Independence Party Candidates ‘Encouraged’ to Collect Signatures for Castro

We have heard a few complaints from Democratic candidates who also have the Independence Party line throughout Westchester, about the arm twisting they are receiving from County Independence Chair Dr. Giulio Cavallo, strongly encouraging them to collect signatures for Tony Castro, Democratic candidate for district attorney.

Castro has the Ind line, thanks to Cavallo and Sam Zherka, but he also wants to run in a Dem primary against Janet DiFiore and needs to collect a few thousand signatures in order to get on the ballot.

Dr. C has made it known that all Dem candidates with the Ind line need to help Castro get on the ballot. This puts these Dem candidates in a bad situation because the leadership of the party, and the rank and file, have nominated DiFiore.

Also what right does Cavallo have in telling the Dem Party how to conduct their primaries?

Another fact that points to serious involvement by Dr. C and Sam Z in the political elections this year in Westchester.

Dr. Giulio Cavallo

Rubbo, Winnicki, Perez and Lesnick Get Independence Nominations

 

Ted Winnicki                      John Rubbo

Westchester County Independence Party Chairman Dr. Giulio Cavallo finally released his endorsements for Yonkers City Council. See his statement below, which criticizes  Mayor Phil Amicone while endorsing Ted Winnicki in the Sixth Council District, John Rubbo in the fourth, Virginia Perez in the second and Chuck Lesnick for council president.

While Cavallo’s statement says that Perez and Lesnick were previously given the endorsement, this fact was never released to the press or the public officially until today, with a few candidates not wanting to say anything until Cavallo  made the announcement. 

Obviously this news is good news for all four candidates:

Winnicki — This gives Winnicki a better chance in his race against Republican John Larkin to succeed Dee Barbato in the Sixth District. 

Perez — This gives Perez three party lines – Independence, Conservative and Working Families – going into the Democratic primary in the Second District against Wilson Tererro and Jose Roman. Perez’s partnership with Sandy Annabi, (who is running in the same southwest Yonkers neighborhood for County Board) we are told, was crucial to Perez getting one or more of these lines.

Rubbo — We have heard and posted about this for a week or so, but its still a good boost for Rubbo, who will face off against Dennis Shepard in the GOP primary to represent the Fourth District. Democrat Mario Degiorgio, who also has the Conservative and Working Families lines, is waiting to see if he will be running againts Rubbo, Shepard or both.

Lesnick — again, although expected, is a big win for the incumbent council president, and may eliminate any hopes of Republican Jim Castro-Blanco. Lesnick also has the Working Families Party line, with Castro-Blanco getting the Conservative line.

Analysis — There are two big losers in the Independence party charade: Tererro and Degiorgio:

Tererro — was viewed as a pro-Amicone candidate by Cavallo, who obviously has an axe to grind against the mayor, and any candidate that is even perceived to be close to him. Throw Dennis Shepard into this bunch.

Degiorgio — was given the Independence line only to have it taken away by Cavallo and Yonkers Indepdence Chair Dhyalma Vazquez. While the removal of the line from Degiorgio was said to be because he announced it before Cavallo did, we hear that the real truth was that some type of deal was cut by Cavallo and someone else to deny Degiorgio the Independence line and give it to Rubb0, who rejected the advice of the mayor not to run, and quit his job at City Hall to run.

Following is Cavallo’s statement:

Winnicki, Rubbo Complete Independence Party Picks for Yonkers Council Party Chief Stresses Need for ‘New Thinking’ After 14 Years of Amicone

           Dr. Giulio Cavallo, chairman of The Independence Party of Westchester, announced today the completion of its endorsements for city elections in Yonkers with its support of a Democrat, Ted Winnicki, for Council Member in District 6 and John Rubbo, a Republican, for Council Member in District 4.

            “In this tough fiscal climate, Yonkers desperately needs an infusion of new thinking after 14 years of Phil Amicone at the helm,” Cavallo said. “We think the mature judgment of Ted Winnicki and the fresh ideas of John Rubbo are the right blend of innovative and independent thinking that will result in good government for Yonkers.”

             “Ted Winnicki has proven he has the mettle to stand up in tough situations and his experience as a small business-owner should be invaluable in helping solve Yonkers’ recurring fiscal crises,” Cavallo said.  “John Rubbo had the courage to walk away from a safe City Hall job to pursue his interest in public service and that is exactly the kind of courageous independence our party admires and encourages.”

