Scandal-Plagued 5-Term State Assemblyman Flames Out in Primary

Oh, it's so hard not to be cynical about politicians. Especially local politicians. The teeny little corner of my heart that can't get Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" out of my head wants to believe that there's good in everyone. That the people we elect to represent us are motivated solely by the desire to serve their constituents, and not just in the game for the goodies. You know. The power. The glory. The free postage stamps. But when news like this smacks me in the face, I just can't help myself.

Two of New York's Hudson Valley Republicans, Marc Molinaro and Patrick Manning, squared off this summer in a primary election for the 103rd district state assembly seat. I normally lean libertarian, but as far as Republicans go, and as far as I'd heard them speak and heard of them, these guys seemed like the best of the bunch. Molinaro, a Dutchess county legislator, is also the mayor of Tivoli, a small town near Bard College (and was the youngest mayor in the United States at 19, and prior to that, the youngest official elected to a government office, at 17) and always seemed like an earnest and well-intentioned guy. Pat Manning has been a fixture in our district (hailing from my home town of East Fishkill) for years, a 5-term State Assemblyman, always the go-to guy for charity events, and was even allowed to speak on (gasp) WAMC, our local NPR affiliate.

But Pat Manning's karma has gone from bad to worse.

Earlier this year, he'd announced that he was going to challenge Elliot Spitzer in the governor's race. I know Spitzer has done some good things, and he's probably going to win, because New York is the Bluest of Blue States, but I don't see how he's going to fulfill his campaign promises of bringing property taxes down and attracting new businesses and fixing everything that's wrong with New York in one gulp, all without raising our taxes. And I liked what I'd heard from Manning, so I was psyched to see him throw his hat into the ring, so to speak.