Many folks in Columbia and Greene Counties are still wondering what to make of State Assemblyman Pete Lopez’s surprise visit to Stuyvesant last Friday morning. The visit was unannounced and the public at large was not present at the visit’s location, the Hydroelectric Station in Stuyvesant Falls. Lopez was there to campaign for reelection in the newly formed 102nd District; Stuyvesant is new to him. That being the case, why the secrecy? Lopez seems a likable fellow and might have done well in a public setting.
One unkind explanation, posted on the Register-Star website, suggests it is because the revitalization of the Hydroelectric Station is closely associated with U. S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Lopez, by appearing there, hoped to gain credit by association. “A cheesy GOP fraud,” the comment read, “…to bask in another’s accomplishments.”
Although the public wasn’t there, a lot of very conservative politicos were, including Dick Bruno, the Stuyvesant Conservative leader and Matt Torrey, leader of the Columbia County Conservatives. So does that mean Republican Lopez is edging to the right?
The irony is, the stealthiness of the event has generated more conversation than there would have been had Lopez simply held a public event to introduce himself to the citizens of Stuyvesant. Hmmm—maybe that was the intention all along.
