In Schwartz’s Wake, Spano Gets a Two-Way Challenge in Westchester
GOP survival and oedipal politics at play in county executive race
Fri, 22 May 2009 12:26:00
Larry Schwartz has a mess on multiple fronts to contend with in running Gov. David Paterson’s (D) administration in Albany.
But what he left behind in Westchester County is becoming a multi-layered mess of its own.
Before accepting the job with Paterson, Schwartz was the top advisor and political “brain” to Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano (D). Without him, some observers believe, Spano may have difficulty navigating the budget problems caused by the economic crisis and the campaign that lays ahead in his quest for a fourth term.
“[Schwartz] was the enforcer, the heavy that would drive things through,” one Westchester-based Republican operative said. “It was a pretty big loss for that administration.”
Still, Spano has a lot going for him: about $1.4 million in the bank, an overwhelming Democratic enrollment edge and, after 12 years in office, a familiar, household name.
That name, though, is one he may not have to himself on the ballot if his 50-year-old son David goes through with an announced Democratic primary campaign aimed not just at getting rid of his father, but getting rid of county government entirely, as his very basic platform insists should be done.
Meanwhile, Westchester Republicans are gunning for him too, with Rob Astorino undertaking what is expected to be a spirited rematch. Combined with their salivating over the idea of Spano without Schwartz at the rudder, property taxes in the county being at an all-time high and the economy being at an all-time low have the Republicans seeing Spano as particularly vulnerable.
Nonetheless, changes in the population have made the county executive race more uphill than ever before for Republicans in Westchester. Once a Republican center of the state, the county has grown increasingly Democratic, leaving all of the Congressional seats from the area in Democratic hands, in addition to three of the four state senate positions. Plus, there was Janet DiFiore’s switch to the Democratic Party to run for district attorney four years ago, and Assembly Member Mike Spano (no relation to the county executive), who changed caucuses in 2007.
But Astorino is optimistic about his chances. A former county legislator who is now the director of Sirius Satellite Radio’s Catholic Channel, he is planning a campaign centered on cutting property taxes and consolidating local government as a way to reduce waste—two hot-button issues in Westchester these days.
Another part of Astorino’s strategy is trying to position himself with some very strange company for a Republican candidate. He boasts of being on the same page with prominent New York Democrats like Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, and says he wants to seize the “change” theme popularized by Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, calling for a new direction in county government after 12 years of Spano.
“He’s been there forever,” Astorino said. “Just like milk cartons, you have expiration dates. And I think a lot of people are saying, ‘It’s time for a change, it’s time for somebody new.’”
Astorino said there will be differences between this campaign and his 2005 effort, which ended with a 16-point loss. The county government has swelled in the past four years, he said, noting that Westchester’s $1.8 billion budget is bigger than those of several small countries combined. Also, with the economy in such a dismal state, voters are more attuned to the bloat and waste in county government, such as taxpayer-funded bodyguards and chauffeurs for Spano, he said.
“As people are starting to lose their jobs, or worry about losing their jobs, their bonus check didn’t come in, and they start to question every bill,” Astorino said. “People have no idea what county government does or why they’re paying such a large bill.”
Spano countered that argument, saying that county government makes up only a fraction of the taxes residents pay annually. Trying to explain that to voters has been a challenge, he said.
“Problem is, people don’t differentiate between schools, county government, local government, et cetera,” Spano said. “The general public is just not that sophisticated.”
Spano said he cut $46 million out of the county budget last year, maintaining some government services while consolidating others.
Spano and his supporters like to brag about Westchester being the only AAA-bonded county government in the state (which translates into savings on interest costs for Westchester taxpayers when the county sells bonds) as a way to tamp down Astorino’s accusations of inefficiency.
Even so, the anti-county government movement is gathering some steam in Westchester, and the candidacy of David Spano will undoubtedly help it gain profile. Groups like those that organized a mid-April anti-tax/anti-government rally, where the younger Spano announced his campaign, or Rethinking Westchester Government, a new group that wants to eliminate county government, have been among Spano’s most vocal critics.
Not surprisingly, the county executive has defended the government system, even putting together a recent op-ed making his case.
As for the man leading the charge against him, he had little to say.
“I don’t talk to my son,” the county executive said curtly. “I don’t even know where that came from.”
Despite the fire he is taking, Spano seems relatively safe, as even his critics admit.
“There’s a lot of people who feel that there’s waste and inefficiency,” said Paul Feiner, a former county legislator and current Greenburgh town supervisor, who founded Rethinking Westchester Government. “But I’m not sure how it’s going to impact in terms of the election. I personally don’t feel that Astorino is that strong. My gut feeling is that Spano will probably win.”
As for how he is faring without Schwartz, the man who for so long ran his operation now departed for Albany, Spano rejected the idea that his office is without strong leadership, saying that he has full faith in Schwartz’s elevated replacement, deputy county executive Susan Tolchin.
“She knows what she’s doing, but it’s a different style,” Spano said. “I miss [Schwartz], he had a lot of skills. But the government is running smoothly.”
If anything, Spano said, Schwartz’s deep knowledge of Westchester will be a boon for the county as decisions are made in the state government.
(Through a spokesperson, Schwartz declined comment.)
Spano’s greatest asset may be Westchester’s changing demographics, said Jeffrey Binder, a White Plains-based lawyer and political consultant for Strategic Political Group. Democrats now have an edge over Republicans in enrollment that exceeds 100,000 voters, Binder noted, with more conservative residents moving northward to Rockland County and beyond. This migration is likely to have far-reaching implications for Westchester politics, he said, and Spano’s re-election.
“Honestly, going forward, the very interesting battles will be in the Democratic primary,” Binder said, “much like in Manhattan.”
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In Westchester D.A.’s Race, A Jumble Of Party-Swaps And Grand Juries
DiFiore, in a three-way race with Castro and Schorr, defends her record
The father-vs.-son-vs.-Republican race for county executive is not the only three-for-all in Westchester this fall.
District Attorney Janet DiFiore (D) is facing a possible three-way race of her own. But first she must win the Democratic primary, after having switched parties in 2007.
Her opponents are eager to leap on what they call DiFiore’s political expediency.
“Many Democrats don’t consider her an incumbent Democratic district attorney,” said Tony Castro, a Democrat who came within six points of defeating DiFiore in 2005 and is running against her again this year. “I know it’s semantics, but they consider me the Democratic incumbent.”
Castro would not rule out running as an independent against DiFiore should he fail to win the Democratic primary. But if he did, he could give Republican candidate Dan Schorr a better chance at victory.
“We’ll cross that bridge when it comes,” Castro said. “I don’t want to be a spoiler, that’s for sure.”
DiFiore also is struggling to come out from under the shadow of a controversial investigation into the killing of a Mount Vernon police officer, Christopher Ridley, an African-American who was shot 15 months ago by a white Westchester County officer. In a lawsuit, Ridley’s father alleges that DiFiore covered up an investigation into what could have been a racially motivated killing.
But DiFiore said a grand jury is currently looking into the case, preventing her from speaking publicly about it. As for her first time courting Democratic primary voters, DiFiore said she is confident that her record and her efforts to trim the D.A.’s budget (she says she has returned close to $1 million in savings to taxpayers each year) will speak volumes.
“I worked hard over the last three and a half years to build this model of a modern prosecutor’s office,” DiFiore said. “I’m not going to be my usual self-effacing self that I try to be. We have done this in an extremely prudent and financially responsible way.”
Her Republican challenger is hoping to tap into what he sees as a split between DiFiore and police officials over the Ridley case and others. But Schorr must still contend with a crushing Democratic enrollment edge in the county.
Schorr, a former prosecutor in Westchester and Queens, said he believes county voters are more conservative on crime. Plus, no Democrat has been elected Westchester D.A. since 1895, he noted.
He is courting police unions for support and plans to run alongside GOP county executive candidate Rob Astorino under a joint message of change.
