Amedore won’t get the pork, but at least he can be his own man MARK LUNDBERG Albany
In response to the Aug. 5 editorial cartoon in the Gazette, which featured a diminutive elephant labeled “Amedore” speaking in the foreground of a huge yawning donkey representing the Assembly Democratic majority: I will completely agree that by electing a Republican to the Assembly, the voters of the 105th district may have cost themselves a few member items; a swing set for a park here, a new paint job at a community center there, what have you. Had they elected a Democrat, no doubt some extra member item money would have flowed into the 105th, certainly more than Amedore will likely be able to deliver. Of course, that extra member item money always comes at a price. Assembly Democrats are expected to toe the line, and to always enthusiastically support the New York City bosses and their urban agenda. Property tax relief? Who needs it? Who cares? We need to spend hour upon hour of legislative time during session debating the rent-control system in New York City, or symbolic same-sex marriage proposals. Fiscal restraint? The legions of lobbyists from downstate special interests will see to it that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver won’t reduce spending anywhere within state government and that we further burden local governments with additional mandates. A good Assembly Democrat, upstate or downstate, won’t raise a peep about any of this. In exchange, Shelly Silver will buy him or her off with trinkets for their district. Pretty good deal for Shelly, for after all he’s buying their silence and loyalty with our money. It could be argued that it is merely pragmatic for Democrat members to grab what they can for their home districts at the cost of their silence. It could also be argued that this comes awkwardly close to prostitution. I think the voters of the 105th got a bargain. A few less swing sets, maybe, but I suspect that Mr. Amedore will actually represent their interests, rather than acting as an extra representative from Manhattan (they have enough already). After all, he owes the voters everything, and he owes Silver nothing.
I will completely agree that by electing a Republican to the Assembly, the voters of the 105th district may have cost themselves a few member items; a swing set for a park here, a new paint job at a community center there, what have you. Had they elected a Democrat, no doubt some extra member item money would have flowed into the 105th, certainly more than Amedore will likely be able to deliver.
Well Mark, I have to disagree, in part, with this one. Tonko, a dem, was in the assembly for how many decades? And what did district 105 get? Amsterdam, which is Tonko's own, is still a depressed area? Tonko clearly did nothing to help his district. Sure he showed his face at every local function, kissed a few babies and shook a few hands and made a few promises....but he delivered very little if nothing at all.
At best, Mr. Amedore will accomplish something in this democratic assembly. The worse case would be he could accomplish nothing in this democratic dictatorship assembly. But that's not so bad since Tonko did nothing and he got elected over and over and over again.
And just remember people....the government is a reflection of it's people!!!!!! So let's smarten up when we vote!
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
There's not much, but I did want to copy this over, maybe the "contact information" can be updated on the other link for all our elected officials.
EMAIL ADDRESS AmedoreG@assembly.state.ny.us
OFFICE ADDRESSES DISTRICT OFFICE Guy Park Manor 366 West Main St. Amsterdam, NY 12010 518-843-0227
I do wish that he had an office somewhere here in Schenectady County, but is more of his district up that way?
and I mean by the land volume AND by the constituent volume. I hope that he has some more stuff to put on here soon, but I guess that's hard when the entire state is on vacation since he was elected.
20.8 miles, 25 minutes from 5 Corners, per maps.yahoo.com.
Too bad that it takes forever to get Yahoo to update anything. Guess what it says this office is... (Assembly Member Paul Tonko)
At $37 a vote, it got pricey Amedore, Kosiur camps combined to spend nearly $1 million in 30-day election for Assembly seat
By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer First published: Friday, September 7, 2007
SCHENECTADY-- With just 30 days of hard-nosed campaigning, Democrat Edward Kosiur and Republican George Amedore Jr. combined to spend almost $1 million -- or an of $37 a vote -- to get their messages across in the 105th Assembly District race. "It was important to get out the message, but unfortunately it got out to the wrong voters," said Kosiur, 51, half-jokingly on Thursday.
The Schenectady County legislator was on the losing end of the 14,178 to 11,186 vote on July 31, falling to Amedore, 38, the luxury home builder who worked with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in the spring to complete a residence for a local family. Amedore then launched his first foray into politics.
The Assembly seat opened when Democrat Paul Tonko left to join the Spitzer administration.
Data from the state Board of Elections Web site show the Kosiur camp spent about $430,862 to Amedore's $511,576 outlay.
But Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco and Amedore both say those numbers don't tell the whole story.
