GUILDERLAND — Republicans are hoping to energize their flagging party by building on momentum from the last election.

Just a decade ago, Republicans had a stranglehold on town government — the GOP had dominated for over a century — but the last 10 years have seen a dramatic shift to what had become an all-Democrat town board. Last November, though, a pair of Republican candidates for the board ousted two Democratic incumbents — one of them the party’s chairman and the other the longest-serving Democrat on the board.
"The Republican Party was very strong for a long time," said Ted Danz this week, "but it sort of lost focus."

Danz, a political newcomer, was named chair of the town’s Republican Committee last week. He replaces Barbara Davis who served for less than a year after Lee Carman left the post in order to focus on his re-election campaign to the Albany County Legislature last fall. Carman was also a short-term chair who took the post after Antonio Cortes stepped down, following a drunk-driving charge in 2006.
Danz made his political debut last fall in an unsuccessful run for the Albany County Legislature, but he came close to unseating long-time Democratic incumbent Bill Aylward. Asked if he would make another run for office in light of his new position, Danz said, "I’m keeping my options open."

The long-time Gardner Road resident said in September that, at age 60, he has time to give back to the community now that some of his five children have taken on a share of the work at the business he founded, Family Danz Heating and Air Conditioning.

Jeffrey Perlee, Cortes’s predecessor, stepped down as chair in 2003 when he made a bid for Aylward’s seat in the county legislature. He said at the time that it would be a conflict of interest to serve as the party chair and hold elected office.

Right now, Danz is focused on building up the party and recruiting good candidates for the next election. Democratic Supervisor Kenneth Runion, who is in his fifth two-year term, has run uncontested in the last two elections, will face re-election in 2009 and Danz wants the Republicans to offer a viable opponent.
"I want our party to rally behind this candidate," he said.

While the search for candidates is a priority, Danz is casting a wider net for committee members. Right now, the party has 14, he said, and he’d like to have 65.
"You want to get involved"" he asked. "Here’s your chance. We need you."