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NY-26: Powers not a "Pigeon proxy"

by: robert.harding

Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 15:38:43 PM EST

My good (blogger) friend Buffalo Pundit sent me a post he wrote today, in his words, "for [my] reading pleasure."

BP references to a story by Glenn Gramigna on his website, New WNY Politics. Keep in mind this one fact throughout all this: Gramigna is a former associate/employee of the beloved Joe Illuzzi.

Gramigna's post accuses NY-26 Democratic candidate Jon Powers of being a "Pigeon proxy." That is a reference to former Erie County Democratic chairman Steve Pigeon. Gramigna quotes a source who said the following:

"If I had to give him some advice, I'd say, 'Run for the Clarence Town Board," says one of our highly placed sources. "Just because he was an officer in Iraq, that in itself doesn't qualify him to be our Congressman. He doesn't even have the self confidence to give interviews to the media...Then there's his possible Pigeon connection."

I know Jon Powers. Jon isn't running on the "vote for me because I'm a veteran" line. He's running as someone who has seen how dysfunctional Washington and he wants to change that. Powers is also someone who acknowledges the economic troubles we've had in Western New York. He's not a single issue candidate - unlike another (possible) candidate we know of.

As for the Pigeon connection, there is no truth to that at all. How can somebody argue that? Jon worked with VoteVets on different issues and also created his own charitable organization, War Kids Relief. He made a name for himself working with key groups IN Washington D.C.

And the claim that he doesn't have the self-confidence to grant interviews, I would know about this personally. I first met Jon when I interviewed him for the Journal-Register, a newspaper in Orleans County.

NOTE: It is worth mentioning that this article on Powers was written yesterday. Then today, Gramigna writes a positive piece on Jack Davis. The Powers campaign does not pay me to criticize Jack Davis. I dislike the guy enough on my own. But even BP suggests that there's some sort of deal with Davis and Gramigna with advertising.

More on the flip.

Youthful congressional candidate Jon Powers is struggling as he continues to make the rounds in the 26th CD. Some say it is presumptuous of him to be running for Congress just on the basis of his service, honorable though it was, in Iraq. Still, he is picking up some valuable endorsements from respected leaders of organized labor.

Define struggling. He has picked up several union endorsements, county Democratic endorsements and endorsements from the likes of Sen. Bob Kerrey and Gen. Wesley Clark. Here's the list:

Jon Powers' Endorsements

·         Genesee County Democratic Committee

·         Livingston County Democratic Committee

·         Orleans County Democratic Committee

·         Wyoming County Democratic Committee

·         Town of Clarence Democratic Committee

·         SEIU 1199

·         AFSCME Local 264

·         International Brotherhood of Teamsters

·         United Food and Commercial Workers

·         Communications Workers of America

·         International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers

·         VoteVets

·         VetPAC

·         General Wesley Clark

·         Senator Bob Kerrey

·         Senator John Kerry

If this is the definition of struggling, then I'm glad Jon is struggling...

But we all know that the definition being used here is the traditional version of struggling. Gramigna continues:

While our source doesn't have any firm evidence that Powers is a Pigeon Proxy, he or she does find it suspicious that the Powers candidacy is being praised on a local web site with close ties to discredited former Erie County Democratic Chairman Steve Pigeon..."That other site is praising him to the skies, which makes me think he must have some connection to Pigeon and they are just keeping it quiet,"

our source says. "It really makes you wonder what Powers is all about and who is really behind his campaign."

So, Gramigna is going off nothing but speculation here. That's the truth. And the website being referred to by Gramigna?

Illuzzi's, of course.

So let's figure out this formula. Illuzzi talks about Powers ERGO... Powers is connected to Pigeon?

Something doesn't add up here. Maybe Illuzzi and Gramigna are fighting over a future customer for their bogus advertising ventures. But Powers being a Pigeon proxy is about as false as you can get.

Like I mentioned earlier, Buffalo Pundit has a great piece on this. Check it out.