A CAUTIONARY TALE

During last week’s “off-year” elections, most of the nation’s media attention went to a small upstate district and to New Jersey and Virginia. But one of the most stunning upsets across the nation was in Westchester County where the conservative Rob Astorino defeated 12-year incumbent Andrew Spano by 16 points. Republicans in Putnam have hailed Astorino’s victory, but have also urged caution to their fellowparty members that the anti-incumbent, anti-tax climate that swept through Westchester may head north soon.

The scope of Astorino’s victory is difficult to overstate. Democrats have nearly a 2-to-1 advantage in voter registration in Westchester. “This was more than big,” State Senator Vincent Leibell, a Republican, said. “I wondered whether a Republican could ever win in Westchester again.”

The driving issue in Westchester was taxes. The county was recently recognized as the top-taxed county in the nation. Putnam, at No. 10 in the nation, is not far behind. “The people of the Hudson Valley came together and staged a tax revolt without firing a single shot,” said Republican Assemblyman Greg Ball, who is preparing for a run for Congress against Democrat John Hall, who is serving his second term as representative of New York’s 19th district.

“I think Republicans have reason to be happy but should also be cautious,” said the conservative Ball, who since he entered the Assembly in 2006 has cast himself as a foe of the political establishment. “The overarching mentality is to vote the bums out. All the incumbents should be careful not to serve as a rubber stamp for their leadership whether they are Republicans or Democrats.”

Putnam County legislator Tony Hay, a Republican who is a consistent opponent of tax increases, says he hesitates to endorse any candidate outside of his home in Putnam, but he urged that Astorino follow through on his campaign promises. “The first thing he should do is get rid of that limousine service and the bodyguards,” Hay said, referring to the benefits conferred upon the Westchester county executive. “If you attack an incumbent for that, you have to follow through,” Hay said. “The idea that a county executive needs a bodyguard is ridiculous.”

Astorino seemed an unlikely candidate to unseat Spano. The Fordham graduate worked in sports and religious radio. In 2001, Astorino became a founder of the 1050 ESPN radio station in New York and the executive producer of the Michael Kay Show, whose host is the play-by-play announcer for the Yankees. During his time at ESPN, Astorino was elected to the Westchester County legislature, to replace Sue Swanson.

After working at ESPN, Astorino became a program director for the Catholic Radio network on SIRIUS satellite radio. On Thursday nights Astorino hosts a weekly show from St. Patrick’s Cathedral with the Archbishop of New York, currently Timothy Dolan.

Astorino’s first bid to unseat Spano in 2005 was unsuccessful. After Spano prevailed in that contest, the Westchester government imposed two consecutive double-digit property tax increases. Overall property taxes there went up 54 percent from 2000 to 2008. Astorino criticized Spano for lavish spending on himself, which included not just a bodyguard and a car service but even a visit to China.

“This is clearly a national trend, where our fellow citizens have said. ‘Enough is enough, we are fed up of paying these taxes, especially the property tax,’” Leibell, who has served in the State Senate since 1994, said of Astorino’s victory. “People have been voting with their feet for years, this time they voted with their hands. It’s not just Westchester; it’s Putnam, Dutchess, Nassau, and Orange counties.

“I think people are terrified of what they are seeing on the national level,” Leibell said, “The amount of debt that will be uncured on our grandchildren and our great grandchildren is staggering.”

While Putnam saw most of its incumbents prevail in 2009, its current rank as the tenth most taxed county in America means that the kind of upheaval seen in Westchester could be seen in Putnam, whether from upstart Republicans challenging the current party leadership, or the minority Democrats seizing on discontent with the status-quo.

“The motivating issue in Westchester was taxes, and it is the same in Putnam,” said Putnam Democratic party chairman Lynne Eckardt. “And clearly, in Putnam, you can lay the tax burden on Republicans overall.”

As of press time, the COURIER was not able to reach Nan Hayworth of Mount Kisco, the other Republican challenger to Congressman Hall.