Westchester
County Executive Rob Astorino's Democratic critics have been hammering
him for abandoning the county to campaign for governor since before he
formally announced his intention to run.
Now that he has been designated as the Republican's answer to Andrew Cuomo, which was done with great fanfare at the New York State Republican Convention on Thursday in Rye Brook, the criticism is likely to escalate.
"I suspect he'll be spending even less time in the county now because he's going to have to get known in places that know him far less than Westchester," said county Legislator MaryJane Shimsky, D-Hastings.
Shimsky and seven other Democrats on the Board of Legislators recently introduced a resolution to strip Astorino of office and hold a special election to fill his seat as county executive. But without majority support, the resolution is more about making a political point. This month, the Astorino Truth Squad, the Democratic Party's vehicle for attacking Astorino, put out a calculator purporting to show the salary he's collected on days spent outside of Westchester. It's now at more than $25,000 for 41 days out of the office.
But Republican supporters and campaign officials said Astorino's run is no different from that of the many other politicians who have run for higher office. And modern technology makes it easy to stay in touch on county business.
"The alternative would be to have inexperienced people run for the higher offices," said Westchester GOP Chairman Doug Colety.
Bill O'Reilly, a campaign spokesman for Astorino, said he works "a gazillion hours" and will just have to find more hours in the day. If something pops up in the county, the campaign may have to wait, he said.
"The priority has to be the county first," O'Reilly said.
And it's a busy time in Westchester, with the Board of Legislators in the thick of both a review of a plan for the future of Playland Park that seems perpetually on the verge of falling apart, and lots of action on a major court settlement on fair housing from 2009. The administration is also sending down many pieces of new legislation, Shimsky said.
"Someone needs to be here to make sure they're moving the way they should," she said.
Chemung County Sheriff Christopher Moss, the candidate for lieutenant governor, also addressed the question of campaigning time after his acceptance speech Thursday.
"I usually put in 70 to 75 hours a week so I have a few hours to spare," he said. "I'll cut back a little bit on the amount of time I spend there. I have a qualified undersheriff to do a great job and we'll make sure that the sheriff's office is operating smoothly."
Now that he has been designated as the Republican's answer to Andrew Cuomo, which was done with great fanfare at the New York State Republican Convention on Thursday in Rye Brook, the criticism is likely to escalate.
"I suspect he'll be spending even less time in the county now because he's going to have to get known in places that know him far less than Westchester," said county Legislator MaryJane Shimsky, D-Hastings.
Shimsky and seven other Democrats on the Board of Legislators recently introduced a resolution to strip Astorino of office and hold a special election to fill his seat as county executive. But without majority support, the resolution is more about making a political point. This month, the Astorino Truth Squad, the Democratic Party's vehicle for attacking Astorino, put out a calculator purporting to show the salary he's collected on days spent outside of Westchester. It's now at more than $25,000 for 41 days out of the office.
But Republican supporters and campaign officials said Astorino's run is no different from that of the many other politicians who have run for higher office. And modern technology makes it easy to stay in touch on county business.
"The alternative would be to have inexperienced people run for the higher offices," said Westchester GOP Chairman Doug Colety.
Bill O'Reilly, a campaign spokesman for Astorino, said he works "a gazillion hours" and will just have to find more hours in the day. If something pops up in the county, the campaign may have to wait, he said.
"The priority has to be the county first," O'Reilly said.
And it's a busy time in Westchester, with the Board of Legislators in the thick of both a review of a plan for the future of Playland Park that seems perpetually on the verge of falling apart, and lots of action on a major court settlement on fair housing from 2009. The administration is also sending down many pieces of new legislation, Shimsky said.
"Someone needs to be here to make sure they're moving the way they should," she said.
Chemung County Sheriff Christopher Moss, the candidate for lieutenant governor, also addressed the question of campaigning time after his acceptance speech Thursday.
"I usually put in 70 to 75 hours a week so I have a few hours to spare," he said. "I'll cut back a little bit on the amount of time I spend there. I have a qualified undersheriff to do a great job and we'll make sure that the sheriff's office is operating smoothly."
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