Who does Mike Conners really watch out for?

From the Albany Times-Union
Section: CAPITAL REGION
Page: B1
Date: Friday, November 14, 1997

SIDELINED AFTER GAME, CONNERS FILES A CLAIM
KATE GURNETT Staff writer

Pride. Teamwork. That's what County Comptroller Michael Conners had in mind when he gathered a group of co-workers for a basketball game. Instead, all Conners got was an injury. Then surgery.

And now he's filed a claim for workers' compensation.

[snip]

Conners filed the claim last week for the ruptured right biceps tendon he suffered in an ``intra-departmental basketball game'' Oct. 24 at St. Vincent Community Center. [snip] Conners said he filed the claim on the advice of his attorney. ``He told me that to be safe that I should notice them, because there's the potential that I might have the medical portion denied by Blue Cross and Blue Shield,'' Conners said. Conners, who oversees the county's financial affairs, said he organized the court match as an ``intergenerational esprit de corps'' for 10 employees. The game pitted employees over 40 against the younger set.

So was the game, held after business hours, a work activity? ``That's an insurance company issue,'' Conners said Thursday.

[snip]

A basketball injury, even involving co-workers, is ``a disability, not workers' compensation,'' said Adrian Gruber, assistant workers' compensation examiner for the state Workers' Compensation Board. An employee must be performing work duties when injured for workers' compensation coverage, Gruber added.

Watchdog? Watching out for number one.

Mike Conners spends Republican money to trash Democrats

Just a short time ago, Mike Conners ran for the Senate as a Republican

From the Troy Record
Talespin
9/06/2004

Albany Comptroller Michael Conners is out of the gate with both guns blazing, already on television with what he says is $98,800 worth of advertisements and in newspapers with advertising.

The first round of television spots, produced by his daughter's boyfriend Kurt Lustgarten, is an edgy introductory piece that fits Conners unconventional run for state Senate.

[snip]

"Does it really matter which party line someone is running on when there isn't any difference between the parties to begin with?" he asked of the Republicans.

No difference? Ask Joe Bruno, Ask George Pataki, Ask George Bush.

And don't forget to ask Carl McCall, the Democrat who beaten by George Pataki. And don't forget to ask Al Gore and John Kerry.

Mike Conners spends Republican money for a family vacation

From the Albany Times-Union
Section: Capital Region
Page: B2
Date: Friday, February 4, 2005

`People's watchdog' bills GOP for post-election family trip

Inside Politics asks: Who's watching the "people's watchdog"?

We're referring, of course, to Albany County Comptroller Mike Conners , who has adopted that moniker on his Web site. Conners' latest financial report, filed with the state Board of Elections in January, includes an unusual expenditure.

The "Conners for Senator" committee, which funded Conners' failed Republican run last November against Sen. Neil Breslin , D-Delmar, paid $1,450.43 to The Hermitage in Dover, Vt. on Nov. 30, 2004, for a "campaign committee conference."

A post-election campaign committee conference? In Vermont? Even stranger: A call to the inn found it hosted no "campaign conference" on Nov. 30. In fact, an employee who asked to remain anonymous said there were no guests that day.

There was, however, a guest from Albany named Mike Conners, who stayed over Thanksgiving, Nov. 24-26, the employee said. He rented two rooms and stayed in one with his wife, according to the employee. The other was occupied by the guest's daughter and her boyfriend.

Reached Thursday, Conners first said the trip was "for some of the kids who worked on the ads for the campaign." When pressed, he said his wife came, too, and "the kids" were his daughter, Molly Conners , who lobbies for Capitol Hill Management Services Inc., and her boyfriend, Kurt Lustgarten , who made Conners' TV ads and works for the state Department of Economic Development.

Conners called the trip "a working session to go over the campaign and how the media buys worked and didn't work." He said he paid the bill for Thanksgiving Day himself and charged the campaign for the other two days. The trip dates were inaccurately reported and the filing will be amended, he said.
[snip]

State Board of Elections spokesman Lee Daghlian said state law prohibits using campaign cash for personal use, and expenditures must be related in some fashion to either running for office or holding office. The board doesn't investigate financial filings unless it receives a complaint.

Some of the kids? Just happened to be his kids.

Did he ever amend the report?

Mike Conners is still a Republican

From the Albany Times-Union
Section: CAPITAL REGION
Page: D1
Date: Sunday, July 25, 2004
CONNERS PRACTICES BIZARRE ART
FRED LeBRUN

What a bizarre week it has been for the Democratic, at the least for the moment, county comptroller.

