Archive: Opinions

Last year Congressman Tom Reed (R) narrowly defeated Tompkins County Legislator Nate Shinagawa for the 23rd Congressional District seat.  Reed took 51.9% of the vote to Shinagawa's 48.1%, and is currently serving his second full term in Washington.  The closeness of the race last year was surprising on a number of fronts.  Redistricting had largely reformed the somewhat conservative 29th Congressional district into the 23rd, which now included the not so conservative Tompkins County.  Additionally it was Shinagawa's first foray into national politics.

I thought the largely conservative district would overwhelm the largely liberal Tompkins County.  But Shinagawa aggressively wooed voters all over the district, which includes 11 townships spanning from Tompkins County all the way to Chautaugua County, the western-most county in New York.  While it is impossible to predict an alternative future, it is conceivable that given more time Shinagawa may have won the district.  That redistricting rejoined Lansing with the rest of Tompkins County as far as congressional representation is concerned.

That is the thinking behind Tompkins County Legislature Chairwoman Martha Robertson's (D) campaign.  Once Shinagawa decided not to run due to family obligations, she threw her hat in the ring quite early for a congressional election that won't take place until November 4, 2014.  Largely because of Shinagawa's unexpected success, and perhaps because he is chairing Robertson's campaign, the race has attracted widespread attention as a 'race to watch' where a Republican seat may be vulnerable.  Perhaps that is why the Democratic and Republican committees haven't wasted any time in trashing their respective opponents.


At the end of the last quarter, Reed had more than half a million dollars in his campaign coffers, almost twice what Robertson had collected.  But Reed is an established candidate and Robertson is only at the beginning stages of her first national campaign.  The early start may go far in evening out the playing field.  That has not escaped Reed's attention.  He told me his campaign will be gearing up earlier this time.

The Lansing Star has been receiving negative campaign press releases from both sides several times a week, repeatedly hammering the candidates.  Republicans say Robertson was morally lacking when she allowed Peter Yarrow to host a fundraising campaign, and that she may have illegally accused Republicans of trying to hack her Web site.  Democrats point to Reed using campaign funds at least once to pay property taxes on a vacation home and a pattern of late property tax payments.  And they accuse him of extreme 'Tea Party' voting, especially to close the government for the first half of last month.

The accusations have made the news once or twice in the Lansing Star, and numerous times in news outlets across the district.  Personally, I find these press releases annoying.  They're not anything I would publish, and they don't tell me about how they stand on issues that really matter.  I'll admit that I don't mind if a jerk represents me in Washington as long as he or she votes for things that will make my life better.  And honestly the volume of negatives coming from both sides cancel each other out, given that these two people are the choices we will be voting on next year.  So even if either candidate were a jerk -- and having talked to both on several occasions my impression is that neither one is -- that is not what would inform my vote.

So when you sweep away the negative campaigning, the bile, accusations and spin, what do these candidates actually believe?  That's why I reached out to both candidates.  I asked the same questions of each to give them a chance to go on the record to respond to the opposing side's accusations and, more importantly, talk about how they will make a difference if elected a year from now.

The thing that stood out immediately was a difference in each candidate's tally of Reed's government shutdown record.  When she met with me at her Ithaca Commons campaign headquarters last week Robertson said Reed voted four times to shut down the government, seventeen times against measures to reopen it, and in the final October 16 vote that ultimately reopened the U.S. he voted not to do so.  Reed, calling from Washington, said those first four votes were to stay open, as well as the 17 votes following.  Having heard Robertson's take a week earlier, I asked him to repeat that, and he did.  The only one they agree on is his final vote.

The count was 285-144 with all Democrats and 87 Republicans voting to reopen, and the remaining 144 Republicans saying no.  Reed was in the latter camp.  So I asked him what it would have taken to get him to vote to stay open.  I also asked Robertson what it would have taken for her to do so, had she been in his place.  Their answers were quite different, as were their replies to all of the questions I asked.

That is good news for voters.  We will have a clear choice in 2014 between candidates with very different styles, philosophies and approaches.  And while the national, state and local parties may only be interested in telling us why the candidate in the opposing camp is unfit to lead, the candidates themselves are quite willing to tell us what they believe, what they stand for, and what action they intend to take if elected a year from now.

That's why I am featuring their interviews on election week this year.  As the race continues to heat up I believe it will continue to attract widespread attention.  It is clear that many people in Lansing and the surrounding county are passionate about the candidates, for or against.  Many people have contacted the Star or just said something about it as I wander around town.  As usual I am keeping my voting proclivities to myself, but I have to say I am excited about this race.

Meanwhile, Dryden voters will determine this week whether Robertson will serve a new term on the Tompkins County Legislature.  Her tenure there gives voters a look at a real record, and while comparing a county legislative record to a congressional record is somewhat an apples to oranges proposition, it does give us a real legislative voting record to assess against Reed's in Washington, plus a record of concrete accomplishments.

This will be a fascinating year politically, and it will certainly be interesting to see how Robertson fares against Reed in next November's showdown.

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