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Health & Fitness

Who Do You Love (apologies to Bo Diddley)

Why is Peekskill a hard hill to climb for a Peekskill born-and-bred candidate?

While picking up my wife at the train station the other day I noticed that Andy Bazzo’s partner in Atom Taxi has a Mike Kane poster taped on his taxicab. Andy and I were colleagues at the North County News and remain friends. I’m a liberal and he’s a conservative/libertarian, but that doesn’t mean we never agree.

After the votes in the Independence Party primary for District 1 had been counted and recounted, the tally was John Testa 41 and Mike Kane 21. That was a victory for Mr. Testa by any standard. The numbers are what they are, but some numbers are more interesting than others. While Mr. Testa won overall he barely squeaked by in Peekskill, where he has lived all his life. Peekskill High School is his alma mater and where he has spent all but a year or two of his working life as a teacher. Peekskill is where he served as councilman and mayor.

Few politicians know Peekskill as well as Mr. Testa does, yet he could not beat Domenic Volpe in Peekskill in the District 1 general election two years ago. In the Independence Party primary Mike Kane, who lost to Mr. Testa in a mayoral race ten years ago, pulled off a virtual tie in Peekskill. In the city where you might reasonably think Mr. Testa had an impressive home court advantage, it was Testa 15, Kane 13.

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No one knows Mr. Testa as well as Peekskill does.  Andy Bazzo also knows him well, but supported his opponent two years ago. This year Andy has a Dave Paganelli (for Yorktown Town Board) sign on his cab and no sign for either candidate in the District 1 race. You have to wonder why the folks who know him best seem least enthusiastic about returning him to the county legislature.

The numbers cited above can be found at:  http://citizenparticipation.westchestergov.com/images/stories/pdfs/2011PrimaryCanvass110913.pdf

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