Experiencing Politics In The Southern Tier | News, Sports, Jobs

I recall, years in the past, performing some analysis about politics right here within the Southern Tier. It didn’t appear to be a spot the place a Democrat may ever be elected. On the time, the final Democratic President who had carried the world in an election had been Andrew Jackson in 1828. It was fairly apparent then, as it’s in the present day, that the Republican Occasion is the default alternative of voters within the Southern Tier.

The area’s popularity as a Republican bastion is so nice that when Stan Lundine in 1976, in his first marketing campaign for Congress, carried Steuben County–he acquired a name from Jim Farley, then nonetheless residing and former marketing campaign chief for Franklin D. Roosevelt. Farley stated that it was the primary time he had ever seen a Democrat carry Steuben County.

Quick ahead to this 12 months, when the Republicans well challenged a Democratic redistricting plan in a Courtroom in Tub, Steuben County. The choose threw out the plan (in all probability for good causes,) redrew the strains and guess what? The Republicans in New York State picked up an additional 4 seats in Congress this previous election day. The Southern Tier nonetheless is, and can doubtless proceed to be a Republican stronghold for years to come back.

Having stated that and figuring out the politics of the place I reside, I nonetheless are inclined to help Democrats right here after I can. We’d like and certainly profit when there’s a robust two-party system within the nation.

With that in thoughts, I imagine that the Democrats made nice strides ahead after they changed Andrew Cuomo with Kathy Hochul. Cuomo was a top-down, micro-manager who dominated Albany largely via concern and trepidation. Hochul has introduced again the concept the Governor serves in live performance and cooperation with the legislature. She additionally permits the businesses and departments of state authorities to perform with out virtually all the things they do having to be cleared by the Governor’s workplace on the second flooring of the State Capitol… as was the case below Cuomo.

Hochul made some missteps in naming her first Lieutenant Governor however she acquired that corrected and moved on. She additionally addressed the “cashless bail” laws that had been handed below Cuomo. Although extra nonetheless must be carried out, she acquired adjustments made within the state price range to deal with at the very least among the issues with it. In fact, within the election, she acquired no credit score for that. The cry went out: “Crime, Crime, Crime!” (It jogged my memory a little bit of “Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi!”) You’d have thought the previous City Councilwoman, County Clerk, Member of Congress, Lieutenant Governor and now Governor had turn out to be the Queen of Crime.

Loopy — however that’s the politics of divide and conquer which in our day has turn out to be fairly normal in elections.

I don’t agree with our governor on all the things … particularly, the push inside her celebration to maneuver so shortly to an all-electric world. They appear to have forgotten that the first gas for the state’s personal electrical manufacturing and for heating our houses is and can proceed to be, by necessity, for a few years — pure fuel. However, that apart, we must always give her credit score for surviving a vicious, well-funded marketing campaign by her opponent, and changing into the primary lady to carry the workplace of Governor and the primary since Grover Cleveland to come back from the far reaches of Western New York.

And, if you’re a Buffalo Payments fan, she acquired the deal carried out to maintain the Payments in Buffalo. Her opponent would have messed that up and was “lukewarm” at finest on preserving the staff right here.

So, congratulations Governor in your election. You bought “shellacked” and trounced within the Southern Tier. However, don’t really feel too badly — Democrats by no means do very nicely down right here. We nonetheless although are New Yorkers, and we want you success within the subsequent 4 years as you confront the challenges of main this very various and unruly state!

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident and a former New York state Assemblyman.