GOP political leader was non-political process
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- November
- 26
Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco, R-Schenectady, is asking the governor (via a letter) to conduct an “open, transparent and non-partisan process” to replace U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, a Chappaqua Democrat who is expected to receive a nod from President-elect Barack Obama to be his secretary of state. If Clinton accepts the position, it would be up to Gov. David Paterson to pick a successor for Clinton, would also run in a 2010 special election. (Clinton was elected to a second term in 2006.) 
All kinds of names have been thrown out for who should replace Clinton, including state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo; U.S. Reps. Nita Lowey of Harrison, Nydia Velazquez of New York City, Kirsten Gillibrand of the Albany area or Brian Higgins of Buffalo; and environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose father once held the seat. All are Democrats.
“In exercising your executive prerogative, I know millions of New Yorkers would agree that the process through which Senator Clinton’s successor is appointed should adhere to the highest standards of public openness, transparency and bipartisanship,” Tedisco wrote. “It is imperative that the process provides citizens, media and elected officials alike full disclosure of the qualifications for any prospective candidate warranting your serious consideration.”
Tedisco said the candidate for the position should be strongly committed to helping the struggling upstate economy. Tedisco said Clinton did not fulfill her campaign promise of bringing 200,000 jobs to upstate.
“Governor, New Yorkers trust in your judgment and capacity to put the best interests of our state ahead of any political or parochial concerns,” Tedisco wrote.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 at 4:18 pm by Cara Matthews.
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Jay Gallagher has covered Albany for Gannett News Service since 1984 and has been Albany Bureau chief since 1989. He`s a native of the Boston area and likes to point out that in this millennium, the score is Red Sox 1 championship, the Yankees 0. 
Cara Matthews has been a statehouse correspondent in the Albany Bureau since August 2005. Prior to that, she covered Putnam County government and politics at The Journal News for nearly five years. Before that, she worked at newspapers in Connecticut and covered the state Legislature for one of them. 
