Still a Conservative?

State Sen. Greg Ball drew an appreciative response in Cold Spring, something of a surprise considering his conservative Republican background. Kylie McConville In the heart of Philipstown, the single most reliable bastion of Democratic politics in Putnam County, state Sen. Greg Ball received a warm reception Thursday night as he spoke to the Cold Spring Chamber of Commerce.

Why is Ball—the best-known conservative firebrand in Putnam, whose past campaigns have focused on being pro-life, his support for the Second Amendment and stopping illegal immigration—drawing applause in Cold Spring?

The answer, some think, is that Ball is perhaps not as conservative as he once was. As chamber members munched on Buffalo wings and calamari, Ball hailed the efforts of Gov. Andrew Cuomo to turn the state around, said New York government is functioning better than it has in years, and couched his anti-hydrofracturing stance in terms of private property rights. He criticized the power of the insurance lobby in the state.

Ball, dressed in a gray sweater, dark blue shirt and jeans, happily answered a half-dozen questions. “This is your seat,” he said. “Democratic or Republican, west or east, I’m here to serve you; I work for you,” Ball told the group. He noted the natural beauty of western Putnam County. “It’s absolutely just an amazing asset for Putnam County.”

But beyond the scenery, some aren’t convinced this Greg Ball is better than the one from 2010: Wrote Rick Montes of Carmel in a letter to the editor published last month: “It is truly amazing that State Senator Greg Ball continues to tout himself as a ‘Conservative’ and then gives praise to the Ultra-Liberal Governor Andrew Cuomo …. We still have the highest tax rates in the entire nation, our firearm restrictions are some of the harshest in the Union, we now have the ‘benefit’ of Homosexual Marriages (Mr. Ball waited to vote no when it was assured it would pass anyway), our Court system is a complete mess, with social engineering rampant, and illegal immigrants still drain our resources.”

Ball is unapologetic. He said he’s running again for state Senate, and said his seat is critical to maintaining a majority for Republicans there.

“President Obama can’t hold a candle to Governor Cuomo,” Ball said. “If he’s able to shift this debate toward moving this state forward, you’re going to see him on the national stage … he has a phenomenal relationship with our conference. New York State did not get in the position of being inhospitable to business, especially small and mediumsized business, overnight, and we’re not going to fix it overnight.”

Ball has been able, in running for the Assembly and now the Senate, to mix gut-level Republican issues, such as supporting the Second Amendment, with a quirky populism, such as his stand against fracking. “I believe I have a responsibility to provide an independent voice. Both political parties are completely corrupt,” he said, to applause.

Afterward, Ball said he’s still a conservative Republican. “I have a solid conservative voting record,” he said, citing stances on pro-guns, the sanctity of life, taxes and immigration. “I think what’s happening is as a senator, I’m in a position to affect public policy and make real change.”

At least some outside groups agree that Ball is reliably conservative and pro-business. In December, for instance, he received the highest grade in the 2011 Voters’ Guide, a project of The Business Council of New York State that’s designed to assess legislators' commitment to improving the state's economic climate. Also in 2011, he received the highest ranking of any senator from the Conservative Party of New York State, garnering an 80 percent rating on conservative issues.