A 2000 PHOTO BY MIKE MCMAHON
SHOWING MCDONALD
SITTING IN AN ASSEMBLY CHAIR

Today Cohoes Mayor John McDonald kicks off his bid to replace the retiring Ron Canestrari in the Assembly.

It’s McDonald’s turn, and while he does have some competition it’s his seat for the taking and it has been for more than a decade. At least he must have thought so if you read into this prophetic photo taken in 2000 by Mike McMahon during one of the many times Canestrari was sworn into office in the historic chamber at the Capitol. Tell me McDonald doesn’t have a “someday it’s gonna be me” look on his face while sitting in one of the Assembly members seats.

There are at least two potential Democrats also expressing an interest in running for the seat - Albany Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin and Albany Councilman Dominick Calsolaro. Longtime aide to former U.S. Rep Mike McNulty Charlie Diamond had toyed with the idea but he has since backed off the idea. I don’t know much about the Albany people but I still think its McDonald’s seat to lose, provided he can defuse the $1.4 million Medicaid reimbursement problem he has at his family’s pharmacy that is.

Cohoes, once a powder keg of controversy, has been pretty quiet since McDonald was elected in 1999 but now with him having a pretty good shot at moving his career over to Albany we can only hope things will heat up again. Who doesn’t miss the days of Mayor Bob Signoracci?



BRESLIN

MORSE

On the other Cohoes front, everyone is still waiting for Shawn Morse, chair of the Albany County Legislature, to announce his primary bid against Sen. Neil Breslin. Whether or not he was waiting for McDonald to announce is anyone’s guess. And whether or not McDonald’s announcement will change his plans is also anyone’s guess. Mayor of Cohoes isn’t a bad gig and it will be an easier campaign for Morse than running against Breslin - even if there are new Senate lines and the storied Breslin machine has lost a little bit of steam now that brother Mike is no longer county executive and Tom is in a comfy judgeship for the next 14 or so years.

Speaking of county executive, Mike Breslin’s successor, Dan McCoy, will likely back Morse so should Morse do what everyone is expecting and take on Breslin, it’s shaping up as a classic new regime versus the old guard. What better way for McCoy to say “I’m not just a place holder” than to take out a Breslin.