Proclaiming herself anti-tax and anti-deficit spending, Erie County's Jane Corwin stopped by Batavia's Old Courthouse today to let everybody know, yes, she's really running for Congress.
"America is at a crossroads," Corwin said. "You all know the numbers, a $1.5 trillion annual deficit. We borrow one dollar for every three that we spend. That’s simply unsustainable. Our nation’s debt tops out at over $14 trillion. That’s nearly $50,000 for every man, woman and child living in the United States today. With numbers like those, what kind of legacy are we leaving for our children?"
Flanked by some of Genesee County's leading Republicans, including Sheriff Gary Maha, County Clerk Don Read, Coroner Jack Taylor and Legislature Chair Mary Pat Hancock, Corwin, a second-term assemblywoman, received the endorsement of her colleague Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
"As you get to know her, as you get to speak with her, and more importantly, as she listens to you, you are going to see she is going to be the kind of Congress person we grew accustomed to back in the days of Barber Conable," Hawley said.
He said Corwin has the dignity and honesty and caring for people to give him confidence that she will do the same kind of job Conable did.
Asked by WBTA's Dan Fischer what she might tell a friend about Genesee County, Corwin replied, "First, I'd talk about downtown Batavia. I love to spend weekends here. My son plays hockey, so we’re over at the ice rink every few weeks or so. Genesee County is beautiful. It’s a rural area. It’s got a strong agriculture history. It’s something that I think is a shining part of Upstate New York. I believe this could be a thriving area if we could just get our national affairs in order."
As for the speculation and any issue around the idea that Corwin will fund her own campaign, Corwin said she will also engage in fund raising, but certainly, she will spend some of her own money as well on the campaign.
"I don’t believe a candidate can buy a race because a race isn’t about money, it’s about ideas," Corwin said. "The ideas that I put out there, do they make sense to the voters in the area? Is it something they can relate to? Do they agree with what my plan is in the future? That’s what wins elections."
Meanwhile, the Democrat & Chronicle reports that Corwin is close to winning the conservative endorsement in Monroe County.
Also, a bill introduced by Gov. Cuomo could delay any special election. Cuomo has said the bill is necessary to ensure the election conforms with federal regulations, and if passed, the election would take place 70 to 80 days after it's called instead of the past 30 to 40 days.
"kind of congress person we
"kind of congress person we grew accustomed to back in the days of Barber Conable"
I grew up in those days. My mom thought Barber was the man. Those days are gone, who is the Democratic Candidate? Chris? Bea? I don't like bleach blonde, never have, never will. God I'm petty because looks have never had anything to do with how I have voted in my entire life. And it wasn't always down the party line, like it is now, on both sides. I would run for that office without a snowballs chance in hell before I would let a party hack run unopposed. I hope the Democrats haven't tucked their tail and run away already. How about a Libertarian Candidate? I know a few of you are itching and you would get votes while sending a message. I nominate Peter.
I think this is a rush to
I think this is a rush to chose 1 person to run for this seat. I think the republicans in this district should have been given a choice for the person running. A primary would have shown who the people wanted. I wish Mr. Hawley had the chance to run and represent Genesee county. I fear if this canidate wins she will forget Genesee and worry only about Erie county , her home county.
Jacob is right. Rattle some
Jacob is right. Rattle some bottles, ring some bells and support Mr. Hawley as a third party grass roots man of the people. Raise hell, it's legal as long as you don't smoke pot. I don't anymore, than I used to when I lived and grew up in Badtavia.Get your Liberal on dudes and dudettes.
"You won't like what comes after America."
-Leonard Cohen.
Under New York State law
Under New York State law there can be no primary for a special election. The process is a weighted vote of the chairs. Now, a candidate can petition their way onto the ballot should they choose as an independent candidate.
Boy, those signs were
Boy, those signs were produced damn fast. It's almost like she knew she was going to be the candidate a few days before the Republican chairs voted.
She certainly has the right
She certainly has the right amount of cynicism for the job:
"I don’t believe a candidate can buy a race because a race isn’t about money, it’s about ideas."
...or does she genuinely believe that?
Oh, and special kudos to Steve Hawley for the tip-of-the-hat-to-the-locals/hyperbolic BJ of the day with his comparison of Corwin to Barber Conable.
Her hair doesn't match her
Her hair doesn't match her eyebrows
Now **THAT** is funny! Very
Now **THAT** is funny!
Very observant Doug!
Brandon, she genuinely
Brandon, she genuinely believes that enough voters will believe she believes it's about her ideas. Sadly, she's probably right.
They should all apologize to Barber Conable.
Really? All you're concerned
Really? All you're concerned with his hair color? Save your breath.
Not having a local person in
Not having a local person in Congress anymore is the penalty we have to pay for Albany driving people out of the state. Fewer people means the district has to be made larger to represent the same number of people.
With the new census, and the continued drop in upstate population, our district will probably get even bigger.
"Not having a local person in
"Not having a local person in Congress anymore is the penalty we have to pay for Albany driving people out of the state."
...Not having a local person in Congress is the price we pay for having local politicians who would rather follow than lead. (I avoided word-choices such as kiss and suck-up.)
"Asked by WBTA's Dan Fischer what she might tell a friend about Genesee County, Corwin replied, 'First, I'd talk about downtown Batavia. I love to spend weekends here. My son plays hockey, so we’re over at the ice rink every few weeks or so. Genesee County is beautiful. It’s a rural area. It’s got a strong agriculture history. It’s something that I think is a shining part of Upstate New York. I believe this could be a thriving area if we could just get our national affairs in order.'"
That's the kind of insight that really grabs me when I'm trying to get a sense of candidate depth.
CM, You ran in a large
CM,
You ran in a large geographical area. Many people had no idea who you were or how much you knew about their area and problems.
