The Difference Between the Candidates

As an alumnus of Syracuse University who spent a little time working at the law school snack bar while I was an undergraduate, I understood the greatest difference between Darrel and his opponent William Barclay in an instant. It is easy to understand the difference for anyone who has done an honest day's work -at least if you have ever met Darrel.

Mr. Barclay is the son of former State Senator H. Douglas Barclay and heir apparent to a considerable fortune, earned through family connections and his father's work as an investment banker/lawyer/politician, but don't take my word on that, you can read about it here. The former Senator Barclay was the General Counsel and a Board Member of Key Bank which he helped become one of America's leading banks during his tenure. It is unclear if this was during his tenure as a State Senator or following it, but I suspect regardless of the timing, his political connections were vital to that success.

Mr. Barclay the younger claims to be the Eighth Generation of his family to grow up in Pulaski, of course most people from Pulaski don't attend a private high school in New Hampshire as Mr. Barclay's father did, but then again, don't take my word on that, you can read about it here.

There are certain things I suspect Mr. Barclay doesn't want most of Northern and Central New York to know about his family, for example, given the approval rating of President Bush, I doubt Mr. Barclay would want you to know that his father was the New York State Chairman for George H.W. Bush's 1988 Presidential campaign. Don't believe me? You can read about it, here, at least until the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Syracuse University tells the school it might be better for them to take down the article. Yes, in case you were wondering, that former Chairman is Mr. Barclay's father H. Douglas Barclay, I wonder if his father being the Chairman of the Board of Trustees helped him get into the law school?

I also suspect that Mr. Barclay doesn't want you to know that his father and the Barclay family contributed $7,000 to the Bush-Cheney campaigns, and that between 1999 and 2004 the family contributed $216,300 to the GOP and its candidates. Again, don't take my word on that, you can read about it here. For all of those contributions to the Republican party, H. Douglas Barclay was made the United States Ambassador to El Salvador in 2003 by President George W. Bush. Again, you don't have to take my word on that, you can read about it here.

How many families in Northern and Central New York have $216,300 to give to a political party? I suspect that isn't your typical Pulaski family, and if it is, I've been living in the wrong part of the Senate District.

What I also suspect Mr. Barclay the younger wouldn't want you to know is that regardless of what you believe, he is important, and this is his Seat in the Senate. He is entitled to it as a birthright. Kind of like another politician we all know too well. You know that error that is scheduled to end at noon on January 20, 2009. The mistake that has been residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington since the 2000 election debacle.

Speaking of the 2000 election debacle, I doubt Mr. Barclay would want you to know that the Barclay family gave $2000 to the Bush-Cheney recount fund to help subvert the will of the people in Florida, but again, don't take my word on that, you can read about it here.

I realize that I said Mr. Barclay the younger wouldn't want you to know that he is certain that he is important because of his birth, but I haven't really shown you the proof. May it please the court, I present to you, Exhibit A, his wedding announcement in The New York Times.

Yes, I know what you are thinking, there are a lot of young men from Pulaski who have their wedding announcement placed in the New York Times. That doesn't mean anything. To be fair, his wife's father was a Reverend from Massachusetts, with a 3rd in his name, so "blue blood" might run on both sides of the family.

I must admit, I'm not certain that I have Mr. Barclay's full resume in front of me, but from what I can tell, his first real job was as an intern in the White House Office of Political Affairs during George H.W. Bush's presidency. You can read about that
here.

As a student at, I suspect, St. Lawrence University when he got the job, I doubt the fact that his father was George H.W. Bush's State Campaign Chair had anything to do with his getting the job. From there Mr. Barclay went on to clerk for the Honorable Roger J. Miner on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Again you can confirm that here. Again, I doubt his father's political connections in any way influenced the hiring process.

According to his wedding announcement, Mr. Barclay went on to work as an associate at Bond, Schoeneck & King, a large Syracuse corporate law firm, before becoming a partner in the corporate law firm of Hiscock & Barclay. Yes, the same Hiscock & Barclay law firm in Syracuse that had been renamed for his father, a partner in the firm. Again, don't take my word for it, read about it here. I wonder if his family connections helped him get the job?

According to his biography on the Assembly website, Mr. Barclay joined the New York State Assembly at the same time that Darrel was elected to the Assembly. You can review Mr. Barclay's official biography here. I don't doubt that he was elected entirely on his own merits, and not because his father pulled any strings to help secure him the Republican nomination and the seat in an Assembly District where Republicans outnumber Democrats almost 2 to 1. But then again? In case you were wondering, you can check out the party enrollment for the 124th Assembly District at the New York State Board of Elections Website.

