Syaed Ali

WNYMedia’s Chris Smith has posted some of the anonymous emails that gave birth to the Syaed Ali affair last summer:

These emails surfaced shortly after a shadowy political organization loosely affiliated with Steve Pigeon and Responsible New York called Mothers and Fathers Demanding Answers launched a scandalous and anonymous campaign targeting one of Pigeon’s longtime adversaries, State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt.  At the time, it seemed as if the internecine squabbling between various forces in the Democratic Party had reached an all-time fever pitch.  After Joe Illuzzi published emails between Assemblyman Hoyt and an intern, all hell broke loose on the media front.  No one was sure as to the veracity of WNY First’s claims, nor did anyone know who sent the messages.

Have a look and see if you agree, as I do, with Smith’s conclusions:

The content of these emails is so outrageous that no one in their right mind would have believed their accuracy.  They were so libelous as to be self-parodies.  We don’t know how it is that Ali allegedly got himself caught up in this mess, or whether he sent these emails.  We can tell you that this is the material that so pissed off Buffalo City Hall and Mayor Byron Brown that they allegedly took Ali and treated him in a way more appropriate for a third world banana republic than the second-largest city in the state of New York.

Two things:

1. What City Hall and law enforcement are alleged to have done to Ali is wrong and actionable.
2. Whoever wrote these emails is, at worst, liable for defamation. I can’t imagine what crime has allegedly been committed.

Brown and Clinton at City Honors last June.

On Monday, political gossip-slinger Joe Illuzzi reported that Caroline Kennedy had called Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown that afternoon, apropos her interest in filling Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat. Illuzzi opines:

We believe it is presumptuous of Caroline Kennedy to have called the Mayor of Buffalo.

One could extrapolate it was an intimidation tactic. Caroline Kennedy using her name & $$$ in an attempt to get the Mayor to take his name out of consideration for Clinton’s Senate seat.

Number one: The good news is our Mayor doesn’t get intimidated.

Number two: Mayor Byron Brown is far more qualified as a local Councilman, NYS Senator & Mayor of a large City to represent the State of New York in the Senate of the United States.

In fact, a source tells AV, Kennedy called every Democratic mayor and county executive in the state to discuss her interest in the Senate seat, not just Brown—who is not, in any case, on any current short or even long list of candidates to fill Clinton’s seat. On the contrary, our source says that Governor David Paterson, who will choose Clinton’s successor, is annoyed at Brown and his political team for continuing to insert his name in the mix.

In addition to Kennedy, US Representatives Steve Israel of Long Island and Kirsten Gillibrand of Albany remain strong candidates.