State Sen. Meier declares candidacy to fill Boehlert's seat

Written by: Kelly Keck on Mar 21, 2006 5:27 PM EST

Linked to groups: Democracy for Otsego and Delaware Counties

www.thedailystar.com/news/storie...

03/21/06

Becomes sixth candidate in the 24th District

By Tom Grace


Cooperstown News Bureau


COOPERSTOWN -- State Sen. Raymond Meier, R-Western, said Monday that he is running to succeed retiring Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, R-New Hartford.


Boehlert, a 12-term incumbent representative, announced Friday that he is retiring at the end of this year.


Meier, 53, is the sixth candidate and second Republican to join the race. He announced his candidacy in Utica and Binghamton on Monday, stating, "We are at a critical time in the history of our country, when we face major national challenges to restrain government spending and develop a sound policy with regard to our engagement in Iraq.


"Across the district, we need to bring down the high costs of energy that are crippling families, farms and businesses while bringing new job growth to our region," he said.


Meier, a lawyer with the Utica firm of Saunders, Kahler, Amoroso and Locke, was elected to the state Senate in 1996. He served as Oneida County executive from 1991 to 1996 and was a member of the Oneida County Legislature from 1986 to 1991.


According to the senator's website, he is one of only two Republicans in New York state to serve on the Platform Committee at the 2004 Republican National Convention, which re-nominated President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.


Meier had long been rumored a potential successor to Boehlert, and within hours of the congressman's retirement speech Friday, Meier's staff had sent public notice that he would make a major speech Monday.


Meier's decision sets up a potential Republican primary, as Brad Jones, another Republican, said his campaign has been well-received.


"I don't think people want another career politician," said Jones, the former mayor of Seneca Falls and the general manager of ITT Industries, Gould Pumps in Auburn.


"Mr. Boehlert is a liberal-moderate and a career politician," Jones said Monday. "Mr. Meier is a conservative, as I am, but he's a career politician, too, and I think people may be tired of career politicians."


Jones said that during a recent campaign event, the issue of term limits came up, and "I saw the biggest gleam in their eyes when I said I favor term limits and if elected, I wouldn't serve more than six years."


Four Democrats -- Bruce Tytler, Leon Koziol, Michael Arcuri and Les Roberts -- also are running, setting up an almost certain Democratic primary.


Roberts, who lives in Chenango County, attended Boehlert's media conference last week and said his campaign expects to raise $150,000 by the end of March. Arcuri, Oneida County's district attorney, said his campaign is "closing in on $100,000."


The 24th Congressional District was home to 391,870 voters in November 2005. According to the state Board of Elections, there were 165,682 Republicans, 126,014 Democrats, 72,007 unaffiliated, or independent, voters, 15,053 members of the Independence Party, 5,765 Conservatives, 2,875 Liberals, 1,774 members of the Green Party, 1,415 members of the Right To Life Party, 1,067 members of the Working Families Party, 40 Libertarians, and three members of the Marijuana Reform Party.


On the heels of Meier's entry in the race, a spokesman for the state Democratic Committee accused him of evading federal campaign laws by running a barrage of advertisements recently that were paid for by his state Senate campaign committee.


Monday night, Meyer said that "those were done before Congressman Boehlert said he was retiring, and for all I knew at that time, I was running for the (state) Senate."


Meier said his campaign has run advertisements at other times between elections.


"I think it's interesting they couldn't find a local Democrat to say anything bad about me; they had to have this paid operative do it," he said.

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Location: Oneonta, NY