Doheny to run, hire Jude (updated)
Matt Doheny has made it official: He's running for Congress again.
His opponent is not yet known, because of redistricting. When Mr. Doheny, a Republican, ran unsuccessfully in 2010, he faced Rep. Bill Owens, a Plattsburgh Democrat whose spokesman confirms that he will run for re-election.
Mr. Doheny, the 2010 runner-up and a Watertown businessman, also announced he was hiring Jude Seymour, political reporter for Channel 7 and the former curator of this blog, as his spokesman.
I'm pasting dual news releases to the bottom
Mr. Doheny paid the Watertown Times a visit, as well. I asked him about the most pressing matter here: redistricting. I mean, Mr. Doheny is announcing a political race, but he doesn't even know what district it's gonna be in.
They need to find 53,000 more residents (Mr. Doheny knows this off the top of his head) and they can't go into Vermont or Ontario, Mr. Doheny quipped.
I asked whether, if the lines were drawn so that he and Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle were in the same district, he would run a primary against her (they're both Republicans).
He rather hurriedly said he's "not going to get into speculation," staring at his Blackberry for a good chunk of the conversation. A pretty que sera sera manner about the whole affair.
Meanwhile, here are the news releases — with one edit. Mr. Seymour is leaving his post on June 21, not today, as the first release erroneously stated.
An unexpected, but welcome, opportunity has arisen. Matt Doheny will soon make himself a candidate for the 23rd Congressional District seat and he's asked me to help him get elected.
I relish the opportunity. In Matt, I see many attributes that I admire: a desire to better the community, a curiosity that doesn't stop at the canned narrative and recycled talking points, the ambition to dream big and the tenacity to fight for that goal to the end.
Matt and I, as registered Republicans, also share many of the same values. We both are concerned about the direction of our country, because many of the leaders today do not want to address the problems of tomorrow. The Social Security trust fund is expected to be insolvent by the time I turn 58. And Medicare costs continue to outpace taxpayers' ability to pay for it.
This country needs pragmatic leaders like Matt who will not succumb to the politics of fear which so many lawmakers and special interest groups rely on to maintain the status quo. That blueprint has only lead to bigger deficits, higher debts and a disconcerting foreign influence on our economy.
Congress needs people like Matt who understand why businesses fail, why they succeed and what environment can make them thrive. And it needs charismatic politicians like Matt, who demonstrate a depth of knowledge about and energy for their ideas that can soften even the hardest of hearts.
This new job also allows me to satisfy a long held curiosity about what transpires on the other side of the proverbial curtain. I've always enjoyed covering the machinations of candidates on the campaign trail, but it's always felt like commentating on a chess game in which I was only privy to seeing half the moves.
Now I'll have a hand in making those moves.
Matt has asked me to be his deputy campaign manager, a position that not only gets me in the room where strategy is discussed, but entitles me to a fairly big say. I'm quite opinionated about what I believe works – and doesn't work – in campaigns here in the north country. I'm excited about the chance to bounce my ideas off some of the brilliant minds that will undoubtedly join us as the campaign ramps up. The job also includes serving as the campaign's spokesman.
While I've no doubt demonstrated my eagerness to begin working with Matt, I am nevertheless very reluctant to leave my family at WWNY.
Like many ink-stained wretches before me, I'm jumping to the other side of the equation with hopes I don't disrupt the chemistry I've enjoyed with my colleagues. While it will be a different dynamic, the faces across the 23rd will largely remain the same. I'm looking forward to seeing each and every one of them – and convincing them that Matt Doheny is the right guy for the job ahead.
Doheny version
DOHENY ANNOUNCES HIRE
WATERTOWN – Matt Doheny is pleased to announce that he has hired Jude Seymour to be deputy campaign manager and spokesman for the upcoming 2012 congressional campaign.
“Jude is one of the best north country reporters, so I'm thrilled that he'll soon be using his talents to help get me elected to Congress,” said Doheny. “The public portion of the campaign won't commence for many more months. In the meantime, Jude and I will be working hard to ensure that, come Election Day 2012, north country and Central New York residents know I am the right man for the job.”
Seymour, 31, is a former political reporter for WWNY-TV 7 and the Watertown Daily Times. He is the recipient of two New York State Associated Press Association first place awards. His Times blog, “All Politics is Local,” took top honors in 2010.
"We are proud of what Jude accomplished in his short time with us and will miss him," said Cathy Pircsuk, general manager of WWNY. "But he leaves with our best wishes."
Seymour has covered four local Congressional races as a reporter, including the 2009 special election in the 23rd district. His reporting of that race was cited in hundreds of newspaper and television reports, magazines and radio accounts nationwide. He was also a past guest commentator on C-SPAN, National Public Radio and “The Morning Show with Errol Louis.”
Seymour lives in the city of Watertown with his wife, Fran, a high school music teacher. His new job begins in July.
Doheny, also of Watertown, was the Republican and Independence parties' candidate in the 23rd Congressional District race last year. He is a native of Alexandria Bay and is owner of North Country Capital LLC, which is based in Watertown.
