By ELIZABETH BENJAMIN, Capitol bureau

First published: Thursday, January 19, 2006

    ALBANY -- U.S. Rep. John Sweeney on Wednesday continued to weather a flurry of Democratic criticism for hosting a fund-raising ski trip with at least one lobbyist after calling for GOP reform amid a Washington, D.C. lobbying scandal.

Five Democratic county chairs from Sweeney's district and state Democratic Chairman Herman "Denny" Farrell Jr. wrote an open letter to the Clifton Park Republican asking why he went to Utah last weekend when New York has some of the nation's "finest ski resorts."

"Your decision to spend a weekend frolicking in Utah with lobbyists instead of here on the slopes in New York sends a terrible message and does nothing to encourage the all-important tourist industry here," wrote Farrell and the county chairs of the Washington, Essex, Saratoga, Greene and Warren Democratic parties.

Citizen Action of New York, a coalition of community and labor groups that has been critical of Sweeney, wrote a tongue-in-cheek letter on behalf of the "struggling families" in his district asking him to reconsider his support of budget cuts and tax breaks for those wealthy enough to afford skiing.

Sweeney spokeswoman Melissa Carlson called the barbs "sad and troubling," adding the congressman has worked hard to promote New York. He brought an out-of-state delegation, including members of Congress, to Lake Placid Jan. 6-9 to discuss bringing back the Olympics and tourism.

Last weekend, Sweeney hosted his second annual "Skiing With Sweeney" fund-raiser in Park City, Utah -- a $2,000 event that included dinner at the home of Jeffrey Kimbell, a pharmaceutical lobbyist.

Tuesday, the campaign of Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat looking to challenge Sweeney, said it was hypocritical for him to call for a House leadership overhaul in response to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and then fly off to a fund-raiser with a lobbyist.

Gillibrand's camp called on Sweeney to release the names of all lobbyists on the ski trip, how much they donated, what they talked about and "the promises he made to them." Carlson said Sweeney's next financial filing to the Federal Election Commission, due April 15, will include details.

Clifton Park GOP Chairman Michael Lisuzzo defended Sweeney, saying he was "courageously serving his constituents" by calling for a leadership change in his own party while Gillibrand was raising money in Manhattan with U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., last Thursday.

Gillibrand campaign manager Bill Hyers said attacks on his candidate by the Sweeney camp demonstrate the congressman is "obviously in trouble and worried."