You may be wondering what Mr. Barclay does when he isn't working in the New York State Assembly. According to the biography on his law firm's website, he is the Chair of the Lobbying and Election Law Compliance Practice Area. Is it just me, or does a Member of the Assembly providing legal advice to Lobbyists sound like a conflict of interest? Don't believe me, again, you can review his law firm bio here.

According to the Hiscock & Barclay website:

"The Lobbying & Election Law Compliance Practice Area assists clients in maximizing the benefit of their political contribution efforts while ensuring compliance with all applicable state and federal election laws, rules, and regulations. The practice specializes in both lobbying and political fundraising compliance at the state and federal level. In particular, our areas of expertise include: lobbying prohibitions and requirements for corporations and their employees; political action committee (“PAC”) activities including formation, strategy, and compliance; political contributions by corporations; and the ethical guidelines and prohibitions governing public officials and government employees."

You can review what Mr. Barclay's law firm has to say about this area of practice here.

There is conflicting information in Mr. Barclay's Assembly and law firm biographies about his involvement with QMP Enterprises, Inc., which his law firm biography categorizes as "Civic Activities," yet which his Assembly biography more correctly categorizes as a business activity. A search of the New York State Division of Corporation's website revealed that QMP Enterprises, Inc. is a New York Business Corporation, of which David H. Barclay is both the Chairman and CEO. Candidate Barclay's biographies reveal that he is a Member of the Board of Directors. You can visit the State Division of Corporations here to perform your own search, and you can review Mr. Barclay's biographies here and here to confirm his involvement.

Again, there is conflicting information in Mr. Barclay's biographies regarding another of Mr. Barclay's activities. His Assembly biography correctly lists his work with Panthus Corporation as a business activity while his law firm biography again lists it as "Civic Activities." This regards his involvement with Panthus Corporation, or more correctly stated, Panthus Capital Corporation, according to a search of the New York State Division of Corporations website. Again, David H. Barclay is the Chairman and CEO of this company, and candidate Barclay is a Member of the Board of Directors.

I think by now it is clear that Mr. Barclay has lived a privileged life as the son of a wealthy and politically powerful father. I believe most people would understand that wealth and political power has provided Mr. Barclay's family not only the obvious advantages of nepotism, but that the family has used their wealth and power in a symbiotic relationship to secure more money through the use of their political power, and then used that new money to continue to grow their political power, which again helps to grow the family fortune.

I haven't yet explained the difference between Mr. Barclay and Darrel Aubertine that lies at the heart of this article, but the difference is simple, and it is striking. I first met Darrel a few years ago, shortly after his election to the New York State Assembly. When I shook his hand, I felt the callouses that accompany a lifetime of hard work, and I felt the grip of a man who had spent his life earning a living from an honest day's labor. Unlike Mr. Barclay who was born with the proverbial "silver spoon" in his mouth, Darrel Aubertine is a working man who represents his fellow working men and women in the New York State Legislature. When he states that he knows what life is like for most of the people in the 48th State Senate District, you need only to shake his hand to confirm he is telling the truth.

I can't say that I knew Mr. Barclay while I was at Syracuse University, although I may have had the chance to serve him a meal while I was a student working my way through school. We were both on the SU hill during the 1994-1995 school year, but I began this article by explaining I understood the difference between Darrel and Mr. Barclay instantly because of my experience working at the Syracuse University law school snack bar. While I have told you what I knew about Darrel the moment I met him, what I haven't told you about Mr. Barclay is what I understood about him, without having met him. I understood that he was the beneficiary of the nepotism and privilege I have described throughout this article, without having met him.

I understood that about Mr. Barclay because the Syracuse University Law Library is named the H. Douglas Barclay Law Library, and I saw that name at the entrance to the law library every day that I went to work in the law school snack bar. This again is easily confirmed here. What I still have been unable to discern is whether that law library was named for his father because he spent a lot of his own money building a library at my private alma mater, or whether that libary is named in honor of his father because he secured state funding for its construction. You may understand why that question remains unanswered for me if you read this article.

I would urge the voters of the 48th State Senate District, if nothing else, to consider the life experience of the two men who seek to represent them in the State Senate, and vote for the man who will best understand their problems and concerns. I would also ask the voters to consider this question: Why, when a family with so much wealth and power resides in this Senate District, have they been unable, or unwilling to use that wealth and power to build a stronger economy in the region? I would also ask voters to consider another question: Why has Darrel, a man without the same privileged background, been able to help improve the economy of the "River District," and it's surrounding area in such a short period?

I think the answer is obvious. Darrel, has spent his time in the Assembly working to help us, while the Barclay family has spent their time in political life, primarily working to help themselves.