Schenectady County Republican Chairman Tom Buchanan said that the vote by the Rotterdam Republican committee to nominate Gerard Parisi as a candidate for New York State Assembly on Thursday, May 6, did not follow town or county committee rules in a press release on Monday, May 10.
Buchanan said that the committee membership of the Rotterdam Republican Committee was not given proper notice that a motion from the floor was going to be made for a candidate and that those who were not in attendance and were in favor of Assemblymen George Amedore, R-Rotterdam, were surprised to hear that their written proxies were voted to support Parisi.
The Committee Members had no notice that a motion was going to be made from the floor to endorse an Assembly Candidate, said Buchanan in a release. Buchanan is also working to schedule a meeting with the Schenectady County Republican Committee to select an endorsement in the coming week. For the 105th Assembly District, nominees must gain support in both Schenectady and Montgomery Counties.
`While the county committees in Schenectady and Montgomery will ultimately decide who gets the nominations and a town committee endorsement has no real weight, as Schenectady County Chairman, I have an obligation to ensure the integrity of the town committee endorsement process, especially given the irregularities of the town meeting in which county committee members in the town feel they were misled or tricked,` said Buchanan.
Parisi said the vote was legitimate and that voters should vote on the candidates for the nomination on the credentials and the job each can do for the district.
`I think the voters should vote on us depending on our credentials and the job we can do,` said Parisi. `Ultimately, it comes down to the county meeting, but Rotterdam has already had their vote…I don’t think they should discredit a legitimate vote.`
Amedore said that the vote in Rotterdam is not a true reflection of his support in the town, and the vote at the committee meeting on May 6 was not a true representation of both candidates.
`They support me and I don’t think there is a lack of support for me on the Republican ticket come November,` said Amedore.
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