WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Republicans on the Jefferson County legislature are facing an age old question: can this marriage be saved?
A deep divide has developed, with chairman Scott Gray and his supporters on one side, and on the other, a group of legislators who are unhappy with Gray’s leadership.
Like any marriage in trouble, there are grievances, hurt feelings and the political equivalent of couples’ counseling. Jefferson County Republican chairman Don Coon says the Republican members of the legislature will get together in the next couple of weeks to “clear the air.”
Gray’s chairmanship is safe for the moment, and probably until his term runs out at the end of the year. Even Gray’s most public critic, District 10 legislator Jeremiah Maxon, says there would be no point in forcing Gray from leadership now.
But asked if Gray should serve another term as chair, Maxon answers “absolutely not.” (Gray responds by noting that Maxon is “one vote.”)
So what’s behind the bad blood?
Several things, starting with Gray’s role as the county’s leader during the pandemic.
Some legislators believe Gray crossed a line, became a cheerleader for the demands Governor Cuomo made with his special emergency powers.
“For whatever you have to say about how much Scott did or did not work with the governor’s office, Plattsburgh got the vaccine distribution site, Potsdam got the state’s vaccination center, and Watertown got a closed prison,” Maxon said Friday.
“So with friends like these, who needs enemies?”
Not true, Gray countered.
“Just because I’m not standing out on Public Square poking him (Cuomo) between the eyes, or running a truck around Albany, we’re still getting things done,” Gray said.
“Relationships matter. They’ve always mattered, and they continue to matter.”
Cuomo figures in another grievance as well. In November, District 14 legislator Corey Grant tried to get a resolution in front of the board which condemned Cuomo for overreach, for going too far in his use of executive powers.
“It was simply a ‘sense of the board’ resolution that she tried to submit in November – and the leadership engaged in manipulation of the standing rules, or weaponizing the standing rules against her,” Maxon said.
“Chastised on the floor of the board, ‘We have standing rules for a reason,’ only to turn around and pass the exact same resolution 14 to 1, two or three months later,” he said.
Gray argued the resolution was offered at the last minute, that it included no acknowledgement of the work health care workers had done and “it was just a total dismissal of the whole pandemic, and that’s probably where a lot of this lies, that there’s a lot of people who don’t perceive this pandemic to be a real situation.”
Most of all, Maxon says, the legislature’s leadership just isn’t listening to ordinary legislators.
Gray and Maxon tussled about that during a legislature meeting a week ago. Gray says the legislature had to move quickly to settle the issue that night, or risk spending a lot of money in court.
But Maxon says five emails he sent to Gray were ignored.
And that’s why, he says, they need to meet.
“We can let bygones be bygones. The reason for a caucus is to let rank and file members feel like they’re heard, because by and large, rank and file members don’t feel like they’re heard,” Maxon said.
“It’s clear at this point after the primary the cast of characters isn’t going to change for the next two years. So rather than fight, let’s find a way to get along,” Maxon said.
Maxon backed Gray’s opponent in last Tuesday’s primary election, which Gray won.
Gray sent out an email Friday morning questioning the need for a caucus – a private get-together to air out differences – but says he can work with the Republicans who are critical of him.
Relationship issues are “nothing new,” on the board, he says.
“We’re prepared to move on, I don’t really see that there’s a lot of issues. I think he’s creating the issues that he speaks of,” Gray said of Maxon.
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