She needs to pick between one of her biggest fundraising event or her daughter's wedding.
Republican Ann Marie Buerkle plans to oppose Democrat Dan Maffei for the 25th Congressional District seat. Ann Marie Buerkle faced a dilemma when the top Republican in the House of Representatives agreed to campaign for her Saturday in Skaneateles.
Another special event happened to be scheduled the same day — Buerkle’s daughter is getting married that afternoon in Syracuse.
Would Buerkle risk missing part of the wedding ceremony?
Or would she decline the chance to raise money for her campaign alongside House Minority Leader John Boehner?
Buerkle, a mother of six from Onondaga Hill, decided she would do both.
“It would be ideal if one of the events was on a different day,” said Buerkle, the Republican candidate in the 25th Congressional District. “But they are both great occasions.”
Buerkle said she will appear for about an hour Saturday at a $500-per-plate ($750-per-couple) fundraising luncheon with Boehner at Skaneateles Country Club.
It is one of the larger fundraisers for her campaign, which as of June 30 had about $150,000 left in its bank account, compared to $1.4 million for U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei, D-DeWitt.
Buerkle, however, said not even the promise of big donations could keep her from missing a second of her daughter’s wedding.
“I’ll spend the first hour at the lunch and then I will exit,” Buerkle said. “Then I’ll go home (to Onondaga Hill) and check on my daughter, and we’ll all go to the church together.”
The ceremony for her daughter Amy, and Bobby Littrell, is at 1 p.m. at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Syracuse. A reception will follow at Anyela’s, a vineyard on West Lake Road in Skaneateles.
Amy Buerkle and her soon-to-be husband are both engineers (he’s mechanical and she’s electric) who met at the University of Michigan.
Ann Marie Buerkle has made a point in her campaign about making Central New York a place where young people can find good jobs and stay after college. All but one of her six children has left the area for their jobs.
For example, Amy Buerkle works at the Rand Institute in Santa Monica, Calif.
While Buerkle tries to make it to the wedding on time, former Rep. James Walsh, R-Onondaga, will take over at the luncheon and serve as honorary chair of the event.
Buerkle said her campaign hopes to sell about 100 tickets to the luncheon. Tickets will be available at the door.
The luncheon will be the only way for Central New Yorkers to meet Boehner Saturday. He has scheduled no public appearances, and the event at Skaneateles Country Club is closed to the press.
Boehner, who is in line to become Speaker of the House if Republicans win back the majority this November, has been on a campaign tour across Pennsylvania and New York this month, stopping in competitive districts. His office has declined to provide details of his fundraising schedule, and did not return messages from The Post-Standard.
Boehner is due to headline a fundraising event tonight at the Saratoga Race Track in Saratoga Springs for Chris Gibson, a Republican challenging U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls.
Buerkle said she is not sure how she was selected for the Boehner visit, but said she views it as a sign that her campaign is building momentum.
“My impression is they look at the campaign and go to a district where they believe there is a race, and a race we can win,” Buerkle said. “I believe this is part of the momentum.”
Contact Mark Weiner at mweiner@syracuse.com or 571-970-3751.