“I think the common message in our campaigns is, something has gone off the tracks with Westchester county government,” Schorr said, “and there needs to be real change in leadership.”
But what he left behind in Westchester County is becoming a multi-layered mess of its own.
Before accepting the job with Paterson, Schwartz was the top advisor and political “brain” to Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano (D). Without him, some observers believe, Spano may have difficulty navigating the budget problems caused by the economic crisis and the campaign that lays ahead in his quest for a fourth term.
“[Schwartz] was the enforcer, the heavy that would drive things through,” one Westchester-based Republican operative said. “It was a pretty big loss for that administration.”
Still, Spano has a lot going for him: about $1.4 million in the bank, an overwhelming Democratic enrollment edge and, after 12 years in office, a familiar, household name.
That name, though, is one he may not have to himself on the ballot if his 50-year-old son David goes through with an announced Democratic primary campaign aimed not just at getting rid of his father, but getting rid of county government entirely, as his very basic platform insists should be done.
Meanwhile, Westchester Republicans are gunning for him too, with Rob Astorino undertaking what is expected to be a spirited rematch. Combined with their salivating over the idea of Spano without Schwartz at the rudder, property taxes in the county being at an all-time high and the economy being at an all-time low have the Republicans seeing Spano as particularly vulnerable.
Nonetheless, changes in the population have made the county executive race more uphill than ever before for Republicans in Westchester. Once a Republican center of the state, the county has grown increasingly Democratic, leaving all of the Congressional seats from the area in Democratic hands, in addition to three of the four state senate positions. Plus, there was Janet DiFiore’s switch to the Democratic Party to run for district attorney four years ago, and Assembly Member Mike Spano (no relation to the county executive), who changed caucuses in 2007.
But Astorino is optimistic about his chances. A former county legislator who is now the director of Sirius Satellite Radio’s Catholic Channel, he is planning a campaign centered on cutting property taxes and consolidating local government as a way to reduce waste—two hot-button issues in Westchester these days.
Another part of Astorino’s strategy is trying to position himself with some very strange company for a Republican candidate. He boasts of being on the same page with prominent New York Democrats like Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, and says he wants to seize the “change” theme popularized by Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, calling for a new direction in county government after 12 years of Spano.
“He’s been there forever,” Astorino said. “Just like milk cartons, you have expiration dates. And I think a lot of people are saying, ‘It’s time for a change, it’s time for somebody new.’”
Astorino said there will be differences between this campaign and his 2005 effort, which ended with a 16-point loss. The county government has swelled in the past four years, he said, noting that Westchester’s $1.8 billion budget is bigger than those of several small countries combined. Also, with the economy in such a dismal state, voters are more attuned to the bloat and waste in county government, such as taxpayer-funded bodyguards and chauffeurs for Spano, he said.
“As people are starting to lose their jobs, or worry about losing their jobs, their bonus check didn’t come in, and they start to question every bill,” Astorino said. “People have no idea what county government does or why they’re paying such a large bill.”
Spano countered that argument, saying that county government makes up only a fraction of the taxes residents pay annually. Trying to explain that to voters has been a challenge, he said.
“Problem is, people don’t differentiate between schools, county government, local government, et cetera,” Spano said. “The general public is just not that sophisticated.”
Spano said he cut $46 million out of the county budget last year, maintaining some government services while consolidating others.
Spano and his supporters like to brag about Westchester being the only AAA-bonded county government in the state (which translates into savings on interest costs for Westchester taxpayers when the county sells bonds) as a way to tamp down Astorino’s accusations of inefficiency.
Even so, the anti-county government movement is gathering some steam in Westchester, and the candidacy of David Spano will undoubtedly help it gain profile. Groups like those that organized a mid-April anti-tax/anti-government rally, where the younger Spano announced his campaign, or Rethinking Westchester Government, a new group that wants to eliminate county government, have been among Spano’s most vocal critics.
Not surprisingly, the county executive has defended the government system, even putting together a recent op-ed making his case.
