PACKWOOD ON EDUCATION; NOVEMBER 15, 1977 VOL XIII, No. 22 50 cents Polilics: New York THE LESSONS ACROSS THE HUDSON Hugh Carey is vulnerable. But any turned Byrne's defense of the income tax optimism the GOP may feel about its into a profile in courage. In reality, chances of ousting the enigmatic Empire Byrne's performance as governor more State governor must be cushioned by the closely resembled a profile in arro­ 1977 election results from across the gance. By contrast, the GOP candidate, Hudson River. There in the Garden Raymond Bateman, was a profile in moder­ State the political obituaries fdr Gov. ation, experience and affability. He Brendan Byrne (D) proved premature. As made one mistak~---ov~~ th~ advic§ Qf a highly unpopular governor, Byrne bare­ campaign aides, he released a plan which ly survived his own party's primary. Un­ detailed his alternative fiscal propo­ fortunately for the state GOP, Byrne sals. Quickly, the issue of the cam­ hired David Garth to once again do his paign switched from Byrne and his cred­ media ••• and repackage his private actions ibility to Bateman and his. Bateman's for public consumption. blunder was compounded just days be­ fore the election when voters received Garth was able to make a virtue of applications for next year's homestead Byrne's weaknesses as only David Garth rebate checks in the mail. Recognizing can do. The media man attributed Byrnels that it is impossible to combat Santa unpopularity to a willingness to make. Claus, Bateman complained after the tough decisions rather than to a pred1l­ election,"How do you fight that?" ection towards incompetence. Garth trans­ formed the income tax enacted under Garth has a talent for peaking his Byrne's leadership from a political alba­ candidates on election day. So devas­ tross to a badge of martyrdom. The re­ tating was Bateman's defeat that he mainder of Byrne's record was a hodge­ lost suburban Bergen County by 40,000 podge of public neglect, political inep­ votes instead of winning it, as expected, titude and legislative disdain. Like by 50,000. The rain in metropolitan Hugh Carey in New York, Brendan Byrne New York ran up to nine inches on elec­ showed a preference for the "good" over tion day. A disproportionate amount the "governmental" life. In -the after­ seemed to fallon Republicans. After math of Byrne's surprise landslide vic­ the watergates closed, the Democrats tory, former U.S.Rep. Charles Sandman had retained their 2-1 margin in the (who lost to Byrne in the 1973 race) sug­ Jersey legislature. Across the river gested that the Jersey GOP retain Garth in New York City, the GOP lost one of to reenact the "same miracle for them as their small band of five on the New he did for Byrne." York City Council. Even former special corruption prosecutor Maurice Nadjari In New Jersey, all the signs had was decisively defeated in his bid to pointed to voter antipathy to the state become Queens district attorney. An income tax as the roadmap to electoral even race turned into a 2-1 debacle. success. The two moderate Republicans in the state gubernatorial primary felt In the Big Apple, State Sen. Roy compelled to outdo each other in opposi­ Goodman was undoubtedly the best-in­ tion to the tax. Even Gerald Ford's cap­ formed candidate f~r mayor. The vo­ ture of the state's electoral votes in ters were tuned off to issues, however. 1976 was seen in part as a reflection of Goodman garnered less than half the Byrne's political paralysis. But Garth votes received by the GOP's uninspired candidate for City Council president, ter voters were meanwhile reelecting State Assemblyman John L6~Gsito. Good­ Martinelli's mayoral predecessor, Alfred man was waylaid, it t~rned out, by B. Del Be11o(D) as county executive by a Carey, conservatives a~] Cuomo. Had wide margin. But they split their tic­ the city's primary been held in June kets to reelect Republican D.A. Carl A. as originally scheduled, the Democrat­ Vergari by an even wider margin. Losers ic nominee would have been either Bella in both races lacked Italian surnames--­ Abzug or Abraham Beame. Goodman would such names have become valuable politi­ have had the Liberal Party line and cal properties. Del Bello and Vergari been considered "the alternative" to were immediately touted for spots on disaffected Democrats. Instead, Carey the state tickets of their parties next engineered the Liberal line for Secre­ year. Ethnic considerations are part tary of State Mario Cuomo, thereby de­ of the appeal of Democrat Cuomo and Re­ priving Goodman of every natural base publican State Sen. Joseph Pisani as pos­ of support in the general election. Cu­ sible candidates for attorney general omo---particularly after Carey abandoned