| So much for your token challenge to Sen. George Maziarz (R-Newfane) in the 62nd Senate District. Maziarz, a Republican, has also ran on the Conservative line. He will face primaries on both of those lines in September - arguably the toughest reelection bid of his Senate career.
Don Hobel, a registered Conservative, will force a primary on the Conservative line against Maziarz. Hobel announced his candidacy late last month and will also seek the Democratic line against Maziarz. Hobel has been a proponent for IDA reform.
About the same time that the news broke about Joe Bruno's retirement came the news that Niagara County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Grear will force a GOP primary in SD-62 against Maziarz. Grear's reason for running?
Grear accused Maziarz of holding up Beilein's nomination to foster exactly that scenario. Republican county Chairman Henry F. Wojtaszek has thrown his backing behind Palmer, Niagara Falls chief of detectives and a Lewiston town councilman.
Referring to Maziarz and Wojtaszek, Grear said, "Those two men have acted in concert with the political process to delay the actual appointment of Tom Beilein to a time when there would not be the ability of anyone to circulate petitions, thereby guaranteeing the candidate of their choice."
Grear, who lost to Beilein in 2005, said this situation is "really the reason I came to the conclusion I need to go to Albany. State government is so dominant, and so dysfunctional, rotten, choose whatever adjective you want, but it's a universal opinion that Albany is broken."
Tom Beilein was nominated to become chairman of the State Commission on Corrections by former Governor Eliot Spitzer. That appointment has yet to be confirmed by the Senate.
Maziarz is also considered to be a candidate to replace Bruno as majority leader. The belief is that Bruno will not finish his term in office as majority leader and that he will be replaced. Maziarz's name is being floated as a possible replacement, although Deputy Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Sen. Thomas Libous are the early front-runners to replace Bruno.
A lot of pressure on Maziarz now. Preferably, I wouldn't want to see Hobel on the Democratic line. He's not a Democrat and we need to find a strong Democrat to run against Maziarz. |
