Can Ortt Win?

As Rob Ortt makes the rounds as a candidate for New York State Senate, the question is, can he win? Ortt seems to be a pretty affable guy, and is well liked in North Tonawanda, where he serves as mayor. He's young and good looking, which will work in his favor, especially with the ladies. He's a veteran who served in Afghanistan, and his anti-SAFE Act position will help him in the rural parts of the district. He hasn't made any mistakes as the chief exec of NT, and he's respected among his peers.

Ortt is facing a GOP primary from Gia Arnold, a right-wing gun nut from Orleans County, whose support comes from the likes of Rus Thompson, a guy who's famous for wearing one of those idiotic revolutionary war costumes and serving jail time for a hit and run. There are few people on the planet who actually think Arnold will win. After Ortt disposes of the 24 year-old mother with three kids who wants to play politics, he'll face Johnny Destino, who continues to strive for some level of importance, but won't ever be anything more than a school board member. Oh, and two years ago, Destino was a Tea Party conservative, who all of the sudden is a die hard Democrat who agrees with everything Andrew Cuomo and communist Bill DeBlasio spew. No, that's a problem, Johnny. Theeeeeeere's Johnny, heading straight into another loss.

Fortunately for Ortt, he's probably going to win the seat by default. He's lucky that the Democrats didn't persuade Destino to drop out and substitute someone like Niagara County Sheriff James Voutour, a popular and amiable guy who would be a real problem for Ortt and the GOP. Personally, I'm not voting for anyone who likes Notre Dame, so that's one less vote for Ortt.

Just kidding, I'll vote for Ortt, because I know how critical it is to keep this seat out of the hands of New York City liberals; and because Arnold and Destino have no business serving in Albany. So, the answer is, yes - Ortt can win, and probably will. 

Will Cuomo Dance?

Today's visit to Western New York by Governor Andrew Cuomo could be the most important public appearance of his career by Cuomo. As detailed in the New York Times last week, Cuomo is being accused of sicking his attack dogs on the now-defunct Moreland Commission, which Cuomo created to look into the widespread political corruption plaguing the state.

Since the Times piece appeared six days ago, Cuomo has been nowhere to be found. His silence has been deafening, and extremely out of character for the governor, who had never previously turned down an opportunity to get his face in front of the cameras.

Today's appearance at the University of Buffalo, which is intended to be an economic development announcement by Cuomo, is sure to be dominated by questions surrounding Cuomo's role in hindering the Moreland Commission. The $64,000 question is, will Cuomo step up and take responsibility for what is being alleged or will he duck and run? My guess is that he dances, if he even bothers to address any questions.

Cuomo is no dummy. He knows that U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is now in possession of the commission's documents. Any public statements he makes on this issue will be very closely monitored by Bharara, and any "inconsistencies" will be noted. That makes today's appearance in Buffalo, which would normally be another ho-hum dog and pony show, very interesting.

Cuomo the Obstructionist

If you're interested in getting a very inside look into the political workings of New York State, this is an absolutely fascinating piece from the New York Times. The article provides a close look at the now-defunct Moreland Commission, the panel set up by Gov. Cuomo to look into corruption in the state, as well as the massive interference by Cuomo lackeys to derail the efforts of the honest members of the commission.

Excerpts from the piece include, "The pulled-back subpoena was the most flagrant example of how the commission, established with great ceremony by Mr. Cuomo in July 2013, was hobbled almost from the outset by demands from the governor’s office", and "But a three-month examination by The New York Times found that the governor’s office deeply compromised the panel’s work, objecting whenever the commission focused on groups with ties to Mr. Cuomo or on issues that might reflect poorly on him."

Cuomo should be very worried. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, once he sinks his teeth into a target, is like a dog with a bone - he's not letting go until he's finished with it. The piece also speaks very loud volumes about Cuomo, who's proving to be little more than just another dirty pol with a massive ego and even bigger ambitions that he'll do anything to protect. 

The Head of the Snake

There's an old saying, "Cut off the head of the snake, and the body will fall". One definition states that the idiom is usually applicable in a military application in which you remove the most dangerous opponent or the leader first, so the other enemies will be easier to deal with.

In Niagara County, the unquestioned political head of the snake has been George Maziarz. He has lead the GOP for 20 years, and overseen an unprecedented run of success for the Republican Party, a run that includes a supermajority in the county legislature and a Republican supervisor in nearly every town in the county. He has built an hierarchy of success.

Now, with the announcement by Maziarz that he is not seeking re-election, what does it mean for the political landscape in the county? Can the Democrats finally make some inroads? Is Nick Forster, who has shown little since replacing Dan Rivera, capable of leading a resurgence of the party? Is Scott Kiedrowski, who has shown less than Rivera since taking over for Michael Norris, capable of maintaining what Maziarz and Henry Wojtaszek built? Possibly.

