When I announced my candidacy for mayor last month, I did so with very little knowledge as to how the election process goes when it comes to a city campaign. I learned bit by bit and I am still learning. I quickly learned how to comply with state financial disclosure laws and I learned about the ballot process.
One thing that was new to me was the primary election versus the general election. I am not affiliated with any party. I am not a Republican. I am not a Democrat. I am not anything like that at all. This means the process is different for me.
For example, I have to collect 1,201 valid signatures from eligible residents of Albany before I can make it onto the November ballot. I cannot solicit signatures until April 15th, and I have until close of business on May 24th to turn over the nomination forms (petitions) to the Board of Elections.
If I do not do so, or if I do not have the necessary number of signatures, the game is over for me as far as officially getting onto the ballot. Should that happen, I will try to move forward as a write-in candidate, but that may be a long shot.
Basically, once I hand in the paperwork, I have to sit out the primary. I cannot even vote because I am not party affiliated. Running unaffiliated has its advantages: I’ll have my own party line, and that will be my only line.
My opponents will likely run on multiple lines, giving them a higher probability of winning the primary. Only then will I know who I am truly up against.
I have no political experience whatsoever, unlike two of my opponents. Two of us are currently politicians. And what of my opponents anyway?
I won’t name my competition as doing so would give them free Google Juice, but here are the basics when it comes to who might be my direct competition for November:
- One of my opponents is a crony of outgoing and ineffective lame duck mayor Kathy Sheehan. This opponent currently holds a high position in city government and is likely to get the support from the right people despite not being competent to serve as our mayor.
- Another opponent is embroiled in controversy. This person current holds office in city government as well, but according to an anonymous source who posted on a very public Albany-related message board and who responded to my request for clarification, and whom I have no reason to doubt, this candidate apparently and allegedly has at least two baby mamas literally knocking on his door, probably for child support. This same source, who is in a position to know who’s knocking on his door, also says debt collectors are after him. All of this clearly shows he can’t manage his personal financial affairs properly, assuming that the information is true. So, then, how can he effectively hold the highest office in the city? How can he be trusted to oversee matters financial? As for me, I have no baby mamas after me and my financial affairs are in order. Also, this candidate has, by way of votes, been told twice that residents don’t want him to be mayor.
- Another opponent is, in my opinion, naught but an uppity agitator who shouldn’t be a crossing guard let alone mayor. This candidate will bring naught but trouble into City Hall should this candidate win. This person too has been told twice to not be the mayor.
- Yet another opponent has, like me, no political experience. Based on a cursory glance of this candidate’s website, all this person has going on is the fact that this person is a born and raised. That, however, isn’t good enough on its own. This candidate is, in my opinion, not competent to serve as Albany’s next mayor.
- The final candidate holds a high office within the state. Running for mayor is a big step down for this person, and I mean a huge step down. It’s to the point, in my opinion, of being suspicious. This person is another born and raised, but that does not entitle this person to hold office. This candidate comes across as uppity and arrogant. The fact that this person will take a giant step down the chain should the candidate win should, in my opinion, should be setting off alarms, sirens and flashing red lights. I wouldn’t trust this candidate to scoop my cats’ litter boxes, let alone run the city.
And then there’s Maude. I mean and then there’s me. Six of us so far have publicly declared. As it stands right now, no Republican has declared. Maybe that’s because this is a Democrat city and maybe no Republican has the stones to stand up to the left-wing bullies of the city.
Now, as you can see above, I do play dirty, but I do play fair.
Like everyone else, I have a past. In my past, I have written numerous articles and even a book on a variety of subjects ranging from the military to the Holocaust to teenage drivers who cause deaths, even their own and even women who claim that they were sexually abused.
I also set up a website to expose and humiliate men who used the internet to cheat on their girlfriends and wives to whom they were ostensibly committed.
I even wrote an article about an APD officer who assaulted me. I also went after his young daughter. I stand by the former but regret the latter.
I stand behind most of what I wrote. The rest of it I could have phrased with more compassion and tact.
I have in the past called ICE on illegals and on one occasion my tip got an illegal deported and that tore apart his family. No regrets. None at all. In fact, the whole matter of illegals and ICE are my main talking points in this campaign.
But those days are behind me and rather than look behind, I choose to look forward and concentrate on what I can do for Albany as mayor: a lot.
Depending on how things play out, I will have three opponents for the general election and that season begins the day after the primary in June. That’s when my campaign will truly kick into gear. In the meantime, I am letting people know who I am and what I stand for.
In April, I will run a petition drive in an effort to get the signatures that I need. Also in that month, I will be participating in something exciting. I will give details of that when it gets closer to the actual date.
So, for the next two months, there won’t be much for me to do other than get my name out there so that potential voters know that an unaffiliated candidate exists. Maybe they’ll decide to vote for me. In that event, they will hopefully stay home on the day of the primary, costing my candidates the votes that they need to move forward. We’ll see what happens.
I’d just like to make it clear: I am not going anywhere. If I get the number of signatures that I need, then great, I advance to the general automatically. If I don’t get the signatures, then I will need to be quite busy as write-in candidates typically don’t go anywhere. Just ask former District Attorney Soares. So if you do vote in the primary and don’t see my name, I did not quit. It’s just the way the voting process works in this state.
If you’re open to hearing from a candidate who is unaffiliated and who can truly shake things up at City Hall, then I ask that you read the goals that I have set for my administration should I win.
Understand this: I am not scared. I am not going anywhere.