Wrong Message in Greece

The scene: candidates' night last Sunday, at the First Bible Baptist Church in Greece. This is an evening of feel good speeches. Tell them who you are, what you stand for and ask for the vote. The audience are people of faith, with little tolerance for negative comments. Any candidate who engages in mudslinging does so at his own peril. Two Greece Democrats couldn't figure it out.

Supervisor Candidate Dan Maloney and Legislator Candidate Mark Coon seemed to be trying to prove that they are out of touch left liberals with a nasty streak, lacking the temperament and sensitivity to lead a municipality of any size, let alone our largest town, Greece. Both came out swinging with rants that left the crowd speechless, with most just shaking their heads in disbelief. Somehow they reminded me of a pair of medieval executioners, each swinging a mace aimlessly and wounding only themselves. Entertaining in a creepy way, like an ultimate fighting match, but too brutal and painful to watch with pleasure.

A big contrast to a strong leader in touch with his community and his audience, like Supervisor John Auberger.