The No and Yes of It
By Michael Ryan
CATSKILL - Politics seeped into the selection of an Election Commissioner during recent talks on the matter by the Greene County Legislature.
Lawmakers reappointed Brent Bogardus as the county Board of Elections Republican Party Commissioner during their final meeting of the year.
The vote, on December 20, was unanimous but it didn’t start out that way when raised at a December 11 County Services committee session.
There were four “no” votes at that time; Patty Handel (District 9, Durham), legislature chairman Patrick Linger, Sherry True (District 8, Cairo) and a fourth due to an absent legislator.
It was a somewhat surprising public spurning, given Bogardus’s long tenure as a commissioner and chairman of the county’s Republican Party.
Bogardus, the onetime senior special adviser to State Senate leader Dean Skelos, is well-respected and well-entrenched so the “no” votes, even though later changed to “yes,” drew journalistic attention.
As it turned out, the initial rejections were largely rooted in Bogardus’s role as county GOP boss, not as a commissioner, blurring political lines.
One is deeply Party-oriented and the other is a by-the-book situation but the blurring happened anyway, even if the rejections were ultimately reversed, and it was worth a deeper look.
“I was very disillusioned with Brent after running for office two years ago,” Handel said after initially voting “no” to reappoint Bogardus.
“While I ran unopposed, I never got an email or a phone call, asking if there was anything they could do to help me with the process.
“In my opinion, Brent does not do anything for small, local elections. Many Republicans did not get assistance. We need to push hard to keep Republicans in office.
“He did a lot for [State-level candidates] but we need to start at the bottom. As the commissioner, I feel like he is losing interest in promoting every candidate. Maybe we need someone fresh on the job,” Handel said.
Linger also conceded his “no” on Bogardus the first time around was more about the GOP chairmanship, saying, ’Brent’s name is one that has just always breezed through” the reappointment process.
“He may have become too comfortable in the position. I was told I was disrespectful for even suggesting others,” Linger said.
The reappointment of Bogardus as commissioner was recommended by the Greene County Republican Committee, according to a letter sent to lawmakers by GOP committee secretary Sara Bentley.
Bogardus got strong support from lawmaker Charles Martinez (District 2, Coxsackie), the ranking Republican on the legislature.
“It will be wrong if they do this,” Martinez after the initial “no” votes and amid speculation the number could increase prior to December 20, potentially leading to Bogardus losing the job.
“If they do this, they’re shooting themselves in the foot. Brent works hard, getting the Conservative Party line for candidates which can and does make a big difference of Election Day,” Martinez said.
Bogardus handily won reappointment for a two-year term as GOP chairman in November and now returns as commissioner for the next four years.
The change of heart by Handel and Linger reportedly came after private conversations with Bogardus and realities at the Board of Elections.
“I still feel Brent should be much more aggressive for local candidates,” Handel said after her “yes” vote. “But Pat [Linger] talked to him about issues with election rules and Brent was aware of those issues.”
Linger, after switching his vote to “yes,” said, “I still disagree with Brent as chairman, but this should be about him as commissioner and not turning your head the other way on procedural matters
“There are many rule changes with early voting and absentee voting. We had issues in the last election with the machines and answers from the Board of Elections when asked for advice and guidance.
“There is a Presidential election coming next year. These issues need to be fixed and we have been given assurances by Brent that all issues will be taken care of, so I changed my vote,” Linger said.
Bogardus’s presence has been requested for a legislative committee talk later this month when a New York Citizens Audit group will provide information on a possible statewide audit on the voter rolls.
“We have asked Brent to be there. The group wants a resolution from us calling for the audit. I’m not against doing an audit that could prove something is wrong or not wrong,” Linger said.
The timing of replacing Bogardus may have entered into the eventual unanimous “yes” vote. Marie Metzler, the longtime Democratic Party commissioner, is reportedly set to retire in the not too distant future.
“Having two brand new commissioners is not the best course of action,” Linger said. Bogardus did not return a phone message for comment by press time.
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