ENDORSED

On Monday night the PBA met. Among other things, they voted to endorse a number of candidates. They did not make endorsements in every race. Approximately 130 PBA members participated. The meeting was filmed on location. All candidates are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law.

At-Large

John Brown (D) and Clem Campana (D) received enthusiatic endorsements.

We've heard that Henry Bauer and newcomer Maria Talarico were also endorsed. Not sure about that. Would the PBA invite more than three candidates into a three way? That's not an endorsement. It's an orgy.

District Races

#1 - None

#2 - Mark McGrath (R)

#3 - Peter Ryan (D)

#4 - None

#5 - None

#6 - Gary Galuski (D)

Mayorship

Both Tutunjian (R) and Conroy (D) made their pitch for the PBA endorsement. The PBA declined to make an endorsement because, "We're washing our hair that night." Candidate Elda (Prohibition Party) was also present.

District Attorney

PBA voted not to endorse, despite County Chair Jack Casey's lobbying efforts at the recent PBA Dinner. Casey was overheard at the PBA dinner telling not a few members, "We're counting on you." Count again, Jack.

In fact, insiders at the TPD say that McNally would have had the votes if the PBA had voted. Why they declined to endorse anyone is not known. Perhaps, because we have two choices for DA, no endorsement is necessary.

For the PBA, Troy is not the Collier City

The most interesting dynamic was District 6. The PBA voted to endorse Gary Galuski, challenger to three-term incumbent, Carolin Collier. It is one thing to vote to endorse. It's another to do so with such obvious glee. Whence this anti-Collierism?

We have heard that Collier is too close* (or perceived to be to close) to someone within the department who is unpopular with the rank and file PBA members. Who knows.

What good are endorsements? We're not sure. We do know they don't hurt. It's also a sign of strength for newcomers Brown and Galuski. It's also an opportunity to issue a press release:

Troy, New York (September 12, 2007) -- John Brown, Democratic candidate for City Council-at-large today was recently endorsed by the Troy Police Benevolent Association. The roughly 130 members voted to endorse only 7 candidates for the city and county races this fall. Brown was excited to have garnered their support.

Brown stated, “I am honored and privileged to have earned the support of the Troy PBA. These men and women protect our city everyday and they selflessly put their lives on the line for the people of Troy.”

Brown went on to say, “This endorsement solidifies the message of our campaign. We need new ideas and serious candidates to solve the problems our city faces. I am anxious to work with the Mayor’s office, the PBA, and the officers on the street to address some of the issues facing the department. I have a crime initiative that has been very well received by the men and women on the job and we need to look at things from the bottom up, not the top down.”

Some of Brown’s initiatives include fully staffing the police department, streamlining the booking system, and modernizing the police department’s tools.

Brown continued, “We need to keep our officers on the street. They shouldn’t be tied up in the station for 2 hours when they make an arrest. Maybe we look at hiring a booking officer or maybe we modernize the computer system we use but the booking system in place simply is not working. I am going to work with the officers to see what tools best work for them. We need our patrol officers to be out in the community and having them on the street is a major priority. We need to bring this department into the 21st century.”

The candidate concluded, “We have some the best talent in the Capital District on our force. We need to retain them and give them the tools necessary to combat the problems in our neighborhoods. And I will fight for that when councilman.”

All candidates may forward their press releases to The Troy Polloi.

* By close we mean professionally close, politically allied, nothing untoward