Anything Strike You Odd About the John Byrne Campaign for NYS Assembly???? Who Was Missing In Action???

Mr. Byrne lost by a narrow 96 vote margin according to the Watertown Daily Times.  That is a pretty slim margin when you consider the size of the district he was running in.

One might consider that with that small margin that any number of things might have changed the results.

It makes me wonder...where was Mr. Byrne's political mentor Urban Hirschey, under which Byrne has served on the Cape Vincent Town Board with Hirschey as supervisor?

Byrne was also mentored by Hirschey when Hirschey was president of the Wind Power Ethics Group, which Bryne later took over as president.

In addition Byrne and Hirschey have been partners on two Rep. political tickets in CV, and Byrne serving on the CV board has done virtually everything Hirschey wanted.

Now as I was  thinking back on the Byrne campaign I can't recall  seeing or hearing any "public support" for Byrne from Hirschey in major media venues.  Maybe I am wrong on thatand missed something, but I don't remember anything.  I was in NY till after the election and saw the final push of Byrne ads repeated on TV.  Don't recall Hirschey, or even a letter from him in the WDT in support.

So where was Hirschey for Byrne?  Missing in action?

Hirschey is very well connected politically in Jefferson County and well beyond.  And when I say "beyond" remember that NYS invested in Hirschey's company Climax paper for their green investment portfolio for the NY retirement fund.  And Hirschey has powerful Republican friends like former NYS Sen. James Wright now head of DANC.

Seems with this clout that more public efforts from Hirschey on behalf of Byrne might have easily closed that 96 vote gap that gave incumbent Assemblywoman Russell the very narrow victory.

I give credit to Byrne for coming as close as he did against an entrenched incumbent, but maybe he should consider who his real friends are before he runs another campaign.