Russianoff's Verdict on Disputed Squadron Mailer: Correct
Pictured above is part of a mailing that Democratic State Senate candidate Dan Squadron is distributing to highlight his role in bringing transportation money back to New York.
Squadron, who is trying to unseat incumbent State Senator Marty Connor, has never held public office, but he used to be an aide to Chuck Schumer, and after that went to Knickerbocker SKD, a public relations firm that worked on work on the campaign for a bill called the Transportation Bond Act, which is what Squadron's mailer refers to.
The mailing says in large letters, “Where others had failed, Daniel Squadron helped win $2.9 billion for transportation.” It continues, “As Communications Director for the campaign, Squadron made the case - upstate and downstate, to Republicans and Democrats - for a major reinvestment in mass transit.”
Bringing back resources and showing results is one of the key issues Squadron has campaigned on.
But Connor spokesman Chad Marlow, who brought the mailer to my attention, thinks Squadron is overstating his role and misleading voters. Marlow said the mailing “made [him] physically ill” (this sort of talk is becoming a bit of a theme in this race) and added, “Dan was a mid-level staffer on the Transportation Bond Act campaign to which he is referring. That is like the guy who cleaned Michelangelo’s brushes telling people he helped paint the Sistine Chapel.”
Marlow challenged Squadron “to publicly explain, in detail, what his role was on that campaign.“ He also asked Squadron “to identify one respected, independent leader in the fight for better public transportation in New York City who would identify him as a major player in securing those funds.”
Squadron declined to immediately respond to Marlow’s comments, but his campaign spokesman, Josh Kriegman, called it “another baseless, shameless personal attack.” Kriegman went to say it shows Connor has “a record he clearly does not want to talk about.”
Gene Russianoff, a senior attorney with the Straphangers Campaign, who worked in support of the Transportation Bond Act, told me Squadron “played a meaningful role.”
“He did a lot of the real work in promoting the bond act to the media,” Russianoff added, but he also cautioned against assigning too much credit to any one player. “It’s like asking, why did Bush get re-elected? There were a lot of factors.”
Asked about Squadron’s claim in the mailing, Russianoff said, “I don’t have any problem with that statement. I think that is correct.”
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The Conner campaign is clearly getting desperate if they are assigning their spokesman to fire the bullets instead of letting Conner himself get involved. They just don't have the chutzpah to honestly stand up to Squadron and his effort to bring real change to Albany.
Another pathetic attack from the Connor campaign. The desperation coming from this do-nothing incumbent is palpable. I would suspect that these baseless attacks are the type of thing that Mr. Squadron is looking to change: a 30 year incumbent with absolutely no record of accomplishment undermining those of his opponent.
Instead of launching baseless attacks on Squadron's accomplishments, perhaps he can tell us one of his own, something he has failed to do during this campaign. Pathetic.
After 30 years, the best argument that Connor can make for his reelection is that Squadron exaggerated an accomplishment (something that, apparently, isn't even true)?
Hey Anonymous, are you from the Squadron campaign. Squadron's track record is a joke and he should just admit to the public that he is just ambitious and wants to be in office then sending this nonsense stuff out. People want to hear that a candidate would like to make a difference than this crap that we all get in the mail from candidates. Save your campaign $ on mailings and send out the truth. I want a candidate with some substance!!! Can the hacks at Knickerbocker who are helping Squadron and his campaign manager come up with a top 10 list why people should vote for him.
This Chad Marlow guy is AMAZING. I want more! and by more of course I mean don't ever let him work anywhere near anyone I even remotely support.
All these nasty attacks are disgusting and discourage voters. I keep asking, but have yet to hear, what has Connor done to deserve re-election. Can someone please list some of his accomplishments?
If a guy is running for office and is either lying about his past (like that he is a product of the Lower East Side even though he's never lived there), exagerating it (like here where he wrote a couple of press releases for the Transportation Bond Act but claim to be the person who got the billions flowing for the project) or hiding it (like that he lives off his inheritance, doesn't work and has never held a job for two straight years [the length of a senate term - don't believe it? Call his campaign and ask them], would you want his opponent not to point these things out? Should they just stay silent and let the voter be bamboozled by the kid with the money?
It is so obvious that all the posters here are from Squardon's campaign it is sad. You dodge the issues and deflect the criticisms (look how bad Connor is) but NEVER respond to the actual substance of the criticisms (whether they are right or wrong).
So let's her it. WHAT EXACTLY DID DAN DO ON THE TRANSPORTATION BOND ACT? If he was a leader in that fight as he claimes, Connor and his staff deserve to be criticized, but if he was just a mid-level staffer, as Connor claims, then they deserve to be thanked.
Come on Squardon campaign. I know you're reading this. POST YOUR RESPONSE! DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS (unless you thing the voters don't seserve them -- or they are too unfavorable to write). I would be shocked if the campaign finds it way to respond to THIS post.
And I DO NOT work for Connor. I'm just sick of the lies.
I'm confused. Connor challenged the Squadron campaign to "identify one respected, independent leader" on transportation. Azi got THE respected, independent leader and he popped Connor's attack balloon. Why are we still debating this? Don't both campaigns have voters to talk to?
The last few years Gene R. has been having problems remembering things the way they actually happened, and that has nothing to do with this campaign or the TBA. Azi should double-check with Gene, and then not distort what he actually said.
Gene told Azi he met Dan only one time during the long camapign, and that Dan worked for the campaign for only 2 or 3 months, but Azi decided to leave those little gems out of his reporting.
Hey Azi, if I work for any elected official that expresses some degree of support for a project, can I then claim that I was responsible for the success of the entire thing?
How about if I vote for one of those politicians, then I can claim credit for everything that happens? (and the blame)
If Danny Squadron was still working for Schumer, perhaps Squadron should be blamed with the collapse of Indy/Mac Bank after investors withdrew billions of dollars paying heed to Senator Chuckie Cheeze.
So there you have it, with pure Azi logic, that Dan Squadron caused the 2008 recession and subprime crisis.
Chad...get back to work...you must have some other misfires to make. At this point you would probably have more value to the campaign just knocking on doors.
I read these blogs and the comments(because I have to) but I sure as heck don't post on them (that's for others to do). I thought I would clear that up just this one time. Now back to NOT posting for me. Have a nice day everyone!
Hey, I posted 11:14 AM and I'm not Chad Marlow, and I'm not part of any campaign, nor do I work for any elected official. I do know what Gene R. actually said and Azi the cub reporter changed the meaning of things. What's his agenda?
As a concerned and politically active resident, I have seen Daniel at work on a number of community issues. He is a knowledgeable, ambitious and resourceful person who has proven to me that his priorities are with the citizens of New York. He has an acute understanding of the political process and if elected, I believe he will effectively and loyally represent us. As our city becomes overrun by developers, as the infrastructure grows dangerously stressed, as our schools become more and more crowded and as the middle class diminishes, I believe we need to take a better look at who has been running things and where their interests lie. I am not working on Daniel's campaign, but I have gotten to know him by becoming involved in my community and as a result of this, I do support his candidacy.
Hey man, I don't get it. Is he "living off his inheritance" as anonymous claims or does he, as the commenter claims like 3 lines below it, "work for any elected official that expresses some degree of support for a project"? Or, as I'm assuming, is the commenter just kinda grasping for straws desperately here, hoping that Conner's gravy train of handouts and laziness doesn't fall off of the tracks?