Northeast
NY election law that 'nationalizes' local politics flies under the radar despite being 'monumental': expert
New York ushered in a “revolutionary” election law change that will nationalize and change the fabric of local elections, but it has overwhelmingly flown under the public’s radar, according to an election attorney.
“It really hasn’t even gotten the attention within New York that I would have thought it would have gotten, because again, this is a monumental change to the electorate,” New York Republican election attorney Joe Burns told Fox News Digital.
Just days before Christmas, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a Democrat-backed bill that moved town, village and county elections to even-numbered years, alongside higher-profile gubernatorial and even presidential elections. The new law will likely upend local elections as they are expected to be drowned out by massive campaigns for state and federal offices, and local candidates might turn their attention to national issues instead of hyper-local campaign platforms, Burns explained to Fox News Digital.
“It’s nothing short of revolutionary,” Burns said.
BLUE STATE EFFORT TO UPROOT ELECTION LAW COULD FOREVER CHANGE LOCAL RACES: EXPERT
“I Voted” stickers are stacked at a polling place. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
This month, Republicans in New York’s Onondaga County, which is home to Syracuse in the center of the state, voted to approve $100,000 in funds to begin the process of suing New York State, arguing the drastic changes violate local rules.
“We will authorize County Executive Ryan McMahon to pursue legal action opposing New York state’s latest overreach against the county’s constitutional and chartered independence,” Republican Onondaga County Legislature Chairman Timothy Burtis said, according to Spectrum News.
NY COURT DECISION GIVES DEMS INSIDE TRACK ON COMPETITIVE HOUSE DISTRICTS
“The new law is a bold attempt to dismantle Onondaga County’s legal independence without due process,” Burtis added.
Republicans in the county say the new law is an attack on their county charter.
The New York State Capitol in Albany. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)
“That’s really the big issue,” Burns said, “The state constitution provides tremendous protections for how they organize themselves. Meaning, that the state simply can’t come in and require that these local offices – county executives, county legislators – require that they truncate their terms, require that they then elect the officers on even years,” Burns said.
Burns sent a letter to Onondaga County Legislature last week, before money was officially set aside for the lawsuit, arguing that the “radical change” is “bad for our local governments, and bad for democracy.”
“In this era of angry, hyperpartisan politics, is this what New York really needs? Will it strengthen our democracy? Will it improve our system of self-government? No, no, and no,” Burns wrote.
Democrats who supported the bill argued it would increase voter turnout, as high-profile presidential or state elections draw more voters compared to local election turnout. The bill had been floated around Albany over the last few years and was expected to pass in 2022, but to no avail. The State Assembly and Senate ultimately approved the bill in June, just hours before 2023’s legislative session ended.
The law officially takes effect next year.
DEMS’ PLAN TO STRIP TRUMP FROM NY BALLOT HAS NUMBER OF FLAWS UNDER STATE LAW: ELECTION EXPERT
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during the State of the State address in Albany, New York, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
“I think it’s a great argument,” Burns said of how Republicans in the county are teeing up the lawsuit. “This new law, forcing these counties to elect their officials on even years, violates Article IX of the state constitution, which includes the local government bill of rights.”
The New York attorney told Fox News Digital he believes there is “a very high likelihood of success” with the lawsuit, and that other counties may soon follow or are at least monitoring the situation.
Other counties “may figure, ‘let them go forward. Hopefully, they’ll be successful.’ And then that would apply to similar county governments, specifically counties with a charter like in Onondaga County,” he said.
DEMS TURN TO STATE COURTS AS POLITICAL ‘WEAPON’ AMID 2024’S GERRYMANDER BLITZ: EXPERTS
The law moved county and town elections but does not affect elections such as city, district attorney or sheriff, as those are governed by the state’s constitution. Burns said that the massive election change has likely received little local and national attention as the law does not affect New York City.
The law does not affect New York City. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)
“What’s the media capital of not just New York, but probably the world? New York City. Well, guess what? What do they have in New York City? They have city offices. Meaning, they’re not affected.”
Local governments outside of cities, however, will likely see their candidates turn their attention to national issues, instead of local issues such as infrastructure or deploying snow trucks to clear roads during a storm, Burns argued.
“Under this new law, elections for offices such as town clerk, town highway superintendent, and county legislator would appear on the same General Election ballot as races for Congress, U.S. Senate, and President. Candidates in these races for local office – races where candidates might raise and spend as little as a couple thousand dollars in an entire campaign cycle – will be forced to compete with candidates in multimillion-dollar contests for voters’ attention,” Burns wrote in his letter supporting the planned lawsuit.
“Local concerns will be silent; local politics will be nationalized.”
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PORTLAND (WGME) – The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage.
CBS13 reached out to the Platner campaign for comment Monday but did not hear back.
According to multiple reports, Platner calls the stories “gossip.”
