Mesi dukes it out with two veteran officeholders for 61st State Senate district
Ward, Iannello also seek Democratic nod
The end, and also the beginning, came during his brutal, hard-fought and ultimately costly victory over Vassiliy Jirov.
It was there in Las Vegas, in the final rounds against the lefthander from Kazakhstan, that “Baby Joe” Mesi found himself the target of what one sportswriter called a “barrage of thunderous head shots and smattering of breath-taking body blows.”
Mesi would box again, but the effects of his 2004 fight against Jirov — he suffered multiple brain bleeds — would force the former heavyweight contender into a new arena with new combatants.
Suddenly, the “Baby” is gone from his name and his new opponents are a veteran Town Council member in Amherst and a former Kenmore village trustee turned county legislator.
Four years after that fateful night in Vegas, Mesi’s eyes are on a new title — New York State senator in the 61st District. But there are people in his way and they have the one skill he lacks — experience in politics.
“Don King versus Sheldon Silver,” Mesi said of the boxing promoter and Assembly speaker. “I’ve never been persuaded by money or personality. And that’s the way it’s going to be in Albany.”
Mesi’s decision to run added new drama to a race that already was billed as one of the premier campaigns in New York, a race that could tilt the balance of power in the State Senate.
The winner of the Sept. 9 primary will face Republican County Legislator Michael Ranzenhofer in the general election.
Of the three Democrats running, Mesi is the one with the name and fame. But will his popularity as a sports figure translate into votes?
“What’s that old [Walter] Mondale quip, ‘Where’s the beef?’ ” asked Daniel J. Ward, the Amherst council member running against Mesi.
To hear Ward talk, Mesi’s run for the Senate is equivalent to a young, inexperienced boxer seeking an immediate shot at the heavyweight title.
The image of Mesi as an unqualified but polished former athlete turned politician is one that both Ward and fellow candidate Michele Iannello have helped foster.
Iannello, a county legislator, contrasts her background as a small-business owner and paralegal with Mesi’s career as a nationally ranked boxer.
“My common-sense life experience is what I offer the voters,” she said. “I’ve been a single mom. I’ve been a small-business owner. And I’ve worked multiple jobs to put food on the table.”
Nowhere is Mesi’s fame more evident than in the competition for cash.
On Aug. 8, the last deadline for campaign disclosure reports, Mesi had $64,600 in the bank, much of it loans from family and friends.
Ward and Iannello, by comparison, had a combined $16,000 on hand.
Mesi also stands to benefit from his likely endorsement by Buffalo Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano and his newly created “independent” political committee.
The fear among Mesi’s opponents is that Golisano will dump up to $1 million –a figure Iannello and others have suggested publicly — into Mesi’s campaign.
Iannello isn’t shy about linking Mesi with Golisano and, in turn, G. Steven Pigeon, the former Erie County Democratic chairman turned Golisano adviser.
Pigeon’s relationship with Mesi stems in part from his ties to the Bargnesis, Mesi’s relatives and a prominent Town of Tonawanda political family. The Bargnesis also loaned Mesi $20,000 in mid-July.
Iannello, more than anyone else, has questioned the legality of Golisano’s involvement in the race. State election law prohibits any coordination between candidates and independent committees intending to spend more than the normal contribution limits.
“Mr. Golisano, Mr. Pigeon and Mr. Mesi have been communicating all along,” Iannello said recently. “I’m hoping Mr. Mesi will tell them to abide by the law.”
Iannello went so far as to call for an investigation by the state and produce documents that suggest Pigeon was an authorized check signer for Mesi’s campaign at the same time he was starting Golisano’s committee.
Pigeon declined to comment when asked about Iannello’s allegations but in the past argued that his involvement with Mesi ended before Golisano created his committee.
Golisano, who has yet to give Mesi a penny, also dismissed Iannello’s claims.
“I don’t know what she’s going to investigate because we haven’t done anything yet,” he told reporters in early August. “She must have a terrific crystal ball.”
Mesi has tried to counteract the attacks by portraying himself as a hard-working, blue-collar guy with a passion for bringing change to Albany.
Of course, Iannello and Ward are just as quick to promise reform.
“People have had it up to here,” said Ward. “There are people in this district who are suffering and are looking for a revolution.”
At the core of Ward’s campaign is his promise to fight for lower gas taxes, fewer IDAs and an end to Erie County’s two control boards.
He agrees with Gov. David A. Paterson’s pleas for fiscal restraint but is opposed to raising taxes as a way to erase the state’s deficit.
Iannello, as part of her “40 ideas in 40 days” pledge, has outlined a number of government reforms she would push for as senator. They include a reduction in state borrowing and the creation of midyear budget hearings.
When asked how she would deal with the state’s current deficit, Iannello would not commit to any specific cuts. She also ruled out an increase in taxes.
“I’m not sure we have to cut,” she said. “We have to simply manage our money better.”
Unlike Ward and Iannello, Mesi thinks the governor’s urgent plea for immediate action may be exaggerated.
“I don’t know if we have to panic,” he said.
He and Paterson also part ways on where to cut the budget. In Mesi’s eyes, the one sacred cow is education.
“I don’t think it can be cut any more,” Mesi said. “I think there are other answers.”
The one thing the three Democrats agree on is the need for a Democratic majority in the Senate.
“Republicans have had their chance,” said Ward. “We have to take care of the middle class, which is in free fall. And it’s Democrats who stand for the middle class.”
