Senator George Maziarz has never been a friend of the marriage equality movement or the LGBT community. But even if you don't share the views of the community or movement, you could least give them a serious answer.
Case in point: The video below featuring a woman who is legally married to her partner. Anne Tischer and her partner Bess have been together for 15 years and have been married for five years.
Watch Anne tell her story to Maziarz and watch his response:
Anyone else feel the sympathy in the air as Maziarz said that? Neither did I. What a cold answer for two people who love each other and for a woman who obviously is trying to make sure her family is taken care of.
It's not enough that she pays the same taxes everyone else does or that she is barred from having the same benefits, in her words, because she isn't able to purchase a $40 civil marriage license (good point, by the way, on her part). All of that went in Maziarz's ear and out the other side.
Classless is a word that comes to mind. At least show some sort of interest in it. Don't just tell what your position is and move on.
It is hard for me to determine what is worse: The person raising money for one of the top Republicans is supposedly the Democratic majority leader of the New York State Senate or my senator, George Maziarz, on the receiving end of money from that majority leader who is the most corrupt man serving in Albany today.
Liz was sent this fundraising invite for an event that will be held in one of Maziarz's favorite places: Manhattan.
Maziarz, who never misses an opportunity to push the upstate-downstate divide and bash New York City, is not a stranger to New York City fundraising. Last year, he held a fundraiser at the same Penn Club where Espada will be helping fundraise for him.
The event is $500 per person. It might be worth asking around here in the 62nd Senate District to see who could afford to attend such a fundraiser if it were held in the district. I doubt many would be able to say they could. Thus, the reason why Maziarz holding these fundraisers is just more hypocrisy on his part.
We could also turn this on Espada, who runs on the Democratic line and yet, is helping raise money for a Republican. Even though Senator John Sampson might want to defend his "colleague", Espada is not a friend to the Democratic caucus. This fundraising invite should prove that. His name appearing as one of the hosts along with Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos is not good for our conference.
Back to Maziarz though. We have yet to see a serious contender to Maziarz. That might change come 2010. There is plenty of dirt and his willingness to side with some of the shadiest figures in New York politics doesn't speak well for his character. That is why we need to target him in 2010. I'm not saying that because it's my district. I'm saying that because he is one of the reasons why what happened in June and lasted until July went down.
We need to get rid of the bad senators in Albany. George Maziarz is one of those senators.
In my mailbox today I found a mailer (see below) from my state senator, Sen. George Maziarz (R-Newfane). Of course, it wouldn't be a mailer from a state representative if it wasn't paid for by the taxpayers of this great state.
You will notice the part that is upside down reads, "Capping Property Taxes... Our Number One Priority" while adding at the bottom "Bringing Accountability to State Spending."
Make no mistake: This is a campaign mailer. In one month, Maziarz is facing off in a Republican primary with Brian Grear and facing off in a Conservative primary with Don Hobel. What better way to spend taxpayers' money than to campaign.
I find it funny, too, that one would say "bringing accountability to state spending" while using the state's money to send out mailers.
Late last month, Brian Grear, a Republican, was given the necessary authorization to run as a Democrat against Sen. George Maziarz. The race in the 62nd Senate District is a unique one, considering Grear will not only have the Democratic line, but he is also challenging Maziarz in a Republican primary and Don Hobel, a registered Conservative, is challenging Maziarz on the Conservative line.
There have been questions about how much of a Democrat Grear is, including my own questions. The 62nd Senate District is my state senate district, so I have a personal stake in this.
Republican State Senate Candidate Brian Grear responded today to George Maziarz's futile attempt or lack of attempt at defending his position regarding the CWM facility or his dismal environmental record. Grear stated "Go ahead an attack me George, because that's about all you can do. Your history shows that's exactly what you do when others take a stand against you. But, in this case, with an environmental record being as poor as yours, you had nothing else to do but that. I'm not making this up folks, Grear stated, according to Project Vote Smart George scored a 51% in environmental issues in 2006. Not exactly a score to be proud of, unless you're the guy trying to defend it. So who is out of touch with the citizens of the district."
