By Doug Miller
Certainly, Democratic Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg should have seen Republican Frank McQuade coming: This is McQuade's fourth run for public office. And unlike many of the candidates challenging entrenched incumbents in the region, McQuade is running with the determination of someone who believes he can win.
There is no danger of confusing the opinions of the two men.
On Assembly Speaker Sheldon Speaker, among the most powerful men in the state:
"Vindictive," said McQuade.
"A genius," said Weisenberg.
On whether New York should legalize gay marriage:
"I believe in giving equal opportunities to everyone," said Weisenberg.
"I oppose the expansion of the definition of marriage ... [and] resent those who compare it to the civil rights movement," said McQuade.
On the puzzle that is Albany:
"I would be effective in a situation that required a super-majority, such as for a new tax," said the challenger.
"How can Albany be broken when I've had so many successes?" said the incumbent. "I've brought home millions for the district."
On the English language:
"The Legislature needn't reflect perfectly the will of the public, as has been pellucidly clear," McQuade said.
"Anyone can get a bill passed, but it becomes a one-house bill and it's bull----," Weisenberg countered. "You need to talk to people first, and I've gotten more than 250 bills turned into laws." His wife, Ellen, seated next to him, looked at her feet and smiled.
McQuade is a fairly well-known quantity in Long Beach political circles. He ran twice for the Nassau County Legislature and once for the City Council, losing each time, as he put it, "by a comfortable margin."
He is not easily discouraged, however, and has a resume that it seems hard to believe describes just one person. He is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Sons of Italy and the NAACP. He is a former police officer, a former teacher and a former priest, and is now an attorney.
Weisenberg can almost match him. He is a retired teacher, Long Beach cop and lifeguard. "I have 50 years in the retirement system," he boasted. "It costs me money every time I go to work." For fun, he said, he argues with attorneys.
McQuade, for all his electoral frustrations, wears his defeats as badges of integrity, and insists that he ran each time on principles, not to curry favor. "[Nassau Republican Leader] Joe Mondello likes me," he said. "But I've never taken a judgeship from him."
If the men have anything in common, it is that neither is a model member of his party. McQuade may be the Republican candidate, but he could only manage a reluctant acknowledgment that he plans to vote for the re-election of Dean Skelos, the powerful Republican state senator with whom he shares a ticket. He said he supports John Spencer for U.S. Senate and John Faso for governor, but would likely look to a third party in the attorney general race.
Weisenberg, on the other hand, has spent years praising Skelos and their famously cooperative relationship. It's a friendship that has left the district flush with gifts from Albany, but at the cost to Weisenberg of the support of many Democrats in Long Beach. But he said he is above such pettiness, and spends most of the campaign money he raises on goodwill projects. "I'd rather buy people wheelchairs," he said.
Weisenberg also said he likes Republican Rep. Peter King, but will support Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Eliot Spitzer for governor.
So, Weisenberg was asked, is it safe to say you won't be endorsing Odelia Goldberg, the Democrat challenging Senator Skelos?
"Who?"
