On a chilly and blustery afternoon nearly two weeks out from a historic primary to replace retiring Congressman Mike McNulty (D-Green Island), Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings welcomed an array of elected officials, campaign staffers, union members, and regular Democrats like myself to a Unity Rally to support Paul Tonko, Democratic nominee for Congress in New York’s 21st Congressional District.
It was the closing moment of a long, hard-fought primary in which five Democrats, including Tracey Brooks, Phil Steck, Darius Shahinfar, and Joe Sullivan (who did not attend) emerged with fewer votes than Paul Tonko, a 23-year veteran of the New York State Assembly and former President and CEO of the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority. Tonko won the primary on Tuesday, Sept 9, with 39% of the vote, a full nine points ahead of his nearest rival.
Cameras were there, alright, but noon-time news reports gave only a few seconds of coverage to the rally. My tape recorder was running the entire time, and below the fold is full coverage of the unity rally for any Democrat who was unable to attend.
Part One: Elected Officials Endorse Paul Tonko
It was appropriate that the outgoing Congressman was made Master of Ceremonies for the event. He received a raucous round of applause after being introduced by Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, who noted that all the candidates had come together to support the victorious Democrat after a tough primary.
Mike McNulty noted it was a great day, and that election day would be even better. "I’ve known Paul Tonko longer than the Mayor and longer than most of the people who are up here." Behind him stood Albany Common Council Members, State Legislators, and the defeated candidates from the primary. "Paul and I became members of the New York State Assembly together the same year, 1983, twenty-five years ago this year. And I have watched him all through those years to grow and progress," McNulty said. He noted Tonko’s Energy Committee Chairmanship as a key part of his growth. "If Washington needs help in any category right now, it’s with regard to energy policy, and Paul Tonko is just what the doctor ordered."
Rep. McNulty then gave his public endorsement of Paul Tonko. It was because the Congressman had committed not to endorse any candidates before the primary that such a wide-open race had taken place to begin with. McNulty then introduced "our great New York State Senator, who is about to be in the majority in the New York State Senate, Neil Breslin."
The Senator had just defeated a primary challenge of his own, the first he had ever faced, but made no mention of it in his brief speech. "This area has never seen a primary with so many capable and gifted people," said Sen. Breslin to another round of applause. "When they come together and work for Paul Tonko, it’s a team that can’t be beat." He closed by saying Democrats would win down the ticket, from Barack Obama, the Congress, and his own New York State Senate seat.
McNulty then introduced "not the other part of the Breslin team, but another part of the Breslin team." There was laughter from some in the crowd (Senator Neil’s brother is County Executive Mike and his other brother is County Judge Tom). The Congressman related his "favorite Breslin story" of being interviewed by a reporter in 1996 when Neil Breslin became the third of the three brothers to win in the same electoral district as his brother. The reporter had asked him if there was a problem with this, and McNulty had replied "Yes...we’re running out of Breslins!" More laughter and more applause gave way to the introduction of County Executive Mike Breslin, the first of a string of elected officials who had previously endorsed Paul Tonko during the primary campaign.
Mike Breslin acknowledged the relation and went into a speech. "We absolutely need change, and I’m so happy to be here, my dear friend Paul Tonko, who is better equipped to bring change to this country, to this world, than anyone in our community." Breslin also noted Tonko experience in energy, saying of Tonko "This is the man who not only knows where to go, but he knows how to get there." He seconded McNulty’s endorsement before handing the podium back to Mike, but not before noting "And my brother Neil still needs a job too, you gotta support him."
Representative McNulty then introduced the City of Albany’s Common Council President Shawn Morris, who was the first to speak of the divisiveness that had passed through the primary. "I preside over a chamber that sometimes doesn’t always agree with each other," Morris said. "And this primary was probably a good example of that. The council members supported each one of the different candidates." But she noted that all the biggest names in Common Council, including possible 2009 Mayoral candidates Corey Ellis and Dominick Calsolaro by first name only, and said "we know that we can work together and together with Paul to do great things for the 21st Congressional District." After touching on a few important issues, she closed with the excellent catchphrase, "Paul Tonko for the 21st Congressional District in the 21st Century!"