"Twelve years you had the opportunity to stop this and you have the audacity to say I'm exhibiting the "same type of strange bizarre behavior" and my claims are "baseless." I forgot if someone has a differing opinion of yours their wrong and you're right", commented Grear.
Grear continued to fire back, "The facts remain the same - you got caught lying or flip flopping you decide what you want to call it. You went from - "I'll do everything within my power to stop this", to "I think I can get it passed in the senate", when talking about placing a tax on the hazardous materials entering Niagara County. You can't have it both ways. Also, you are quick to blame a veto by Gov. Paterson - could you please let me know the bill number that he vetoed, so before I make any empty claims against "my Democrat friends" as you put it, so I can have the facts, because it can not be found since his appointment as Governor. But, what I find disheartening George is you playing the politics as usual game. You conveniently forget to tell the readers another very important fact George. You failed to tell everyone that in 2006 Gov. Pataki vetoed a similar bill. (A11713 same as S8107) Who's trying to score some cheap political points George? There's no "baseless attack or bizarre behavior" as you claim George. I'm running in a primary against you because you have failed this region in so many ways and this is just one of many you'll have to answer to."
You mentioned the word courage - "you don't' have a clue about courage George. We have emergency first responders, which I am proudly one of, and soldiers who have to face this everyday. Sadly, I don't believe you have an once of it in you. George what you fail to realize is I not going away - I plan on doing nothing but providing a truckload of truth every time, and I can't say the same about you. I'll make sure every taxpayer in this district understands who and what you really are - a hypocrite!
"Here's a brief look at your environmental record - This week the Buffalo Business First listed the Top 25 Toxic Emissions sites listed for the year of 2006. According to the byline all data was provided by the US EPA and is the most current data available for the publication. CWM Chemical Services, Ltd ranked #1 with 1.9 million pounds of released emissions. AES Somerset, LLC was in the #2 spot with 1 million pounds of released emissions. Niagara County again has another honor of being ranked #1 of the eight counties of WNY with a total of 3.6 million pounds of emissions. And let's not forget FMC in Middleport where they have been contaminating an entire community to include a school for decades.
Grear concluded with, "George, you claim to be proud of your environmental record as a Senator. Well, congratulations, you have the distinct privilege of representing two facilities that have been named "The Love Canal Sites of Today", while the other received an IDA Pilot for achieving the ranking #2 in Toxic Emissions. I don't believe I'd be proud of these numbers. But, it would take courage to say so!"
That's a pretty long statement, but a strong one. Targeting Maziarz on this issue is key since Maziarz tries to play himself off as a friend of all. Grear, if nothing else, will be a bother to Maziarz. Grear isn't going to run just to get his name out there. He's running to give Maziarz a run for his money.
We discussed the 62nd Senate District yesterday and the odd race that it has been. The strange became reality yesterday when Republican Brian Grear received authorization from the three Democratic committees in the district (Monroe, Niagara and Orleans) to run on the Democratic line against Maziarz, according to the Lockport Union-Sun and Journal.
Brian Grear received authorization from the Democratic committees in three counties to run as their candidate for state Senate, 62nd district.
Grear, a registered Republican, said Tuesday he'll be the Democratic candidate in Niagara, Orleans and Monroe counties and is thus guaranteed a ballot line past the Sept. 9 Republican primary election, in which he's challenging incumbent state Sen. George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane, for the party line.
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Grear said he appreciates the Democrats' backing.
"This endorsement of my campaign by local Democrats - who have reached across the aisle and endorsed me - shows that upstate New York is ready for strong, independent leadership," he said.
Grear, a Cambria resident, is an 18-year veteran of Niagara County Sheriff's Department and a small business owner. He ran for sheriff in 2006.
Maziarz will win this race, but it amazes me how much drama and shifting of the chairs there has been for this race.
As a resident of the district, I will not be voting for anyone in this race. I wish I had an option, even a minor party option. But there is nothing of the sort.
Brian Grear has the Democratic line. All because of his disdain for Maziarz over the sheriff debacle.
As Phillip wrote about earlier, the 62nd Senate District race is a confusing one. As a resident of the 62nd, I will try to give you the breakdown based on what I know.
Don Hobel is a Conservative Party member. He was the first name being mentioned as a challenger to Republican Senator George Maziarz. Hobel planned on challenging Maziarz on the Conservative line - a line that Maziarz has held in past election cycles. But Hobel was also hoping to run on the Democratic line. Hobel is known in Western New York circles for being a proponent of IDA reform.
Then Brian Grear stepped up to the plate. There is one reason why Grear is challenging Maziarz. Former Governor Eliot Spitzer nominated Niagara County Sheriff Thomas Beilein to chair the state's Commission of Corrections. Grear wanted to run for sheriff in Niagara County, but since Governor David Paterson has yet to submit the nomination of Beilein for confirmation, there really can't be a contest for sheriff in Niagara County. That said, Grear has been left out of any potential primary for the seat that will be vacated at some point and that angers Grear, who ran for sheriff in 2005.
One of the individuals Grear apparently blames is Maziarz. Maziarz is a key figure in Niagara County Republican politics. Thus, Grear decided to challenge Maziarz in a Republican primary.
To recap to this point: Grear is challenging Maziarz in a Republican primary and Hobel is challenging Maziarz in a Conservative primary. And at the time, Hobel was seeking the Democratic line.
That all changed when the Democrats decided to back Grear. I was told by a source who was familiar with the process that Grear made some sort of promise that he would change his affiliation to Blank. Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen.
Now, this is how this plays out:
- Hobel apparently still will primary Maziarz on the Conservative line.
- Grear will have the Democratic line and challenge Maziarz for the Republican line also.
Of course, all of this drama will be meaningless when we lose again to Maziarz by 30 to 40 points. It amazes me how incompetent this district's Democratic Party has been in selecting a challenger for the man the Niagara County Democrats call "Boss Tweed" (Maziarz). One of the past candidates was Christopher Srock, someone who was starting to become a career candidate by running for elected office at different levels of government.
Keep in mind, SD-62 does not have a huge Republican enrollment edge. There are nearly 8,500 more Republicans than Democrats in SD-62 with 37,768 Blanks. Maziarz should not be breezing to victory every time, but he has.
To close, I will not be voting for anyone in this race. Maziarz is good at playing politics but not good at much else. Hobel is a Conservative who would probably run on a one-issue platform and Grear is a Republican. It would be nice to have a real Democrat to vote for in a year when the Democrats will take over the New York State Senate, but that is out of my control.
Brian D. Grear has been officially substituted for Donald G. Hobel as the Democratic nominee for 62nd District state senator.
Bob Brehm, spokesman for the state Board of Elections, said the change was received Monday in Albany and posted in the board's computer system. The deadline for the document to be postmarked was Friday.
Grear, a Niagara County sheriff's deputy and an enrolled Republican, was tapped to run against incumbent George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane, after Hobel, who previously had the Democratic endorsement, stepped aside last week.
Hobel, a registered Conservative, is running against Maziarz in that party's primary, while Grear is slated for a GOP primary against Maziarz.
However, Maziarz backers have filed preliminary challenges to the validity of the nominating petitions of Grear and Hobel on all their party lines. Specifics must be postmarked by Wednesday or the challenges will lapse.
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.
Sen. George Maziarz once sent out an e-mail about rising gas prices. In that e-mail he said the following.
In Western New York, unlike Manhattan, most of us depend on our cars and trucks to get to work, school, the store, and just about everywhere else. And on top of the tax increase, the Governor also wants to raise the fees you and I pay on our auto insurance policies by 300%!
Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane (that's way west) has a fundraiser coming up May 5 at the Penn Club in New York City for his Senate campaign, which might put to rest any lingering rumors that he might run for Congress.
