Ianello Exaggerates in “The Albany Project” Interview
This campaign has been tough. I know Michele Ianello, her husband Dennis Ward and her opponent Dan Ward. For honesty sake, I am involved in Dan Ward’s campaign as a close confidant and advisor.Ms Ianello recently had an interview in Batavia that included, I was told, Charlie Mallow the Genesee County Democratic Chairman. Supposedly another person form the Genesee County Democrats also appeared by chance. The names mentioned in the original post and were later edited out.I imagine he was there to assist in the interview.
Here’s what was written on the Albany Project:NY 61st State Senate District: Michele Iannello answers all of TAP’s questionsby: Jerri S. Kaiser - the Albany Project
Fri Aug 08, 2008 at 16:58:27 PM EDT
Batavia, NY: Michele Iannello (D-Kenmore), Democratic candidate for New York’s 61st State Senate District, sat down with me at Main Street Coffee for over an hour today to talk openly about the issues.TAP: Why should voters choose you over your primary opponent?
MI: Experience. I’ve been to over 120 districts and talked to over 1,700 voters. I have a rounded background of fighting for change. I will defend the middle class, that’s who I am…being a single parent working two jobs, watching my father working and taking care of my mom, trying to find her a place to stay. My mom was stricken with encephalitis in 1996. I know what it means to go without health care. I’ve had to face that possibility after going through a divorce were it not for my parents. That’s why I want to change the state policy on divorce and health care coverage, to allow ex-spouses to be on their exes’ insurance policy for 2-3 years. (Iannello pointed out that this issue primarily faces women but that men would also be eligible.)
Ms. Ianello says experience and then goes on to talk about stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with the question. Ms. Kaiser does not ask her to explain that experience or to make a comparison. The reader of The Albany Project will simply assume that since she was not challenged on the point, she must be the most experience. The reality is, the whole interview fluff piece of contrived piece of PR for a candidate favored by the interviewer and the blog. This is type of writing is not acceptable. Particularly when another regular writer on the blog, Robert Harding, very recently called the Buffalo News a lier for remarks made about Congressional candidate Jon Powers and its inability to check simple facts.Here are the fact that should have appeared in this piece from The Albany Project.
61st State Senate District Candidate Comparison:
Michele Ianello:
Education: High School Graduate, Paralegal Course (16 credit hours) Univ. at Buffalo
Experience: Owner, Pizza Business (# years Unknown); Paralegal , 2 year Kenmore Village Trustee; 2 year Erie County Legislator
Dan Ward:
Education: Regents Diploma- Bishop Neumann HS (1965), BA- Political Science, Canisius College - Syracuse Univ (1969); J.D. - Law, Univ. @ Buffalo (1972); Erie County Sheriff’s Academy
Experience: 3 yrs Erie County Legislator (Majority Leader, Majority Counsel); 12 yrs Amherst Town Board Member; 4 yrs - Amherst Town Supervisor; 2 yrs Erie County Assistant District Attorney; 4 yrs U.S. Customs Officer; 35 yrs Small Businessmen - Legal Defense Practice
If the most important reason to support a candidate according to Ianello is in fact “experience.”, then Dan Ward is the most experienced candidate of the three Democrats in the primary.
Posted by Mike Wrona
Buffalo 14228
http://prodemswny.blogspot.com
Jerri S. Kaiser Says:August 11th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I am the writer who conducted that interview with Ms. Ianello. My meeting with Ms. Iannello ran 30 minutes past the time I had set aside to conduct the interview, so the contact with Mr. Mallow was a result of my time eating into Ms. Iannello’s next meeting.
Furthermore, the names have not been edited out. If you go to this link below you’ll see the names AND photo of them are there. You have to click on “There’s More” to get to the second half of the interview.
http://www.thealbanyproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3945
Formica is for lovers Says:August 11th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Mike,
Iannello talks about her Life experiences, which clearly qualify her for office, because it means that she understands People and their needs and problems.
The fact that she lived without Health care means she knows what that is like. The fact that she owned a small business means that she understands the struggles that small business owners can face. Get it?
Anyways, lets compare for a second our other two local senators and their degrees:
Stachowski:
No Advanced Degrees
Poised to become Chair of the Finance Committee in January and therefore the second most important State Senator
Consistently Effective
Tops among Democrats at bringing $$$ to his district
Volker:
Law Degree
Batshit crazy:
-Threatened to injure Scott Brown
-Attempted to physically assault Donn Esmonde
-Threatened Bruce Fisher
-Called a professor a nasty racial slur last year
Has terrible TV ads on right now
Among the worst Republicans at bringing $$$ to district
Only chairs irrelevant Codes committee despite 36 years in Senate
Family in Albany for 58 of last 64 years
So, as we see, Law Degree in no way correlates to worthiness to be in the Senate