In District 32, Democrat Mary Lou Connolly will have to fight for her seventh term in office after losing the Democratic nomination to her opponent Paul Miller.
Connolly is a 23-year veteran of Albany County Legislature endorsed by County Executive Dan McCoy. The loss comes after a recent scandal wherein her personal finance report was filed over a month late, after two past campaigns in 2008 and 2012 had yielded negative balances. She filed her most recent report over 20 days late, only after Miller publicly pointed out her lateness.
Miller won the Democratic nominee with 56 percent of the votes to Connolly’s 41 percent. Miller is a committee member of legislature majority leader Frank Commisso in Albany’s 15th Ward.
He contributes his win to the fact that he has been “working really hard, knocking on people’s doors since June.” Connolly, he said, “took a more electronic approach much later in the game, and it showed.”
“I’m confident about having the Democratic Party’s backing. I have a good start. I feel like I’m going to serve the people and continue to reach out to community members,” he said.
Connelly, on the other hand, sees the loss as the combined result of low voter turnout and Legislative Majority Leader Frank Commisso’s campaign against her.
“It’s primarily the good old boys club and they went against me,” said Connelly. “It’s horrible. When you don’t agree with majority leader on one or two issues, they kick you out,” she said. Her past support of the plan to privatize the Albany County Nursing home, in particular, had come under fire during the campaign.
Mary Lou Connelly still has the support of the Independence and Conservative lines and will continue to campaign for the November elections. “I’m continuing my battle, not for me, but people of Guilderland who deserve someone with the experience.”