GOP may be part of ouster attempt

SCHENECTADY COUNTY — A staff worker for Republican Assemblyman James Tedisco’s office appears to be involved in efforts by a faction to oust the current leadership of the Schenectady County Conservative Party, according to information obtained by The Daily Gazette.

The staffer is Laurie Ammerman, who works in the Assembly Republican Office of Public Affairs. Ammerman is also writing news releases for the re-election campaign of Republican Assemblyman George Amedore Jr. in the 105th Assembly District.

Ammerman is a Republican who lives in Rensselaer County, which is part of the 106th Assembly District.

Republicans have repeatedly denied they are helping the faction attempting to replace the current Conservative Party committee leadership. The group is led by longtime political activist and Conservative Kelly Rhinesmith. Rhinesmith said if Republicans are involved, they are doing so without consulting her or others in the faction.

“I don’t want them involved and they have no business being involved. I have never invited a Republican in,” Rhinesmith said.

Ammerman’s name surfaced connected to a news release on behalf of Rhinesmith’s efforts. The release announced an “unprecedented grass-roots uprising by a reform slate” of enrolled Conservatives who planned to field 252 challengers for committee seats in 126 election districts in the Sept. 9 primary for the county Conservative Party.

Although the news release had Rhinesmith as the contact source, its message header contained Ammerman’s name along with that of Josh Fitzpatrick’s. Fitzpatrick is a spokesman for both Tedisco and the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee. Tedisco heads RACC, which is a political committee that funds races across the state and provides resources to other groups.

Rhinesmith said she never heard of Ammerman and that Ammerman had nothing to do with the news release. “I am perfectly capable of writing my own material, and I think everyone knows that,” she said. “Everyone needs to lose this crazy obession that Republicans are trying to take over the party.”

She suggested the news release was circulated after she released it July 10.

RACC is running Amedore’s race this year against Democratic challenger Mark Blanchfield. It also ran Amedore’s race last year when he won the vacant seat that had belonged to a Democrat for 25 years.

Ammerman did not return phone calls for comment on Friday.

The news releases on Rhinesmith and Amedore were sent before or after regular work hours, although she did acknowledge an e-mail message during the working day regarding information in the release.

Fitzpatrick said if Ammerman is involved in Rhinesmith’s efforts, she is doing so as a volunteer and not under direction from Tedisco or other Republicans.

Fitzpatrick also said he did not know why his name was on the Rhinesmith news release. “I can’t control what people do on their own time,” he said. “I only have enough time for legislative matters.”

Randy Pascarella, chairman of the county Conservative Party, said Tedisco, Gerald Parisi and Tom Buchanan are behind efforts to take control of the party. Parisi is chairman of the Rotterdam Republican Committee and a member of the executive committee of the Schenectady County Republican Party. Buchanan is chairman of the county Republican committee.

Parisi served notice to the Schenectady County Board of Elections on behalf of the Rhinesmith faction of a court challenge to the nomination petitions of the current leadership. Rhinesmith said she asked Parisi to serve the papers, as his office is next to the Board of Elections and because she thought she would be called as a witness in the court case.

Parisi said he delivers items to the Board of Elections all the time. “I don’t charge anybody for delivering things down there.”

Parisi said that is the extent of his involvement in Rhinesmith’s efforts. “I have done nothing else but deliver those papers,” he said.

The Rhinesmith faction has also enlisted the services of attorney Tom Spargo, a Republican, who is considered one of the top election law attorneys in the state.

It is unclear whether he is providing his services for free.

The Rhinesmith faction has not established a political committee as of yet, which would outline its expenditures. A group that spends more than $1,000 on a political campaign has to create the committee under state law.

Spargo is representing the faction before State Supreme County of Schenectady County Judge Vincent J. Reilly Jr. Reilly is expected to rule next week on the challenges to committee nominating petitions and the local Conservative Party’s endorsements of candidates for office.

Buchanan earlier said the county Republican committee was not involved in Rhinesmith’s efforts. Rhinesmith also denied any help from Republicans, saying the faction consists of Conservatives who want to take back their party.

Many faction members are relatives of Angelo Santabarbara, a Republican Schenectady County legislator, according to officials with the Conservative Party.

Santabarbara waged an opportunity to ballot effort last year with Rhinesmith’s help to win the Conservative Party line in his race for the county Legislature. The endorsement had gone to the Democrat.

Rhinesmith has long claimed the local Conservative Party is controlled by the county Democrats and by members of the city’s police union.

Pascarella denied the allegations, saying Republicans are seeking control because they were upset the Conservative Party executive committee did not endorse all their candidates in last year’s county Legislature race.

Fitzpatrick said, “Your average reader does not realize the Democratic Party boss is involved in the [Conservative Party’s] workings,” referring to Brian Quail, chairman of the Schenectady County Democratic Party.

When the local Conservative Party was led by Paul Brown, majority Democrats created a high-paying management job in the sheriff’s department and named him to the position. The position has a top salary of $75,016. Brown had been earning $48,000 plus overtime as a sergeant with the corrections department.

Quail denied Democrats control the local Conservative Party, instead repeating Pascarella’s claims. “I am not surprised James Tedisco and George Amedore are behind Kelly’s efforts. They are in this empire-building mode, trying also to take over the Working Families Party and the Independence Party,” he said. “People just need to connect the dots.”