Who will lead the Democratic Party?

by: Bill Liblick

The talk amongst Sullivan County political circles is who will be selected to replace Tim Hill as Democratic Party Chairman and Commissioner of the Board of Elections.

Both jobs do not have to be filled by the same person, nor should they be.

Hill was respected throughout the state for his vast knowledge of election law, and set as a priority to computerize our voting machines before the mandated deadline.

Although the person who will be selected to become the new Board of Elections Commissioner will ultimately be a political patronage job, it is imperative that that person has the ability to fully understand election law, and fairly represent the needs of the entire electorate.

One scenario I hear is that Faith Kaplan the second in command might be elevated to Commissioner of Board of Elections until her retirement, and former Town of Fallsburg Councilwoman Ann Prusinski will replace Kaplan.

While other names are being tossed around for Commissioner of the Board of Elections, most political observers are more concerned with whom the person will be that will lead the Sullivan County Democratic Party into the future.

Jim Grier of Fremont the current vice chairman will assume the chairman post. In order for the Democratic Committee to elect someone else the bylaws would have to be changed.

Several Democratic political leaders have told me they were in no rush to choose a new chairman other than Grier. They claim that their executive committee was elected last fall, and there will be no new executive board elections for a year and a half.

Others see it differently and say there will be elections for a new chairman this year.

Names being mentioned include former County Clerks George Cooke and Neil Gilberg, along with other known and not so known members of the Democratic Party.

Eventually, after all the backroom political dealings, wheeling, and backstabbing are over, it will be the Sullivan County Democratic County Committee members who will decide whom the chairman will be and if it will be necessary to change the bylaws before doing so.

The opportunity is there for the Sullivan County Democratic Party to emerge with a strong and unifying leader.

George Cooke and Neil Gilberg would be naturals for the post. But, both men have told me they were not interested in the chairmanship.

One of the most talked about names being touted for chairman besides Grier is Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther’s Chief of Staff, Steve Wilkinson.

Gunther, whom as the leading elected Democratic official in Sullivan County, must be listened to by committee members in her line of reasoning in support of Wilkinson for the post.

Wilkinson possesses the ability to bring all parts of the Democratic Party in Sullivan County together. He proved that he can unite both the old school and new school during his drive to revitalize Livingston Manor. That type of talent is needed for any political leader to succeed.

Wilkinson is also highly regarded when it comes to raising serious money for political campaigns. 

More importantly, as Gunther’s Chief of Staff, he has made many contacts both in State and Federal government that could be an enormous asset for Sullivan County.

One prominent elected Democratic official was clearly upset that at Hill’s wake and funeral several political dealmakers were lobbying their candidates for party chairman and commissioner at the Board of Elections. “The body isn’t even cold yet, how dare they do this,” the official angrily told me.

But, as insensitive as it may seem, that unfortunately is how politics work.

It is usually politics which brings these types of people together, and if it weren’t for that subject matter, they probably would have nothing else to talk about.

The Sullivan County Democratic County Committee will be holding a meeting next week, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Stay tuned; it should be an interesting next couple of weeks.

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