Remember Vito Fossella, the ladies man, family values champion, drunk driver, and loving father currently hiding in his family's garage? Now a father and son in Staten Island are hoping to carry on his wonderful example by running against each other in what is promising to be a bitter and hilarious public airing of a family's dirty laundry.
Francis H. Powers is the Republican nominee for Fossella's now-open seat, which covers Staten Island and an embarrassed sliver of Brooklyn. Now there's some guy named Francis M. Powers running for the same seat on the Libertarian line. Why is Francis M. trying to pull a Pat Buchanan and throw the election to somebody else?
"This is not about my dad," said the younger Powers, 47, a master carpenter from Clifton who plays and sings with the Staten Island band Box of Crayons and runs an indie record label called Penny for the Guy Records. "I'm running against the Republican candidate."
He's a grown man in a rock group called Box of Crayons? No shit he has father issues-- he clearly hasn't outgrown the sandbox. Dad, for his part, takes the high road and refuses to speak ill of his no-good son:
"I've tried very hard for many years to help my son," the elder Powers said... "Unfortunately, he's rejected everyone's help to live a healthy lifestyle. Regardless of whether he wants to run for Congress, I still stand ready to help him move his life in a positive direction."
[A] Republican source said that Powers was referring to his son's "carefree" lifestyle in the music business.
Let's compare the stats, shall we?
FATHER: MTA board member/responsible for subway fire hikes, divorced father of five, family values Republican.
SON: Humble carpenter, married father of two, Ron Paul-style spoiler. We're gonna go with this guy, just for kicks.
Read more about these two nutjobs at the Staten Island Advance.