A former Republican candidate for Niskayuna Town Board has decided the Grand Old Party isn’t a good fit anymore.
Linda Rizzo, a former Niskayuna Republican Committee member, announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, she was leaving the town GOP and filed a change of enrollment to join the Democratic Party. Philosophical differences and campaign tactics used by the town GOP is what Rizzo said spurred her switch. She said the change wasn’t made for reasons of political gain, such as getting elected to office.
“I left the party to become a Democrat because I have really major philosophical differences with the Republican platform at the national and local level,” Rizzo said. “It seems like the party is less and less concerned with the middle class and it seems like there is little room for moderates.”
Rizzo said she considered the recent town tax levy increase of 3.4 percent and bond rating downgrade as “non-issues,” because they were caused by an economic crisis on national and state levels. The town’s leadership, she said, was not the cause.
“The supervisor had handled the budget in a very responsible manner,” Rizzo said. “I felt that we were making non-issues issues during the campaign.”
Rizzo said she joined the Republican Party when she moved to Niskayuna in 1994 and for the last four years she was an active GOP committee member. In last year’s election she ran unsuccessfully against incumbent Democrats Liz Orzel Kasper and Julie McDonnell for a seat on the Town Board.
Michael Mansion, chairman of the Niskayuna Republican Committee, said he is disappointed any time a Republican is lost to another party, but even more so when an active member leaves.
“We are disappointed a little bit more knowing how hard Linda has worked in the past for the Republican Party,” Mansion said.
Niskayuna Democratic Committee Chairman Geoff Hall welcomed Rizzo to the party and scolded town Republicans for campaign tactics used during the last election.
“(Rizzo) is someone who cares deeply about our community and her views are far more in line with the platform of our party,” Hall said. “Last minute smear tactics and distortions of the truth such as those employed by last year’s Republican slate don’t sit well with the voters in general, and apparently don’t sit well with some of their party faithful.”
Mansion denied claims of the GOP running a misleading campaign and said statements made in the campaign by candidates and the party were factual. He pointed to the town’s bond rating being downgraded as an example.
“Every fact that goes out is checked, rechecked and tripled checked,” Mansion said. “None of those facts provided in literature are off the cuff; they are factually based.”
He also said there is room for moderate Republicans in the town, because anyone is welcome as long as they agree to reducing the cost of government and tax burden on taxpayers. He said larger national issues aren’t important within the local party.
Mansion said if the Democrats do have a better vision for the town than the Republicans, he hasn’t seen it yet.
Rizzo said the switch wasn’t made to set her up for a successful election bid. Historically town Democrats have held a majority on the Town Board.
“As a Republican I was a big fish in a small pond, and as a Democrat I am a little fish in a big pond. You don’t make a move like that if you want to be elected,” Rizzo said. “My whole life has been based on my values and my ethics and when I feel something is deviating from those, I then have to do something about it.”
