Last week, Robert Harding at The Albany Project posted the first round of endorsements by Tom Golisano’s Responsible New York which included 6 Democrats and 7 Republicans. His post, while it included the entire bipartisan list, only linked to the campaign websites of the Democrats. So, I thought I’d post the list, and link to the Republicans. Here’s the list of endorsed candidates:

REPUBLICANS 

- SD-7: Barbara Donno 
- SD-43: Roy McDonald
- SD-51: Sen. Jim Seward 
- SD-57: Sen. Catharine Young
- SD-62: Sen. George Maziarz 
- AD-138: Paula Banks-Dahlke
- AD-142: Jane Corwin

DEMOCRATS 
- SD-25: Sen. Martin Connor 
- SD-56: Rick Dollinger 
- SD-58: Sen. Bill Stachowski 
- SD-59: Kathy Konst
- SD-61: Joe Mesi 
- AD-144: Barbra Kavanaugh

I would like note that several of the above campaign sites were extremely difficult to find, even with multiple Google queries.

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Even though the Buffalo News reported otherwise, an attorney for the woman in question confirmed she was in fact an intern when the affair began.

In response to allegations that he had an affair a number of years ago with a college intern in Albany, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt in a statement said his past actions “were unfortunate,” but he offered no specifics about what he had done.

On Friday, 2 On Your Side spoke with an attorney for the woman in question. In January of 2003, the woman began a college internship in the office of Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward.

At the time the woman was 24 years old. It was then that she met Hoyt.

Scott Brown: “When did the relationship start, and what was your client doing at the time?”

Brian Barrett: “It’s my understanding my client met the assemblyman in the early to mid-part of 2003, whe she was working as an intern for an assemblywoman.”

Brown: “Did the relationship continue after her internship ended?”

Barrett: “Yes. The relationship did continue for some period of time after my client had ceased working as an intern for the assembly.”

Brown: “What has this past week been like for her with all of this publicity?”

Barrett: “Well it’s a non-event to my client, she never wanted this to certainly come to the media’s attention, this relationship concluded more than three years ago.”

Hoyt in a statement said he “broke no rules” of the Assembly.

And Bill Clinton did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky. 

Meanwhile, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown denies any involvement in the Hoyt brouhaha:

Just who is responsible for leaking information about Buffalo Assemblyman Sam Hoyt’s alleged affairs with interns? Some have suggested Mayor Brown may be. Brown says “no truth to it whatsoever, unfortunately Assemblyman Hoyt did what he did and I don’t think anyone made him do what he did.” 

The allegations of Hoyt’s affairs with two interns were first posted on PoliticsWNY.net published by Joseph Illuzzi. Brown says he hasn’t spoken with Illuzzi in at least a couple of months.

The woman/former intern, Lori Gladwell, was apparently had apparently been angry at Hoyt for cheater on her with other women, and sent copies of their conversations to Hoyt’s supporters:

Lori Gradwell was in intern for Assemblyman Sam Hoyt until she found he was having an affair with another intern. It seems that Gradwell could not stand the thought of Hoyt cheating, because Sam Hoyt was married. But she did not get angry for him cheating on his wife; she was angry for him cheating on her.

So, to get even, Lori Gradwell sent copies of some of their most explicit e-mails to all of Hoyt’s supporters.

Three years later, she has had her lawyer send letters to major media outlets in New York requesting they respect her privacy and not disclose the e-mails.

But those e-mails have gone public, much against Lori Gradwell’s wishes. But, then, as the New York Times observed, “Who does plan for their X-rated e-mail messages to go public?” 

Only those dumb enough to send them to “all of” anyone.

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WBEN reported this morning that the “Assembly Ethics Committee has apparently begun it’s probe” of Assemblyman Sam Hoyt.

Hoyt’s primary opponent, Barbra Kavanaugh, refused to comment on the scandal, telling WBEN, ”The assembly itself has a process to deal with that, and it has been  sent there and that’s where it belongs, not in the middle of this campaign.”

The Buffalo News, as I noted yesterday, says that women in question were not interns, as Illuzzi has claimed.

What amuses me most about this is how Sam Hoyt took the “attack the messenger” approach in his statement yesterday. He stated:

It’s sad that my political opponents have chosen to resort to the lowest tactics by dredging up a private matter from years ago just 21 days before an election. The timing is no accident. They would rather wallow in this type of politics than debate the challenges that face our community.

Leaking damaging information close to an election is hardly anything new in politics. Al Gore did it to George W. Bush in 2000. In 2006, Democrats, well aware of Mark Foley’s inappropriate behaviors with congressional pages, sat on the information until close to the midterm election in order to gain the most politically from it. Of course, despite their advanced knowledge, they blamed Republicans, particularly Tom Reynolds, of trying to cover it up, and not “protecting the children.”

What really gets me about this story is how the media is trashing, not just Joe Illuzzi, but all blogs. Now, to clear, I don’t see Illuzzi’s PoliticsNY.net as a blog. Nor does he. He wrote earlier today “We are not a blog or a gossip column!!!” But that’s not stopping Sandy Beach from not only trashing Illuzzi for his tactics, but bashing blogs in general.

I’ll be the first to admit there are a lot of blogs that publish a lot of crap.  But the negative generalizing of blogs, in my opinion, is out of resentment that blogs occasionally scoop the media… and the media doesn’t like it when that happens.

