GEORGE VITTECK ON THE ASSAULT

GEORGE VITTECK ON THE ASSAULT

February 8, 2008

Canton-George Vitteck, the newly elected chairman of the Washington county Democratic party is on the warpath against all his imagined and potential enemies. Vitteck, who was elected as a throwback to the good old days, wants to punish every Democrat that dared to support Phyllis Ranko Matheny and Steve Toprani.

Vitteck is believed to think that those committee people that opposed former District Attorney John Petitt and failed candidate Judith Fisher deserve to be removed or cowed. The result is that Vitteck appears to be doing the dirty work for the two failed candidates in particular Pettit.

Vitteck was a long time and close political ally of Pettit. Petitt was the main supporter of Vitteck’s past runs for chairman. Combined with Milan Marinkovich, the former chairman, support for Steve Toprani and open opposition to Pettit, Vitteck was a shoe in to be Pettit’s weapon of revenge on the party.
One target of Vitteck’s wrath is Commissioner Larry Maggi. Vitteck was reported to have made phone calls this week attacking the county’s top vote getter for Commissioner.

But Vitteck’s assault appears to be amateurish in nature. The timing is bad to say the least and Vitteck has no leverage to change the Maggi position. The fact that Maggi does not face reelection for four years means that Vitteck’s assaults will do little to actually endanger or weaken Maggi long term.

But Vitteck and his allies are more vulnerable. One Vitteck faces reelection as chairman before Maggi will as Commissioner. But more importantly Vitteck has an Achilles heel. His wife Judy works for State Rep. Jesse White, his closest ally. As Vitteck attacks people, many are looking at White as the only way to make Vitteck pay. The result is a growing realization that to make Vitteck feel pain, White must lose.

But the anti-Vitteck Democrats were unable to find a Democratic candidate against White, leaving a possible Republican candidate to challenge him alone. The result as one high ranking Democrat told us “I will support anyone to defeat Jesse White, even a Republican.”

A dangerous situation for the freshman legislator but one of his own creation by his growing close ties to the volatile Vitteck.