SCHENECTADY — The city Democratic Party might punish City Councilman Carl Erikson for speaking his mind on fiscal issues by not endorsing him when Erikson's seat is up this year.

The party that currently controls city and county government usually backs incumbents, but there are indications that Erikson, chairman of the council's finance committee, will get the Democratic cold shoulder for his race in November.


Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Erikson-may-lose-party-s-support-4288487.php#ixzz2LLdRgulr

it's a case of telling the truth....besides Riggi  what good is that council...maybe this is the beginning of the beginning.

Quoted from Patches

it's a case of telling the truth....besides Riggi  what good is that council...maybe this is the beginning of the beginning.

Honestly, Erikson would EASILY be re-elected, DEM support or not! He has an awesome track record on the Council as being a forthright thinker and fiscally responsible. He doesn't take crap from the Mayor or the other puppets of his party proving that he's a leader...not a sheep. And speaking strictly from a woman's point of view and meeting him in person, he's hot! Putting his face on a poster will certainly help his campaign and the female voters will be smitten!!

Can't see Erikson losing anything in November ....the DEM party on the other hand better be careful. Their ship is sinking and the rats are not going to make it.  

one shouldn't ever question the lies from the dumbocrap machine

DV is shaking his pom poms over this, and having an orgasm

Quoted Text

DV is shaking his pom poms over this, and having an orgasm

  

this is great news!!!
Perhaps Erikson and Hull can form an alliance!!

Quoted from Patches

it's a case of telling the truth....besides Riggi  what good is that council...maybe this is the beginning of the beginning.

Voters can't handle the truth. If they could Hull would be Mayor and Buhrmaster County Leg Chair. The DEM morons have destroyed City and County finances. Bring in a State Control Board cause Lordy we can't
afford them no more. As far as Karl Erickson he was right once. That's hardly a cause of re-election. Remember he is do nothing Finance Chairman for a bankrupt City.  Where are the cuts Karl? He would win their primary but  should move up to Alliance. If his wife will let him- lol

Ericson has the best resume for someone running a company the size of Schenectady.  Hopefully, he will get re-elected regardless of party backing.

Quoted from bumblethru

this is great news!!!
Perhaps Erikson and Hull can form an alliance!!

Hell yeah...And they can form a new party!

They'll call it the Democratic Party and....

Oh wai....

Quoted from benny salami

Voters can't handle the truth. If they could Hull would be Mayor and Buhrmaster County Leg Chair. The DEM morons have destroyed City and County finances. Bring in a State Control Board cause Lordy we can't
afford them no more. As far as Karl Erickson he was right once. That's hardly a cause of re-election. Remember he is do nothing Finance Chairman for a bankrupt City.  Where are the cuts Karl? He would win their primary but  should move up to Alliance. If his wife will let him- lol

OFC you fail to even recognize that Hull is part of this destruction process when he founded Metroplex.

But please continue....

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SCHENECTADY
Erikson votes irritate Dems
City committee endorsement may face opposition
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter


