Zellner in line for DMV commissioner, sources say

State Sen. Jeremy Zellner is in line for a position in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration, a post which would end his longtime leadership of Erie County Democrats in a matter of months. 

Multiple sources confirmed to City & State that Zellner is in line for a top job from Hochul, most likely commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, left vacant with the retirement of Mark Schroeder this year. The discussion comes as Zellner is ramping up his campaign to win an eighth term as chair of the Erie County Democratic Committee in September. Zellner has drawn two opponents in his reelection campaign. Zellner would need to step down from his party post to accept the Hochul administration job, though he would need to be confirmed by the state Senate. 

Zellner was quick to dampen speculation that he was planning to leave the county party. “I haven’t had any discussions about that, and you know, there haven’t been any discussions about that,” Zellner told City & State. “My plan is to find a position where I can continue serving as chair and doing the good work that I’ve done for the last 14 years.”

A spokesperson for Hochul declined to comment on a potential nomination.

Zellner gave up his job as Democratic commissioner of the Erie County Board of Elections to run in the special election to fill Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan’s former state Senate seat earlier this year. 

The speculation that Zellner is in line for the DMV job, or another from Hochul, is being widely discussed in Western New York politics. Zellner dismisses the source of any such discussion as people who want to “cause drama.”

Discussion of Zellner’s future has reached fever pitch since the June primary, which not only saw his defeat by Assembly Member Jonathan Rivera in a landslide, but the defeat of a party-backed candidate for Rivera’s Assembly seat by Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate Adam Bojack, as well, leading some to question the establishment’s strength under Zellner’s leadership. Dissent against Zellner has grown since the party picked him over Rivera to run in February’s special election. Zellner has long said that he recused himself from the Senate nominating process. 

Zellner now faces challenges from Amherst Town Council Member John Davis and Erie County Legislator Jeanne Vinal as he looks to remain party chair. Most observers say Zellner will easily prevail over the little-known Davis and Vinal, noting that Zellner has a strong base of support within the Democratic committee. Davis’ town government colleagues and Vinal’s county legislative colleagues have backed Zellner, along with Hochul and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, a longtime ally. 

The current conventional wisdom  is that the plan will be for Zellner to be reelected in September and see Hochul through her likely reelection and then step down in January to join her administration. But some are pushing for an earlier time frame. This one would have Zellner leaving at the September reorganization meeting, allowing for a new county party chair to be elected then by the full committee and then taking the helm of the party for Hochul’s reelection campaign. If Zellner were to leave after winning an eighth term, the county party’s executive committee would select his successor. 

The DMV commissionership has long been filled by upstate residents, with it becoming a de facto post for a Buffaloian for most of the last 20 years when former Commissioner Nancy Naples took the job. Only Barbara Fiala, a Binghamton resident who held the post during former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s first term has broken the streak. 

Zellner stressed that he has not had any discussions or received any offers to join the Hochul administration. He said his priority is next year’s open county executive race. 

“If I was chosen to be on the next presidential ticket as the vice president, would I think about it? Yes. I mean, I would never say no to opportunities, but my priority here is to get reelected for an eighth term as party leader and guide our party through the county executive process of next year because it’s a really important year, and that has been my goal all along,” he said.