Endorsements: And the Rest
Please note: these are not Artvoice endorsements, nor are they to be cited as such. They have not been approved or made by the Artvoice editors, publisher, or any combination thereof. Any endorsements are mine and mine alone. They are preferences – not predictions.
See Erie County Senate Race endorsements here.
The primary elections are taking place this Thursday. Please vote, if you can.
State Senate: 62d District (George Maziarz (R) Incumbent)
Republican Primary: George Maziarz
Yesterday, I accidentally omitted this race, since I was working off an Erie County list. In Niagara County, longtime incumbent George Maziarz has suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a barrage of hatred and vitriol spewed his way by the likes of Carl Paladino and his compliant sidekick, Rus Thompson. For more about this – and how it’s degenerated from exposing Maziarz’s cronyism to outing him as a closeted gay – click this link and this link.
I have no doubt that Maziarz is yet another Republican careerist officeholders who talks up private enterprise while being unencumbered by it; who wants to reduce the size and scope of government while ensuring that he continues to be coddled and supported by its largesse. He is no different in that respect from any of them. He even went so far as to pander to the tea party movement a few years ago, which was quite odd.
Senator Maziarz and the tea party in happier times
I don’t know the ins and outs of Niagara County politics, except to say that what little I know makes Erie County look urbane by comparison. I’m sure Maziarz’s opponent, Johnny Destino, is a swell guy, but in this case the support of his campaign by the abusive Paladino tea party inures against him, and – leaving most observers amazed and shocked – actually makes Maziarz out to be a sympathetic figure.
It’s reminiscent of what Pigeon and his collection of goons tried to do to Sam Hoyt a few years ago – in trying to help Barbra Kavanaugh, they unleashed a barrage of negativity on Hoyt that was so relentlessly vicious, that people felt sorry for Hoyt and Kavanaugh lost. I called it the “Kavanaugh flip” – that moment when a negative campaign injures itself, rather than its intended target.
That’s what Thompson and Paladino – two guys who couldn’t get elected, and have had little success helping others do the same – have done with Maziarz.
Assembly 147th District (New)
Republicans: David DiPietro
David DiPietro may be something of a tea party loon and a perennial candidate, and he is unfortunately associated with the likes of Paladino, but I’d actually like to see him go to Albany and have a chance at accomplishing something. He’s a lot of talk, let’s see some action. The rest of this collection are no great shakes, anyway. Dan Humiston? Really?
Independence Party: Christina Abt
Setting aside for a moment my natural aversion to electoral fusion, given that Abt is up against IP member Humiston, I think it apt that you go to the polls and support her. She is good people and needs the IP line.
Assembly 149th District: (Sean Ryan (D)Incumbent):
I’m torn by this choice. On the one hand, I like what Sean Ryan has done since going to Albany, and I think his mission to re-invent IDAs and the way they encourage inter-regional poaching of businesses through weak, poorly vetted promises that are seldom kept. By the same token, I am a huge fan of Kevin Gaughan‘s – more for his promotion of regional government than for his downsizing effort – and would very much like to see him get elected to public office, so that we can see him in action.
So, I’m not making an endorsement in this race, except to urge Democrats to go to the polls and not vote for Mascia.
I am a huge fan of Sean Ryan’s and most definitely not of Kevin Gaughan. If you take Kevin at his word and he does exactly what he says he will do and proposes exactly what he says he will propose, he’s going
to be one lonely fellow in Albany. Kevin said one absolutely true thing during his campaign, that politicians don’t like him. I’ve talked to Democratic politicians and elected officials from the highest level
in Erie County and yes indeed they do not like Kevin. And folks these are the same people he’s going to
have to work with if elected. And I can tell you they come from every faction of the Erie County Democratic Party. Then there’s that other Albany politician Sheldon Silver. Say what you want about him, but the plain truth is, he is the choice of his conference to be Speaker. You might not like Silver, but
he’s in a position to make life really miserable for someone who is even now calling for his resignation. And as moneys dry up for the various programs of the new 149 AD, tis us the lowly constituents who will
suffer. Don’t believe me, ask our comptroller Mark Schroeder how miserable Silver made life for him, so
much so he left Albany to become our City Comptroller. Sean’s a guy who works well within the existing
framework of Albany. Just in passing that landmark prescription drug bill in which people might not die
in New York is reason enough to re-elect Sean Ryan.
I do hope that people not just in the Independence Party, but in her suburban district in general pay
attention to Christina Abt. She’s a classy woman with some great ideas and she really cares about issues
relevant to her future constituents.
I said this myself on Facebook a few days ago, what Alan Bedenko said about George Maziarz. This is athoroughly unlikeable man, a nasty little would be Napoleon of Niagara County. He voted against the anti-bullying Dignity for All Students Act a couple of years ago, only one of three Republican Senators to
do that. Mind you this is after years of attending the Gay/Lesbian Youth Servies dinners so he can’t claimnot to know what gay kids go through. I ought to know, I sat next to him at the last one he attended.
But Carl Paladino and Rus Thompson of the Halloween 1776 suit accomplished the impossible with theirattacks on Maziarz, they did make him a figure of sympathy. His opponent Johnny Destino is no prizeeither, the Paladino candidate against Maziarz.I would wait until November to vote for a fine candidate in Amy Hope Witryol. Incidentally she has aMaziarz inspired primary in the Working Family’s Party so you folks registered there, make damn sureyou vote for her tomorrow.
“Alan
I have no doubt that Maziarz is yet another Republican careerist
officeholders who talks up private enterprise while being unencumbered
by it; who wants to reduce the size and scope of government while
ensuring that he continues to be coddled and supported by its largesse.”
Sounds like your buddy Mark and his bother…
There is also a WFP primary in the 62nd district. Some Maziarz minions got a fake candidate on the ballot to primary the endorsed candidate Amy Hope Witryol.
http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x1709877345/Working-Families-primary-on-tap
The same Maziarz supporters have also placed a fake Green Party candidate on the ballot for the general election.
Eric Jones
Maziarz
is a evil man, it’s sad exposing the truth makes people unhappy. He
has destroyed family’s of those who speak against him, one person in
particular his own sister by calling her mentally unstable. It’s sad his
own blood gets physically abused wile living at home, she calls police.
They arrive the family turns the away because of the political power
that family had when George was as young as 16. I wonder why the Maziarz
family kept the voting machines in the garage? His sister accidentally
ran into one and got beat up. Many people that oppose George especially
business owners pay for it in the long run. This is why George’s mother
told his sister you move away from NY as far as you can.
Is this the type of government art voice wants to support ? There is a name for it.
Thank you and God bless America
You should learn to read and spell.