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.