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SCHENECTADY COUNTY
District to again be election hotbed
Quartet to vie for 2 Legislature seats
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

   Rotterdam, Princetown and Duanesburg — District 4 of the county Legislature — will likely become a political battleground as four newcomers seek two seats on the Legislature in November.
   District 4 is the only one of the Legislature’s four districts where no incumbents are seeking re-election. Two seats are open, held by Legislators Carolina Lazzari, a Republican, and Kent Gray, a Democrat. Both have said they won’t seek another term.
   The Democrats are running Robert Godlewski and Anthony Jasenski, and the Republicans are backing Angelo Luca Santabarbara and Holly C. Vellano.
   A total of eight county seats are in play this year, five belonging to Democrats and three to Republicans. Democrats control the county Legislature with an 11-4 majority.
   County Republican Committee Chairman Tom Buchanan said District 4 will be a battleground. “It will be a hard-fought campaign,” he said.
   Two years ago, Democrats and Republicans flooded District 4 in the last weeks of the county Legislature race with at least 11 districtwide mailings. They also conducted several telephone polls. District 4 is the only district where enrolled Democrats and Republicans are almost evenly matched. There are 8,375 Democrats to 8,175 Republicans.
   The race that year pitted Republican incumbent Joseph Suhrada and his running mate, William Sherman, against Democratic incumbent Judith Dagostino and her running mate, Christine Mallozzi-Chiaravalle. Suhrada and Dagostino won re-election.
   Godlewski said District 4 residents were angered by the flood of mail they received. “I don’t think that’s what people want this time. People were turned off by all the mailings that went out — there was a barrage. It wasn’t the way it should have been,” he said. “Candidates should be elected on what they have done and what they can do.”
   He vowed “a good campaign” this year and is pleased there are “good candidates.”
   Godlewski, 60, currently serves on the Rotterdam Town Board. His term ends in December. He was elected last year in a special vote to fill the seat vacated when Steve Tommasone was elected supervisor.
   Godlewski is also a former school board member and a retired property control specialist for Lockheed-Martin. He says he is running because he can do “more on the county level for Rotterdam, Duanesburg and Princetown. I want to put more emphasis on helping small businesses in District 4, and I want to improve the economic climate along Hamburg Street.”
   Vellano, 55, served on the Rotterdam Town Board from 1998 to 2005. She is a substitute teacher in Schenectady County.
   She is running for a seat because “I think I can do a good job for the county like I did for the town.”
   Vellano said she decided six to eight weeks ago to run for the Legislature after talking with residents.
   Buchanan said Vellano is an “unbelievable vote-getter with a history of success. She has never lost an election in Rotterdam.” She also brings “gender balance” to the Republican ticket in District 4, Buchanan said.
   Jasenski, 48, is a former Rotterdam police chief, retiring in 2001. He served on the Rotterdam Town Board from 2001 to April 2004, when he left for family reasons, he said. In 2004, John Mertz beat Bill Cooke to take Jasenski’s vacated seat.
   Jasenski works as a real estate agent. He is running, he said, “because I think the Legislature could use my expertise in law enforcement and public safety. I also think we can do a better job of cutting property taxes in Schenectady County.”
   Democratic Committee Chairman Brian Quail said Jasenski “has a perfect profile to be a county legislator. His knowledge of public safety and of local government make him an ideal candidate.”
   Quail said Jasenski “represents the values of the district and is deeply rooted in the community.”
   Santabarbara, 35, is an engineer with Chazen Companies and is vice president of the National Society of Professional Engineers in the Capital District. He served in the Army Reserves from 1990 to 1998. This is his first bid for elected office.
   Santabarbara said in a prepared statement he wants to work cooperatively with local municipalities, offer tax relief, tighten fiscal controls on welfare spending and provide continued oversight of sex offenders, the Metroplex Development Authority and social services.
   Buchanan said Santabarbara is “a fresh face and is someone with a wealth of experience.”
   Buchanan said he is confident Republicans will win both seats in District 4.
   Quail said the Democrats will “run a campaign based on ideas. Our candidates will get out and talk to voters. They will connect well with voters in the race.”

Well, we now know that Ms. Vellano is out of the running. Which leaves Mr. Godlewski(d). Who appears to be negative and not pro-active in moving this town forward. He is still stuck in 'old time Rotterdam'. If he is elected, Rotterdam will get no more from the county than we have in the past. Oh, except for what 'they' want. (like Ms.Dagastino) We clearly do not want Mr.Godlewski in any political roll that involves Rotterdam. We will never move out of this stagnet town if he is the 'overseer' or part of the decision process for Rotterdam.

Where are all the good candidates that want to move Rotterdam into the 21st century instead of keeping it back in the 19th century? It seems that the people who would do the most for the town don't want to get involved in the nasty politics that we have today.

Remember, even if Rotterdam keeps a rep majority, we will get nothing. Not with a democratic run county legislature, democratic metroplex, democratic city and lets not forget a democratic governer! WHERE ARE ALL THE GOOD REPUBLICANS? We need a Nancy Pelosi on our side.(joke )

Just watch out 2007 in Rotterdam and Schenectady County isn't the same as 11/06 for the national elections.  We have to find someone and stand behind them.

I agree BK....have you found anyone yet??

I'm liking Amedore for the state job from what I've seen so far.  As far as anything else, I think that we should keel Mr. Tommasone as supervisor, but beyond that, I really don't know.  All I REALLY know is that next year for the Schalmont School board, there needs to be changes.  

(Here's where I go off on my tangent.)   Remember how long ago that fundraiser was for Mr. Tommasone?  Well, that night, Mr. DellaVilla told me that Ms. Kelsey had news for me.  That was during school.  It's now 7/5.  No phone call yet, no business letterhead with a form letter, even.  Ms. Kelsey needs to go...and fast.  And oh, BTW, she doesn't care what happens in Rotterdam as long as they can rip down trees for a new baseball field...which theywon't even let one of the coaches coach because he got some sort of promotion?  Gee, Ms. Kelsey, you're really batting 1.000.

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Remember, even if Rotterdam keeps a rep majority, we will get nothing. Not with a democratic run county legislature, democratic metroplex, democratic city and lets not forget a democratic governer! WHERE ARE ALL THE GOOD REPUBLICANS?

Bumble, though the minority, the Republicans must persevere in efforts to reclaim the majority.  This will not occur overnight but, one seat at a time.  I suspect that the county sex offender legislation may cost one or more of the Legislators who are running for reelection their position.

We can only hope that you're right z2im.

I'll second that.

here here....yeah, yeah.....you betcha,,,,