Morelle working the crowd for Comptroller position
Last month, we talked about Joe Morelle being on the short list for the state Comptroller position now that Hevesi resigned. Well, Joe’s been hard at work on that, sending around a letter to his colleagues indicating his interest, and the D&C blog reports him saying:
“I’ve sharing my story with people. I’m an upstate member to the right of center on business issues,” he said…
As a Democrat, I fully appreciate the need for big-tent politics. Dems need a majority to put the brakes on extremist Republican policies that are sending our nation, state, and region over the cliff.
But as a progressive, it still rubs me the wrong way to hear someone proudly being “center-right” on business issues, especially when that stance–business as usual/more of the same– has been working largely for corporations and CEOs. Not small businesses and the middle class.
Then again, Chris Bowers‘ and Matt Stoller’s 8 Rules of Progressive Realpolitick tells me I should just chill for now on the whole thing.
So, you go, Joe!
A couple of readers have insisted to me that this is very important for Rochester. Can somebody tell me why? The comptroller manages the state’s accounts, but doesn’t allocate spending, right?
Maybe because they think that the comptroller will have the ability to talk to Spitzer directly, and raise his awareness of Rochester issues?