Monday, May 21, 2007



The Flemings Do Decree…an Incumbent Gets Axed in Sand Lake

Maybe you’ve noticed your Democrat friends getting nervous. With the political casualties piling up following a divisive contest for party leadership last fall, there’s good cause for the twitchiness.

Take Sand Lake, for example. Tom Wade won election as party chair, after sneaking past M. Lynne Mahoney and her allies. That led to Wade’s allies in Sand Lake, Legislator Flora Fasoldt and her father, Frank Fleming, ousting the party chair. And they’re apparently not done yet.

The next to go is Supervisor Steve Robelotto. Robelotto has been informed by the Fasoldt-Fleming forces that he will not be receiving the Democrat nomination for supervisor. Instead, the nod will go to Bill Reinhardt, who was trounced in his bid for State Assembly in 2006. Reinhardt lost both the Democrat and Conservative primaries for Assembly, despite spending considerable sums of money and some nasty mud-slinging against his opponents.

Reinhardt seems to tip his hand on his website, which is still in operation. Visit www.votebillin.com. Reinhardt notes that he has changed his enrollment to Democrat and is “gearing up for the next election cycle”.

If it was done properly, Reinhardt’s enrollment change is key. Robelotto is said to be an enrolled Independence party member. Apparently, the Fasoldt-Fleming ruling junta has told Robelotto he will not get the needed authorization to allow his name to go on the ballot for a primary, meaning a write-in would be the only route to securing the Dem nomination. So, in effect, Robelotto is getting the screws put to him, Frank Fleming-style.

Lovers of local political history may remember some of the curious circumstances around Reinhardt. Essentially, Reinhardt’s quixotic quest for Assembly cost Rensselaer County a seat. Despite being a registered Conservative at the time, Reinhardt was given authorization to have his name go on the ballot for the Democratic primary, costing incumbent Legislator Keith Hammond valuable Renssco ballots. Hammond and his people were enraged that Reinhardt was allowed on the ballot after the work done by Hammond for the Dems. Which raises the question: Why would any party throw over an incumbent like Keith Hammond, elected three times, for a virtually unknown school board member in an Assembly race? And you have to scratch your head and wonder what deals were made to allow for the hit on Robelotto in Sand Lake, especially after Reinhardt’s weak showing in ’06.

What is interesting is we are hearing Robelotto and Frank Fleming may have had a recent blow-up recently on a town issue. We’re digging and appreciate any info to go along with the info we got from Town Hall. And we are working to verify info about some of those promised to help Reinhardt – who runs his own business – if he gets elected after the screws are turned.

Prime Cuts…The warring North Greenbush Democrats have the clubs out for each out. Don’t worry, they’re noting being used in anger, although the anger is high. Democrats loyal to the Spain-Connolly faction are planning to hold a golf fundraiser this summer. The CB Smith-Dan Ashley faction are also planning a golf fundraiser, which the Spain-Connolly faction are telling supporters to absolutely not support. What’s curious is that CB and Ashley were both defeated when they sought re-election to party committee seats, and now believe they are warranted to hold a fundraiser. What event will they hold when they lose control of the Town Board during the coming ’07 elections, the Olympics, perhaps?