Amy Gertner, his wife of nearly three years, called the former staffer’s claims a “betrayal” and an “invasion of our privacy.”
Platner says the Wall Street Journal and New York Times ran stories without any evidence, based solely on gossip from a former staffer.
The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage. (WGME)
He says claims made by that staffer, former State Representative Genevieve McDonald, are untrue.
Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, says she trusted McDonald with the most private chapter of their lives.
“I confided deeply personal details about my marriage to someone I considered a friend. In the months since, I have had to watch as she spread malicious gossip to anyone who would take her call,” Gertner said.
“The situation he’s in right now that’s most uncomfortable, I think, is that he and his wife seem to be telling different versions of the story,” USM Political Science Professor Ron Schmidt said.
Gertner defended her husband in a video she posted.
“I find it really shameful that there’s a group of media outlets, and people who are willing to spread gossip, instead of talking about real issues that Graham is running on like healthcare and education and childcare,” Gertner said.
The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage. (WGME)
She says being newly married while going through infertility and a Senate campaign is hard, but she says they are working on their marriage and mental health.
“I knew the man that I married had been through an immense amount of violent, active combat,” Gertner said. “No marriage is perfect, and I don’t want a perfect marriage. I want my marriage.”
“If this is a case of mistakes made early on in the marriage, and they’ve had marriage counseling, then the best thing to do is to say ‘I made a mistake. It was a while ago. It was related to something else, and it doesn’t have a bearing on where I am right now,’” Schmidt said.
A Platner supporter, who attended Sunday’s town hall meeting with the candidate, says the focus needs to be on policy, not personal matters.
“I think people should really continue to engage with Platner and the campaign around affordable housing, universal healthcare and issues that really matter to us,” Auburn Community Organizer Safiya Khalid said.
The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage. (WGME)
“Graham and I have a great marriage,” Gertner said. “And we love each other deeply. We deserve better. I think Mainers deserve better.”
Platner has apologized for other controversies like now-deleted Reddit posts calling himself a communist and blaming victims of rape, and a nazi-symbol skull tattoo his military unit got that he’s since covered up.
Through it all, he’s still leading in the polls.
Schmidt says Democratic voters like what Platner stands for, but he says the controversies are certainly a concern, especially with Senator Susan Collins, in his view, doing a good job distancing herself from President Donald Trump.
Massachusetts
Winners’ circle: Tracking every 2026 spring high school championship – The Boston Globe
Championship season is upon us, and we’re tracking every title winner in Massachusetts this spring.
From the golf sectionals in late May to championship weekend June 11-14, a four-day stretch in which 31 titlists will be crowned across boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, boys and girls’ tennis, boys’ and girls’ rugby, boys’ volleyball, softball, and baseball, we’ll have you covered.
Find all the dates, brackets, seedings, matchups, and links to our postseason previews here.
Follow us on X @GlobeSchools, Instagram @BGlobeSchools, and Facebook to stay up to date.
Over at Globe.com/Schools you’ll find our daily scoreboard, nightly Takeaways, game coverage, videos, live streams, and our weekly Varsity News newsletter (sign up for free) to keep you in the know.
Division 1: Lexington girls, St. John’s Prep boys
Lexington girls graduate to two-time Division 1 track champions, St. John’s Prep sprints to boys’ title
Division 2: Billerica girls, North Andover boys
Billerica girls unphazed by move up to Division 2, going back-to-back as North Andover boys dominate
Division 3: Canton girls, Walpole boys
Canton girls cap greatest season with first Division 3 track title, Walpole boys win by thinnest margin
Division 4: Duxbury girls, Newburyport boys
Historic win for Duxbury girls, Mohoric paces Newburyport boys to Division 4 outdoor track championship
Division 5: North Reading girls, Weston boys
It’s four in a row for North Reading girls, two straight for Weston boys at Division 5 track championships
Division 6: Ayer Shirley girls, Abington boys
Ayer Shirley girls pick up where they left off, Abington boys twinning at Division 6 track championships
Day 1, Divisions 1, 2, and 5: Lexington boys and girls setting the pace at Division 1 track & field championships
Day 1, Divisions 3, 4, and 6: Canton girls make a strong run to first at Division 3 track championships
South: Walpole | With Tori Adams as its driving force, Walpole scores third straight MIAA South girls’ golf championship
North/Central/West: Hopkinton | Concord-Carlisle’s Sophie Redmond, Hopkinton rule MIAA girls’ golf championship for North/Central/West
With titles for Natick and Peabody and smiles for all, MIAA unified track championship ‘beyond inspiring’
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
By JEFFREY HASTINGS, InDepthNH.org
A group gathered in front of the City Hall Annex for a short presentation by Manchester True Collaborative, US Senator Maggie Hassan’s representative and Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais’s representative.
The flag raising denotes the beginning of pride month in New Hampshire.
On June 27th, the annual Pride Parade will be held in downtown Manchester and an event held at Veterans Park.
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