The Master of Ceremonies then "switched things back to capitol" which was right behind the audience as Albany City Hall faces the historic New York State Legislature. He introduced the "unofficial historian of Albany City and Albany County", Assemblyman Jack McEneny of the 104th Assembly District.
McEneny certainly does know his history. "This district is so much the richer because we’ve had your dedication over the years and your wisdom and experience working for us," the Assemblyman said of McNulty. It was clear by now that this rally was not only in support of future Congressman Paul Tonko, but in recognition of Congressman McNulty. McEneny then noted that there had never been a large a field as this one in the district, and the unofficial historian of the district should know.
Assemblyman McEneny continued: "There’s been a lot of talk of city versus suburb and one county over another. We Democrats have a word for those who are on the other side of the line wherever it is: it’s called ‘family.’" He said the issues of education, labor, economic regulation, a needless war, and several others made the coming together of that Democratic family necessary. "We can all rally around these as part of a united Democratic Party. Let’s go on to November!" McEneny closed after reiterating his endorsement of Paul Tonko for Congress.
Fellow Irishman Mike McNulty then introduced Assemblyman Ron Canestrari "to round things out for our team on Capitol Hill." Rep. McNulty noted that he and Canestrari were mayors of neighboring communities (the Village of Green Island and the City of Cohoes, respectively) and that Canestrari had not only filled his seat in the Assembly when he went to Congress in 1989, but had worked his way up to be the current Majority Leader of the New York State Assembly. Canestrari was also one of the first names mentioned to repeat history and follow in McNulty’s footsteps to Congress, producing a late-2007 "Draft Ron" movement that never took hold at Canestrari’s request. Canestrari also chairs the Assembly Intern Committee, which gave this blogger the opportunity to see what happens in the New York State Legislature first-hand in my final semester as a Paralegal Studies major this past spring.
Canestrari took the podium. "We had our primary fight," he said, "and these family feuds aren’t pretty....But the people made the decision, and we’re here today behind Paul Tonko." He said hard work was going to be necessary for victory in November from the Presidential ticket on down, adding "The issues are in our favor this year, no question about it. The country is in deep trouble." He said Tonko’s would be a voice of "reason and compassion" to help solve these problems. "Send Paul to Washington where he belongs. Get him out of Albany!" Canestrari joked. In seriousness, he concluded "Let’s vote strong Democratic from the top, Barack Obama, all the way down to Neil and me." This met strong applause, and it should be noted that all the state-level candidates who had just spoken are up for re-election at the same time the federal position of Representative in Congress is.
Part Two: Democratic Runners-Up Endorse Paul Tonko
After the elected officials had spoken, McNulty touched on his decision not to endorse any of the primary candidates when he decided to retire as Congressman. "We could have a free and open process. Anybody who wanted to run and had the chance to run." While he made no mention of it, McNulty himself made his first run for Congress in 1988 after the previous Congressman, Sam Stratton, had gathered enough signatures to make the ballot after 30 years in Congress, and then left the race, leaving McNulty’s selection to his Committee to Fill Vacancies. Nobody said it, but I will: the process with likely remain open and free from this point forward, and will likely be McNulty’s largest legacy in the district.
"We were so blessed with the field of candidates that we had," McNulty said before introducing three of the four primary candidates who didn’t quite make it. This would be the last time these candidates would appear on a stage together, and was an appropriate close to a historic primary. They spoke in reverse order of their performance behind Paul Tonko in that election.
The first candidate to speak was Darius Shahinfar, who insisted first on another round of applause for Rep. McNulty. He also kept his campaign-trail trademark in tact for his final address: humor. "When we started this campaign, I knew that we would have enormous shoes to fill down in Washington. And the good news is I’m here to tell you that Paul Tonko has very big feet!" Darius said. The audience was as responsive to his joke as they had been at his numerous debates. Shahinfar said there was only one "disconcerting" thing he found out about Tonko during the campaign, this being that "I liked him a lot. It’s disconcerting when you really enjoy your opponent that much." He thanked his other primary opponents as well, saying it was honor to be a part of the process.