On Monday, he stunned us by withdrawing from the November prize fight we were all relishing, against veteran Republican state Assemblyman Bob Prentiss. An event area political odds makers had at even-up.

Mike pulled out, he says, reluctantly, but realistically. ``Let's be blunt. My party dropped me.'' Albany County Democrats had asked him in May to run against Prentiss, but when it came time to pony up $17,000 for a poll required by the Assembly Campaign Committee, county Democrats were seen walking away, whistling down the alley. They abandoned Mike. Mayor Jerry Jennings swears he had nothing to do with it. The Breslins -- Mike the county executive and Neil the state senator -- haven't 'fessed up to being behind it, but it is widely known they are not big fans of Mike Conners. Conners has made no secret of wanting Mike Breslin's job, and he embarrassed county officials over the finances at the airport and nursing home. Conners also endorsed Republican Gov. George Pataki last time around, as did Jennings, and that went down hard with traditional Dems.

``Monday, I presided over my own political wake. I was dead,'' says Conners.

Then on Friday morning, as bold as brass, there was Mike Conners announcing he will run as a Democrat on the Republican line against Sen. Neil Breslin.

[Snip]

``The Republicans reached out to me right away. Fourteen hours after word was out I was withdrawing from the Assembly race, Brendan Quinn came to me, representing Congressman John Sweeney. Later Senator Joe Bruno sent over John Graziano Jr. We worked it out.

``Once they realized I was serious about this, Senator Bruno called me. I've known the senator for a long, long time. He said, `Michael, I will spend whatever it takes to communicate effectively with the voters of Albany County that you are a better candidate than the incumbent.' ''

An open checkbook from the Republicans. Bruno, the Senate majority leader, has some testy contests across the state for Senate seats come November. If he can wrest a seat from the Democrats here in Albany with Conners, it would be delicious indeed.

In addition, Neil Breslin is one of the campaign finance strategists for the Democrats trying to steal seats from the Republicans, so any complications that can be thrown his way by Conners' candidacy presumably helps to derail the Democratic effort.

A high-ranking Republican put the price tag for the Albany County race at between $250,000 and $300,000 per candidate. Conners himself thinks it might run as high as twice that, or about what it was when Breslin first beat Republican Mike Hoblock. The enrollment in the Senate district is 2-to-1 Democratic. But Conners thinks his long-established political presence as a county legislator and comptroller will be enough to get him over the top.

``But win or lose, on Nov. 3, I will be switching my enrollment to Republican. If I lose, I'll have three years as comptroller before I have to run again -- as a Republican.

``If that comes to pass, I may or may not win. But I expect to be beaten bloody,'' he laughed. He's got that right. Contact Fred LeBrun at 454-5453.

Mike Conners sold out for Republican money.

Mike Conners promised to run for Comptroller as a Republican. What happened to his promise? Why is he running in the Democratic primary?

Mike Conners is a Republican

From the Albany Times-Union
Section: CAPITAL REGION
Page: B1
Date: Saturday, July 24, 2004
LAZARUS OR DEAD MAN WALKING?
BRIAN NEARING Staff writer

The conversion of Albany County Comptroller Michael Conners, whose family's Democratic roots in North Albany stretch back a century, into a Republican started Monday with a telephone call from a former aide to Rep. John Sweeney. In less than a week, it was done, with Conners sealing the deal Thursday to take the GOP endorsement against incumbent Democratic state Sen. Neil Breslin over a cellphone while watching a Red Sox game in Fenway Park.

Gleeful Republicans welcomed Conners into the fold Friday, while stunned Democrats warned he is taking a gamble he cannot win in a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1. Conners, rebuffed last week by Democratic party leaders over his bid for a state Assembly seat, countered that his party had abandoned him, not the other way around.

Whether he wins or loses, Conners, whose father was legendary Democratic Assemblyman Dick Conners and whose grandfather, Michael, was both a Democratic city alderman and county coroner, will change his enrollment to Republican after the election, he said.

``It's sad the way the Democratic Party has drifted,'' Conners said. ``Long before today, my father would have been dismayed at the things that have happened. ... He would understand what I've done.'' It was the view that Conners had been mistreated by his party that attracted Brendan Quinn, a former state GOP committee executive director and aide to Sweeney.

Quinn spoke with Sweeney about approaching Conners after the aborted Assembly bid. On Monday, he offered Conners the GOP endorsement against Breslin, a rival who backed Alan Maikels against Conners in a bitter Democratic primary last year in the comptroller's race.

