Mike Hein, Democratic candidate for Ulster County Executive continues to far outpace Len Bernardo – the Independence Party member who has been tapped as a stand-in by Republicans – in key measures of support.
According to recent campaign disclosures barely 100 individuals have contributed to Bernardo’s campaign. Those donors gave a total of only about $32,000, with $5,000 coming from a single donor in New Mexico. Democrat Mike Hein, on the other hand, has more than three-times as many donors, forming a much broader base of support.
Bernardo’s anemic fundraising would severely constrain the campaign of a middle-class candidate; however, Bernardo has been able to tap his personal wealth to fund his quest for the top job in Ulster County. Bernardo has more than made up for his lack of popularity by simply loaning his campaign more than an astounding $100,000. At a time when many residents of Ulster County are struggling to buy fuel oil for the winter and pay their monthly bills, Bernardo has the luxury of buying the most powerful job in the County.
Democratic County Chairman Julian Schreibman said: “Mike Hein has been a dedicated public servant for years. He and his supporters have had to work extraordinarily hard to raise money to make his message heard. But so long as Len Bernardo can write checks to his campaign for tens of thousands of dollars, his lone voice threatens to drown out those of the middle and working class citizens who want real progress for Ulster County.”
James Quigley, Republican candidate for Ulster County Comptroller has upped the ante on Bernardo: Quigley hasn’t even bothered to accept donations, excusing himself from one of the most challenging parts of running for office. Easy for him to do. Quigley has bank-rolled the Republican Party and Republican causes for years – including opposition to the Charter. Whenever his campaign needs money, he just drops in several thousand dollars more, including $35,000 in the month of October alone. Quigley has said he will donate his salary to charity – but it looks like one of his favorite charities is the Republican Party.
Bernardo and Quigley thus make up an extraordinarily privileged slate of candidates. Is there room for leadership in our public sphere for people of modest means? When only the wealthy run the government, the government will be run for the benefit of the wealthy. The Republican candidates can afford to run a luxurious race of glossy brochures and costly advertisements. But can the citizens of Ulster County really afford to elect two men who are so far removed from the concerns of real working people in our community?
19 comments:
We don't need two guys like Lenny and Squigley to take on jobs at the county like it is a charity hobby like the garden club.
Lenny has run a shameful campaign. He is used to having things run in circles...like at his roller rink...
Taxpayers need a straight line to a better government and future.
You and the Dems sound scared to me.
Straight line to better government? Thats a laugh.
Dem AG Cuomo is suing to get money back from LERW [lower esopus river watch]. But Hein gave them $58,000 this year. If Hein was opposed to giving LERW the money, as some have claimed, he didn't speak up very loudly. Oddly he didn't even speak out against it during public comment periods at County Legislature meetings.
Can Mr Quigley or Mr. Bernardo cut ME a check?? I'm running a little low on cash these days
JB -
HEIN LIES IN MAILER
Ulster County Executive Candidate Len Bernardo (I - Accord), today called upon County Administrator Mike Hein to retract a blatantly false campaign mailing Hein sent out.
Hein mailed out a campaign flier using an exert of an October 1, 2008 Times Herald Record newspaper story which read as follows: "In 2005 Bernardo's firm, TLB Management got $1.4 million in assistance from the Ulster County Development Agency." - October 1, 2008
After the Bernardo campaign pointed out that the allegation was erroneous to reporter Paul Brooks who wrote the original story, The Times Herald Record wrote the following: "Ulster County Executive Candidate Len Bernardo funded his $1.4 million project in Accord - Skate Time 209 - himself, according to both Bernardo and Lance Matteson, president of the Ulster County Development Corp. A story in Wednesday's paper was unclear about the source of money." Times Herald Record, October 3, 2008
"This goes to the heart of Mike Hein's credibility. He sent out a mailing which is unquestionably false. The wording put out in the Times Herald Record on October 1 and then the follow up statement on October 3 speak for themselves. You cannot spin the Record's follow up statement no matter how hard you try. Mr. Hein lied," Bernardo said.
Other media also published statements clarifying or correcting the false allegations. County Legislator Hector Rodriguez, Chairman of the County Legislature's Economic Development Committee, for instance falsely told the Ulster County Press that Bernardo received the $1.4 million grant. However, two weeks later, in the October 15, 2008 edition of the Ulster County Press, Rodriguez admitted he was wrong: "The total value of" Skate Time 209 "was $1.4 million, which was self financed," Rodriguez wrote.
