Your Opinions

Hennessy offers voters a choice

After 13 years of the current county executive’s reign of power, I decided to run for office because his rhetoric has never matched his public record with his lackluster accomplishments. From pushing the Cuomo-State gambling debacle where he keeps the vast majority of the money at the expense of the local impacted area, to proposing building a new hospital that will greatly affect the taxpayers of Utica and Oneida County, one thing is clear despite his vague campaign promises: county debt is at an all-time high, our county sales tax rate scares off business opportunities, and our youths are still leaving the area at record rates. His leadership has been built on rhetoric and after 13 years, it’s time to move on!

It’s very clear that party leaders of both major parties are in cohorts with endorsing candidates so there is no need to bring a legitimate campaign to this county’s taxpayers! Let me assure the voters that by running for this office, I came to a party that I wasn’t invited to! I was not endorsed by the county Democratic chairman, who eight months earlier asked me to have my friends support his efforts to supplant the current county chairperson! Then prior to the county endorsements of 2019, he asked me to drop out of running for county executive and instead run for county comptroller! Good enough then to run for the county comptroller but unworthy of county executive! That was when I fully understood the need for me to run and that’s what I have done!

Mr. Picente, after 13 years of being county executive, has acted like he is entitled to the position, blowing off public debates with his Republican primary opponent, or behind the scenes orchestrating efforts to remove me from the ballot and not giving the public a chance to choose their next county executive! The Democratic chairman sits quietly in the corner while his Republican candidate of choice tries to disqualify about a thousand Democratic signatures who wanted a candidate! The Democratic chairman has not lifted a foot or a breath to the defense of a simple right that he is supposed to be working under to find capable candidates and give the public a choice!

Politics stinks when deals by party bosses disallow the public a choice! With that said, I’m running as an Independent Democrat, who has been endorsed by the New York State Libertarian Party, and will be free of all the past political deals and be able to put you ahead of politics! This is not the last time you will hear from me using this format, because you should know you do have a choice this year! Michael Hennessy, candidate,

Oneida County executive