Ed Varno

Perhaps none of the players in the Schenectady swamp have been on as many sides and believe in less than Ed Varno. Oftentimes when you someone about a person's qualifications or skills, the only thing they will say is "he's a nice guy", That's a nod to the fact that it's the only positive thing they can think to say about the person. Such is the case with Mr. Varno. 

In 2023, Varno was either hoodwinked or made a deal with Boss McCarthy to run in the Working Families' Party primary for Mayor against Council President Marion Porterfield. Porterfield was the endorsed candidate but bottom feeders in the Schenectady Democratic party (most of whom are examined on this site) got Varno to challenge her to deny her the line. The reason? There was a Republican candidate too, and they didn't want Porterfield (a known commodity) to split the vote with McCarthy in the fall and risk the bloated boss perhaps losing his perch in city hall. 

The Mayor's operatives (such as erstwhile "conservative" in Rotterdam-John Polimeni) ran the primary for old Ed, and in the end he defeated Porterfield helping secure 4 more years of the same old shit for residents. One might have expected Varno to then fade into obscurity and refrain from embarrassing himself further, but old Ed wasn't done looking like a fool yet! 

Varno was included in the Gazette sponsored debate at SCCC. He brought a giant binder with him to read responses when the question was an expected one, and stared into space for 30 seconds before stammering a word or two on every other question. Most of the audience thought he was either having a seizure or had entered into a trance like state. It was without a doubt the most clueless and incompetent performance in the history of local politics. If you don't believe us, watch it for yourself!