Following Wojtaszek as chairman of the party was not an enviable task. Norris did it, but quickly found himself out of his league, and his short tenure ended abruptly. In steps Kiedrowski, who offers little in terms of political acumen, but has succeeded by riding the coattails of Maziarz and Wojtaszek. While Wojtaszek inspired those around him, Kiedrowski alienates them. Without Maziarz at the top, it's hard to imagine Kiedrowski maintaining the GOP's success. It's no secret that Kiedrowski has his sights set on succeeding County Clerk Jagow when he steps aside, but that may not be as easy as he thinks without Maziarz leading the way. A Facebook page for extremely popular Deputy County Clerk Wendy Roberson has recently popped up, indicating an early divide within the party, as Roberson is also a Republican.

Add in premature departures of Lockport Mayor Mike Tucker, Niagara Supervisor Steve Richards. and Lewiston Supervisor Steve Reiter, and the Niagara GOP finds itself in unfamiliar territory. The only thing the GOP has going for it is the utter incompetence of the county Democrats, and there's no sign that they're ready to turn things around. The massive divide between the Dyster people and Destino people is well known in political circles. If there was ever a sign that the county Dems are not ready for prime time, it's the fact that John Ceretto is unopposed.

If nothing else, things should at least be a little more competitive around here, much more competitive than they've been over the past 10 years.

Turmoil

Picking up where we left off yesterday, we'd be remiss if we didn't address the current investigation into the campaign finances of Senator George Maziarz. For the record, we like George. He's been an excellent advocate for the people he represents, and his reputation for personally returning phone calls made to his office by constituents is well known.

During time in office, George has been a prolific fundraiser. As of his last filing, Maziarz has over $1 million in his campaign account. At this point, all we know that there is an investigation. We don't know if Maziarz is the focus of the investigation, and we don't the what sparked it. We do know that at two members of his staff, both of whom resigned recently, have been issued subpoenas to provide information and documents.

In a nutshell, everything related to this investigation is purely speculation at this point. But that's not what we want to talk about.

Maziarz is not running again - we all know this. What's disconcerting is how uninformed some people are when it comes to what this means to our community and the region as a whole. Maziarz is one of the most powerful people in a New York State Senate that is currently led by a coalition of Republicans and Democrats. That power-sharing arrangement, which keeps the Republican Party relevant in New York, is likely to come to an end if the Republicans lose the majority outright in November. If this happens, the Democrats will control the Senate, Assembly, and governor's seat. And that my friends, would be a disaster for western New York.

This is not about political parties; this about downstate New York gaining control of the state. If you're a Democrat, and you think this scenario will be good for us, you're downright out of your mind. All of New York outside of the city will become an afterthought. Forget about the Buffalo Billion. Forget about any state subsidies for a new Buffalo Bills stadium. Forget about our roads, bridges, and infrastructure. Every excess dollar will find its way to New York City.

Rob Ortt, the mayor of North Tonawanda, is the GOP's chosen one to replace Maziarz. Gia Arnold, a gun-rights advocate, is also running. On the Democratic line, perennial candidate Johnny Destino gets the nod. In our opinion, Ortt has the best shot to hold the seat, and holding the seat is what's important for our area. Not because he's a Republican, because it keeps the seat out of the hands of New York City. If Destino were to win, he'd be an upstate, Democratic senator in a caucus dominated by New York City. In other words, he'd be impotent.

As difficult of a concept as it is to comprehend, Democrats need to understand that voting in a Democratic majority in the Senate will decimate western New York. That's bigger than party politics.

Niagara Buzz

With the announcement that Senator George Maziarz will not be seeking re-election, , the political landscape in Niagara County, as well as western New York as a whole, is likely to be transformed. Maziarz, 61, who is unquestionably the most powerful political figure in the county, is stepping down after 19 years in the State Senate. Furthermore, Maziarz leaves under the cloud of a federal investigation into his campaign finances, threatening to tarnish his legacy as a public servant in the community that he has built since being appointed to the position of North Tonawanda City Clerk at the age of 25.

With that, Niagara Buzz is poised to hit the proverbial streets. As we get on our feet, there will be some bumps along the way, so we ask you to be patient. We are aiming to provide insight, perspective, and opinions on things political in the county and region. Whether commentary will be allowed has yet to be determined, but one thing for sure is that the site will not be a free-for-all filled with unsubstantiated personal attacks and name calling like too many other sites. The frequency of posts is also undetermined at this point, but with all that's happening on the political scene, we expect to be busy.

Enjoy.