June 2015
Let me refresh your memory with this quote from the article After first being shut out, Bernardo gets Ulster County GOP nod:

“After shutting out Terry Bernardo at the Ulster County GOP nominating convention two weeks ago, the Ulster County Republican Committee has changed its tune and endorsed her in a backdoor meeting last week to run for county executive.”

Fast forward to May 2017
As a result of the vote taken at the Ulster County GOP nominating convention – held on May 30, 2017 – the nominees for State Committee Members in the 103rd district were Kevin Costello and Gloria VanVliet (who trounced Terry Bernardo).

My wife, Manuela Michailescu, is a member of the Ulster County Republican Committee, and circulating petitions is one of her duties. I signed the petition listing Kevin Costello and Gloria VanVliet for State Committee.

A few days ago I have learned that the Costello/VanVliet petition was trashed, and a new petition listing Mario Catalano and Terry Bernardo will be circulated. Huh?

I couldn’t care less if you believe this or not, but Manuela is not sharing with me things she learns in the process of performing her duties; she served one full year on a Federal Grand Jury in Albany, and she knows how to keep mum.

Luckily, some people like this blog, and send me tips… I learned that Terry Bernardo’s getting substantially fewer votes than Gloria VanVliet at the GOP Convention triggered a turmoil within the Republican Party.

Exactly as in 2015, a back-room meeting of the key players found the pacifier: disregard the Convention, disrespect the rank and file Republicans who already signed the Costello/VanVliet petition, push down our throats the stale Catalano/Bernardo team, both rotten to the core.

In the absence of any transparency, this is what most probably happened… After embarrassing losses in 2013 (Ulster County Legislature race) and 2015 (Ulster County Executive race), the glue holding Terry Bernardo together was her State Committee Member title. After losing it at the Convention, she became unglued, and the emergency action plan kicked in.

If history is any indication, the plan was nothing but a blackmail scheme. Len Bernardo, the Chairman of Ulster County Independence Party, threatened to deny the Independence Party ballot line to the Republican candidates unless Roger Rascoe, the Ulster GOP Chairman, reinstates Terry Bernardo on the State Committee.

Say ain’t so, Roger.

– Jon Dogar-Marinesco