EDITORIALS
Candidates reveal flaws
As a congressional race heats up, two contenders show poor judgment
This is what happens when you want to win too much. You pretend that the wives of influential party chairman are “consultants” and pay them $5,000 each for their “work,” or you pitch your altruistic efforts as “path breaking” when, in reality, they fall far short of the mark. With behavior like that, you could be a congressman.
Coincidentally, that is just what Jack Davis and Jon Powers want to be. The Democratic candidates for the 26th Congressional District want it so much that they risk the accusation that they are willing to do anything to win. They should stop and take a deep breath. Western New Yorkers don’t need either of them that badly.
To be sure, Davis’ actions are the worse. Powers indulged in the ancient art of exaggeration, but Davis committed something that looked a lot darker. The millionaire’s campaign sent $5,000 each to the wives of the chairmen of the Independence Parties in Erie and Monroe counties.
He claimed it was for “consulting” work, and indeed, one of the payments went to Coastal Consulting South of Venice, Fla., whose corporate headquarters happen to be in the mobile home owned by Erie County Independence Chairman Anthony L. Orsini. The company is headed by his wife, Judith
A. Orsini.
The other payment went to Blanca S. Colon, wife of Rafael Colon, who was Monroe County Independence chairman until he resigned over the ensuing scandal. The Davis campaign sent payment to Colon under her maiden name, Blanca Semidey.
The Davis campaign insists it was legitimate consulting and certainly not an effort to bribe party officials for their endorsement, but the interim chairman of the Monroe County party called it that, exactly: “bribe money from Jack Davis.”
“I’m not going to let this party fall into hands like that,” said Walter Schiemann.
Davis, who has twice before run for this seat, will have a hard time explaining why that kind of behavior is consistent with what Western New Yorkers want in a congressman. It could help Powers, despite the Iraq war veteran’s unseemly boasting of charitable work that amounted to far less than he has advertised.
The former Army captain touts the War Kids Relief nonprofit organization he started to protect Iraqi youth from Islamic radicals, but critics say that, besides paying Powers about $77,000 in salary, the organization has done little but send some soccer balls and backpacks to Iraq.
Powers won’t completely back off his claims, insisting that he raised the issue’s profile high enough that it made the cover of Newsweek. He also says, not incorrectly, that Congress’ refusal to fund the program — it was under no obligation to do so — helped drag it down. Still, that’s a long way from “path breaking.”
Here’s some unsolicited advice for anyone running for office this year: You should want to win badly enough that voters trust your passion for the job, but not so much that they lose faith in your judgment. That’s the problem Davis and Powers are now facing. Poor judgment is a killer.
