For $200, Robert Diflorio made a contribution to democracy.
A frequent donor, Diflorio donated the money to the first-time legislator Al Stirpe of the 121st Assembly District. “I wanted to help him,” said Diflorio, who is a registered Democrat and the former interim superintendent of the Syracuse City School District.
Stirpe is up for re-election in November for the 121st Assembly District seat. He will be opposed by Republican David Knapp this time. The 121st District includes Cicero, Clay, LaFayette, Manlius and Pompey.
Stirpe is gearing up to raise funds for the election, said his campaign coordinator, Thomas Newton. “We will have an aggressive fund-raising schedule,” Newton said. But, he said, the month of April was too early for him to anticipate how much money the campaign will need for the
November election.
Here are some of Stirpe’s fund-raising highlights from New York State Board of Elections filings from July — December 2007 :
- The total contributions received are $18,300.53.
- Individuals and political action committees that make contributions for groups accounted for 69 percent — or $12, 628 — of Stirpe’s donations.
- His largest single contributor was the Cicero Democratic Committee, which gave $5, 559.53.
- His cash in hand was $528.05 at the start of 2008.
Among the small donors backing Stirpe is Gilda Decapario of Syracuse. Her $100 is worth it, she said, because Stirpe has been working hard in Albany. “I knew that he would serve people. He is very dedicated to the people in the district,” Decapario said.
For interim school superintendent Diflorio, who lives in Brewerton, Stirpe has earned the donation. “I continue to support him,” Diflorio said. He praised Stirpe for a shared concern for public education.
“He said he would support public education to the fullest,” Diflorio said.
(Trina Joshi is a graduate student in magazine-newspaper-online journalism.)
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