Just Say No to Paul Tonko for Congress

Schooled for 24 Years in New York State's Socialistic Government, Tonko Would Make a Poor Congressman

Note: Since I wrote this and published it in The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, New York) five days ago, Paul Tonko has resigned from his position as head of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and will likely announce his candidacy for Congress soon.

Now that seven donkeys and two elephants have entered the 21st Congressional District race in New York State, the field is both crowded and confusing. There is so little known and so much to learn about most of the candidates. Then there is the shadow of "the 800-pound gorilla," Paul Tonko, darkening the entire race course.

Will he or won't he run? Like Mario Cuomo, who vacillated about running for president and was dubbed Hamlet on the Hudson, Paul Tonko is beginning to look like Hamlet on the Mohawk.

It's been seven weeks since The Daily Gazette's Michael Lamendola wrote a piece on Tonko's potential run for Michael McNulty's 21st Congressional District seat, in which Tonko is quoted as saying he was going to announce his intentions soon. Speculation about a possible Tonko run had been going on for several months before Lamendola's article. And since the story appeared, I also listened to an interview with Tonko on a local radio station, in which he sounded very much like a candidate.

The characterization of Paul Tonko as an 800-pound gorilla was made by an anonymous Democratic official. Out here in the provinces, Tonko is more like a sacred cow, and so I know I will take some heat for what I am about to say.