next year. Down in Washington, another his candidacy when Ed Koch won the Demo­ Westchester Republican, freshman U.S.Rep. cratic runoff---was the Drotest candi­ Bruce Caputo, has made a name for himself date. One could vote-Io~ Cuomo if 1.) on the House Committee of Standards of one was Italian-American or belonged to Conduct---and is creating political cap­ another ethnic group; 2) was against ital back in the Empire State. And 1n capital punishment; 3) felt strongly the Big Apple, former Deputy Mayor John about neighborhood preservation; 4) zucotti is one of the few names to sur­ didn't like Manhattan; or 5) didn't like face as a possible challenger to Gov. regular Democratic organization candi­ Carey. dates. One could vote for Koch if 1) one was Jewish; 2) lived in Manhattan; Ticket-balancing, however, is less 3) believed in supporting Democratic important than the personal and ethnic primary winners; 4) was in favor of appeal of individual candidates---parti­ capital punishment; or 5) liked Bess cularly in the suburbs where ticket split Myerson. That didn't leave many voters ting has become habit forming. In Nassau for Goodman---who in other circumstances County, for example, the Democrats se­ would have been the natural heir to lected a "dream" Jewish-Irish-Italian some of these constituencies---and he candidate. Their prospects for retaking didn't get them. the county government were deemed ex­ cellent because the Republicans were For a Republican to win a statewide forced to endure a bitter, three-way contest in New Jersey, he must do well primary for county executive in which in traditionally Republican areas like both GOP losers remained on the November Bergen and South Jersey while cutting ballot as candidates of independent par­ into the urban ethnic vote. Bateman ties. Nevertheless, Republican Francis didn't. For a Republican to win a T. Purcell pulled together his party, statewide contest in New York, it is turned on the Irish charm, and pulled the conventional wisdom that he must far out in front of Democrat Irwin J. get over one third the city vote. Good­ Landes. Meanwhile, the Democratic dis­ man got only four percent of that vote. trict attorney was reelected by an even more impressive margin. In neighboring Elsewhere in the state, the GOP did Suffolk County, a Republican with the alnost as badly in urban elections. patriotic name of Patrick Henry turned In Buffalo, the GOP candidate for mayor the Democratic district attorney out of ran third. Republican candidates in Al­ office and the GOP followed him back in­ bany and Syracuse were soundly beaten. to control of the county legislature. The GOP candidate in utica dropped out for lack of funds. Only Yonkers Mayor In the New York suburbs, at least, Angelo R. Martinelli was a signficant the GOP is still competitive---though winner. not n 7cessari1y dominant. Upstate, in count1es 1i~e Onodaga and Monroe, the Martinelli's victory is meaningful GOP has been losing its political grip. in part because it illustrates the grow- But what the GOP worries about is that ing importance of It.alian-American can­ the party's leading candidate for gover­ didates for both parties. One of Good­ nor may not be competitive enough in man's major problems in New York City New Yor~ City. In Suffolk County, Perry was that Cuomo cut badly into the conser­ Duryea 1S known as "the Chief" and "the vative Italian-American voters who are Big Man," but in the city, he lacks an the backbone of the city GOP. Westches- effective ethnic base with which to ex- ploit Democratic dissension with Gov. ing jobs. Most ironic, former Carey com­ Hugh Carey. Carey in fact, obviously munications chief Harry O'Donnell (also intends to exploit Duryea's residence a former aide to Governors Nelson Rocke­ by referring to the Suffolk legislator feller and Malcolm Wilson) has switched as "the Mandarin of Montauk." It is li.t­ back to the GOP and joined Perry Duryea's tIe wonder then that despite unanimous staff. Carey's remaining aides are di­ backing for Duryea from metropolitan vided into two warring camps---without New York county leaders, Duryea associ­ visible leadership from their ostensible ates fear the candidacy of a judge who boss. Felix Rohatyn, Carey's most prom­ has expressed disinterest in seeking inent ally in the New York financial co~­ the gubernatorial post. Sol Wachtler munity, has summarized his weakness: "I is an associate justice Dn the state's think Carey's problem is that when he's highest court. He's Jewish, a former not in a crisis he kind of gets bored. Nassau County official, a political pro­ He rises with the occasion. And sinks gressive and a formidable statewide vote­ with it." Not even David Garth's in­ getter.