You didn't need to know in depth issues in places like Albion until you suddenly had the chance to run and represent them. I think you worked hard to find out as much as you could as fast as possible. Maybe she'll do what you did, learn real fast. I am guessing she is as smart as you are.
John, the anointed Republican
John, the anointed Republican candidate for Congress, chosen by party elite, presumably, best in the field; should be offering better than what could be gleaned from a souvenir postcard available in any motel lobby. ...Or worse, aping Sarah Palin inanities.
Of course, Fischer could have asked a more challenging question that might have yielded something of substance for the take-home message. In any event, 'Have A Nice Day' is what we are left with.
CM, When the Democrat leaders
CM,
When the Democrat leaders (the same elite?) make their anointed pick, I bet you it will be an Erie County resident, and with most likely no more knowledge of rural areas than the Republican.
But are you saying she is at least not as smart as you and can not learn real fast?
Personally, I hope Bellavia runs.
I bet she is just as smart as
I bet she is just as smart as CM, though she is probably completely indifferent to learning any more about this area than is necessary to be able to drop condescending bon mots like "It's a rural area. It's got a strong agricultural history." The current make-up of this Congressional District does not necessitate any more than a cursory knowledge of this area.
By the way, New York City, too, has a strong agricultural history. So there's that. She can probably tell you anything you need to know about the Yellow Pages, though.
I'm getting fairly sick of
I'm getting fairly sick of seeing the word 'anointed' used in the context of the selection process.
Both parties are simply following NYS Election law, there is no conspiracy.
The Party Elite being spoken of are people elected to their positions by a body of their peers.
My Gaelic Football team had a
My Gaelic Football team had a banner like hers made last year. Our turn around time was 3 days after we had a final design. I have no doubt that the banner was brand new and she made it after she got the nomination. The signs are even easier and can be made at home with the right printer.
So Chris, the everyday man is
So Chris, the everyday man is left out of the process as to who we want to run for this seat.
We in Genesee County have different concerns than those of Erie County and I feel as though all people in the district should have a voice in picking their voice in congress not just some self appointed chairman.
Did she make those buttons at
Did she make those buttons at home as well Peter? Perhaps she paid Martha Stewart a couple million bucks to stop by the house and hand-paint each one.
Wayne, I'm not an election
Wayne,
I'm not an election law scholar and I wont pretend to be an expert, but I'll give you an educated guess as to why it's done this way:
Money. Elections are expensive and one on this scale will put a serious strain on the budgets of local Boards of Election.
Rarity and Expedience: Although NY has had three special elections in three years, it is certainly not the norm. The primary process is long and just as expensive as the general, maybe even more-so. Whoever the winner is here will have to run for the seat again the next time the term is up and they will have to go through a primary then.
This may not be a perfect way to do things, but it works and it gets us representation in Congress sooner rather than later.
Chris, In a 5 second google
Chris,
In a 5 second google search I already found a company that can ship your order today, add overnight shipping and you got a button in one day and she needed 2
http://www.affordablebuttons.com/?source=goog&kw=campaign+buttons
Nice find Peter, I guess
Nice find Peter, I guess we'll just have to wait for the filings to see who she used.
Chris, You ran, you should
Chris,
You ran, you should know. If you have the money, like Peter points out, you can get them. Maybe, just maybe, she paid for them out of her very own money in anticipation of getting the endorsement. Personal money and good planning? And somebody is whining.
But now that the special election time period has to be changed and pushed back to match new Federal rules, we would all be better off waiting until the regular November elections. True, we would not have representation until then, but the cost to local governments as you mention, might be worth it. It would also give 3rd party candidates a bit more time to try and find money.
Chris, it should be obvious
Chris, it should be obvious that a well-funded and rather powerful regional political party can get signs and buttons as fast as they need them...especially for something as important as a Congressional election. It's not as if this is a race for a Town Council position being run with a committee of one and a budget of three-hundred dollars.
As for the idea that a political party's candidate selection process deprives the common person a say in the matter, that is necessarily true. Unless you are a member and/or leader of that party, you shouldn't have a say (and, by extension, you shouldn't have to pay for the party's selection process, i.e. a Primary, even though we all do as taxpayers).
Besides, you don't have to vote for their candidate. Theoretically, you could run yourself.
I am not questioning anything
I am not questioning anything except the 'tidy' message left for Genesee County. I don't want a tidy candidate for Congress. ...And I am not fronting myself as a yardstick to measure her qualifications.
Lisa, I said her, not him. I
Lisa, I said her, not him. I can't take any of our politicians, prospective or not, seriously. It's all just a dog and pony show so I'd rather just poke fun at them until they can prove that they're there for us.
Here's an interesting tidbit.
Here's an interesting tidbit. The top story on thealbanyproject.com right now is about Corwin's $1000 personal donation to Dede Scozzafava during the NY-23 special election in 2009.
The Tea Party hated Dede's guts and just about lynched Chris Lee when he donated that same amount to her out of unused campaign funds.
David Bellavia has to be steaming at this point.
Let's get real, any
Let's get real, any legitimate candidate running for national office would have a few signs, a platform, a funding plan and a speech prepared before they even asked for their party endorsement.
Hey Charlie, where ya been?
Hey Charlie, where ya been?
Get yourself wound up for
Get yourself wound up for change. It is coming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndzKAaZ3prs
Chris, I've been reading but,
Chris, I've been reading but, haven't seen the need to comment.
"Boy, those signs were
"Boy, those signs were produced damn fast......"
I was in the Buffalo area today and passed by a storefront on Transit Road with ads plastered all over their windows for banners, signs, buttons, etc. proclaiming same day turnaround. Graphic Arts have come a long way since the days of the Gutenberg Press.