The other day, while sitting in the sun in a lawn chair at the Saratoga race course, something unusual caught my eye. 

It was an entourage of eight to 10 people, men and women. Unlike leisurely people at the track, this group walked together in a determined fashion.

People on a mission.

The group was nicely dressed. The women were in summer dresses, the men mostly in polo shirts and sport coats, as was the man leading the group.

When they walked past my lawn chair, I yelled out, “Hey Lee.” Lee Zeldin stopped, smiled, said hello and asked for my support in his race for governor. He is running against Kathy Hochul.  “Come visit Oneida County,” I said because I didn’t know what else to say. 

“I’ve been there,” said the man who would like to be governor. “I’ll be back.”

And then he and his entourage disappeared into the Saratoga race track crowd. 

In retrospect, I should have invited him to sit for a minute. (There were plenty of beverages and sandwiches.) I would have liked asking him a few questions, including the following: 

How many books do you read a month? What book is now on your nightstand?

Do you pray? How often? 

Do you have a tattoo? Where? Please describe.

Do you drink adult beverages? What kind? How often?

Speaking of adult beverages, when it comes to wine, is it New York wine? And when it comes to beer, is it Saranac?

When’s the last time you cooked for yourself? Shopped at a supermarket?

Have you ever done anything even slightly illegal? When? What?

Would you be willing to let your wife read your e-mail? Could she look at your phone’s text messages?

Who was your favorite governor? Why? How many former governors can you name? Can you name the first governor? Who was Horatio Seymour?

Can you name every county in New York State? Excluding your home county, what county is your favorite and why?

Who is the biggest phony in New York government?

Where do you go to get away from it all?

Using just one word, describe U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.

Do you have a pet? Cat? Dog?

Do you know what happened in what is now Oriskany on August 6, 1777? 

As a U.S. Congressman, what was the best thing you did? The worst thing?

Who sets the rules in the Zeldin house, you or your wife?

Tell me something about your life that I would be surprised to hear.

What staff person couldn’t you do without? Only one name, please.

Give yourself a letter grade on your performance so far as a public servant. 

If I could get answers to those questions, I would know whether or not to vote for Lee Zeldin. 

One final note. Because of my short time talking with Lee Zeldin, I missed betting on the sixth race at Saratoga, which saved me $10 because my horse finished second from last. 

Ten dollars is not a lot of money, I know, but usually gubernatorial people do things that cost me money.