Recently, progressive Saratoga County businesswoman Carrie Woerner (D-Malta) announced plans to run again for the New York State Assembly in the now-open 113th District, which she narrowly lost in 2012 to long-time incumbent Tony Jordan (R), who recently vacated the seat after being elected Washington County District Attorney last November.
The 113th Assembly District covers a large portion of Upstate New York's Upper Hudson Valley region, stretching westward from the Vermont border to the City of Saratoga Springs, and includes most of rural Washington County and the majority of suburban-exurban eastern Saratoga County. Traditionally a conservative stronghold, the ancestrally Republican 113th District hasn't been represented by a Democrat in the New York State Legislature since before the Civil War era, but has been politically moderating over the past two decades as increasing numbers of urban refugees continue to migrate northward from Downstate New York and the New York City metropolitan area (very similar to the ongoing trend in Vermont and rural New England to the east of us). President Obama narrowly won the 113th District in both 2012 and 2008. Most of this area overlaps the southeastern corner of the 21st Congressional District, which has recently garnered national attention after Congressman Bill Owens (D - Plattsburgh) announced his retirement two weeks ago.
The Republican candidate for the 113th Assembly seat is Steve Stallmer (R - Saratoga Springs), who notably served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Chris Gibson (R - Kinderhook) from 2010-2013 before performing a stint as a top lobbyist for The Associated General Contractors of New York State, a trade organization representing hundreds of builders and contractors throughout the state.
An interesting 2010 article on Stallmer's fundraising activities for Congressman Gibson from the Sunlight Foundation, a government watchdog group.
Early yesterday evening, after the carrots and dip were cleared away, the new chief of staff to Chris Gibson, part of the large GOP freshman class going through orientation this week, left the Associated General Contractors of America townhouse, which he rented out for a fundraiser, with one of the group’s lobbyists.
Lobbyists stopped by to greet Gibson and his top aide during the hour and a half event, which asked for as much as $2,500 from political action committees to retire the former West Point professor’s campaign debt. Stallmer, who is leaving his job as a lobbyist for AGC’s New York chapter, said he chose the restored, red brick townhouse simply for its location, just two blocks south of the Capitol.
Though Gibson’s event was rather sober, it was an ideal warm up for the bevy of fundraisers on the Hill last night, where lobbyists were marketing themselves to incoming freshman members. One lobbyist leaving Gibson’s informal affair said he would attend 10 schmooze-fests just last night; Stallmer himself said he went to seven this week. Why? “It’s called networking,” Stallmer said.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s Stallmer cut his teeth in the political arena working for several Upstate and Western New York Congressman, including the late Jerry Solomon (R - Queensbury), John Sweeney (R - Clifton Park) and Jack Quinn (R - Buffalo). Now, after years of serving as a loyal Republican hack, Beltway GOP high-rollers are rewarding Stallmer with thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.
Here are just a few of the names that have contributed to Stallmer's campaign:
Sam Geduldig, a former senior aide to House Speaker John Boehner
Danielle Maurer, former Director of Member Services for House Speaker John Boerner
Amy L. Wren, a former aide to President George W. Bush
Anthony Foti, prominent lobbyist for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, the second-highest grossing lobbying firm in DC; was director of external affairs for the Republican National Convention in 2008; lobbied for the Seneca Indian Nation in early 2000s to expand casino gambling across Western New York
Donn Salvosa, lobbyist for the DC-based Nuclear Energy Institute, an ALEC trade group which has spent millions lobbying on lobbying activities promoting the construction of more nuclear power plants across the United States and 15 other countries.
Frederick Hiffa, lobbyist for Park Strategies, the lobbying firm of former Senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY)
Jefferey Shoaf, DC lobbyist for the Association of General Contractors of America
Kevin Fogarty, Chief of Staff, Congressman Peter King (R-NY)
Brian Welch, a DC political consultant who has done work for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)
Paul Lobo, Senior Vice President of DC lobbying firm Mercury/Clark & Weinstock; previously served as a DC representative for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Amanda Cernik, former director of office operations for Congressman John Sweeney (R-NY)
Christopher Fish, Vice President of DC lobbying firm McAllister & Quinn; previously served stints as Chief of Staff for former Congressman John Sweeney (R-NY) and Executive Assistant for former Senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY)
Alex Delpizzo, DC lobbyist for Thorn Run Partners
Steven Pfrang, prominent DC insurance industry lobbyist
James Means, lobbyist for the Alpine Group, a DC lobbying firm whose clients include the National Mining Association, BP, NRG Energy, Walmart and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association
You may click here to view Steve Stallmer's full January 2014 disclosure report from the New York State Board of Elections.
Democrat Carrie Woerner, meanwhile, has received the bulk of her campaign contributions from local donors, often contributing less than $100, who live in and around the 113th Assembly District. Carrie Woerner's January 2014 disclosure report shows numerous contributions from individuals in Saratoga Springs, Greenwich, Cambridge Round Lake, Malta, Argyle and other Upstate New York communities within the vicinity of the district.
You may click here to view Carrie Woerner's full January disclosure report from the New York State Board of Elections.
The Upper Hudson Valley has long been in dire need of more progressive voices in positions of leadership. You can help now by showing Carrie Woerner some much needed love, either through the form of volunteering or donating. We can't let a bunch of heavy-hitting, beltway Republican carpetbaggers who have no loyalty to our area try to buy this seat for a long-time political hack who worked for the likes of corrupt, sleazy Congressmen like John Sweeney and Jerry Solomon. We deserve better. We deserve Carrie Woerner.