It turns out some Democratic committeemen don’t want a councilman who sometimes agrees with the opposition.
Councilman Carl Erikson is in danger of not being endorsed for a second term when the city Democratic Committee meets next week. His term is up this year, and without an endorsement he can’t run for re-election unless he wins a primary or takes an endorsement from another party.
    Generally, incumbents are endorsed without debate. But this time, some committee members are upset that Erikson doesn’t always vote with his party — and on those occasions, he seems to agree with the only non-Democrat on the council.
    Committee Chairman Richard Naylor said committee members aren’t happy with that “dynamic.”
    Last year, Erikson voted with Democrat Councilwoman Barbara Blanchard and independent Councilman Vince Riggi to block the purchase of police vans for the evidence technicians.
    In that case, Erikson insisted on cheaper vans, criticizing the purchase of what he considered to be luxurious and unnecessary SUVs. Eventually, when the police agreed to buy cheaper vans, he voted to support the purchase.
    On other occasions he and Riggi have both criticized legislation. Although Erikson usually went on to vote with the Democrats while Riggi voted “no,” Erikson’s critical comments have raised eyebrows, especially when they aligned with Riggi’s votes.
    “Some neighborhood leaders and committee members have noticed a dynamic,” Naylor said.
    He added that committee members are not rejecting Erikson solely because he voted unsuccessfully against the city-county sales tax contract and supported John Mootooveren over Marion Porterfi eld when the two Democrats were vying for appointment to the council last year. Those were the two biggest controversies of the year.
    Instead, they’re upset with smaller issues on which Erikson criticized city officials but eventually voted to support them.
    Naylor also said that some committee members want to keep Erikson on the council. “He certainly has supporters, and he certainly has some opposition as well,” Naylor said. “There has been some dissension but we don’t know what level it’s at.”
    Councilwoman Marion Porterfield, who also needs an endorsement to run on the Democratic line this fall, said she couldn’t un- derstand why Erikson wouldn’t be endorsed.
    She said committee members are wrong to think that Erikson is a fi rm Riggi ally. “I don’t think he votes because Vince Riggi is voting that way,” she said. “I firmly believe he votes in conscience.”
    She added that she thinks Erikson is a valuable council member.
    “We all bring good things to the table,” she said.
    Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo, who has butted heads with Erikson at times, said the council has sometimes struggled to avoid tied votes in which Erikson considered voting against legislation that she supported.
    But, she said, it wasn’t fair to solely blame Erikson for those situations.
    “I wouldn’t pin that on Carl,” she said. “I don’t always agree with Carl, but Carl always does his homework. He bases his decision on what he feels is best for the city.”
    And, she added, getting rid of Erikson won’t guarantee that the Democrats will never again disagree.
    “I think there are issues we don’t always see eye-to-eye on, but that will always happen,” she said. “Although I am a very, very proud Democrat and the majority of my beliefs align with the Democratic Party, I am still an individual. My job is to vote as best as I see fi t.”
    Mayor Gary McCarthy, who argued vehemently with Erikson on the sales tax contract, said he supports Erikson too.
    “He offers a different perspective,” McCarthy said, adding that he has mentored Erikson, who was his campaign treasurer.
    “He just left the offi ce,” McCarthy said. “I gave him some advice. You’ve got to put your head down and keep pushing forward.”
    McCarthy said he wasn’t lobbying behind the scenes to get Erikson off the council. “I am not going to get into the debate. I’m not looking to participate in it,” he said. “I have not said anything to anybody.”
    County Attorney Chris Gardner, who with McCarthy is one of the strongest voices in the local Democratic Party, said he also isn’t gunning for Erikson. He said he isn’t holding a grudge over the sales tax contract that he negotiated and pushed through despite Erikson’s opposition.
    “There have been a lot of councilmen over the years that have voted against tax deals I worked on, and some have been my good friends,” Gardner said.
    And he noted that Erikson didn’t succeed in killing the deal.
    But it came close. Riggi voted no. So did Erikson. Had just one more council member switched sides, the contract would not have passed.
    That’s the sort of Riggi-Erikson vote that caught some committee members’ attention.
    Riggi laughed at the idea that Erikson is a close ally, noting that Erikson often voted with his party even though he had expressed concerns about the issue.
    “He shows some independent tendencies, but a lot of times, when push comes to shove, he goes along with his party,” Riggi said.
    He suspected the committee was simply trying to rein in Erikson’s “independent tendencies.”
    “My opinion is they’re trying to get him in line,” Riggi said.
    Erikson said he’s learned how to negotiate and push for change slowly. “This is one of the jobs that can be incredibly frustrating at times, because we’re trying to get important things done and they don’t have easy answers,” he said. “But it can be incredibly rewarding when you can make a difference.”
    After two years, he fi nally got the city to change its purchasing policies, putting bid announcements online to get more bidders and thus get lower prices. The sales tax deal that he opposed last year also included one item he wanted: the county has partnered with the city on purchasing.
    That consolidation, plus his regular criticism of contracts that had only one bidder, has fi nally started to bear fruit. .................................>>>>........................................>>>>.................................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01100&AppName=1

Good job Gazetto. Only took you a week to get the scoop?!?!

Seriously, what a rag.  

all he did was ask a few questions and then for the most part just go along. I wouldnt call him a brave pioneer of independence (which by today's standards is basically an evil and vile criminal that needs to be eradicated by the almighty power of big government and collective conformity)

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

all he did was ask a few questions and then for the most part just go along. I wouldnt call him a brave pioneer of independence (which by today's standards is basically an evil and vile criminal that needs to be eradicated by the almighty power of big government and collective conformity)

I agree...This is staged.  It's part of the show.  It is a manufactured controversy to give an appearance the Democrat Party is diverse with many opinions within the party, and the city is not "one party rule".  No need to vote republican because there are democrats that are critical of their own members and can check their own power.

At the end of the day, after playing make believe that he's a rebel democrat, he will get the endorsement and go back to walking lockstep with the party until next election.