"The thing you don't see is all the special interest money (Democrats) spent," said Amedore, of Rotterdam. "I didn't have any help from any special interest, nor was I endorsed by any, so we had to to get out our message in a way that was competitive and effective."
Kosiur said any campaign literature or radio ads run on his behalf by unions or special interest groups were on their own.
He said the 30-day window the candidates had during the special election, for the seat covering all of Montgomery County and part of Schenectady County, brought pressures that wouldn't have been there in a regular November election. He said the "majority of his expenses were on TV and radio ads," which are "very costly."
"You normally do not see television and radio ads in a November campaign," he said, noting that candidates in November spend about $200,000 per candidate. "For every commercial they aired, we had to come back with one of our own and vice versa."
Still, Tedisco believes Amedore's win will help the GOP cause in a big way.
"We didn't spend more than the Democrats, we stayed with them," he insisted. "The win will help us raise money."
New York Public Interest Research Group Legislative Counsel Russ Haven said the huge sums of money buy public interest groups more access to politicians.
"It was a staggering amount of money spent in a compressed time frame," Haven said. "The big money didn't come from people who live in the 105th District, that's a safe bet."
He said that's bad for democracy. "At the minium, it creates an appearance that people are certainly getting access beyond what the average New Yorker may get."
At the same time, Amedore contends that money, while important, isn't everything.
"You need support, you don't necessarily need a lot of money or personal wealth," he said. "You need to gain the support of voters and the support of the party." Nelson can be reached at 454-5347 or by e-mail at pnelson@timesunion.com.
Costly campaign
Candidates in the 105th Assembly District spent about $942,000 in their short campaign leading up to the July 31 vote. Here are highlights from their campaign finance reports:
GEORGE AMEDORE JR.
Contributions: $514,632
Top contributor: Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, $306,500
Expenses: $511,576, most of which went to media advertising and consulting, and campaign literature
Closing Balance: $3,057
EDWARD KOSIUR
Contributions: $432,468
Top Contributor: Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, $350,809
Expenses: $430,862, most of which went to media advertising and consulting costs
"It was important to get out the message, but unfortunately it got out to the wrong voters," said Kosiur,
So is this suppose to mean that 'I' as the wrong voter? Well nooooooo....we were the 'right' voters!!! DUH!
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
Eddy and Suzie just must have their heads up their butts, cause something is stopping them from seeing the truth for what it was. THE PEOPLE spoke loud and clear with the State Assembly election. People are sick and tired of the Eddy/Suzie political marraige and pushing the sex offenders on their surrounding counties with no prior discussion. Eddy and Suzie ran a flawed campaign hoping the flawed sex offender law would guarentee them the election.
May I also say that Mr.Amedore ran a honest, straight forward campaign. No games, gimicks or give-a-ways! And the people LOVED IT! It was refreshing politics with no frills attached.
IF Eddy and Suzie don't have their heads up their butts...than they must be just stupid 'educationally challenged'!
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
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
“Schenectady is a wonderful city and a great place for so many people to call home,” said Amedore. “Unfortunately, it has been under siege by drug dealers, street gangs and other assorted thugs for far too long. We need the Attorney General to bring this excellent initiative to Schenectady and work with our local law enforcement agencies to weed out the criminals who prey on the city.”
If we could just get the drug dealers to start submitting their paperwork to pay their state and county sales tax, it would probably take care of a LOT of the problem with too high taxes throughout the county.
Amedore visits school to promote bus safety 10/24/2007 By: Mark Repasky
AMSTERDAM, N.Y. -- Assemblyman George Amedore swapped his SUV for a different mode of transportation Wednesday morning. He joined some Amsterdam elementary school students in their daily commute on the big yellow bus.
"Back on the school bus. First time I've been back on the bus in 22 years," he said.
And boy have things changed since then. School buses are now one of the safest ways for kids to travel.
Thanks to new safety features like seat belts and multiple emergency exits, kids are nearly eight times safer riding in a school bus than with their own parents in a car.
Students in Amsterdam found a surprise visitor when they boarded the bus Wednesday morning -- a local assemblyman. It was all part of National School Bus Safety week. Our Mark Repasky was there and discovered the most dangerous part isn't when students are on the bus but when they get off. And there's something you can do to help.
"The design of the bus is now so that the driver has a better view of the kids, the mirrors that have been added, the safety guards." Brown Transportation GM Ronald Bell said.
