Kirsten Gillibrand hints at platform for possible run against Sweeney during Greene Co. speech

By Alvaro E. Alarcon, Hudson Valley Newspapers, The Daily Mail, Thursday, January 26,2006, Catskill, New York

CAIRO - Hudson attorney Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat who hopes to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. John E. Sweeney for the 20th Congressional District seat in the upcoming November election, made an appearance Wednesday at a Greene County Democratic Party meeting at Lange's Groveside Resort.

The 20th Congressional District includes all of Greene County.

With $370,000 in her campaign coffers, Dartmouth-educated Gillibrand drew enthusiastic support from county Democrats.

"I'm very excited to be here with my friends," Gillibrand said.  "I'm very appreciative of their support and I look forward to being a voice in Washington for the priorities of families in this district."

Gillibrand comes from a background steeped in Democratic politics.  She said her grandmother formed the region's first Democratic club.

During the Clinton administration, Gillibrand served as special counsel to the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and led several of that department's initiatives.  Presently she is a partner with a prominent law firm, Boies, Schiller & Flexner, often representing abused women and their children, according to literature distributed by her campaign officials.

She outlined her objectives if elected to Congress. 

"I'd fight for tax cuts for the middle class families of this county, affordable health care, and a solution to the high oil and gas prices we are all facing in heating homes this winter," she said.

Gillibrand gave a short speech touting these policy goals.  When she said she would investigate oil companies for price gouging, one woman sitting in an attentive audience said that would take a lot of luck.

Troubled by scandal in the Republican Party, Gillibrand said holding oil executives accountable through hearings could be done.

"It's about bringing ethics back to government," she said.  "Texas' interests are not the same as upstate's interests."

Gillibrand's platform, formally to be announced sometime next week, includes a pro-gun rights agenda.  The Congressional candidate's mother is a hunter who shoots a turkey every Thanksgiving.  Her campaign's policy director, Rain Henderson of Albany, said Gillibrand understands that her role is to represent a congressional district that is largely rural and includes gun owners.

"Kirsten's a different kind of Democrat," Henderson said.

The federal government's recent Medicare legislation dealing with prescription drug plans draws Gillibrand's ire.

"I haven't heard many people who are happy with it," she said, adding that health care and corruption are hot button issues in this years campaign.

Darlene Kuykendall of Greenville, who recently moved to the county from Florida, said having a woman as representative would be a good choice.  She said she is a registered Democrat but does not vote along party lines. 

"Somebody who is not along the same lines as the current [Bush] administration," Kuykendall said would be her choice of candidate.

Carolyn Jennings, a member of the county Democratic committee, said she would vote for any opponent of Sweeney.

While saying Gillibrand had good credentials, noting that she went to law school at the university of California at Los Angeles, Jim Mulligan of Greenville stated, "I think she has a tough candidate to run against."

Greene County Democratic Party Chairman Tom Poelker said Sweeney had indeed done good things for the county, but now there is a call to reform government among Democrats.  Gillibrand has "a fire inside of her," and local Democrats are vigorous, he said.

"Republicans want to hold onto that seat real bad," Poelker said.