BETTER THAN HEARSAY - Priming for a Primary, Part I - Greene County Democrats host 102nd Assembly District Candidate Forum

Democratic Party candidates for a June 23 primary that will determine who challenges Republican Party nominee Marc Molinaro for a 102nd NY State Assembly District seat (left to right) Mary Finneran, Janet Tweed and Thomas Boomhower.

CAIRO - A shared mission and specifically different ways to achieve it were expressed when Greene County Democratic Party members hosted a trio of in-Party candidates seeking the 102nd Assembly District seat.

Democrats gathered on March 26 in Cairo for comments from, and a brisk question-and-answer session with Thomas Boomhower, Mary Finneran and Janet Tweed.

They are destined for a June 23 primary whereupon the field of three will be narrowed to one, ultimately running against already-designated Republican Party nominee Marc Molinaro.

Whoever finally emerges in November will replace incumbent Chris Tague, stepping down from the 102nd to pursue a spot in the State Senate.

Boomhower was recently elected as a trustee on the Catskill village board of trustees. Finneran is chairwoman of Cairo town Democratic Party. 

Tweed is a village of Delhi council member, and ran for the 102nd slot in 2024, defeated by Tague in a district controlled since 1973 by the GOP.

“As a county committee, we will back whoever wins the primary,” Greene County Democratic Party co-chairman Marc Czermerys says.

“I believe if we are true to our causes, we have a chance of winning. It will be on us to listen to what people are looking for and delivering,” Czermerys says.

Each of the Democratic Party hopefuls was given an opportunity to deliver their respective platforms and respond to public inquiries at the forum.

Boomhower, Finneran and Tweed subsequently replied to questions posed by the Mountain Eagle in email correspondence.

The questions mirror those asked during the forum. Candidate replies are noted herein, word for word (in alphabetical order):

MOUNTAIN EAGLE: What was your feeling when you learned Marc Molinaro had entered the race, and how do you feel about him as an opponent? How do you beat him?

BOOMHOWER: I felt energized by Marc Molinaro entering the race. He is the exact kind of establishment career politician that voters all across [New York State] and all across the country are rejecting.

He brings a lot of name recognition, but that name also brings a lot of baggage. Voters know who he is, they know that he'll do and say anything to get elected, and frankly I think that makes him uniquely beatable. 

Our district deserves someone rooted here, who understands our towns and villages, and who will show up every day to work across differences to get things done for the people who live and work in the 102nd District.

This race isn't about Marc Molinaro, obviously he can't be ignored, but winning this race is about focusing on the challenges facing our communities, focusing on what unites us, and how we're going to work together to Deliver Real Results for our Communities. 

FINNERAN: I am really not all that concerned about Marc Molinaro, he's a career politician, which I am not, but actually I am more concerned about the primary than I am about him.

Lao Tsu said, ‘When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.’ I try to keep this in mind regarding this campaign. 

I will knock on doors and talk to everyone left, right, and middle, finding our common ground while doing so, tales to tell of republicans who have supported me, but another time. I have been known to say ‘I'm so far left I'm right,’ which does resonate. 

TWEED: I was surprised to hear that Marc Molinaro was going to enter the race for this Assembly seat.

Molinaro is a career politician whose beliefs have shifted with every wind, and those winds frequently seem to correlate with his campaign donations. 

On issues like healthcare, equal rights, and democracy, Molinaro’s positions seem to change to fit whichever office he’s running for at the time. 

Molinaro served in the New York State Assembly, from 2007 to 2011, during which time he voted against marriage equality three times. During his congressional campaign, he claimed that his position on equal rights had “evolved” and that he now supports the right of LGBTQ people to marry.

Further, Molinaro acknowledged that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election and condemned the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol, calling it “mayhem,” “chaos” and “violence.”

He then endorsed and joined the administration of the person whose lies and insurrection he had publicly condemned. We don't need another politician who changes their views in order to promote themselves. 

Across the political spectrum, people are tired of career politicians who change their opinions to whatever is politically advantageous for them, rather than what is advantageous for their constituents. 

We desperately need legitimate public servants who seek office not to enrich themselves, but to serve our communities.

I am running for state assembly because I see firsthand the ways that politicians like Marc Molinaro have failed us and harmed our communities.

This is Part One of a two part series. Next week, the candidates define their legislative priorities, if elected, and why they are the right person for the 102nd Assembly District job.