Albany Watch

In the ongoing battle over the next state GOP chairman, Putnam County Chairman Anthony Scannapieco says he’s dropping his support for Ed Cox and endorsing Niagara County GOP chairman Henry Wojtaszek.

Why?

Because Scannapieco said he was led to believe that Cox would be the only candidate. When current state GOP chairman Joe Mondello said he wouldn’t seek another term, Wojtaszek announced his candidacy and got the backing of former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Scannapieco said he’s backing Wojtaszek because he has experience as a party chairman.

“I was led to believe that it was over and done and Cox was the only one,” Scannapieco said. “And when I found it wasn’t, I still think we need somebody who was a chairman and has experience as a chairman.”

He said the push by Giuliani’s aides to get Wojtaszek the job had nothing to do with his decision. And Scannapieco reiterated concerns today by some chairmen that Giuliani shouldn’t wait until November, as aides say, until he makes a decision on whether to run for governor in 2010.

“That’s always been my concern, waiting to long,” Scannapieco said. “We’ve seen that back when he ran for Senate (in 2000) and dropped out and Rick Lazio was really behind the 8-ball. And then with the presidency, he waited until Florida and it was over by the time it got to Florida.

Scannapieco confirmed, as Liz Benjamin reported earlier, that there was some talk last night among Hudson Valley chairmen about Scannapieco running for state chairman himself. But he said he hasn’t made any decision, and hadn’t even talked to his wife about it.

“There is some talk about that, but I haven’t committed to doing anything,” he said.

He said some of the county chairmen had talked about if Mondello were to leave that a county chairman from the region should run.

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