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Democrat running for state Senate disputes Griffo's claim he is 'outpoken advocate' of upstate NY

Posted 10/6/10

Michael Hennessy, Democrat from Sherrill who hopes to wrest the 47th District state Senate seat from Republican Joe Griffo in November, has issued a statement that is highly critical of Griffo’s …

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Democrat running for state Senate disputes Griffo's claim he is 'outpoken advocate' of upstate NY

Posted

Michael Hennessy, Democrat from Sherrill who hopes to wrest the 47th District state Senate seat from Republican Joe Griffo in November, has issued a statement that is highly critical of Griffo’s claim that he is an outspoken advocate for Upstate New Yorkers.

The same day that Griffo’s campaign released an ad attempting to tie Hennessy with downstate Democrats, Hennessy pointed to Griffo’s meeting with Long Island minority leader Dean Skelos in Utica today.

Hennessy also said that Griffo had a role in the “coup” that resulted in the elevation to leadership roles for disgraced senate members. “Either Joe’s memory isn’t what it should be, or he assumes voters won’t recognize his cynical attempt to claim both sides of the same issue,” Hennessy said.

“I have more faith in the public than that. Dean Skelos has served in the state legislature for 30 years, and has been a major contributor to the dysfunction that has resulted in the mess in Albany that I am determined to try to clean up.”

“This isn’t the first time Griffo and Skelos have teamed up to the detriment of the public,” Hennessy said. “They worked and voted together on the infamous plot that resulted in the elevation of the disgraced Senators Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada - both from New York City - to create last year’s Albany Coup. Dean Skelos and Joe Griffo are perfect examples of everything that is wrong with Albany. They are career politicians whose main purpose is to get reelected. During Skelos’ 30 years in the majority, the state legislature was completely out of control and now they have the nerve to ask for the keys back. Upstate was completely neglected and continues to be today. Dean Skelos knows absolutely nothing about the needs of Upstate New York, and clearly neither does Joe Griffo.”