Focus Media Nets Townsend As New C.O.O.

Jay Townsend

Conngrats to Josh Sommers on his new hire, it's disappointing to see that Josh will no longer be working on political campaigns. I had the opportunity to get to know and work with Josh and he is one of the best in the business here locally. I recommend Focus media to anyone or buisness looking to get their message out. Below is the story from the Record.

MONTICELLO — Focus Media, the public relations and marketing firm that has made a reputation with campaigns getting Democrats elected to office, has hired Republican strategist Jay Townsend.

Townsend will become the company's chief operating officer on Dec. 1, said Focus Media President and CEO Josh Sommers.

"He brings a world of experience to our firm, and he's going to be able to open a lot of doors," Sommers said.

For the past few years, Sommers has redirected his firm's focus away from politics and onto building a portfolio of corporate clients such as Real Estate Solutions, Walden Savings Bank and Monticello Gaming & Raceway.

Firm taking on national clients

Townsend, a Cornwall-on-Hudson resident who owns the political strategy firm The Townsend Group, helped engineer major campaign victories for Republicans. He's credited with helping Patrick Buchanan win the New Hampshire presidential primary.

Sommers said Townsend's political savvy will translate well as the firm takes on larger, national clients.

"There is a methodology to political work" that will translate well to corporate clients, Townsend said. "You start with a certain market share, and your job at the get-go is to secure your base and then invade the base and turf of the other candidate."

Townsend said the economic downturn means corporate America will see "a tremendous period of upheaval," with many weaker companies not surviving. He added that companies that don't advertise to protect their market share might not survive the downturn.

Focus Media is opening an office in Goshen. Townsend will oversee business operations at that office and its existing office in Monticello. The firm employs eight people, up from three less than two years ago.

With the exception of one outstanding commitment, Focus Media will no longer accept political clients. Townsend said he will operate his strategy firm separately from Focus Media.

YES HE DID

MADAM SECRETARY

For the first time in almost 8 years, we are going to have a President and an administration that we can be proud of!!!!

Now the fight for Hillary's Senate seat begins...I'm pulling for Suozzi but it's a long shot. Smart money says Cuomo or Gillibrand.

Bob Porter Elected Dem Boss in Ulster

Former Kingston Alderman and Ulster resident Bob Porter was elected unanimously to serve as the new chair of the town of Ulster Democratic Committee. Mike Berardi, who was also nominated, declined to run saying that Bob Porter was a person that had the skills and ability to do the job effectively.

Mr. Porter's first order of business was to schedule a holiday party at the Reservoir Inn, to start fundraising for town board races that will take place next year.

Happy Thanksgiving

AUERBACH TAKES LEAD IN COMPTROLLER'S RACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elliott Auerbach has taken the lead in the race for Ulster County Comptroller. Elliott is leading Quigley by 74 votes with 5 districts left to be counted. Keep thinking positive my friends, the worm has turned!!

167

167 votes separate Elliott Auerbach from becoming Ulster County's first Comptroller. Good thoughts and optimism are desperately needed my friends!!

MONDAY 11.24.08

We started the day behind by 366

Today narrowed the gap as we continue to open up both absentee and affidavit ballots.

THE NUMBER IS NOW 167

Here is what helped us today:

Town of Rochester +62

Town of Rosendale +47

Town of Shandaken +48

Remainder of City of Kingston +33

First 4 Districts in Saugerties +8

Here is what we have left:

321 Shawangunk

394 Woodstock

500 Saugerties

200+ Set aside and objected to ballots

SUOZZI FOR US SENATE

First, I offer my early congrats on Hillary Clinton becoming our Secretary of State, it could not go to a better more qualified person. As you know I supported Hillary Clinton for President and I think she will be great as our top Diplomat.

Someone else I supported in early 2006 was a guy named Tom Suozzi who was running for Governor in a primary against Eliot Spitzer. I supported Tom early on and I switched to Spitzer because I met Governor Spitzer and he was clearly the guy for the job.

While I don't regret my support for the former Governor, I think NY would be in better shape in if in 06 we had elected Tom Suozzi, a guy that reformed Nassau County and has fought hard against corruption on every level and someone that has been a leader in fighting for property tax reform in this state.

We need a guy like Tom Suozzi fighting for us in the Senate, a voice that will not be silenced, a leader and someone that will be an advocate for NY, like Senator Clinton has been.

I hope that Governor Patterson sends Tom Suozzi to Washington, I don't think any of us will be disappointed.

Stevens Out, Quigley Next

Today Senator Ted Stevens lost his bid for reelection to his Democratic challenger after all the absentee ballots where counted.... One down, one to go.

