D&C EDITORIAL BOARD MISSES THE MARK; ENTERS THE REALM OF GOTCHA POLITICS

Here's a news flash for Jane Sutter of the Democrat & Chronicle:  The defunct Mayoral Control Bill is a dead issue in this election cycle 

Rochester, N.Y.--  Sometimes you just have to roll your eyes and ask yourself, why do editors do the things they do? We all know how transparent the D&C's anti-labor agenda is, but thinking that NYS Assembly candidate Harry Bronson's position over mayoral control of city schools warrants some kind of immediate blog attention and scrutiny is laugh out loud funny. The D&C has invested an enormous amount of time and energy writing about mayoral control, and they want to hang on to this narrative as long as they can.  You can read Sutter’s blog here.

For the record, Bronson is running for the NYS Assembly, where there are another 149 state legislators. The bill passed the Assembly 93 to 43 on June 24th, 2010. The NYS Senate had two weeks to act on this bill and couldn't even muster up a vote.


To suggest Bronson was playing politics earlier this summer with his decision on a bill that was doomed to begin with anyway is just ludicrous-- either way his position today hardly matters in the big picture moving forward.  The political climate is ever changing, and this bill's destiny is no exception. With Albany dysfunction and the poor economy bearing down on us, the mayoral control issue should matter less to the voters of the 2010 election cycle and the D&C should know that.  Maybe they just feel responsible for telling us the "news, " as if this revelation is news to begin with.   

In any event, Bronson says he has knocked on a ton of doors and is listening very carefully to his constituents every day. Isn’t it possible that that he is evolving on this issue? Isn’t it convenient for his detractors to call this something that it is not? And by the way, not all labor unions are against the bill that the Senate could not pass-- some, like CSEA, have not taken an official position one way or another. So, Ms. Sutter, before you go making glittering generalities about "labor unions" get your facts straight.

What does matter is that Bronson knows more about the nuisances of educating our kids and keeping them safe than the D&C will ever give him credit for. If this newspaper wants to stay relevant, they should try focusing on questions like, "How are we gonna get out of this fiscal mess we are in?" or "What reform issues do you plan on undertaking if elected?"

I'm appalled that Ms. Sutter even questioned Bronson's leadership acumen. Rather than hyperventilating and creating convoluted "gotcha moments" in the endorsement process, maybe this agenda-driven newspaper can stick to covering our collective priorities-- like jobs, the economy, jobs, and maybe more jobs.  Introducing suppositions, guessing and using conjecture about Bronson's record with mayoral control is very disturbing.  The editiorial board is certainly entitled to their opinions, but they are not entitled to distort the facts.  

When media editors enter into the world of gotcha politics, it says more about them then it does about the candidate.  It is partisianship at it's worst.  If this newspaper truly wants to be of service to it's community and true to it's mission, how about accurately informing us on the issues and topics that really matter to the voters of western New York-- and in particular to citizens of the 131st Assembly District where I happen to live.

For the votes on the two bills that went before the legislature in June you can go here for the Assembly and here for the Senate-- not that it should make a difference in this election cycle anyway.

For the record, CSEA and the NYS AFL-CIO enthusiastically endorse Harry Bronson for Assembly.  This commentary was authored by Ove Overmyer.