Parete for Senate?

If you pick up Hugh Reynolds' column this week there is a piece in there about the lack of a real Democratic candidate running in the newly created 46th Senate district, or at least a candidate from Ulster County which covers 25% of the district. In essence Reynolds said he was surprised and hinted at the possibility of a big name candidate announcing at the Democratic convention in a few weeks.

Some Dem leaders have written off the race already because the likely Republican nominee, George Amadore, who is a good guy, will spend a ton of money to win the seat. No question that is true, I worked on Susan Savage's senate race two years ago in Schenectady county, Amadore was running for reelection to the Assembly in a race that he was definitely going to win and still Amadore dumped about 500,000 in his race. The guy has money.

However, the district leans Democratic and this is a presidential election year, and whether people love Obama or not, I have a feeling he is going to do pretty well in NY. I also think Democratic candidates will benefit from him being on the ballot. Again, 25% of the district, which is a considerable amount is in Ulster County.

Getting back to Reynolds' theory that a big name candidate may announce brings me to the name I keep hearing: Ulster Legislator Robert Parete.  Parete would be a great candidate, actually the ideal candidate for the race and to run against the likely Republican nominee. Parete is a six term county lawmaker, in that time he has lead committees such as the health and human services committee and gotten a lot done. He's a very likeable, smart individual that is passionate about public service, it sorta in his blood.  Legislator Parete is currently the Minority whip of the county legislature.

Rob also has a background not just as a county lawmaker but he also worked in the state legislature under Assemblyman Kevin Cahill. As for the money, I think that Rob will be able to raise a significant amount, he's a good campaigner, his father has gotten a lot of Democrats elected in this county and you get to know a lot of people. I really believe Rob Parete would be our new Senator in the 46th if he decided to run. It really is important to sit and ask yourself, do we want a Senator from Ulster County that knows the issues of our county and how to address them, or do we want a Senator from somewhere like Schenectady County that isn't necessarily familiar with our county? Under Parete we would have a Senator that represents our interests.