STATE GOVERNMENT
Golisano takes on Assembly in TV spot
Published: August 16, 2009, 12:30 am
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After engineering a coup of the New York State Senate, B. Thomas Golisano has his sights set on the Assembly.
“Sheldon Silver has been the speaker of the Assembly for 16 years,” said the Buffalo Sabres owner and billionaire executive in a block of air time he purchased on WGRZ-TV, Channel 2, Saturday night. “And quite candidly, even if Sheldon has done a decent job, 16 years is far too long in a democracy, we need some new leadership there, and we’re going to try and encourage it there.”
Candor appeared to be the theme of the half-hour infomercial, staged as an interview against the backdrop of downtown’s skyline, in which Golisano sought to debunk conceptions and trumpet his philanthropy. As host Vic Carucci, a former News sportswriter, put it, “There you have it — straight and unfiltered.”
Golisano bankrolled the Democrats’ takeover of the State Senate in November.
When party leaders ignored campaign and post-election promises, the Rochester-area native helped orchestrate a Republican takeover of the Senate and moved to Florida to protest New York’s high tax rate. The maneuver crippled state government for a month and brought unfavorable publicity to Golisano and his head political adviser, G. Steven Pigeon.
But the CEO of Paychex Inc. Saturday said he had no regrets, pointing to post-coup reforms, including a C-SPAN-type system on the Internet and term limits on committee chairman.
“It’s a way for him to get his message out,” said Pigeon, who estimated the Channel 2 spot cost between $75,000 and $100,000. “There’s probably going to be more of these.”
And there should be, if the three-time gubernatorial candidate hopes to join the political chatter, said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute of Public Opinion at Marist College in Poughkeepsie.
In the interview, Golisano said he plans to continue to use his public action committee, Responsible New York, to influence upcoming state elections. He made no mention of moving back to the Empire State.
“The media is so harsh and so cynical, it keeps people away,” he said in reference to politics. “Fortunately I have a tough skin.”
dyadron@buffnews.com
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