With all the safety features on buses these days, the most dangerous part is getting on and off the bus.
Bus drivers said too many drivers aren't stopping when they see the stop signs and red lights.
"That's a message we want out loud and clear. When you see those flashing red lights, make sure that you stop," Amedore said.
It's a message police are trying to get out too.
Later this week, Fulton County will be running Operation Safe Stop, sending sheriff's deputies out behind buses, ticketing drivers who pass on red.
"The most fragile time is during loading and unloading. That is when accidents happen. That is when deaths happen," Bell said.
New York already has one of the best records when it comes to bus safety.
With more than two and a half million students riding each day, Amedore hopes to keep it that way.
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
105TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT Amedore: New kid on the block Republican may cut teeth on Thruway toll issue BY BOB CONNER Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Bob Conner at 462-2499 or bconner@dailygazette.net.
Since George Amedore was elected on July 31 to represent the 105th Assembly District, the New York state Legislature has been mostly out of session. When the politicians do get back to Albany, though, the 38-year-old Republican knows what he wants them to do, and he hopes to reach across the political aisle to get it done. Amedore said he has appointments to meet this week with Assembly Majority Leader Ron Canestrari, D-Cohoes, and Assemblyman Tim Gordon of Bethlehem, an Independence Party member who normally votes with the Democrats. Amedore said he and Gordon want to work on blocking the state Thruway Authority’s proposed toll increases. One bread-and-butter issue that Amedore expects to come up with Canestrari involves a technical correction to the language of a bond issue that was approved by Amsterdam School District voters in June. Amedore, like other Assembly Republicans, also is pushing for legislation to control property taxes. As for its chances in the Democratic-controlled Assembly, Amedore noted that one Democrat, Gov. Eliot Spitzer, recently indicated he is open to the notion of enacting a cap on school taxes. The Republican proposals include such a cap. Amedore said he plans to seek re-election to the Assembly next year, and will not run for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Michael McNulty, DGreen Island. In this year’s special election, Amedore beat Democrat Ed Kosiur by 14,178 votes to 11,186. While incumbents are usually successful in legislative elections, that doesn’t mean Amedore’s seat is safe. There are 30,684 Democrats and only 25,774 Republicans in his district, which includes much of Schenectady County and all of Montgomery County. In 2006, Democrat Paul Tonko was re-elected by 28,243 votes to 9,389 for his Republican opponent, John Mertz. Tonko resigned from the Assembly to become head of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. SEINFELD EPISODE’ Chris Gardner, who is Schenectady County attorney and former county Democratic chairman, said that as a new member of the Republican Assembly minority, Amedore is irrelevant. So his record in office, Gardner said, “is kind of like a ‘Seinfeld’ episode: It’s about nothing.” As for who the Democrats might run against Amedore, Gardner suggested that Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton would be an outstanding candidate. Stratton, however, did not seek to run in this year’s special election. He stated during his successful mayoral campaign that the city is his focus and he intends to serve out his term. Gardner said he would back county Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage, D-Niskayuna, if she runs for Congress. Montgomery County Democratic Chairwoman Bethany Schumann said she expects next year’s Assembly race to be another very expensive one. In the July special election, Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady, committed most of his party’s campaign funds in the successful effort to win the seat. Schumann said the district was saturated with campaign material from both sides. But Assembly Democrats have the ability to raise and spend much more campaign funds than the minority Republicans in that house. Amedore lives in Rotterdam with his wife and three children, and continues to work at his family’s house building company. He said he has been doing constituent service and going to a lot of events around the district. An upcoming event this week is at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Proctors in Schenectady, where the Assembly Republicans’ Capital District Small Business Task Force will meet with local officials and business leaders. The meeting will be in Proctors’ second-floor gallery.
Chris Gardner, who is Schenectady County attorney and former county Democratic chairman, said that as a new member of the Republican Assembly minority, Amedore is irrelevant. So his record in office, Gardner said, “is kind of like a ‘Seinfeld’ episode: It’s about nothing.”
This Chris Gardner must have not realized that he is no longer the democratic chairman. He must not know what the word 'former' means. Why is he doing all of the talking to the press? Where's Mr.Quail? And the dem's are clearly still obnoxious when referring to the Seinfeld show to Mr.Amedore. Mr.Amedore has more class in his baby finger than Mr.Gardner has in his whole body.
Mr. Amedore is nice, kind, classy and is 'for the people'. Something Chris Gardner and the dems clearly know nothing about.
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
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