Politics in 2018, ‘Upstate’Free Access




Cynthia Nixon with protesters last week at the CPV power plant outside Middletown, in Orange County. She’s running for governor as a Democrat. Photo Provided

Cynthia Nixon with protesters last week at the CPV power plant outside Middletown, in Orange County. She’s running for governor as a Democrat. Photo Provided

Primaries seem to be the rage this year. Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces a challenger to his left, Cynthia Nixon, the Sex and the City actor. She turned heads with her assessment that “upstate New York” begins somewhere around Ithaca, though her campaign later said that, obviously, she was joking.

Well, I hope so. But know this: She’s tapping into some deep anger among Democrats, especially but not only progressive Democrats, with Andrew Cuomo. He’s thin-skinned himself, yet he seems to deliberately needle New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Considering that Democratic politics across New York state are, by and large, decided in New York City, it complicates things to have the top two Democrats on the state scene feuding.

Whereas a lot of people seem to have yawned at the allegations of corruption among Cuomo’s circle (prematurely, I think), she hasn’t. “New York’s eight years under the Cuomo administration have been an exercise in living with disappointment, dysfunction, and dishonesty. Our state could be a place where every single New Yorker has what we need to thrive, if only we could stop our governor from selling New York off to the highest bidder,” she writes on her campaign website, cynthiafornewyork.com.

A few days ago, she was at the CPV power plant outside Middletown, in Orange County, protesting its startup. Early testing has been rocky, and even pro-business Republicans are starting to distance themselves. Not for nothing, but this billion-dollar plant is tied into the corruption case that traces back to the infamies of Buffalo, with a limited-show job for the wife of an aide to the governor as one of the payoffs. What’s that expression? Good work if you can get it?

Indeed.

Not only that, but she’s going to tie the subway failures directly to the governor. Can you say #cuomosmta? She can, and she hopes to make it stick. She has a point here: It seems counter-intuitive, but the MTA is a creature of the state, and Cuomo has pushed glitzy projects like new service or station improvements, even while urgent but dull issues like signal improvements languish. If there’s a snowstorm or blizzard, he’s in charge. If there’s a new line (the Second Avenue Subway), he’s in charge and ready to take credit. Not so much about the delays, though after several grim months last year, Cuomo realized the increasing political peril and declared a state of emergency.

I wrote last week about Chris Gibson, the former U.S. representative known for his candor, directness and decency. More than a few in the group of news people at the conference of the New York Press Association wondered why he wasn’t running for governor as a Republican. He seemed genuine in speaking of family concerns, particularly regarding his youngest child, but said he could well be back on the scene after that.

Meanwhile, Marcus Molinaro is running for the Republican nod. He’s currently the Dutchess County executive. He’s going places, and has been for a while. But for now, it’s going to be a lot more exciting watching the blood sport among the Democrats.

Here’s another question: If Nixon can find all these things to attack Cuomo over, why is it that Republicans, many of them, are nearly silent? Are there no Republican subway and train riders? I think there are.

Yes, I know there has been that unholy alliance in the state Senate. But maybe, you know, governing should be the goal, not simply vacuuming up vast amounts of tax money and seeing that the spoils are sufficiently distributed.

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One of my goals is to live long enough to see the Taconic Wall come down between eastern Putnam and western Putnam. The chambers of commerce have taken some initial but still early steps, bringing members from one side of the county to the other for key outings. The Putnam County Visitors Bureau has just published a new Travel Guide, and it helps highlight how much stuff – really, quite a lot – there is to do inside Putnam County. Go ahead. Be brave. Plunge in. Travel beyond Fahnestock!

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Beginning next week, we will publish an occasional “Political Notebook” filled with fundraisers, endorsements and sundry political news. Send items to editor@pcnr.com for inclusion; please include a contact number.

Until next week.

Douglas Cunningham is publisher of both the Putnam County News and Recorder, in Cold Spring, and its sister paper, the Courier, in Carmel. Letters on this or other topics are welcome. Limit to 500 words. Send to editor@pcnr.com. You can reach Cunningham at that email, or call 845-265-2468. And, if you are in the village, stop by and see our new offices, at 3 Stone St.

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