Assembly candidate says tone of letter was threatening

PHOTOGRAPHER: Justin Mason

Apparently, someone doesn’t think it’s a good idea for Gerard Parisi to challenge for the state’s 105th Assembly District.

This week, the Town Board member and former Rotterdam Republican Committee chairman alerted authorities after he received a threatening letter urging him to withdraw from the race. The letter was handwritten on a postcard featuring the boardwalk in Wildwood, N.J., and included a number of profane references in its message.

“Consider a long vacation,” the postcard states. “Be a man and back out now while you still can. Tick-tock, you little [expletive].”

The note was postmarked in Albany and sent to Parisi’s office on Broadway in Schenectady. He contacted Schenectady police and turned over the postcard as evidence Wednesday.

City police did not return a call for comment Wednesday.

Parisi is planning to wage a primary against incumbent George Amedore Jr., with the winner expected to square off against county Legislator Angelo Santabarbara, a former Republican running on the Democratic ticket. Rotterdam’s Republican Committee backed Parisi, while the county committee endorsed Amedore.

Parisi said he is bothered by the postcard, which he construed as a threat. However, he said the “childish and immature” note wouldn’t dissuade him from collecting signatures for a primary battle.

“It’s sad and disturbing,” he said. “I’m not going to let something like that deter me.”

Amedore said he hadn’t received any written threats. However, he said he does sometimes face hostility from the public, such as obscene finger gestures from motorists.

“You get threats all the time,” he said.

Santabarbara also hadn’t received any written correspondence urging him out of the race. He said letters like the one received by Parisi suggest a fundamental breakdown in the discourse of modern politics.

“This is exactly what is wrong with politics,” he said. “And it keeps other people from getting involved.”