Ulster County IDA President Lance Matteson has also admitted that Bernardo did not receive the grant assistance alleged by Hein in his mailer. "As you know, the UCIDA was not the source of these errors. However, I have in recent days corrected these errors in both private and public comments and with concerned journalists," Matteson wrote of claims that Bernardo received $1.4 million in assistance.
Hein also mailed out a flier linking Bernardo to President Bush. "It was Mr. Hein who was a Republican when George Bush was elected President in 2000 and re-elected in 2004," Bernardo said. Hein was a Republican until December, 2005 switching parties right after the Democrats took control of the County Legislature. "Mike wants to be all things to all people, but today he is one thing for sure - an unprincipled politician who we just can't trust," Bernardo concluded.
Projects approved by the County Industrial Development Agency receive a sales tax exemption on the cost of building improvements. This is a standard IDA benefit and was approved by a bi-partisan group of IDA appointees. Len and Terry Bernardo took a vacant lot in Accord and invested over $2 million in construction and start up costs to create Skate Time 209, named Small Business of the Year in 2006 by the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce. They were also honored by the Ulster County Legislature for their investment in the community.
"When we invested our life's savings into Accord, all the politicians came, applauded, cut the ribbon, and thanked us. Even the County Legislature gave us the 'Pride of Ulster County' award. Now that I have become a candidate, Mr. Hein and his political hacks - some of whom were the very ones honoring my wife's and my investment into Ulster County are trying to smear us. This is an example of everything that people hate about politics," Bernardo said.
So, if Mike Hein is so far ahead, why did he find it necessary to send out mailers which were full of untrue statements?
Before you try to justify censoring this post by saying I am making unfounded accusations, here is the proof:
Mailers were received by many voters yesterday [Paid for by the Committee to Elect Mike Hein] which stated that Len Bernardo built his roller skating rink with $1.4 million in County money. That is a lie. Len Bernardo did not receive one cent from the County. Skate Time 209 was completely funded by him. In fact, he paid $50 thousand in order to participate in this IDa program.
When presented with documentary proof of this fact, the papers retracted the very stories which Mike Hein later quoted in his mailer.
Mr. Hein may have had the excuse of not knowing the truth when he first called on Mr. Bernardo to "pay back" money he never received. He has no such excuse now.
Mike Hein either knew that the statements he put in his mailer previously been proven absolutely false, beyond any doubt whatsoever, or he is completely incompetent to ever run this County.
There is no other explanation.
Imre:
Hein is going to coast to victory with Auerbach on Tuesday and really you can spin it anyway you want, it does not change that fact.
-JB
Irma,
Len has run one of the nastiest, lie filled campaign in years.
He clearly doesn't have the experience or temperment to lead the county. He is only backed by a buch of blowhards like yourself.
That is the only truth.
The Bernardo camp has told so many lies they now have to search the truth out. sorry guys you keep tripping on your own feet .You brought this on yourself.
Julian Schriebman and the Democratic Committee has got it right. The main criteria for a Republican candidate is their ability to finance their own campaigns...creditials be damned.
Hein and Auerbach will win.
Imre - How come not mention of the constant lies in the TV ad Bernardo has claiming Mike Hein did nothing to stop a 39%property tax increase. REPUBLICANS WERE IN CHARGE!!!!Blaming Mike Hein for the jail fiasco. REPUBLICANS WERE IN CHARGE!!!Talk about lies, where was your outrage than. Mike Hein stoped the bleeding. Republicans (Mike Catalino) and the likes of Joe Roberti only know how to tell lies in campaigns they had anyting to do with.
Imre better start looking for a red state to move to. They're disappearing fast! There's always one place where repugnant ones are welcome-The Republic of China!
THE SWAMI SPEAKS.....
HEIN WINS BY 13,000 VOTES
AUERBACH WINS BY 8,500 VOTES
YESS GETS DESTROYED BY 4-1 MARGIN
HINCHEY ROMPS 75%-25%
GOP MIGHT WIN AGAINST GILLIBRAND WITH RE-TREADWELL AS MANY OF THE HITLER YOUTH THAT EMIGRATED TO THE USA AFTER WW-2 NOW MAKE UP A LARGE ELECTORATE BLOCK IN THE NORTHERN PORTION OF OUR DISTRICT.