As for the man leading the charge against him, he had little to say.
“I don’t talk to my son,” the county executive said curtly. “I don’t even know where that came from.”
Despite the fire he is taking, Spano seems relatively safe, as even his critics admit.
“There’s a lot of people who feel that there’s waste and inefficiency,” said Paul Feiner, a former county legislator and current Greenburgh town supervisor, who founded Rethinking Westchester Government. “But I’m not sure how it’s going to impact in terms of the election. I personally don’t feel that Astorino is that strong. My gut feeling is that Spano will probably win.”
As for how he is faring without Schwartz, the man who for so long ran his operation now departed for Albany, Spano rejected the idea that his office is without strong leadership, saying that he has full faith in Schwartz’s elevated replacement, deputy county executive Susan Tolchin.
“She knows what she’s doing, but it’s a different style,” Spano said. “I miss [Schwartz], he had a lot of skills. But the government is running smoothly.”
If anything, Spano said, Schwartz’s deep knowledge of Westchester will be a boon for the county as decisions are made in the state government.
(Through a spokesperson, Schwartz declined comment.)
Spano’s greatest asset may be Westchester’s changing demographics, said Jeffrey Binder, a White Plains-based lawyer and political consultant for Strategic Political Group. Democrats now have an edge over Republicans in enrollment that exceeds 100,000 voters, Binder noted, with more conservative residents moving northward to Rockland County and beyond. This migration is likely to have far-reaching implications for Westchester politics, he said, and Spano’s re-election.
“Honestly, going forward, the very interesting battles will be in the Democratic primary,” Binder said, “much like in Manhattan.”
----------
In Westchester D.A.’s Race, A Jumble Of Party-Swaps And Grand Juries
DiFiore, in a three-way race with Castro and Schorr, defends her record
The father-vs.-son-vs.-Republican race for county executive is not the only three-for-all in Westchester this fall.
District Attorney Janet DiFiore (D) is facing a possible three-way race of her own. But first she must win the Democratic primary, after having switched parties in 2007.
Her opponents are eager to leap on what they call DiFiore’s political expediency.
“Many Democrats don’t consider her an incumbent Democratic district attorney,” said Tony Castro, a Democrat who came within six points of defeating DiFiore in 2005 and is running against her again this year. “I know it’s semantics, but they consider me the Democratic incumbent.”
Castro would not rule out running as an independent against DiFiore should he fail to win the Democratic primary. But if he did, he could give Republican candidate Dan Schorr a better chance at victory.
“We’ll cross that bridge when it comes,” Castro said. “I don’t want to be a spoiler, that’s for sure.”
DiFiore also is struggling to come out from under the shadow of a controversial investigation into the killing of a Mount Vernon police officer, Christopher Ridley, an African-American who was shot 15 months ago by a white Westchester County officer. In a lawsuit, Ridley’s father alleges that DiFiore covered up an investigation into what could have been a racially motivated killing.
But DiFiore said a grand jury is currently looking into the case, preventing her from speaking publicly about it. As for her first time courting Democratic primary voters, DiFiore said she is confident that her record and her efforts to trim the D.A.’s budget (she says she has returned close to $1 million in savings to taxpayers each year) will speak volumes.
“I worked hard over the last three and a half years to build this model of a modern prosecutor’s office,” DiFiore said. “I’m not going to be my usual self-effacing self that I try to be. We have done this in an extremely prudent and financially responsible way.”
Her Republican challenger is hoping to tap into what he sees as a split between DiFiore and police officials over the Ridley case and others. But Schorr must still contend with a crushing Democratic enrollment edge in the county.
Schorr, a former prosecutor in Westchester and Queens, said he believes county voters are more conservative on crime. Plus, no Democrat has been elected Westchester D.A. since 1895, he noted.
He is courting police unions for support and plans to run alongside GOP county executive candidate Rob Astorino under a joint message of change.
“I think the common message in our campaigns is, something has gone off the tracks with Westchester county government,” Schorr said, “and there needs to be real change in leadership.”
