Political maneuvers under way
Bob McCarthy
Updated: 05/11/08 6:47 AM
A few items gathered along the campaign trail:
• Isn’t it grand to know that retired members of the Erie County Legislature are still contributing to society?
Isn’t it sweet that elder statesmen “give back” to their communities?
And isn’t it just special that taxpayers are funding them?
That’s exactly the deal for former Legislators Roger Blackwell and Ray Dusza. The dynamic Democratic duo is employed by the Erie County Board of Elections, which Blackwell once co-directed as commissioner.
According to county records, Dusza has toiled as an election worker at $11.63 per hour (about $12,000 annually) since April 1.
Blackwell, a former Legislature chairman, has worked as a senior elections clerk at $17.27 per hour (about $18,000 annually) since last July.
How did Blackwell avoid public scrutiny for so long?
They don’t call him “Roger the Dodger” for nothing.
• Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan, who is being challenged for party leadership by Cheektowaga Chairman Frank Max, has compiled an extensive list of supporters as he makes his case for re-election.
It includes Reps. Brian Higgins and Louise Slaughter, former Rep. John LaFalce, Comptroller Mark Poloncarz, Clerk Kathy Hochul, Sen. Bill Stachowski, Assemblymen Sam Hoyt, Robin Schimminger and Mark Schroeder, seven county legislators, five Council members, Lackawanna Mayor Norman Polanski, six supervisors and 23 town or zone chairmen.
Lenihan plans more lists reflecting support among labor leaders and more electeds, but for now, feels good about his chances.
“This shows broad and in-depth support across the county,” Lenihan said.
Of course, Mayor Byron Brown has yet to join any-one’s list. And his differences with Lenihan constitute a major portion of the chairman’s troubles.
• While Tony Orsini was among the many people attending Democratic congressional candidate Jack Davis’ campaign kickoff a few weeks ago, the Erie County Independence chairman says nothing should be read into it.
“I’m not leaning one way or another,” he said last week.
• Speaking of Davis, if there was one criticism that dogged the multimillionaire candidate during his 2004 and 2006 campaigns against Republican Tom Reynolds, it was that he didn’t like to press the flesh. Davis made it clear he would rather make his points in a TV ad than mingle with the locals at the Dansville fire-men’s picnic.
That may be changing. His campaign aides say he will stage many more public events like the Tuesday affair in Batavia, in which he outlined his ideas to strengthen Social Security. And he was even a big attraction at Daisies Cafe in Lackawanna last weekend, which becomes the epicenter of the Western New York political universe each Saturday morning.
Davis made the rounds like a real pol, say the Daisies regulars, adding he may finally be “getting it.”
• After at least 10 Republicans expressed interest or actively campaigned for the Republican nomination to succeed the retiring Reynolds in Washington, the list has now boiled down to two — endorsed candidate Chris Lee and potential challenger David Bellavia.
Lee and Bellavia emerged as the last men standing after Buffalo Board of Education member Chris Jacobs officially ended his candidacy last week. He will support Lee.
Bellavia is an author and Iraq War veteran who is not personally wealthy — unlike Lee. So the big question surrounding any potential Bellavia primary challenge is whether he can raise the money.
Lee, meanwhile, has promised to spend at least one million of his own dollars.
