Dec. 12, 2023
BY CHARLIE SPECHT
Election denials, Congressional whispers and that race in Cheektowaga
A few facts, figures, comments and thoughts on what has been an interesting month in Buffalo politics:
• Thanks to those who reached out with compliments on my last column about Chrissy Casilio’s grace in the face of defeat, compared with the sore-loser rhetoric coming from defeated Cheektowaga supervisor candidate Mike Jasinski. I probably should have pointed out that it is easier to accept the reality of defeat when the margin is 36,000 votes (in Casilio’s case) than when it is only a few dozen (in Jasinski’s case) and a recount is triggered. Still, Casilio and Jasinski highlighted the continued differences within the Republican Party about what sort of conduct is acceptable in our political system.Â
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• On that note, how sad is it that we have arrived at a point in this country where politicians are being applauded for accepting the results of elections? I never thought the peaceful transfer of power would be up for debate, either. The only way that kind of conduct is pushed back to the fringe is if good people – candidates, but also regular people at every level of politics – stand up and say, "enough is enough." Erie County Comptroller Kevin Hardwick stressed that in his most recent “Hardline” appearance, and let’s hope other politicians follow suit.
• Mayor Byron Brown appears to have a close connection with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and other influential members of the Congressional Black Caucus, but he may not be the only one. A knowledgeable Democrat says that some Washington types are salivating over the prospect of having Tim Kennedy’s fundraising abilities at their disposal if he snags Rep. Brian Higgins’ seat. Some point out that if Higgins had the same fundraising ability as Kennedy, perhaps Republicans would not have taken all those House seats downstate.Â
• Kennedy, by the way, remains the only declared candidate for the 26th Congressional District, though Brown is said to be testing the waters and has said that he is, at least, considering it. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz ended any doubt about his intentions with his announcement Sunday that he was not interested. Kennedy recently picked up the endorsement of the United Auto Workers Region 9.
• The victories of Poloncarz and Cheektowaga Supervisor-elect Brian Nowak are also feathers in the caps of Democratic strategists Ben Swanekamp, who ran Poloncarz’s campaign, and Jessica Schuster, who ran Nowak’s. The two campaign gurus also serve as aides to Poloncarz and Hardwick, respectively, and are among that rare breed who do both politics and government well. Swanekamp has been a data mastermind for ECDC, while Hardwick has said hiring Schuster to run his 2021 campaign was “the second-best decision of my life.” (He says his best decision was marrying his wife, Deb.)Â
• On Election Night, I dug through the dusty old Buffalo News print archives in search of an answer to the question of who was the last Republican supervisor of Cheektowaga. If you guessed Dan Weber, you would be correct. Weber began his political career as a Democrat, enjoyed success in the 1960s and 1970s after becoming a Republican, then returned as a Democrat for a final term as supervisor. He may not be a name Republicans want to bring up, though: Weber was indicted on an extortion charge, though his obituary says he was twice exonerated from those charges. He was also a crusader against New York’s seat belt law. (Was that the 1970s version of being “anti-mask?”)
• One more thing about Weber: In 1964, while serving as supervisor, someone threw a brick through the front window of his home. Wild politics is not a new phenomenon in Cheektowaga.
• Rest in peace to retired Buffalo News reporter George Gates, who covered City Hall for 26 years during the mayoral administrations of Chester Kowal, Frank Sedita, Stanley Makowski, Jimmy Griffin and Tony Masiello. Gates recently died in Hospice Buffalo after a long fight with Parkinson’s disease.Â
Gates’ obituary noted that he “had so much institutional knowledge about Buffalo’s government and its history that his questions sometimes helped to educate the people he was interviewing.” I didn’t know Gates half as well as the news and political legends quoted in the obituary, but I was lucky enough to share a car ride with him, Bob McCarthy and others for the annual Buffalo News trek to a St. Bonaventure basketball game.Â
He was a true gentleman, and generous with anecdotes of his days at City Hall. I remember that he found it ridiculous that the Erie County executive (I think it was Chris Collins at the time) had his own spokesman.
“What is he, the president of the United States?” Gates asked. “When I covered City Hall, I could walk into the mayor’s office whenever I wanted to and talk with Frank Sedita.”
Those were the days – before every minor public official or business person had a “PR team” keeping them away from reporters and the public. George was a great reporter and a kind man and he will be missed.