``I was absolutely shocked. I was politically dead on Monday and I'm back on Friday. Now I know how Lazarus felt,'' Conners said. Sweeney spokesman Demetrius Karoatsos said Quinn was ``not affiliated'' with Sweeney's office, although he worked for the congressman in the past. He referred further questions to Quinn. The congressman's campaign committee paid Quinn, who was Sweeney's successor as state GOP executive director, $40,000 last year for consulting services, according the Opensecrets.org, a campaign contributions Web site run by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, one of Conners' closet political allies, said Conners wasn't victimized by county Democratic leaders' last-minute refusal to lend or give him $17,000 to pay for a poll of the 109th Assembly District. The state Democratic Campaign Committee required the poll before deciding to lend Conners its support.
``I never had anything to do with the $17,000. I'm not on the (party's) executive committee,'' Jennings said. ``Mike is a lifelong friend. I wouldn't want to see him get hurt by his criticism of party leadership. The party didn't abandon him.''

[snip]

On Tuesday, Conners got another telephone call from a Republican supporter, this one from John Graziano Jr., former GOP leader of the County Legislature. What convinced Conners to change parties was the promise of substantial campaign cash, through the state Senate Campaign Committee and state committee.

[snip]

State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno is prepared to open his war chest to help Conners. ``We're going to be supportive in whatever it takes within our means and resources to help communicate with the public,'' Bruno said Friday.

``I will have more resources than I ever dreamed of,'' Conners said, immediately referring to to the 1996 Senate campaign in which Republican Michael Hoblock spent more than $500,000 to win the seat.
[Snip]

Mike Conners. Republican. Does he believe in Republican philosophy or was he bought with Republican money? Or both?

When is an apology not an apology?

From the Albany Times-Union
Section: CAPITAL REGION
Page: B3
Date: Friday, May 16, 2003

A `MEA CULPA' FOR ALL REASONS
Albany County Comptroller Mike Conners acknowledges that he has made mistakes, but he said he'll leave it to voters to decide what they were.

In a letter distributed to party committee members last week, he said: ``Yes, I have made mistakes in the past and regret any pain my decisions may have caused you.''

Was the feisty Menands Democrat acknowledging a lapse in judgment with his endorsement last year of Republican Gov. George Pataki? Was he recanting his opposition to project labor agreements with union tradesmen? Or his criticism of County Executive Mike Breslin's administration's policies at the county nursing home or social services department?

``No,'' Conners said firmly. Rather, ``it's a mea culpa for whatever you want it to be.''

For a Democrat, Mike Conners sure does love Republicans and Republican ideas.

Will this come back to haunt him?

From the Albany Times Union

Section: CAPITAL REGION
Page: B5
Date: Friday, October 20, 1995
CONNERS ATTACKS KNAPEK FOR SWITCHING TO GOP
SARAH METZGAR Staff writer

ALBANY Democrat Michael Conners, the county comptroller candidate, blasted his opponent Thursday for switching party enrollment right before the campaign. At a Democratic Octoberfest Wednesday, Conners told the crowd his opponent, Republican Lawrence Knapek, was a Democrat until June 6.

``It's unfortunate that my opponent cannot be with us tonight, because until June 6th of this year Mr. Knapek was a lifelong, card-carrying enrolled Democrat,'' Conners said.

Knapek countered on Thursday: ``I was a Democrat at one time. I'm not denying that. It was leaders like Mike Conners and Jim Coyne who turned me off to the party. Swinging a sledgehammer and carrying a chain saw is not typical behavior of a leader.''

Knapek was referring to some of Conners' antics when he served as the city's public works commissioner. The two men are battling for the $71,716-a-year county comptroller's job, both wanting to prepare county financial statements and handle county bill-paying. The race has been nasty, Knapek releasing details of Conner's personal financial troubles, and the Democrats pounding Knapek for a legal dispute with a Delmar widow over payments he is supposed to make to purchase a portion of her late husband's accounting practice.

Knapek, again on Thursday, called on Conners to release his tax returns and credit report. Knapek released his earlier in the week.

``It would be fiscal suicide for Albany County if Mike Conners was elected comptroller,'' Knapek said. ``Where are his tax returns and credit report? What is he hiding?'' Conners so far has avoided the challenge. ``He can come over and go through my laundry anytime he likes as long as he makes an appointment,'' he said Thursday.

We don't know what the financial accusations were.

What Do We Really Know About Mike Conners

The people's watchdog? We don't think so.

True Blue Democrat? No way.

What does the record show? Although the temptation to say more will be great, we'll try to limit ourselves to what we know, and can document, about Mike Conners. That should be enough.

Let's face it, the guy's are great showman. But sometimes, that's not what the job really needs. This is one of those times.