Fourth District Onondaga County Legislator Judy Tassone rose to the occasion last year by voting against construction of the Lakeview Amphitheater. Over the objections of Tassone and Fifth District Legislator Kathy Rapp, who also lives in Liverpool, the county went ahead and built the amphitheater on the western shore of Onondaga Lake. It opened Sept. 3 with a concert by country superstar Miranda Lambert.
Anyhow, it took a strong backbone for Tassone to cast a “No” ballot on Nov. 3, 2014, when twelve of her fellow legislators passed the motion to borrow $49.5 million to build the new facility. The amphitheater was backed by County Executive Joanie Mahoney, who is a Republican, as are Tassone and Rapp, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is a Democrat.
“No, I didn’t vote for the amphitheater,” Tassone said Oct. 8 when she attended a meeting of the Liverpool Board of Trustees.
“I believed that the money spent on this project for economic development could have been spent more wisely in many other ways,” she said. “But now that the amphitheater is up and running, I’ll help to make sure that it is a success and not a burden on the taxpayers. We’re keeping a close eye on it to make sure it works the way it should.”
Foster pushes unionists
Tassone’s challenger in the upcoming Nov. 3 election, Democrat Patrick Foster, basically agreed with Tassone’s stand against the amphitheater but was pleased when union workers were hired on the construction project.
“I was initially opposed to the amphitheater because I believe we have many other infrastructure issues that could have been addressed with this money,” Foster said, echoing Tassone’s point of view. “However, when the final decision was made, I supported efforts that were made to include a Project Labor Agreement which ensured that local union people were hired to perform the work.”
Disagreement disremembered?
So, like it or not — while Syracuse’s aging infrastructure begs for repairs, when the city buckles under unprecedented poverty levels, when suburban taxpayers struggle to keep up with ever-increasing government levies — we have an amphitheater to entertain us, as if the War Memorial, Oncenter and Landmark Theatre aren’t enough.
While interviewing Tassone Oct. 8, I wondered out loud if the county executive might hold Judy’s “no” vote against her.
“No, I don’t think Joanie holds a grudge,” Tassone said. “We’ve all moved on.”
In fact, the county executive, who faces a perfunctory challenge this year by Conservative Party candidate Toby Shelley, attended a Sept. 15 GOP fund-raiser at Liverpool’s Barking Gull. That gathering was organized by Tassone’s husband, town of Salina Republican Committee Chairman Bill Tassone.
Now you see Judy and Joanie’s lawn signs placed cozily side-by-side throughout the 4th District.
‘Voice of the people’
Judy Tassone’s Fourth District wraps around the northern end of Onondaga Lake, including the towns of Salina and Geddes. That’s how she got the nickname “Lady of the Lake.”
But the Lady of the Lake has priorities that reach far beyond that shoreline.
“I think of myself as a voice of the people,” she told me. “I vote the way the people want me to vote.”
Foster a seasoned campaigner
While this campaign pales in comparison to the spirited battles waged in 2009 and 2011 between Tassone and former Legislator Dave Stott, the incumbent says she’s not taking Foster for granted. The current chairman of the town of Salina Democratic Party Committee, Foster unsuccessfully opposed Salina Town Supervisor Mark Nicotra, who swamped him twice by receiving more than 60 percent of votes. This year, Nicotra’s running unopposed for his fifth term.
“Patrick Foster ran two campaigns for supervisor,” Tassone said, “so he knows what he’s doing, but I have a proven record of lowering taxes and cutting spending.” Because Foster has not held office, she said, he can’t make the same claims.
In 2013 Tassone handily beat her Democratic opponent, Galeville resident Carol Sinesi, by a vote of 2,473 to 1,678.
