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Elmira Mayor John Tonello challenges George Winner

June 13, 2008

Elmira Mayor John Tonello announced plans Thursday to seek the 53rd District state Senate seat held by Sen. George H. Winner Jr., R-Elmira.

Tonello, a Democrat who is in his second term as mayor, said fiscal responsibility, transparency, open communication and bipartisanship have been the hallmarks of his administration, and that is what is needed in Albany.

“In order to move Elmira and all our local governments forward, we need real partners in Albany,” he told supporters who gathered in Wisner Park to hear his announcement. “We need a state senator willing to look past partisanship, cronyism and the status quo to work with us, not against us.”

If there are no primary challenges in September, Tonello and Winner would face off in the Nov. 4 general election for the two-year Senate term.

Asked about Winner’s performance, Tonello said, “Being mayor, I’m very close to some of the things we do from a state level, and time and again, we’ve found that instead of getting collaborative help, we get roadblocks, or we get stymied. Mr. Winner has nearly 30 years of experience as a legislator in Albany, and sometimes I feel that’s not working in our favor. I often feel, and I hear from others, that a lot of that is partisanship.”

Contacted after Tonello’s announcement, Winner said he was a little surprised, but he looks forward to debating him on the campaign trail. Winner, who was elected to the seat in 2004 after 13 terms in the state Assembly, said he is proud of his record and his service to the district.

“I would think it would be tough to find fault with any of the actions that we’ve taken in the Senate office with regard to our assistance to the city,” Winner said. He cited his efforts to secure funding for the Corning Community College Academic and Workforce Development Center in Elmira and to obtain Restore New York grants and record increases in revenue sharing and road funds.

“Those are things that I’ve helped deliver for the city, so I think that any kind of criticism of our performance is rather hollow, and, frankly, is regrettable,” he said. “I guess our efforts are apparently unappreciated.”

Tonello, 41, said he was endorsed Tuesday by the Chemung County Democratic Committee. Part of the reason he is not running for the state Assembly seat held by Tom O’Mara, R-Horseheads, is because he has found O’Mara to be a great collaborator locally, he said.

“The Senate, I believe, is a place that has a lot of influence,” Tonello said. “This area, I believe, has long been without bipartisan representation. We’ve been underrepresented. At the Senate level, I think that not only can we influence policy here in the district but in Albany in the larger picture.”

The 53rd District comprises Chemung, Steuben, Schuyler and Yates counties, and parts of Tompkins County, including the city and town of Ithaca.

Tonello said he is under no illusions as he throws his hat in the ring. “I have an uphill battle,” he said. “I fully expect to be outspent and to be pressed by a political machine that is bound and determined to maintain the status quo of the past 30 years.”

Source: Star Gazette

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