Nate Robson / The Citizen
Meeting attendance records are surfacing as an issue in the race for a seat representing the Cayuga County Legislature's District 5, with two of the three candidates explaining past patterns of missing or being late for town board meetings.
According to town of Aurelius attendance records, Independence Party candidate Paul Schenck did not attend meetings between June and December 1999, his last year as town supervisor. Republican and Conservative hopeful Paul Pinckney, a current town board member, was absent three times and late another eight between January 2007 and May 2009. At least five of those times Pinckney was more than 20 minutes late.
Schenck, Pinckney and Democratic candidate Philip Dello Stritto are running to represent District 5, which encompasses the towns of Aurelius and Fleming. Dello Stritto has not held elected office in the past.
Schenck said the reason he stopped attending Aurelius meetings was because of a political feud that developed between himself, Pinckney and current Town Supervisor Ed Ide, who was a board member at the time.
Schenck said most of the issues revolved around problems involving construction projects going on at that time, such as the state police barracks.
“It was the worst I was ever treated in my 61 years of life,” Schenck said.
“I see now it was a power play and I made a big mistake. I always thought of myself as a fighter. I should have stayed and fought them.”
Pinckney, who refused to comment about the 1999 incident, said his obligations as a basketball coach at the collegiate and high school levels were the main reason he was late in the past, but added he no longer works in those capacities.
“If I were elected I would go to every meeting,” Pinckney said, referring to the Legislature.
While Schenck admitted he should not have let his frustration get the best of him in 1999, he said he learned that it is important to find a way to work with everyone and to show up to every meeting on time.
“I won't be an hour or even a minute late,” Schenck said. “I would rather be an hour early than a minute late; otherwise, I would be wasting everyone's time.”
Dello Stritto, of Fleming, said he could not comment about either of his competitors' attendance records, but said he believed attendance will be important at the county level in order to best represent constituents' needs.
“You've got to be there and you've got to have a thick skin when things don't go your way,” Dello Stritto said. “You are elected to represent the people.”
While Schenck said attendance is important, he added that he believed some people were blowing the issue out of proportion in order to discredit his campaign with nearly two weeks left before the Nov. 3 elections.
“It's just rotten, they're slinging mud,” Schenck said. “I've never had a problem before then; I'm a people person.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
According to town of Aurelius attendance records, Independence Party candidate Paul Schenck did not attend meetings between June and December 1999, his last year as town supervisor. Republican and Conservative hopeful Paul Pinckney, a current town board member, was absent three times and late another eight between January 2007 and May 2009. At least five of those times Pinckney was more than 20 minutes late.
Schenck, Pinckney and Democratic candidate Philip Dello Stritto are running to represent District 5, which encompasses the towns of Aurelius and Fleming. Dello Stritto has not held elected office in the past.
Schenck said the reason he stopped attending Aurelius meetings was because of a political feud that developed between himself, Pinckney and current Town Supervisor Ed Ide, who was a board member at the time.
Schenck said most of the issues revolved around problems involving construction projects going on at that time, such as the state police barracks.
“It was the worst I was ever treated in my 61 years of life,” Schenck said.
“I see now it was a power play and I made a big mistake. I always thought of myself as a fighter. I should have stayed and fought them.”
Pinckney, who refused to comment about the 1999 incident, said his obligations as a basketball coach at the collegiate and high school levels were the main reason he was late in the past, but added he no longer works in those capacities.
“If I were elected I would go to every meeting,” Pinckney said, referring to the Legislature.
While Schenck admitted he should not have let his frustration get the best of him in 1999, he said he learned that it is important to find a way to work with everyone and to show up to every meeting on time.
“I won't be an hour or even a minute late,” Schenck said. “I would rather be an hour early than a minute late; otherwise, I would be wasting everyone's time.”
Dello Stritto, of Fleming, said he could not comment about either of his competitors' attendance records, but said he believed attendance will be important at the county level in order to best represent constituents' needs.
“You've got to be there and you've got to have a thick skin when things don't go your way,” Dello Stritto said. “You are elected to represent the people.”
While Schenck said attendance is important, he added that he believed some people were blowing the issue out of proportion in order to discredit his campaign with nearly two weeks left before the Nov. 3 elections.
“It's just rotten, they're slinging mud,” Schenck said. “I've never had a problem before then; I'm a people person.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
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Post your comment - click hereThere are 6 comment(s)
stand_up_ny wrote on Oct 26, 2009 8:07 PM:
Let's give Dello Strtto a shot.
What if our troops decided not to show up because they knew there would be a fight. "
smalltownboy wrote on Oct 20, 2009 9:43 PM:
Aurelius101 wrote on Oct 20, 2009 7:29 PM:
Paul Pinckney has NEVER engaged in a negative campaign toward Schenk.
Schenk was Supervisor of the town, but he kept our elected town board members in the dark, as he preferred to act on his own. Ed Ide did not make a power play for the job. Schenk abandoned the town, when met with questions that needed to be asked from his own board. "
cayuga72 wrote on Oct 20, 2009 1:05 PM:
RJP3151983 wrote on Oct 20, 2009 12:34 PM:
Although Pinckney may have been late, his track record speaks far louder than attendance; The Aurelius Comprehensive Plan, the commercial development on 5 & 20, and BOCES are just a few of the success stories of the Town Board, of which he was an active, vocal and passionate member. Who doesn't have a busy life now a days? Not to mention his active part in coaching the youth of our community and helping to raise 5 children.
On November 3rd, 2009 vote for the guy that is going to fight for you, and keep trying to make the community we live in a better place without quitting! Vote for PAUL PINCKNEY for Cayuga County Legislator District 5. "
unkn1 wrote on Oct 20, 2009 9:49 AM: