The State Assembly Minority Leader, Republican Brian Kolb of Canandaigua, is defending his campaign committee's use of a GPS tracking device to keep tabs on the location of a Democratic Assemblyman.
Speaking on The Capitol Pressroom talk show, which is also heard on WXXI, Kolb said the use by a private investigator of a GPS device put on Assemblyman Ed Hennessey's car was part of a legal effort to prove the candidate did not live in the Long Island district he's seeking to represent.
Recently, state Democratic leaders expressed outrage at the use of the device, but Kolb says the real issue should be whether Hennessey is fulfilling his constitutional duties.
"Now they're trying to politically spin, turn the tables back on the Assembly campaign team, rather than just, how about just prove where you really live, and then it's a non-issue.”
A judge has ruled that Hennessey can remain on the ballot. Generally, it is legal in New York State for someone to secretly place a GPS device on the outside of another person's car.
Local Democratic Assemblyman and Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle called on Republican leaders recently to apologize and say whether other politicians have been tracked electronically.
