Pubdate: Thu, 22 Aug 2002
Source: Newsday (NY)
Copyright: 2002 Newsday Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/308
Author: Jordan Rau, Albany Bureau Chief

CUOMO, MCCALL RIP PATAKI, WHO RIPS GOLISANO

As the Sept. 10 primary nears, the two Democratic candidates for governor 
yesterday initiated disparate attacks on Gov. George Pataki. Andrew Cuomo 
pilloried Pataki's willingness to accept donations from disgraced 
companies, and State Comptroller Carl McCall castigated him for failing to 
loosen the Rockefeller-era drug laws.

Disregarding his Democratic opponents, Pataki began running some of the 
harshest television and radio ads of the election, against B. Thomas 
Golisano, the Rochester businessman who is challenging Pataki on the 
Independence and Conservative Party lines. The ads concern Pataki's court 
battle, which has succeeded in initial rulings, to throw one of Golisano's 
running mates off the ballot because of allegations he voted twice in 
several recent elections.

Pataki's new radio ad says: "Illegal campaign workers. A running mate 
running from the law. The more you know, the more you know you can't 
believe Tom Golisano."

Cuomo's television ad features one laid-off Global Crossing worker saying, 
"Governor Pataki has abandoned us in upstate." In the ad, other former 
workers from the bankrupt company, which laid off about 300 workers in New 
York, praise Cuomo for pressing politicians to return campaign 
contributions from executives at Global and other bankrupt companies that 
were once Wall Street darlings.

At a rally at City Hall, McCall and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver 
(D-Manhattan) attacked Pataki for failing to deliver on his 2001 promise to 
loosen the state's stringent drug laws, which mandate long prison terms for 
many offenders.

Both Silver and Pataki put forth compromise bills in the past legislative 
session. Silver, however, refused to reduce prison terms for those caught 
with the largest quantity of drugs - long sentences that all sides agree 
should be shortened - unless Pataki also agreed to give judges greater 
leeway over sentences for lower-level drug offenders. Pataki sided with the 
state's prosecutors, who oppose giving up much of the power the 
Rockefeller-era laws grant them.

"The governor claims to be for reform, but instead shirks his 
responsibility," McCall said. "There is overwhelming support in the 
Legislature for reform, yet Governor Pataki remains the obstacle."

Pataki did not respond to McCall's charges, but he accused Assembly 
Democrats of "delay and stall tactics" in ignoring his proposal, which he 
called "comprehensive and sensible." The Pataki campaign declined to 
respond to the Cuomo ad.
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MAP posted-by: Beth