Darius said Paul Tonko was "much more than a politician. He is an able, committed, and dedicated public servant. And that’s exactly the type of person we need down in Congress to represent me and us." He closed his speech to yet another round of applause, the twenty-first round by the way. Shahinfar earned surprising support as a complete unknown in the district, and one should not be surprised if his "funny name" shows up on the ballot again somewhere in the future.
In introducing the second former candidate, McNulty noted that "when I first went to Washington in 1988, this was a four-county district. After the 1990 census, it became a five-county district. Then after the 2000 census, it became a seven-county district. After the next census, it will probably be larger." Earlier in the race, it was wondered aloud by some in the media whether a hard-fought primary was all for naught as the district might be swallowed up as New York loses population and, consequently, seats in Congress. McNulty then emphasized that of the seven counties, five of them were traditionally Republican. "You want to do well in Republican territory," McNulty said. "And the next speaker knows how to do that. He is not only a great public official in his own right through his outstanding service in the County Legislature – he’s been a great political leader in the Town of Colonie, for the first time ever having a Democratic majority on the Town Board and Supervisor of Colonie." This received yet another round of applause, and McNulty then introduced Phil Steck, saying "It’s nice to have somebody in your corner who knows how to win in Republican territory, and nobody knows that better than our friend Phil Steck."
Phil Steck wasted no time in pointing out he was "now retired" as Colonie Democratic Chairman, to more laughter and applause in recognition of his tenure. Steck also reminded Albany County Democrats of the upcoming vote that will give the county party a new chairman, fellow County Legislator Dan McCoy, on Thursday after a divisive compromise co-chairmanship put in place in 2006. "With respect to Paul Tonko, I want to say what a pleasure it was to share the podium with him throughout this campaign," said Steck. "This man is true gentleman in every sense of the word."
Steck continued with what he admired most about Paul from his local perspective ("It has nothing to do with State government because there are many people more qualified to comment on than I," he added) and that was Tonko’s grass roots commitment. "When you go out there and meet the people of the counties that Paul represented, you have a real sense of the high regard in which he’s held." said Steck. "You don’t get that without a true grass roots commitment, and I think that is what will serve us best in Congress." Steck concluded.
In introducing the final runner-up, Tracey Brooks, Rep. McNulty noted "We had a chance to work with her on a nearly daily basis helping the people of the Capital Region," as Senator Hillary Clinton’s upstate representative. McNulty introduced "a great candidate and a great public servant, Tracey Brooks!"
Tracey Brooks opened by thanking McNulty for his service and in allowed so many candidates the opportunity to run to replace him. She noted that at one point ten Democrats had sought his sat to laughter from the audience. "It’s been a long haul!" she said to this, laughing herself. "That has been an opportunity that I’m sure the gentleman standing behind me really cherished," Brooks said. "It’s a life experience we could have never expected." She said it had been a hard race among friends and "this is a difficult time to go to Congress. We have very serious issues, and there is no one more qualified than Paul Tonko to represent us in Washington."
Part Three: Paul Tonko Speaks to Unified Albany County Democrats
Another round of applause ensued for the second-highest vote-getter in the primary, who had performed better than any woman in history in the district. An enthusiastic woman in the front row, who had been cheering on the speakers the entire time, summed this up with a loud "Thank you, Tracey Brooks!" before Representative McNulty introduced "the main event."
In introducing the Democratic nominee to replace him, McNulty said of Tonko "He comes from the Western part of the district, but served over the Eastern part of the district for a quarter of a century. He knows every single part of this district. We know of his intellectual capability, his honesty, his work ethic." McNulty compared him to "the late, great Sam Stratton," McNulty’s own predecessor. "What a great public servant he is, focusing like a laser on the problems of individuals and small groups of individuals in his districts before. And I know that’s exactly what he will do as a member of the United States House of Representative."
