Lt. Gov. Duffy finds a Twitter voice
ALBANY – On Twitter, Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy has joked about the marriage of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, blasted Jon Bon Jovi's potential purchase of the Buffalo Bills and offered witty responses to reporters' questions.
In an era of tightly controlled political messages, including in the Cuomo administration, Duffy has found a new voice on Twitter — giving him a following among the public, the news media and politicians.
During Duffy's career — as Rochester police chief, mayor and now Gov. Andrew Cuomo's second in command — he has been known as affable and skilled at working a room.
But friends and colleagues said that Duffy's quips on Twitter (@LtGovDuffyNY) show a new side of him.
"People don't realize how funny he is," said Mark Siwiec, a close friend and a Rochester Realtor. "I've actually talked to people about this. I've asked them: 'Do people actually know that he's funny?' And no one has really known that about Bob until recently. And that's the result of him being able to take control of his Twitter account."
Indeed, Duffy earlier this year pressed his staff to let him gain access to his Twitter account — around the time in May when he made it public he would not seek a second term in November as lieutenant governor.
He said it took some convincing. His staff feared he could get himself into hot water with the public and his boss, the closely guarded Democratic governor. Until then, his aides — like most politicians — handled his Twitter account.
"One day, I just said, 'I want my password and log on in one hour,' " Duffy recalled.
Since then, he opines daily on the news of the moment.
When West and Kardashian surpassed 73 days of being married, Duffy tweeted to a Page Six column in the New York Post: "Wow, only 9,052 more days until 25 years of marriage."
In another on July 22, he tweeted: "I woke wondering about this. Thank you," in response to an article that a Connecticut woman said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was a better kisser than former President George W. Bush.
Duffy tours the state to promote the governor's initiatives — a grueling schedule that factored into his decision not to seek a second term.
So some of his tweets are in defense of Cuomo, who is seeking a second term this year.
"Guess who wants to leave NYS?" he tweeted July 22. "The dairy cows. Governor Cuomo has those dairy cows working so hard producing yogurt, they're crying 'No Mas.' "
When a top elected state official tweets so often, it can garner headlines.
In May, Onondaga County District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick was asked whether he has any interest in becoming lieutenant governor.
"Being Lt. Gov. in New York is kind of like being a baby changing station in a Hooter's Men's Room," Fitzpatrick wrote in an online chat with readers of the Syracuse Post-Standard. "It's very useful, but you just don't get a lot of work."
Duffy offered a playful response: "It is hard to respond to Bill Fitzpatrick's quote as I have never been inside of a Hooters Restaurant. (LOL)"
Then Hooters — best known for waitresses in low-cut tops and tight orange shorts — invited Duffy to visit. (He said he hasn't yet.)
Duffy, 59, said it was that exchange and others that led him to realize the power of Twitter. He has about 2,500 followers and is following about 150 people.
"I've really enjoyed it, and I also noticed that an overwhelming number of elected officials don't handle their own Twitter accounts and it's obvious," Duffy said, "and I think it's something that's a great way to communicate and let a little bit of yourself come out."
In recent weeks, Duffy has used Twitter to promote the state's effort to keep the Buffalo Bills in western New York. And he's taken up the cause of warning Bon Jovi to not try to move the Bills to Toronto.
On Aug. 9, Duffy tweeted a photo of himself wearing a "Bon Jovi Free Zone" T-shirt with the message, "Sorry, Jon. The shirt was a gift from a friend's mother — who is from Buffalo/a die-hard Bills fan. Loyalty runs deep."
Duffy's warning to Bon Jovi got the headline on NJ.com: "Jon Bon Jovi trolled on Twitter by Lt. Governor."
"I'm a lifelong Bills fan, a very loyal Buffalo Bills fan, and so there are some things that I'll put on Twitter that reinforce my belief that the Bills need to stay in Buffalo," Duffy said.
Duffy said he hasn't been reined in by the Cuomo administration, and so far he hasn't gotten into any Twitter controversies, although he admitted: "There are so many times where I have to hold back my fingers."
He said it's been a good way to work on his own communication skills, joking that he often gives lengthy answers to questions from reporters. On Twitter, he's limited to 140 characters.
"Twitter is helping me to speak far less," Duffy laughed. "I would offer that as probably a great caveat for people in the media who have been forced to sit through long or elongated interview answers."
He was joking on Twitter on Tuesday, too. With Cuomo leaving Tuesday on a two-day trip to Israel, Duffy is technically in charge of state government.
Although he said he won't try to usurp the governor's powers while Cuomo is away, Duffy said on Twitter: "Some great suggestions for Exec Orders. As I wait for the Gov to go 'wheels up,' I am watching some episodes of (HBO's) 'Veep' for inspiration."
JSPECTOR@Gannett.com