Do the Dems need star power in 21st District?

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What North Country voters should be looking for is a real person with real beliefs to represent them in Congress.

The best candidate will be the one that advocates for us.

When Elise Stefanik left her job in Washington, D.C. in 2013 to run for Congress, she got rid of the sports car she tooled around in at Harvard and bought a pickup truck.

While her parents had a summer home in Willsboro, she never lived there.

They lived in the Capital District and she graduated from a private school in Albany.

She went to one of the most elite colleges in the country - Harvard - and figured if she shopped at LL Bean, she could fool the voters up north.

She became prolific at raising money and reading the political winds to benefit her own career which landed her in the back pocket of Donald Trump and heading to the United Nations where she can explain to the world why the United States is running aways from its responsibilities to the world.

Stefanik still has not resigned her seat - probably not until the budget situation is rectified in Washington - and the Republicans have still not decided on a replacement.

Democrats should see that as an opportunity.

So should Republicans because if you scrutinize the Stefanik record, her legacy will not include many benefits for her distirct.

More importantly, North Country residents will eventually feel the pain of a Trump administration determined to alienate the close relationship that so many in the North Country have with Canada.

Tourism could be irreparably damaged by the on-again, off-again tariffs proposed.

Farms could be face more challenges.

Colleges - and there are a bunch in the North Country - could see assistance reduced as well.

So one of our readers felt the opportunity was being squandered by the selection of a Lisbon dairy farmer and political novice named Blake Gendebien (pronounced Gen-Dee-Been).

"Why aren't the Dems running seriously for Stefanik's seat?" the reader asked me and said Gendebien was "guaranteed" to lose.

It was suggested the Democrats needed someone with more "star power" even if that person came from outside the district like Stefanik. Perhaps a retired general or admiral. They wondered what Chelsea Clinton was doing this year or one of the Kennedy grandchildren - probably to balance the cabinet selection of RFK Jr.

It sounded like this person might be in panic mode.

Or just desperate for a little hope.

After five terms of Stefanik dominance, everyone seems to have written off Democrats in the North Country. It was just 10 years ago that Democrat Bill Owens represented the North Country.

Kirsten Gillibrand won here in the Glens Falls area.

So did Scott Murphy - in another special election - although he lost his shot at re-election.

This is a prime opportunity for someone with a name to pull an upset the reader insisted.

But then I called up a TV interview Gendebien did.

Yeah, he had the requisite farmer flannel shirt while climbing over a fence in the barn, but there was also a plain-spoken reality to him.

I found this gem of an analogy in a Newsweek analysis of his long-shot candidacy in a "ruby red" district.

"It's a willingness to get things done," Gendebien said. "When my neighbors' tractor is stuck in the mud, I don't ask him what party affiliation he is. Guess what we both know? We both know we have to get his tractor out of mud."

And if ever our country was stuck in the mud, this is it.

You see, it was clear very early on that Elise Stefanik was a social climber; that her allegiance was to the party and not the people. You were never going to see Elise Stefanik helping anyone get their tractor out of the mud.

If anything, she helped get the tractor stuck.

Gendebien brings real-life experience to the table and an ability to talk the talk because he has already walked the walk.

"I'm not a politician, I'm a dairy farmer and a community member," he told Newsweek. "I really like people. I like to see people. I like to shake hands. I like to look people in the eyes, and I want to deliver on their feedback. That's very important to me."

Elise Stefanik hasn't looked anyone in her district in the eye in five years.

Gendebien has already promised to bring the district back to the political middle where it once was.

"I am not here to go to extremes of either side,"Gendebien told Newsweek. "I'm here to work on the policies we can actually get done. We need common sense legislators on both sides of the aisle that can get things done. It's time we focus on getting things done, for the North Country, for NY-21, for the American people."

It's something we haven't heard in a long time.

At least from someone who means it.

Considering the times we live in, it sounds a bit quaint.

The problem comes down to simple name recognition.