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From the Buffalo News:

Assemblyman Sam Hoyt said late Tuesday that he and his wife experienced “a difficult time in our marriage” in the past after a local blogger forwarded allegations to Speaker Sheldon Silver of affairs with two interns, prompting Silver to promise “appropriate action.”

Hoyt late Tuesday would not address the specifics of his marital difficulties and would neither confirm nor deny involvement with interns other than to acknowledge he had “broken my marriage vows” 3 1/2 years ago.

But a statement issued by Silver’s office indicated that information regarding alleged conduct of a member of the Assembly had been forwarded to the press office and was passed on to the chairman of the Committee on Ethics and Guidance for “appropriate action.”

“The Assembly has strict policies regarding fraternization,” said spokesman Daniel Weiller. “Violations of these policies will not be tolerated.”

Hoyt insisted in his statement and in an interview that no official rules or laws were broken, as alleged by blogger Joseph J. Illuzzi.

“That simply is not true,” Hoyt said.

It is interesting that while Illuzzi is given credit for posting the information, his website is not mentioned by name, nor was the web address revealed. Of course, Illuzzi’s so-called blog is PoliticsNY.net (which at the time of this blog entry appears to be having some SQL issues) and Illuzzi has scooped the Buffalo News many times, so I guess the credit he did get was better than nothing. Buffalo Pundit notes that Illuzzi is probably more bothered by being called a “blogger” than he is by the criticisms he’s apparently getting in the media. He also believes that the leaking of the emails “undoubtedly originates from City Hall.”

UPDATE: Sam Hoyt’s statement, from 1:30 this afternoon:

Recently, accusations and slurs have been made online about my personal life; and like a lot of things on the Internet, much of it is false.

Here’s what is true. Several years ago, my wife and I had a difficult time in our marriage.  Since that time, my wife Connie and I have worked hard to put this behind us, and believe the episode to be a painful but private matter best left in the past.

While my past actions were unfortunate, and for which I have expressed to my family my sincere apology, one blogger has alleged that official rules or laws were broken. That simply is not true.

It’s sad that my political opponents have chosen to resort to the lowest tactics by dredging up a private matter from years ago just 21 days before an election.  The timing is no accident. They would rather wallow in this type of politics than debate the challenges that face our community. I am disappointed, but frankly, not all that surprised given the players involved.

I leave this in the voters’ hands. It’s my view that the people of Buffalo and Grand Island face more pressing issues than this. My family, who are more important to me than anything, has gone through a great deal to put this in the past where it belongs. We ask only for the privacy that any other family would be granted under these circumstances — nothing more, nothing less. 

UPDATE, 3:40 PM: Sandy Beach is trashing blogs on WBEN right now.

UPDATE: Still on Hoyt’s website:

Since being elected in 1992, more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students and volunteers have interned in my office.  Many of these past interns are now employed in their desired fields of government, journalism, academia, and law.

I need motivated individuals to assist my office staff with a variety of responsibilities.  Because my staff  is small, I rely on volunteers to help perform my job and respond effectively to the needs of my constituents.  I encourage people from all backgrounds who are interested in learning more about the legislative process, and improving the quality of life in our community to contact my District Office about my internship program. -Sam Hoyt

How many clicks do you think that’s getting?

UPDATE: More at What In The Sam Hoyt?

UPDATE: Buffalo News reports that adults, not interns, were romantically linked to Hoyt.

Two women believed to have been romantically linked to Assemblyman Sam Hoyt were adults and not interns when they were allegedly involved with the married legislator, according to records from the Assembly and the state comptroller’s office obtained by The Buffalo News.

The information, which could exonerate Hoyt of legal or rule violations, came as an Assembly ethics committee with broad investigatory powers began a lightning-fast probe into the allegations against the eight-term assemblyman, just weeks before a crucial primary election.

But Wednesday, Hoyt, 46, said he could not comment on the details - including the timing - of his alleged affairs.

A day earlier, Hoyt, D-Buffalo, had admitted to The News that he had “broken his wedding vows” 3-1/2 years ago but denied he had done anything illegal or against State Assembly rules in doing so.

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Bowing to pressure from the unions, the New York State Assembly approved a tax hike on millionaires in lieu of a property tax cap. New York’s teacher union has been relentless in fighting the proposed tax cap.

Robert Harding over at  The Albany Project noted liberal groups were pretty psyched by the news. Unfortunately, a tax hike on millionaires doesn’t “address the issue of high property taxes” as Harding suggests. Instead of addressing high property taxes, it shifts the burden of paying those taxes to the wealthy. If such a bill were to be signed by the governor, it would certainly dissuade wealthy people (business owners who employ people) from coming to the state, and encourage those that are here to leave.

Instead of raising taxes, the state needs to be more efficient and responsible with our money. High taxes drive people out and hurt businesses. Union bullying can’t blind people to the truth.

UPDATE, 8/20/08, 4:01 PM: The left-wing pro-union “Working Families” Party sent out an email moments ago, declaring victory in the Assembly, 

Over the last few months, the WFP and its allies have pushed for a new approach to the property tax crisis. With the help of over 15,000 calls and emails from supporters like you, we got the message to Albany that New York needs real tax solutions.

It worked. In a rare bi-partisan vote, the State Assembly rejected the ‘tax cap’ gimmick and instead passed a groundbreaking bill that would give immediate property tax relief to working families without threatening our schools.

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