            Winnicki, 59, is a Yonkers small business-owner (AC Technologies, Inc.) and a decorated  Marine Corps Vietnam combat veteran.  He presently serves as President of the Yonkers Federation of Youth, Inc.  and is the Past President of the Bryn Mawr Boys and Girls Club, Winnicki holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from SUNY Purchase and is married with three children.  The Winnickis make their home on Mile Square Road.

 Rubbo, 27, is a lifelong Yonkers resident who currently works in the merchant processing industry and has a long history of community service including Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Columbus Day Parade Committee, President of the Holy Name Society and Chairman of the Parish Youth Group at Saint John the Baptist and co-founder of the TUSKS Society, a community service and advocacy organization for young adults.  He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Iona College in Communications and an Associate’s degree in Business Administration from Manhattan College.

 Today’s announcement completes the Independence Party slate for November’s Yonkers City Council election.  Previously, the party endorsed incumbent City Council President Chuck Lesnick (D) for re-election and Virginia Perez (D) for election to the Second District seat being vacated by Sandy Annabi due to term limits.

 “Tragically, Virginia Perez knows firsthand the consequences of failing to keep Yonkers’ streets and homes free of violence,” Cavallo said. “Together with Ted Winnicki and John Rubbo, she will help form an independent Council majority to give the City Council President the support he needs for the Council to become an effective check on the administration.”

The Independence Party Lost in Space in Yonkers Council Races

 

  Dr. Giulio Cavallo-strange bizzare behavior in yonkers council races 

Who will be the nominee’s of the Yonkers Independence Party for Council President, and City Council in the second, fourth and sixthDistricts? The answer remains a mystery, thanks to the shady operations of the Ind Party in Yonkers, led by Chair Dhyalma Vazquez.

First, let us clarify that as of now, nobody mentioned below has the line, and that’s the way Dhyalma and her #1, Dr. Giulio Cavallo, want it.  

For council president, all signs lead to Chuck Lesnick getting the endorsement over Jim Castro-Blanco, with Lesnick the safer choice, and Castro-Blanco, a former US Attorney, not willing to beg or offer anything to try to take it away from Chuck.

In the Sixth District, look for Democrat Ted Winnicki to get the line over Republican  John Larkin.

In the Second District, we are hearing that Virginia Perez will get the Independence line. This is another coup for Perez, who could have the Ind and Cons lines in her battle against fellow Democrat Wilson Tererro in this overwhelmingly Democratic, and Latino district.

In the Fourth District, things have gotten out of control. Dhyalma and the Ind party offered the nomination to Mario Degorgio and he accepted. We were informed of Degiorgio’s nomination and put it up on the blog.

After reading our blog, Dhyalma blew a gasket, saying that she didn’t want any information out until she issued the release, so she took the line away from Degiorgio. We actually think that Vaquez used our blog as an excuse to take the line away from Mario.

Vazquez and Cavallo are currently at odds with Nick Spano and Mayor Phil Amicone, for reasons unknown, but likely to do with the rejection of a job plea. So any candidates supported by either Nick or the Mayor are persona non grata with the Ind party.

Degiorgio, although a Democrat, is being perceived as having the support of Nick Spano, and Dennis Shepard having the support of Amicone. This is the real reason why Degiorgio got the line yanked from him and why Shepard isn’t getting the Ind line.

So who do the dynamic duo of Cavallo and Vazquez turn to? — John Rubbo. See the next Rising Times post for more.

Andy Spano Campaign Manager Says “We Did Not Seek the Independence Party Line”

We recently spoke with Paul Bader, campaign manager for Andy Spano’s re-election for county executive. Bader challenged our coverage of the Independence Party’s role in the county executive’s race.

Recently, the Independence Party endorsed Rob Astorino for county executive, and numerous sources have told us that the Spano campaign was actively seeking the nomination, including using the $100,000 county DSS job of Dhyalma Vazquez, Yonkers Independence Chair, as a bargaining chip.

Bader called our coverage “totally erroneous.” “We were not interested in the Independence Party this year. It wasn’t a question of a choice being made we were never interested, and no effort was made.”

Possible reasons why the Spano campaign wasn’t interested in the Independence Party include the relationship betwee West Ind Chair Dr. Guilio Cavallo and Sam Zherka, publisher of the Westchester Guardian and an admitted target of a Manhattan DA criminal probe.