OBAMA WINS IN RAZOR THIN MARGIN, BUT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN THIS RACE BECAUSE MANY WHITES IN AMERICA ARE RACISTS. THEY WILL TELL THE POLLSTER THEY ARE VOTING FOR BARACK, BUT WILL SNIVVLE AND VOTE FOR MC-OLD ONCE THEIR SHEET IS PULLED IN THE VOTING BOOTH.
POLITICO-SWAMI D-ANNANDALE
Nice try guys...in case anyone has forgotten, Mr. Hein was a Republican, for much longer than he has been in the blue, so to speak.
If we really want to dive into the financial disclosures, then answer me this...how do three separate corporations, who happen to be located at THE SAME ADDRESS, get away with loaning the Hein campaign a whopping 15 thousand dollars, all in a 24 hour time span? And to make matters worse, these corporations reside in NASSAU COUNTY! This REEKS of corruption, and who knows, maybe some money laundering, funneling of funds to different campaigns, all across NY, for the benefit of the Democratic party. I'm sure Mr. Hinchey could tell you just how to do it, I've heard he's got the experience...
Heins broader base of support is just that...BROAD. And that's because a LOT of people are banking (no pun intended) on him, in order to keep their comfy jobs and ill-fated status-quo.
I find it very amusing to see that you attack Bernardo for self financing his campaign, yet you brag about Mike Hein having SO MUCH money. Perhaps we should let those of us who pay insane amounts of money on home-heating fuel, know that Mr. Bernardo also pays a lot of bills, including home-heat and maybe that's why he's not as well off as Mr. Hein. It seems like Mike is the one trying to buy this county job.
"When only the wealthy run the government, the government will be run for the benefit of the wealthy."
- What the hell do you think has been going on all this time?
MONEY DOESN'T SHOW SUPPORT, IT DEMANDS FAVORS. NEVER FORGET THIS!
VOTE FOR BERNARDO!!!
knowwhati'mtalkingabout -
ummm...no you don't.
I love when people who support a candidate can only tell you the other guy is bad - not about the good they can do - it happens locally and we see it big time with McCain.
The way to win a campaign is to explain what YOU can do - the other way doesn't work or explain anything to a voter. I want to know what YOU are going to do.
Bernardo has shown ZERO leadership or an understanding of how government finance works.
You know Swami, why is it, ANY vote for a republican must be rooted in racism, or by a nazi, or by someone who wishes to shoot themselves in the foot. Maybe, JUST maybe, someone votes for a republican because they share and agree on certain key issues. MAYBE, someone isn't pro-life, but they think McCain will protect and unify the country. MAYBE, a vote for Treadwell is a democrat unhappy that Gillibrand voted to fund the Iraq war.
There are more than just facist reasons people vote. For some reason, you have bestowed the title of perfection onto the democrats (which is alittle facist in itself, at minimal, elitist). And quite honestly, NOTHING is perfect in this world, atleast nothing man made is perfect.
MR BUBEL IT APPEARS YOU HAVE UNCOVERED SOME OF THE INNER-SARCASTIC POLITICO PSYCHE OF THE GREAT SWAMI.
WE DETERMINE WHAT WE ARE, AND WHATEVER WE WISH OURSELVES TO BE, WE HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE OURSELVES. IF WHAT WE ARE NOW HAS BEEN THE RESULT OF OUR OWN PAST ACTIONS, THEN WHATEVER WE WISH FOR THE FUTURE CAN BE PRODUCED BY OUR PRESENT ACTIONS, SO WE DO KNOW HOW TO ACT AND ACT WE WILL.
IF YOU FOLLOW THE SWAMI'S ADVICE THEN WHOM TO VOTE FOR IS OBVIOUS.
THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION IS NOT A MATTER OF PREDETERMINED CHANCE, BUT OF OUR OWN CHOOSING BASED UPON COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE OF OUR PAST EXPERIENCES. SO CHOOSE WELL...
अच्छी तरह रहो और रिपब्लिकन वोट
BAR(D) SWAMI
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