McNulty then introduced the next Congressman from the 21st Congressional District of the State of New York, Paul Tonko. I saw on the afternoon news only a few seconds of the speech Tonko gave below. But I believe that every word he spoke should be available to Democrats who were unable to attend, so here it is: Paul Tonko, in his own words before a unified Albany County Democratic Party:
Thank you Michael. Thank you everybody. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
First I want to acknowledge the team that surrounds me. I want to acknowledge the many great women and men who stand before that have been part of a process that reminds us that as Americans we have that unique opportunity to state our cases publicly and to take it to the streets and to the doorsteps, which I shared with my fellow candidates, and to be able to speak forcefully to the issues that will form us with solutions that are driven by the "we" of us.
So, to all of you, thank you so very much. I want to thank Mayor Jennings for his welcome here today and his kind words. Congressman McNulty has been praised, Mike has been praised many times over this morning. I will join that litany. The chorus couldn’t be stronger and more appreciative for not only the commitment and the passion and the performance and the effectiveness, but the sacrifice, Mike. The sacrifice, which I know is great, and it was tough, I gotta believe at times, and we thank you for the selflessness that you served.
To a team of great people, including County Executive Mike Breslin and the City Common Council President Shawn Morris, Senator Neil Breslin, Majority Leader Ron Canestrari, and Assemblyman Jack McEneny, all of whom stepped forward and supported my efforts, again, we’re doing this, have done this, as a family and I thank them for joining my efforts in that capacity. Thank you, thank you, and I will do my best not to let any of us down.
And then finally to the team of candidates. As has been said, we were blessed to have a lot of talent out there across the board in each and every one of these campaigns and candidacies. Tracey, I thank you for you kind words and the friendship. Phil, I thank you for the mention of grass roots and the kind words and your friendship. Darius, who taught me that it’s "Dariush", and the only time I didn’t say that when I was surrounded by many of the ethnic group that produced that name, thank you for your kind words and friendship. And also to Joe Sullivan, with whom I’ve spoken, as I have with the other fellow candidates.
We’re in this together. There’s a very united force, there’s a very unified statement that we’re making today. One of forcefulness, one of change, and gathered around and before me, including all of the wonderful, powerful voices and friends and leaders and members and supporters of unionized labor in this area and in this country, thank you for being here.
I would state also that my fellow candidates made me, through their campaigns, a stronger candidate. They sharpened my skills, they honed my message, and I thank them for that. But with this statement of unity, with this expression of support, with the resonance of one voice, let me state emphatically:
I’m Paul Tonko, and I approve this message!
I approve wholeheartedly because, as we speak here today, all of us in this equation of government, as one voice, we will go to Washington. We will be heard. We will be effective. We will be progressive. We will speak to the workers of this country. We will speak to unionized labor that will lift all of us in the process. For too long, labor has been left out of the equation and this about the very important dynamics.
It’s the economy, the strengthening of the economy providing jobs, the hope of work, the dignity of work. We need to move forcefully with that issue. Look at the events of the last several weeks and days. It’s deplorable! There was lack of leadership coming from the executive branch. There were concerns made about regulation of a responsible regulation of a mega-business that impacts business across this country, that then effects every worker across this country, every family. And so we need to be creative, we need to be vigilant, we need to provide the reforms.
I know Mike will be going back to Washington, they have a heavy agenda the next several days. But we need to move forward in progressive fashion and I believe the Democratic message will resonate strong and effectively in the minds of voters in the next ensuing weeks as they make their choice for President, which we believe will be Barack Obama, our next President!
I’m convinced also as we move forward to end a war that, as Jack McEneny said, was unnecessary, one that may cost us in the trillions. It is going to cost us severely domestically with our economy. When we talk about the need for energy reform, to grow our energy security, our energy independence, to spark an innovation economy and with the underpinning, here in the Capital Region, that can assist that sort of innovation economy with the intellectual capacity that is us, here in this region, let’s go forward and inspire the energy reforms that will allow us to save white and blue collar jobs as we create those green collar jobs in the energy revolution that we will inspire through Democratic leadership as we grow the numbers in the United States Senate and grow the numbers in the House of Representatives.
