BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

Remember the Vito Fossella downfall?  Fossella is the New York 13th Congressional District’s Representative who was arrested for DUI in Virginia and for some reason during that arrest confessed that he had a three year old out of wedlock child that he was on his way to visit. 

Having found a sense of morality and seeking repentance, Vito Fossella announced, perhaps as an act of contrition, that he would not seek re-election.  And, Fossella almost faded from national view.

With two weeks left before names are placed on the ballot in the 13th Congressional District for the upcoming November election, Frank Powers, 67, was looking like the GOP candidate.  Powers died last Sunday of a heart attack.

The 67-year-old Powers, who died of a heart attack, had a long-standing involvement with the Republican Party, was known as an effective fundraiser and served on the board of New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority. But he had never before run for public office, and he was tapped for the House race only after several better-known Republican officeholders bowed out of the running.

Will Vito Fossella reconsider and run for re-election?

There even was some speculation that the 43-year-old Fossella, a one-time GOP rising star first elected to the seat in a 1997 special election, might reconsider the retirement decision he made after his early May arrest on a drunken driving charge exposed an extramarital relationship in which the married father of three admitted to having a 3-year-old daughter. But a Fossella spokesman said the congressman has not changed his mind about staying out of the race.

Apparently Fossella has decided to deal with his family situation before taking on larger issues.  Wise move.  However, the GOP is left to scramble for a name to put on the ballot before the July 10th deadline.