Zherka is the driving force behind Rethinking County Government, which aims to ablolish county government and the office of County Executive. Zherka also pulled out of obscurity Dave Spano, son of Andy, who railed against county government and tried to run for his dad’s job, clearly irritating Andy and Co.  “We didn’t want the line because of the relationship with strip club owner Sam Zherka. It’s not an association that Andy wanted to have,” said Bader.

“The Independence party endorsed Astorino, and there appears to be a relationship between the Independence Party, Astorino, and Sam Zherka-he’s supporting him,” said Bader.  

This is a clear indication of how the Andy Spano campaign, and others, will run this fall’s campaign-They intent to highlight the link between Zherka and any candidate he endorses.

This strategy was used in the race for Yonkers mayor two years ago, with Democrat Dennis Robertson gettting the support of Zherka, but having it backfire and used against him by Mayor Phil Amicone.

While all of Spano’s reasons are rational, we remind our fellow bloggers about the stories we have all heard about Dr. Cavallo looking for a job for Dhyamla around Westchester. Why would Cavallo do it if Dhyamla’s county job was safe?

Regarding the Conservative Party nomination for county executive, to be held on Thursday, Bader said “there is an interest and a willingness from us and is a line that we would welcome.”

“Andy has had the Conservative line in the past, and one of their biggest issues is fiscal constraint and under Andy Spano Westchester has a AAA bond rating. I hope we do get the line,” said Bader.

Bader’s comments on Andy’s conservative record may be seen as a stretch to some, but point to a real possibility that Andy gets the Conservative Party line tomorrow night, which is a big problem for Astornio, who needs every line he can get in his challenge to Andy.

Cavallo Takes on the Spanos to Get a Job for Dhyalma Vazquez

Westchester Independence Party Chairman Dr. Giulio is getting desperate to find a cozy job for his right hand, Dhyalma Vazquez, the Yonkers chair of the Independence Party.

Cavallo is feeling the heat from the campaign of County Executive Andy Spano, who is running for re-election and wants the Independence line. Vazquez currently works for the county DSS, at a salary of over $100,000. The Spano forces are leaning on Dr. C to stop his alliance with Sam Zherka and Dave Spano — Andy’s son.

Cavallo is in a pickle, and has completely flipped on politicians he has supported, and benefitted from, in the past — most notably Andy Spano and District Attorney Janet DiFiore. He needs to appease Zherka and sees $$$.

While Dr. C has already pitched a Vazquez job at City Hall, he has been rejected. But Cavallo has returned to Yonkers in another effort to secure a job for him, and he is once again using the Independence Party to get it.

Cavallo now wants Vazquez to be appointed a deputy city clerk, and is demanding that the current deputy, Vinny Spano, be replaced. Cavallo is using his Ind. line endorsement to “lean” on members of the City Council to appoint Vazquez. (Kudos to Hezi for getting this information  first — I confirmed it and add the following:)

This pits Cavallo against the Spanos, incluidng Nick Spano, who is another old Cavallo ally now on his s*** list.  Dr. C has been ranting about Nick lately, and the attempted removal of Nick’s brother, Vinny, is an indication of flip flop on all the Spanos — Andy, Nick and Vinny.

The Democrats on the City Council control who gets appointed deputy clerk and what, if any, changes are made. While it is unlikley that the council will buckle to Cavallo’s demands, Cavallo can use the Ind line endorsement against Council President Chuck Lesnick, who is running for re-election and wants the line.

Isn’t there a saying about playing both sides and getting burned in the end?

Spano vs. Spano — Father vs. Son for County Executive?

 

The recent turn of events in the race for county executive should make all of us disgusted to live, and vote, in Westchester County, one of the most affluent and well-educated counties in the country.

For the better part of nine years, candidates for MAJOR county office have been influenced far to greatly by minor parties in Westchester, most notably the Westchester Independence Party and Chairman Dr. Giulio Cavallo, and we are headed towards the same thing happening again this year.

As County Executive Andy Spano begins his campaign for a fourth term, he now faces the embarassing likelihood of running against his own son, David Spano, who has appeared in TV commercials against county government and recently announced his candidacy for county executive recently at a Rethinking County Government rally.

While David Spano’s involvement was originally designed to upset Andy (which it clearly has), it has now progessed to a possible and legitimate father/son matchup. What has to occur for this to happen?

Dave Spano and his supporters must collect thousands of signatures county-wide to crate a new political party, and ensure he is on the ballot in November.

Or Dave can use an existing party line to run on, with the only possibility being the Independence line, which requires the approval of Cavallo.

