Vice chairwoman blasts lack of candidate for county executive
What started as a benign event announcement has blossomed into a peek at discord among the Republican Party leadership in Albany County over endorsement choices for the upcoming local elections.
Emails between party leaders have been flying back and forth for the past few days, with several persons outside the party and members of the media among the recipients copied on the messages. The emails provide a glimpse at the sometimes-vitriolic local political process as party strategy is discussed in stark terms.
The thread started with Deborah Busch (past Republican Assembly candidate) asking that an upcoming GOP family day picnic be announced and publicized, to which Albany County GOP Vice Chairwoman Melody Burns replied, in part:
…the only thing Albany County GOP should be doing is hang their heads in shame. Only two towns carried petitions for a republican for county executive a key position within the county. The fact that the county has handed the county executive position to the democrats will have a trickle down effect on all republican candidates.`
In an interview, Burns said she was typing a response on her phone and didn’t realize she had hit `reply all,` intending only to reply to Busch.
`I was upset because I just found out we didn’t get enough signatures for [Albany County Executive hopeful] Nathan [Lebron],` she said. `It was supposed to be an internal debate… then everybody felt the need to respond to everybody.`
Guilderland Republican Party Chairman Matt Nelligan responded to Burns, defending the party’s decision not to back Lebron. Figures like Bethlehem Republican Party Chairman Ralph Ambrosio and Lebron himself then chimed in.
In an interview, Lebron said his butting of heads with Albany County GOP Chairman Donald Clarey is to blame for his not receiving the endorsement. Last month, Lebron publicly demanded Clarey resign his position.
But the following emails show at least some Republicans had an issue with a past $150 donation Lebron made to the campaign of Democratic County Legislator Bryan Clenahan.
Lebron said Clenahan is an old friend and the donation was not political.
`I knew him before I even ran in 2009 for mayor,` Lebron said in an interview, adding Clenehan had helped him with a closing on a home during a time of need.
`I couldn’t think of a better way to thank him than go to a friend’s fundraiser and support him,` Lebron said.
Lebron said the majority of the petition signatures collected on his behalf came from the Town of Bethlehem. The party’s decision there to back Democrat Kyle Kotary in the race for town supervisor has apparently been controversial with other members of the party.
`The sell out deal struck to nominate former dysfunctional senate den staffer Kyle Kotary for supervisor and also former tim gordon staffer mark jordan for judge is really beyond the pale of sanity,` wrote Nelligan in an email.
It’s unclear if the later participants knew, cared or intended that the media were privy to the discussion.
In a few instances, Busch interjected herself into the conversation to ask participants discontinue the discussion, reminding those involved the emails were going out to the media.
`Really this was not the forum. This should have been discussed at committee meetings,` she said in a later interview. `Melody [Burns] really at this point should provide an apology to everybody on that list.`
Burns`who was pulled up to the county leadership last year from her position of Bethlehem chairwoman`apparently didn’t reenter the conversation after her original email. Today she said she had effectively been `excommunicated` from the GOP leadership because of her efforts to organize the Capital District GOP Women’s Council PAC.
`I don’t receive notices when they have meetings, I don’t know what’s going on,` she said.
Clarey could not immediately be reached.
The GOP’s picnic will take place at Thacher Park from 1-4 p.m. in the Green House location on Sunday, July 24. Special guest will be Former Brooklyn Dodger Ralph Branca and there will be an apple pie bakeoff. It’s $10 per individual or $15 per family to attend. The picnic is billed as `an American event.`
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