Republican voters to decide Tuesday between East Syracuse Mayor Dan Liedka and Fayetteville concert pianist Andrew Russo.
In a year where anti-incumbent sentiment is running high, Fayetteville concert pianist Andrew Russo and East Syracuse Mayor Dan Liedka say they can’t wait to take on Democratic state Sen. David Valesky.
But a Republican primary Tuesday will decide which candidate gets the chance.
The GOP affair in the 49th Senate District pits Russo, a political newcomer who has raised nearly $200,000, against Liedka, a two-term mayor who has raised only one-fourth of that amount.
Republicans view the 49th District seat as crucial to their plan to recapture the Senate majority, which Democrats hold by a fragile two-vote margin.
The odd-shaped district includes all of Madison County and parts of Onondaga, Cayuga and Oneida counties, including portions of Syracuse, Rome and Auburn.
Andrew RussoAge: 34
Address: 103 Valerie Circle, Fayetteville
Job: Concert pianist
Political experience: None
Russo says his fundraising successes and endorsements from the New York State Senate Republican Campaign Committee and New York Conservative Party show he has a better chance than Liedka of defeating Valesky at the polls Nov. 2.
Many of Russo’s biggest campaign contributors live outside the district and are involved in the road paving industry. They include Paul and Frank Suits, owners of the Cortland paving company Suit-Kote, who gave $19,000; Emil Galasso, owner of a Cobleskill mining and paving company, and his brothers, who contributed $12,000; James Uhlinger, a Carthage mining and asphalt company executive, $4,000; and American Asphalt Distributors, Albany, $4,000.
Other top contributors include three relatives who contributed $16,500; James Marcus of New York City, a retired Goldman Sachs vice president whom Russo knows from his musical career, $7,500; Driver’s Village, a Cicero auto dealership, $5,000; and the Madison County Conservative Party, $5,000.
Liedka’s campaign has raised $55,702 and had $6,125 left as of Sept. 3. Almost all of his contributors are from Syracuse and its eastern suburbs.
Dan LiedkaAge: 41
Address: 211 McCool Ave., East Syracuse
Job: East Syracuse mayor, sportscaster for Time Warner Cable, sales manager for Doubletree Club Hotel
Political experience: Elected East Syracuse village trustee, 2003 and 2005; elected mayor, 2007 and 2009.
Liedka’s top contributors include Fayetteville developer Michael Santaro and his companies, $10,200; former state Republican Party chairman J. Patrick Barrett of Fayetteville, $3,500; and East Syracuse developer Joe Basile’s partnership, $2,800.
Russo has barely mentioned Liedka during the campaign, focusing instead on Valesky.
Liedka has talked about both Valesky and Russo. He said his stances on most major issues are similar to Russo’s. But he said he is a harder worker, has an edge in experience because he cut government spending as a mayor, and has better name recognition with voters than Russo. He criticized Russo for failing to vote in an election until 2009, two weeks after he announced his interest in running for the Senate seat.
Earlier this year, Liedka acknowledged he has been late paying his school taxes four of the past five years.
Russo said one big difference is that Liedka is a politician and Russo is a political outsider — something voters want in 2010.
“I can say after speaking with well over 10,000 voters, people are suspicious of their government at all levels,” Russo said. “I come from outside the political system.”
Valesky has held the 49th District seat since 2004, when he unseated incumbent Sen. Nancy Larraine Hoffmann in a three-way race. But his seat is considered vulnerable because Democrats hold only a slight edge in registration in the district. Of its 165,370 active registered voters, 37 percent are Democrats, 34 percent are Republicans, 22 percent are not enrolled in any party, and 7 percent are enrolled in minor parties.
No matter who wins the primary, Russo can stay in the race. He is the Conservative Party’s nominee.
--Contact Mike McAndrew at mmcandrew@syracuse.com or 470-3016.