wicked Witch is Dead" whenever former State Senator Nancy Larraine Hoffman's defeat in 2004 is mentioned -- and Tom Dadey is more popular to many than Dorothy for ensuring the liberal Republican's loss.
News Copy predicts a rather hard-to-call needle that may or may not be threaded on Dadey's lawsuit. The jury, literally and figuratively, could still be out for many weeks before the political damage is fully assessed.
The bottom line is that Dadey is running, as is Santiago, and the two insurgents could collectively represent the two best challenges Mike Long can play in what promises to be a high stakes poker game by the second week of July.
Count on Long to greenlight the Wilson-Pakula to Dadey and the big political surprise might be the ever-savvy Conservative leader allowing a "fair fight" between Santiago and Reid, though News Copy's sources have confirmed that Long might not be able to help Santiago as easily.
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Santiago endorsed Republican gubernatorial nominee today, notable since the Bethlehem Republican had managed Pat Manning's gubernatorial effort until earlier this year -- when the six-term Dutchess Assemblyman dropped out of the governor's race in deference to New York State Conservative chairman Mike Long's endorsement of Faso.
(Manning's campaign had been highly criticial of Faso's conservative credentials -- or lack thereof -- and had thrown in a few shots on the former Assembly Minority Leader's lobbying in Albany)
Santiago praised Faso's "intelligence and experience" on fiscal issues, calling on all Republicans to pull behind the party's nominee.
"Faso’s fiscal conservative message damages Democrats" said Santiago. "Republicans must pull behind Faso’s candidacy for governor. Every local race counts when it comes to pulling out the vote in November."
Meanwhile, Santiago was reported to be getting endorsements from at least one critical second amendment rights group -- who some are claiming suddenly withdrew an endorsement when Bruno called.
We're even hearing that Joe Bruno is calling Mike Long a LOT these days.
Who else has Bruno called?

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