7/5/07 - GOP caucus backs keeping Howe as election official

(As published by Cortland Standard, Corey Preston reporting)

CORTLAND — After his appointment failed to pass the full Legislature last week, Republican Election Commissioner Bob Howe was reappointed to the position Monday by the Legislature’s Republican caucus.

With members of the County Republican Committee on hand pushing for the reappointment, the Republican members of the Legislature voted 5-3 in favor of reappointing Howe.

According to state Board of Elections spokesman Lee Daglian, Election Law states that if the county Legislature does not appoint the commissioner recommended by the party committee, the right to appoint then falls to the respective party caucus.

Had the Republican caucus not voted to appoint Monday, the Republican Committee would have had to recommend another candidate, Daglian said.

The deciding vote at the caucus came from Legislator Merwin Armstrong (R-Cuyler, Solon and Truxton), who had voted against the reappointment during last week’s Legislature session, citing a concern with the fact that Howe, and his Democratic counterpart Bill Wood, hold both the position of election commissioner and chairman of their respective party committees.

“I changed my vote because I wanted to keep party unity, and I think Bob Howe is a good election commissioner,” Armstrong said. “My objection is that I don’t think the election commissioner should also be the party chairman, and I think I made that point last week, but I also think its time to move on.”

Armstrong was joined by Legislators Tom Williams (R-Homer), John Steger (R-Preble and Scott), Mike McKee (R-Cincinnatus, Freetown, Taylor and Willet) and Larry Cornell (R-Marathon and Lapeer), in voting to reappoint Howe, according to Minority Chairman Danny Ross (R-Cortlandville).

Ross, Kay Breed (R-Cortlandville) and Newell Willcox (R-Homer) voted ‘no.’

Both Ross and Breed said approximately 10 members of the Republican Committee lobbied strongly for Howe’s reappointment at the caucus meeting.

“They all tried to tell us why we shouldn’t do this to poor Bob, that at election time it wouldn’t look good for party and on and on and on,” Breed said. “I’m sorry but as far as I’m concerned it’s still wrong and I’m going to stand up and say that.”

Breed, during the Legislature meeting, listed three reasons for not supporting Howe’s reappointment, the first being that, as party chairmen, both Wood and Howe control campaign funding for legislators who are being asked to vote for them to become election commissioners, creating a conflict of interest.

Secondly, she said at the time, the two commissioners recently sued the county over differences in their salaries, and thirdly, there is an unavoidable “fundamental perception” in the community that holding both positions could cause a conflict of interest.

“I think Bob’s done a great job, don’t get me wrong,” Ross said. “But the problem is that even the possibility that something could happen, when you’re talking about the election commissioners, you just can’t have that, so I just don’t think it’s right to hold both those positions.”