Bruhn for GOP Boss

While we wait for the results of the Auerbach campaign, I guess we can deal with some local issues and one of them is the new leadership in the Kingston Republican Committee.

It seems that Mario Catalano has given the word that it is time for Jean Jacobs to go as Republican Chair and he has the votes to get rid of her when they reorganize next month. The question is who will take over the top spot? Tony Sinagra (yawn) and Rich Cahill (yawn) have been mentioned as possible people to take over.

I like Tony but his time has come and gone, if the Republicans want real leadership and a shot at taking back the council next year they must restore integrity to the committee, Micheal Bruhn Jr., is the guy that can do that.

Now as a Democrat I am hoping that Jacobs stays on as long as possible but as an independent observer, Mike Bruhn Jr., is the way to go if the GOP wants to start winning elections.

Paper Breaking For Auerbach

The absentee ballots are breaking steadily for Comptroller candidate Elliott Auerbach in his bid to become Ulster's first Comptroller.

While not much was accomplished on Friday due to the Skartados/Kirwin race, we should have a good idea on who won this election on Tuesday.

The good news is Auerbach is breaking ahead in areas like Marlboro and other Republican strong holds where he did not do particularly well on the machines.

I think this goes to the theory that these votes were cast before the Quigley media wave of lies and deception hit. If Auerbach does well in Kingston and holds on to New Paltz, Woodstock and Rosendale, the race will go his way.

More details as they become available.

Two Reasons Why Auerbach Should Win

BY THE NUMBERS

Elliott Auerbach is looking better everyday at becoming Ulster County's first Comptroller and I am cautiously optimistic that he will pull it off.

First, Jim Quigley spent $17 per vote compared to the .76 per vote that Auerbach spent, the fact that this race is close tells you something.

Right now Quigley leads with 550 votes (Auerbach gained 28 during the re canvas) and the more than 4200 absentee ballots will begin to be counted next Wednesday. With a strong Democratic trend, Elliott looks to be in good shape, as long as Dems voted down the line and not just for President.

No matter what it will be close but keep in mind a few things :

1.) Most of the people voted by absentee weeks ago, before the huge Quigley media wave hit

2.) 2:1 more Dems requested absentees than Republicans

3.) Democrats targeted all absentee voters early on

But, who knows anything is possible and Quigley could very well win.



FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTY AND PROCESS:

I ran into Mr.Quigley the morning after the election at a local establishment and I went to shake his hand and he said " stay the "f" away from me", Quigley just showed all the millions of dollars he has couldn't buy him class.

It's funny my relationship with Mr. Quigley had always been cordial up until that point and he even called me a few days before the election to tell me one of Elliott's big signs were knocked down and he gave me the location to fix it.

After I thanked him, I said to him, there are a lot of bad Dems and Republicans out there and people that get involved for the wrong reasons but whatever the result of this election I want you to know, Auerbach is one of the good ones. And, that's how it ended.

And, I meant that, the election has already been decided we will know the result soon enough but whatever the outcome Elliott Auerbach is a stand up guy that put his principals and integrity above everything else.

Elliott is the only candidate that ran countywide that never went negative, not once! Even when his opponent would put out a mailer full of lies and distortion, he would say, I'll let my Integrity guide me and I always respected that and it's something that Elliott taught me that stuck with me and I am proud of him for it.

Which is why I am confident that after every vote is counted the people of Ulster County will have spoken that they want a Comptroller with integrity and morals, and you can't walk into Ulster County and buy an election. After every vote is counted, my good friend Elliott Auerbach will be Ulster County's first Comptroller.

A message from Elliott Auerbach

How great was it to lick the nectar of victory off of our lips as we celebrated Democratic successes both nationally and locally. The efforts by each and every one of you were remarkable and the HUGE turnout reflected that.

Let me share with you a brief update as to where we are with the Comptroller’s race so that you can pass this along to all who have a stake in our successes.

At the end of the evening I was trailing by 585 “unofficial” votes. Here is how things broke down:
As a Democrat I beat him by 4180 votes (33047 to 28867)
He gained that back + 10 on the Independence line by getting 4190
He then took 3564 on the Conservative line
I took 2989 on the Working Families line

Yesterday the Board of Elections began reviewing the tally (let’s call it a recount for lack of better words) to ensure that the numbers that were reported match the actual tally.

Once that is done and confirmed we may have a slight deviation to the spread.

After that, the fun begins.

To date, there are 4430 absentee ballots that have yet to be counted out of 6165. Ballots can come in as late as November 12th so there should be even more.

41% of those absentee ballot requests are from Dems (2512 out of 6165)
28% from NO PARTY (1705 of 6165)
26% are from Republicans (1604 of 6165)
3% from Independence (206 of 6165)
1.5% from Conservative
The remainder from WFP (11) Green (30) Libertarian (2)

The BOE will begin counting the absentee ballots on November 14th

IN ADDITION there are a number of people who voted by affidavit. I don’t have a handle on the exact amount but it could be close to 700

Any or all of these votes will be scrutinized by legal teams representing both candidates. This will be a long and arduous process that could take three weeks…..STAY TUNED!

The good news is we are in the race!!!!!!


Thanks for everything.


Elliott

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

President Barack Obama....never thought it would happen. What a great day to be a Democrat and an American.

Hein Wins, Comptroller Race too Close to Call

Full details and analysis later today. The blog will continue until the conclusion of the Ulster County Comptroller race...GO AUERBACH!!!!!

VOTE HEIN AUERBACH AND THE REST OF ROW A

It's very important that we all go out and exercise our right to vote this election cycle. It's an historic election both nationally and locally. I want to thank all the candidates that stuck their neck out and decided to run for public office, I think at the end of the day the benefits are greater than the bitter partisan fighting that takes place each year.

PRESIDENT: BARACK OBAMA

COUNTY EXECUTIVE : MIKE HEIN

COUNTY COMPTROLLER: ELLIOTT AUERBACH

NYS ASSEMBLY 101 : KEVIN CAHILL

NYS ASSEMBLY 103 : MARC MOLINARO

ALDERMAN WARD 2 : TOM HOFFAY

NEW PALTZ TOWN BOARD: BRITTANY TURNER

Quigley Called out on the LIES and Deception of HIS campaign

CLICK PICTURE TO READ.

When $1 equals 100k or more!!

I have received campaign literature from Mr. Jim Quigley that has very misleading information. Either Quigley has been terribly misinformed or he lacks the basic understanding necessary to hold the office of Comptroller.

In his ad's, he has stated that he will use all but $1 of his salary to hire two new auditors. There are fatal flaws with his plan that make it virtually impossible to happen.

First and foremost, the current Majority of the Legislature, which has to approve ALL new positions, has been working for almost 3 years to reduce, not EXPAND the size Govenrment. Do more with less has been our battle cry. The Charter commission determined the correct staffing levels for each new department and we agree with them. We will not support or vote for two new positions.

Another major flaw with his "plan" is that $100,000 in salary is just the beginning of the expense related to hiring new employees. What about the approximately $80,000 in benefits for the two new employees? How about the additional cost of training or that the taxpayers will be burdened with carrying these positions forever?

The Majority of the Legislature is not prepared to throw three years of work, and thousands of dollars of taxpayer money out the window to fulfill a ill conceived, ill thought out campaign promise.

This plan exposes Quigley's lack of understanding of how government works and his total disregard for taxpayers. It shows he is not prepared to become the first Comptroller of Ulster County.

Elliot Auerbach has been there and done that. That is a very good thing. Elliot Auerbach knows that working together with the Legislature,
we can achieve more reform and efficiencies that in the end, will benefit taxpayers by reducing, not expanding costs. The taxpayers of Ulster County need a Main St. thinker like Elliott Auerbach not a wall St. thinker like his opponent.

Brian B.Cahill
Majority Leader
Ulster County Legislature

AUERBACH-HEIN ENDORSED BY KINGSTON TIMES

Elliott Auerbach and James Quigley want to be the county's first comptroller, the position that will replace the treasurer and will be responsible for auditing the books. Both should be able to run a nine-person, $510,000 department. Quigley is a CPA, and that should accrue to his benefit. Auerbach is a current village manager, familiar with municipal finance and good with people, and that should accrue to his benefit. This one is a tough call, but we'll endorse Auerbach as able to watch where the money goes while listening to the people it goes to and comes from.

The campaign for Ulster County's first executive has been something of a disappointment. And yet, if county voters elect Democrat Michael Hein we will likely get the person we need - the guy who will conduct the necessary work to set up the office of executive, who will watch the budget and count the beans, who can put all the pieces in place. These will be the primary tasks of the first county executive. We could argue that it is not necessary to elect a great political visionary for the county, first because we don't appear to have one, and second because organization could be a greater key to this first term. It's a complicated office, there's a new administrative code to be followed and a relationship to be built between executive and legislature.

Len Bernardo is not the man for this task. It's a nuts and bolts time and his grasp of the situation is lacking. Running a government is quite different from running a private business, where his expertise lies.

Hein never struck us as an ideal candidate - he switched parties, came up with too much familiarity with the old power structure in the county, and is making a novice's run at office. But his experience as county administrator gives him a leg up on knowing what desks have to go where and that should suffice for a first term.

Make Sure You Vote...from Obama to Auerbach

Statement from the Ulster County Democratic Committee

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?