If it happens, and its Spano vs. Spano, this race could confuse the voters as to who is the current county executive (CE) and who isn’t, possibly resulting in the election of anyone, including Rob Astorino, the Republican candidate for CE.

If this is the result, all of us in Westchester should be ashamed of allowing another scarred Westchester election to pass by.

The Unholy Alliance? Colety, Cavallo and Zherka

 

Doug Colety

Westchester GOP  Chairman Doug Colety is taking a lot of heat from fellow Republicans for his recent attendance at a fundraising event for Tony Castro. Castro, a Democrat, has run for Westchester district attorney on two occasions, and is said to be considering a third run for DA. It’s easy to see why republicans would be a bit peeved that their leader and chairman, Colety, was seen and photographed at a fundraiser for a prominent Democrat, Castro.

 

Colety was caught recently on the pages of the Westchester Guardian at the fundraiser with Westchester Independence Party Chairman Dr. Giulio Cavallo and Castro. We spoke to Colety, who told us, “I was invited to an event by Dr. Giulio Cavallo to honor Tony Castro, who, as far as I know, has not announced that he is running for anything.”

“The Republican Party does have candidates (plural) interested in running for DA, all of which will be interviewed by the executive committee and nominated at the convention by the rank and file,” Colety said. “I will not be selecting the candidates alone, and there is a process that we will be going through next year. My attendance at the event in no way should indicate that I’m supporting any candidate.”

When we followed up with Colety and asked if Castro could be the Republican candidate for DA next year, he called it “total nonsense. My feeling about Tony Castro’s bid to run, if he decides to run in a Democratic primary, is that I believe he is best served running without the Republican endorsement. Strategically, in a Democratic primary, a Democrat cannot win with the Republican line.”

But Colety added this caveat to his friend Cavallo, saying, “If the Independence Party asks us to interview a candidate whom they are supporting, we will consider doing so. My friendship with Dr. Cavallo will benefit Republican candidates throughout the county.”

There is no disputing that Colety and Cavallo share a strong political alliance that has turned into a friendship over the years, and if Doc Cavallo asked Colety to come to this event, he would do so. It is also true that the two political parties that Cavallo and Colety preside over  need to work together in order for Republicans to have any chance of remaining a viable party here in Westchester. This is another reason for Colety to appear at this event for Cavallo.

But that’s where the rationale for Colety attending this event ends. Here’s the other side of the argument against Colety attending. First, this was not an event for Cavallo, or his Independence Party. It was for a Democratic candidate for district attorney very likely to be running again, and possibly running against the Republican Party’s candidate for DA, in 2009.  If Cavallo asked Colety to attend a Hillary or Obama event, would he do it?

Second, as Colety stated above, there is more than one Republican candidate interested in running for DA next year. Dan Schor is the one DA candidate from the GOP already actively campaigning and raising money, and yes, some of the rumblings we heard about Colety attending the Castro event came from Schor supporters (but we got calls and e-mails from Republicans from Yonkers, Harrison and Rye complaining about the photo in the Guardian).

Third, the growing relationship between Colety, Cavallo and Westchester Guardian Publisher Sam Zherka deserve mention, and attention from the powers that be. Cavallo and Zherka have become friends over the past year after a group led by Zherka attempted to overthrow Cavallo from power as Westchester Independence Party chairman. Since then, the two have formed a mutual opppostion to current District Attorney Janet DiFiore.

When Cavallo brings his good friend Doug Colety into the mix with Zherka and co., you have a very powerful and dangerous political alliance. In theory, a political candidate, who has the blessing of Sam Zherka, could easily have two political party lines to run on here in Westchester: the Republican and Independence lines.

This is what got Republicans and others in Westchester so upset about the photo in the Guardian; most thought this meant that Castro was going to attempt to get the Republican line. While Colety disputed those rumors in his quotes to us, he may have simply backed off the idea because of all the intense opposition to it.

One thing is clear: that photo, assumed to be taken by Guardian Editor-in-Chief Richard Blassberg, did not have the intended outcome. It exposed Colety, Cavallo and Zherka and put them all on the hot seat.  It also didn’t  help Blassberg’s eternal candidate for DA, Castro. Or is this what Dick wanted to do all along — expose this unholy alliance to the public? But how can you justify that to your boss, or does Sam even understand this?  

Let’s also realize that current DA Janet DiFiore is now a Democrat, so if Castro wants to challenge DiFiore again in 2009, he must do so in a Democratic primary.

More analysis on this upcoming race , and the unoly alliance,  in our next post.