Democrats open Chenango headquarters

CHENANGO COUNTY – Chenango County residents came out in droves to support the Democratic candidates running for office in this year’s election, and according to the chairman of the county Democratic Committee, Patrick McNeil, the number of individuals in attendance Wednesday night may bode well for his party in November.

“This is an overwhelming turnout,” McNeil said. The committee chair added that new voter registration trends in the county are favoring the Democrats. “From last October to this October, we had 731 people register as Democrats, 550 people registered as Republicans, and the pending party changes are 2 to 1 Democrat.” McNeil thanked everyone for attending the grand opening before turning the microphone over to the two Democratic candidates running for election this year.

“I’ve never seen this many Democrats in one place in Chenango County,” Congressman Michael Arcuri said. “This is a momentous time. You can feel the wave coming. Change is on the way,” Arcuri said.

The congressman discussed some of the major issues at play during this election season, including the economy and health care. Arcuri compared the current economic crisis to a game of soccer with no referees on the field. “They took the refs off the field. They took away the oversights that we put in during the depression. John McCain is Mr. Deregulation. Well, this is what happens when you have deregulation,” Arcuri said.

The congressman said he signed the bailout bill not for the wealthy business owners, but because of what it does for Main Street.

Arcuri said in Chenango County, the New York Regional Interconnect power line will continue to be a major issue during and after the election season. “I’ve worked hard with local officials against NYRI,” Arcuri said. “In different counties, there are different issues, but the ground zero issues here are jobs and the power lines.”

Other issues that will play a part in the election, Arcuri said, are the war in Iraq, health care, trade bills and Social Security. “The 24th Congressional District has the most Social Security recipients of any district in New York. We need to know where my opponent stands on the privatization of Social Security,” Arcuri said, explaining that he feels this is one job the government needs to oversee.