Two Hudson Valley Democrats Running for Governor
By Michael Boyajian
It may seem highly unlikely that a challenger will breach the unified front offered by Democrats in support of Andrew Cuomo for governor of New York, but, as Democratic leader Elisa Summer has said, organizing Democrats is sort of like herding cats. And it has not deterred two Hudson Valley Democrats from making a run for the Executive Mansion.
First up is four term Dutchess County Legislator Joel Tyner who is well liked in environmental circles. Tyner says, “I humbly submit to you all that we are doing little but rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic of our state's economy and middle class.” He stands strongly against Andrew Cuomo’s tax and economic policies.
Though he disagrees with Andrew Cuomo he does say that Cuomo is a good man who has done some decent things and proposed some good ideas involving redistricting, ethics reforms and marriage equality. But that is as far as he goes proposing instead a progressive tax system to finance schools and a small stock transfer tax on Wall Street.
Tyner is even going so far as to march 150 miles for his Tax Wall Street, Not Main Street platform. He plans to march from the New York Stock Exchange to Albany beginning June 26. He has an activist streak in him having recently organized a rally to stop development over the purest aquifer in the state that provides drinking water to 45,000 mid-Hudson Valley residents.
That is Joel Tyner, then you have virtual unknown, Shawangunk region resident Andi Weiss Bartczak who admits the media does not take her seriously because she cannot raise the big campaign bucks. She gained experience volunteering for social change and environmental organizations. Yet political insiders say she has no history of service within the Democratic Party.
She decided to run because she got tired of yelling at the radio and muttering while reading the newspaper. She is a self described progressive, feminist, small business owner and scientist. As a Ph.D scientist she tends to analyze things and found it puzzling that the state would close parks that bring tourism dollars to upstate communities. She is in favor of a truly progressive income tax and wants to raise revenues by claiming unclaimed container deposits. She will also do away with state paid consultants and turn the work over to lower paying state workers. She would also cut administrators before cutting services.
Both candidates need 15,000 signatures to get on the statewide Democratic primary ballot with Andrew Cuomo. Can they do it? Maybe. Can they win? That is another question entirely when opposing the Democratic muscle behind the candidacy of Andrew Cuomo. To overcome that hurdle is going to require some heavy lifting and that may require some more time in the political gym. But hey, who thought an unknown like Bill Clinton would defeat an insider like George Bush Senior in his race for the White House back in the 90s. End