It is also, while we had the struggle of a primary, what became very clear was that we were sharing many of the same messages, concern about many of the same dynamics, proposing solutions that were very similar...because we’re Democrats! Believing that there can be universal health care; that there can be a wise use of resources. That $2.3 trillion does not avoid assisting 50 million Americans who walk this day without insurance. And tens of millions who walk with underinsured situations. We can do better, and we can provide that preventative care, we can provide primary care, we can provide ancillary services like pharmaceutical needs, and make it affordable and make it workable because as we ask our businesses across this country to compete and compete forcefully and effectively in a global economy they cannot do so saddled with the burdens of extraordinarily high health care costs and energy costs. We need to resolve those problems today if we as a nation are going to move forward tomorrow and continue to stay a giant in this global economy. And it will happen with Democratic leadership.
And then finally, it’s about education. You know, we share the hopes and aspirations in this state and country. We all want the same things for our children. We want to unleash their talents and skills and given passions with which they’re blessed by our creator. We want to enable them to share their strengths as we build bigger community, a better community, a stronger state, a powerful nation. So it serves us well, and we will be there, as advocates and agents of change to promote sound education policy so that the resources will reach our communities and reduce that ever-escalating property tax that impacts all of us. We will do that with sound federal policies for special education, for after-school programming, for teacher empowerment that will allow them to constantly invest in skills that are enhanced so that we can reach our students with that magic of education through the voice of the teacher in the classroom. We will do also a powerful bit of work for higher education because no one should be denied with pursuing their career path simply because of economics. If they have the opportunity to succeed, let us empower them with an affordable higher education.
And so the season is upon us! We are a mere six weeks from election day. We’re walking forth from this moment united, unified in our efforts to speak to the needs of those who are out there who we choose to serve, those who are our constituents, those who are the electorate, everyone regardless of background, neighborhood, economics. You name it, we’re going to be there, build the mosaic of community, empower all of us by investing in a sound investment, making certain that we have that common agenda that will move us forward to rebuild our cities, because we all prosper as we do that, and walk forth from this podium, taking the message to the streets and the neighborhoods and say:
We’re Democrats. We’re pleased to serve. We believe we have the strong answers of recovery for this country. And we will go forward, being victorious on November 4th. Thank you everybody!
Soundpolitic Blogger’s Note
After the largest round of applause yet, Mike McNulty gave one final word, a call to action. "Paul Tonko will do his job as a candidate and more.’ said McNulty. "The question is: are we going to do our job to help him get elected?" What followed this was a cheer and round of applause that dwarfed even the previous one, a proper end to an appropriate and uplifting rally.
To get started doing your part, visit Paul Tonko’s website or donate to his campaign now.
I had spent much of the primary campaign getting the full story out there, interviewing all four candidates who spoke and providing coverage similar to this for the major debates, as well as posting as many of the press releases sent out by the campaigns as possible. The mainstream media put out arguably a single digit’s percentile of this, and I’m even more proud to have done it with a budget of $0 while residing in one of the most expensive media markets in the state, if not the country.
I also spent a great deal of time as a volunteer for Phil Steck, and have previously stated that I would hold the line for him in the general election by casting my vote for him on the Independence ticket...
Well, not after today, my fellow Democrats. If Phil Steck can endorse Paul Tonko, then so can I, and I’ll do so in the only way that truly matters on November 4, 2008. I planned on taking one final look back at the primary campaign in a future diary, but I believe this final gathering of all the great candidates suffices. It’s time for me to get into full general election mode, let the past be the past and evolve into history, then into legend; this Congressional District will never be the same after the Democratic Primary of 2008.
My thanks goes out to the candidates who gave me their time and their quotes for teaching me so much about our electoral process and competing so hard for votes in an open process, as well as for getting behind my next Congressman, Paul Tonko. And thank you, dear reader, for staying informed and interested in our democracy. Now do your part and vote "Tonkobama!" in NY-21.
Peace,
Colin Abele
Berne, NY