First things first. Tonight sources tell me that Mary Wilmot's no longer in the running. I'm told this is a decision she came to & she's in the process of notifying party leaders now. Wilmot, currently a regional director for Gov. David Paterson, was considered by some to be among the leading Democrats that were approached. Wilmot's family owns and operates numerous malls and shopping plazas in the region under the "Wilmorite" name. She also has experience in business management, the non-profit sector, and a masters in education. (I have a hunch we'll see her name again in some political race)
With Wilmot out of the race some new names have surfaced in various reports throughout the district.
-David Rose: Rush-Henrietta School District Teacher, union rep, & Allegany County native.
-Michael McCormick: Allegany County Legislator
-Matthew Zeller: Southern Tier native. (I'm trying to find out more about him, heard plenty but wish to substantiate before reporting more to you.)
There's also Assemblyman David Koon of Fairport & David Nachbar of Pittsford - both remain in this still.
ANALYSIS: I see Nachbar as the leading candidate, although I need to learn more about Zeller before saying that conclusively. As to Rose & McCormick I have to wonder how far Allegany County roots go in this race. Allegany County barely counts 28,000 registered voters and just 7,000 Democrats...with all due respect it's electorally-irrelevant in the NY-29.
Koon remains interesting. He has name recognition, experience beyond that of these other names, and political connections. BUT, where's the money? That old saying "dress for the job you want, not the job you have" can be crudely applied to Assemblyman Koon's campaign war chest which rarely tops $20,000. (As of Jan 2010 filing period he reported a shade under $17,000 cash on hand.) No, that money can't be transferred to a Congressional race but it's part of a candidate's profile. That is to say, if Assemblyman Koon had $300,000 sitting in that account would the Democrats still be looking for a candidate or would he already be out campaigning?
