Island GOP Meltdown

A couple of months ago, I discussed on this blog the fall of Rep. Vito Fossella of New York.  Soon thereafter, his story would receive some degree of national media attention.  He ultimately made the decision not to run for reelection.

I had considerable interest in this particular congressional seat because it is the same one that was held by two of my cousins.  It was won from the Democrats in 1980; and a couple of years ago I related the account of how I had played a role on that particular campaign.  The seat has been in Republican hands since then.

I have been following the situation since the revelations about Fossella became public.  The Democrats have nominated a candidate, Mike McMahon, who currently is serving in elective office, and thereby has name recognition; and who is having considerable success with fund-raising.  The Republicans, however, have had various difficulties.

There are some popular GOP incumbents in elective office on Staten Island.  But none wanted to run.  Most cited family responsibilities.  But I wonder about whether other factors may have also been deterrents-- the necessity to give up well-paying careers, the difficulties with maintaining residences in two top-dollar real estate markets; and the likelihood that this will be a Democratic year at the polls.

In any event, the Republicans had to come up with a candidate quickly.  They settled on Frank Powers, a big contributor and Wall Street retiree who had never held elective office.

But even stranger things began to happen.  Powers' son announced he was going to run for the same office on the Libertarian line-- against his own father.  And then a couple of weeks later, the elder Powers died.

Yes, he died.

And so, the Republicans were left without a candidate once again.  Time elapsed, and an impending deadline for filing petitions with the Board of Elections approached.  At this point, my cousin Guy-- who is almost 80 years old-- began to verbalize public concern about the party's failure to find a good candidate.  He had not only held that particular office for ten years, but also had built the local party into a powerhouse.  And it was now failing.

Ultimately, the party selected Robert Straniere, a former state legislator with a decidedly checkered reputation locally.  Tom Wrobleski of the Staten Island Advance tells the whole story.

In any event, it is a bit sad to see something for which we had all worked so hard to build, over a period of years, slip away.  What is at risk is not only a congressional seat, but also the viability of a previously formidable local party.

 

Comments

In any event, it is a bit sad to see something for which we had all worked so hard to build, over a period of years, slip away. What is at risk is not only a congressional seat, but also the viability of a previously formidable local party.

Seems we we were slightly distant neighbors at one time, I lived on the other side of the Sound in Bridgeport, Ct. Went to school there, I'm a Uconn Hushy as are two of my boys, both PolySci graduates, I was a Research Engineer for the Remington Arms Co. It's sad what has become of the Republican party. They certainly had the right cohesive idea with the 1994 "Contract with America" but since then they have slowly splintered apart each with thier own agenda. Beau

[Joe Guarino]

Beau, interesting to hear you are from CT. You are right-- not too far from where I grew up.

And I agree. The Contract with America was a great road map from which some key players have deviated. What happened with respect to the implosion of the local party and the congressional race as discussed in my post, however, is probably a result of multiple factors-- unprincipled leadership, indeed a leadership vacuum; and a shortage of good candidates willing to make the sacrifice to run.

And we should acknowledge that for good, successful people, who have families, and are in the upper-middle range of income and assets, running for an office like Congress-- and being a member of Congress-- is often a sacrifice. And it is all-consuming.