Janele Hyer-Spencer (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) represents the only Assembly district in the city prone to competitive general elections. She is anticipating a tough fight for re-election as she seeks her second term, after her upset victory in 2006 wrested the seat from Republican control.
“I will be in a competitive race for the rest of my political life,” Hyer-Spencer said.
Who will be giving her that race this year, though, is something she does not yet know.
Staten Island’s GOP is pushing 2006 nominee Anthony Xanthakis to make this election a rematch, calling him the best candidate to beat Hyer-Spencer before she becomes a multi-term entrenched incumbent.
While Hyer-Spencer is prepping for a redux of her 2006 door-to-door campaign, she has purposely avoided certain opportunities to put her name in the paper. She was the only member of Staten Island’s Albany delegation to refuse to comment on the prostitution scandal which led former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) to resign.
“I will continue to stay away from salacious and titillating details,” Hyer-Spencer said. “I don’t want to be mired in that.”
She has instead tried to put the focus on her record of legislative achievements, like the bill which waives application fees for orders of protection when directed from a court, attempting to fix a problem she noticed as an advocate for victims of domestic violence before being elected. “These are the small things we can change,” she said. “I can craft legislation to fix these infirmities.”
Hyer-Spencer spent her first year prime-sponsoring almost a dozen bills, several of which passed the Assembly or were signed into law.
“This year, these bills are making their way through the process and I’m learning how to lobby them,” she said.
Political opponents, however, criticize her for putting work on legislation ahead of using her office as a bully pulpit.
John Friscia, head of the Staten Island Republican Party, rattled off a litany of issues that he felt Hyer-Spencer has not sufficiently addressed.
“She has not been in the forefront of any of the issues that I think are important to Staten Island,” Friscia said.
The island GOP, he said, will make a serious effort to put a Republican back in the seat, which is “ripe for the picking.”
“The Republicans are better suited for that seat,” Friscia said. “I think that we are more representative of the community.”
Xanthakis would make an excellent candidate, Friscia said. But if Xanthakis opts out of the race, there are other potential candidates, like Joseph Cammarata, a former police officer who lost the 2006 primary to Xanthakis.
Xanthakis, who was pro bono counsel to the seat’s predecessor, Matthew Mirones (R), is hesitating from jumping into the race to make sure he can put together a winning campaign with the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee (RACC) and the county party.
“They want to make sure it’s a real winner for them,” Xanthakis said. “If we come together, I think we’ll make a fine run at the seat.”
Xanthakis kept his campaign committee open after his loss by a three-percent margin to Hyer-Spencer. To the RACC, his strong showing in 2006 makes him the best candidate to put the seat back in Republican control.
“The fact that Xanthakis came close in one of the worst Republican years since Watergate is telling,” said Josh Fitzpatrick, communications director for Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco (R-Schenectady/Saratoga).
Though 2008 looks to be an equally tough year for New York City Republicans with former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (R) losing the presidential nomination, Fitzpatrick sees a silver lining with Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) on top of the ticket.
“McCain will attract independents and he can reach out to the Reagan Democrats,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think it’s a whole new political map.”
Even with McCain’s potential effect on down-ballot races, the borough’s top Republican, Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) has been having fundraising issues, with his former campaign treasurer under federal investigation. And Fossella has himself been targeted by national Democrats hoping to grab his Congressional seat. But Xanthakis’ ability to build a war chest with few party resources makes him an attractive candidate with an ability to make his own individual appeal to voters, according to former Borough President James Molinari (R-Staten Island).
“What he offers is good funds coming from the Greek community,” Molinari said. “Anthony’s funding would not interfere with money that would go to Vito, for example.”
With this race being one of two competitive elections on the island this November, Molinari feels that a Republican can win if backed by a united GOP and given aid from Albany.
“Is it difficult to run against an incumbent? Yeah, it is,” Molinari said. “But there’re opportunities. It’s a winnable.”