Comptroller Mike Conners is up for re-election this year. While he has always faced an uphill battle in his run for Comptroller, as a independent person, this year it's gotten much tougher.

He has alienated many high-ranking Democrats who feel that his ambitions got ahead of his party loyalty in his failed bid for State Senate as a Republican. Senator Breslin is leading a charge to ensure he is defeated.

For sure, Patricia Slavick will offer him a tough run this year. She is a competent candidate, and worked her way up through General Electric bureaucracy, from a secretary in the early seventies, through becoming an auditor. If there ever was a success story of how a big company can allow talented minorities to rise through the ranks, she would be it.

Yet, unlike Slavick, Mike Connors has been out there actively advocating for the public's interest. There are many issues besides competently managing county finances that the Comptroller can bring his expertise to. We need somebody to be discussing energy pricing, and price gouging. Conners has been a voice for the consumers.

The reality is that big oil is overcharging gas stations. Mike has been ontop of this from the start, fighting big oil for fair prices. This helps the small business owners who own the gas station franchises, and the consumers of fuel—you and I—pay what is a fair amount. In an era of high gas prices, unfair over-charging makes the things even more unaffordable.

He's also been a leader on renewable energy. He seeks to build a celustotic ethanol plant in our county. He wants to develop our own natural resources and exploit them to the benefit of our community. He's the only person in this race who has talked about energy and the environmental impacts of our county's energy choices.

Some argue that the Comptroller should solely focus on county issues, and ensuring that county government is spending money efficiently. Yet, he has people working for him that deal with the technical aspects of auditing. The Comptroller in contrast is a political position who should be focusing on deciding how to most effectively using his staff, and advocating for public policies that make sense for all the public.

I would encourage and hope that whoever become Comptroller, that they continue to have a public voice on the issues that matter to the public. They should be directing their department on how to keep taxes low and spending efficient, but also on how to ensure fairness in all the markets in our area.

Mike Conners is independent and not afraid to change party lines to get his ideas known and accepted. He ran for State Senate as a Republican, and while some in the party want to do him in for that, he has always been a competent candidate who has been advocating the public interest, regardless of party registration.

See also my own Mike Conners: A Letter to Friends, the Forth Branch of America Interviewing Mike Conners, and his web blog Re-Elect Mike Conners 2007 for Albany Coutny Comptroller.