For Gendebien to be successful he needs a media blitz of unprecedented magnitude to reach the voters. With the recent protests we are seeing energy among the Democratic activists around the region, but that is not enough.

The Democratic National Party needs to get behind Gendebien with their money and resources because no matter how good the candidate might be, without funding, they will lose.

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Shameless plug

For four years, I've been writing my column on The Front Page. At first, it was because I just liked to write. Maybe, to still feel some relevance after retiring as editor of The Post-Star.

But as informed commentary and editorials disappeared from our community newspapers, it became clear the role commentary plays in community debate and the void left without it.

That's why Will Doolittle and I still toil away - OK, it never really seems like work - writing The Front Page.

On Friday morning, former Greenwich Supervisor Sara Idleman wrote this about her reading habits:

"But my first read every morning is this (The Front Page). I'm a firm believer in the importance of local involvement. The Front Page is essential in its reporting of local activity. Thank you, Ken and Will."

The newsletter continues to grow steadily. Thank you Sara and to all of you for your support. Share with your friends and relatives.

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Tariffs hit home

North Country Public Radio is once again on the front lines of the tariff story reporting that there is great concern in the North Country about angry Canadians pulling the plug on vacations into the Adirondacks and the United States in general.

Tourist officials are reporting regular cancelations from Canadians. That is bad news for Lake George and Bolton for the coming year.

And where is Rep. Elise Stefanik when it comes to helping the North Country in this regard?

Stefanik, always big on border security, probably won't have to worry about anyone crossing the northern border, especially tourists choosing to punish American policies.

Read the entire NCPR story today.

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Not so great one

Wayne Gretzky, forever known as "The Great One" to Canadian hockey fans, is taking some flack for his continued support of Donald Trump that Canadians view as a betrayal.

In a front page story in the New York Times Friday, it reported, "Canadians are rising up against Mr. Trump and his policies. They are boycotting American goods and buying and flying Canadian flags in a burst of national pride. Many coffee shops have stopped offering Americanos or renamed the drink a "Canadicano." Some of the the loudest communal protests come at hockey teams against American teams."

"We're probably going to keep booing the American anthem," Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau said. "But let me tell Americans - we're not booing you, we're not booing your players. We're booing a policy that is designed to hurt us. And we're insulted, and we're angry."

Also caught up in the controversy is Gretzky, who celebrated election night with Trump and was at the president's inauguration.

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Vacation impact

The New York Times reported on Friday that some 4,000 campsites operated by the National Forest Service will be closed this summer because of recent cuts to the department.

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Part of Oscar night

Glens Falls native Stephen Phelps was in the national spotlight when Anora won a Best Picture Oscar last week.

Phelps was the production designer for the independently produced film shot mostly in New York and when it was honored with the final award of the night he got to go up on stage with the other principles from the film.

The Times Union caught up with Phelps with his experience and how he got the gig that led to the Academy Awards.

“This is the first film I did with Sean (director Baker),” Phelps said in a phone interview with the Times Union. “I met him through Alex Coco, the producer of The Sweet East, which I worked on. He knew Sean wanted to make a smaller movie and he knew I was very hands-on and able to work with tight budgets and off the cuff and on the fly. He introduced me to Sean and Sean decided to hire me and that was good.”

Maybe the most understated quote of the year.

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Chapman show

The Chapman Museum will present a special one-person show - The Ghost of Mary Persons - on Wednesday, March 19 at 7 p.m.

This one-person show, performed by Frieda Toth, is inspired by the real life of Mary Melissa Persons, who got revenge from the grave on everyone who had ever looked down on her. Mary Persons was the common-law wife of Jones Ordway, a prosperous Adirondack lumberman. A feisty, hardworking woman, who enjoyed the life she chose, but was scorned by her family and neighbors for her unusual living situation but ended up getting the last laugh.

The performance features live music by Frank Orsini and Dan Hubbs, celebrated for their Adirondack sound. Please note that this show contains adult themes and is not suitable for young children, though teens are welcome.

This program is free for Chapman Museum members or $10 for non-members. To register, call 518 793-2826.

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Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.