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The matter of New York City contributions was an issue in the 48th Senate District special election, but the fact seems to be that the bigger checks and deeper pockets are there, for both parties.
You can view the invitation here.
This should not be surprising. I have no problem with politicians and where they get their money. However, when you use the whole downstate thing against the Democrats, you look like a hypocrite when you go downstate for cash.
Phillip wrote earlier on the developments in New York's 26th congressional district that Republican Sen. George Maziarz will not run for the seat being vacated by Tom Reynolds. Phillip also asked a very good question: What happened? What did he get from Bruno?
The first part of that - the what happened portion. In my view, a few things happened here. One, there has been a lot of questions about whether or not Maziarz can use his huge campaign bankroll from his Senate seat for a congressional run. I'm sure family played a role somehow, but the money thing had to be a factor.
Now, what did he get from Bruno? That remains to be seen. He already was given the post of Senate Energy Committee chairman which opened up when Sen. Jim Wright retired. But Maziarz is one of the veterans in GOP Senate circles. I'm certain that he saw his seat as one the Democrats could target and possibly win in November. He doesn't want that, especially after building up the mini-empire he has in Niagara County.
As for the remaining field, Assemblyman Jim Hayes appears to be the frontrunner now that Maziarz is gone. Hayes isn't the best, but I don't see any of the other candidates being mentioned (Nick Sinatra, David Bellavia, Michael Powers, Steve Hawley and Jim Kelly) being able to top Hayes. If Hayes doesn't run, that leaves the GOP in trouble. Maziarz dropping out was bad enough, as he is a much stronger candidate than Hayes. But now, this seat is very appealing to the Democrats.
This is interesting. The talk for days now was that Republican state Senator George Maziarz would announce today that he was running for the NY-26 seat being vacated by the retiring Tom Reynolds. Instead, he's announcing today that he's doing no such thing and is running for re-election to the state Senate.
State Sen. George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane, will not run for the seat of retiring Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, two sources close to the situation said this morning.
One of the sources said Maziarz will officially announce his decision later today, citing considerations about family, ongoing projects under his sponsorship, and preserving a shaky Republican majority in the Senate.
The move shines a new spotlight on Assemblyman James P. Hayes, R-Williamsville, who has expressed serious interest in running for the Reynolds seat. Though nothing is settled, Hayes is expected to make a strong case to party leaders for the nomination.
But other Republicans who said they would run only if Maziarz didn't now also merit serious consideration. They include Michael B. Powers, an attorney and vice chairman of the Erie County Republican Committee; David Bellavia, an Iraq war veteran who recently wrote a book on his experiences, and Nick Sinatra, a top White House aide with extensive political contacts.
The Democratic field increased over the weekend on the Democratic side when County Clerk Kathleen C. Hochul said she may run. The other Democratic candidates include Amherst attorney Alice J. Kryzan; industrialist Jack Davis, and Iraq war veteran Jonathan Powers.
Maziarz was running for this seat on Friday. Today he isn't. What happened? What did he get from Bruno?
Regardless, it's hard not to see this development as a big plus for Jon Powers. Maziarz was probably the GOP's best shot at holding this seat and he's taking a pass.
The Governor is proposing to remove the sales tax cap my colleagues and I placed on gasoline at the pump in 2006. Instead, he wants to put an adjustable tax on gasoline, tied to national gas prices, that will raise the tax by as much as 5% per year. That's going to raise the price you and I pay at the pump!
In Western New York, unlike Manhattan, most of us depend on our cars and trucks to get to work, school, the store, and just about everywhere else. And on top of the tax increase, the Governor also wants to raise the fees you and I pay on our auto insurance policies by 300%!
The Governor is hurting New York State motorists. I invite you to join me in telling him that we must say "NO" to these tax and fee increases. CLICK HERE TO SIGN MY ON-LINE PETITION.
Sincerely,
George D. Maziarz
Senator, 62nd District
Do I think gas prices are too high? Yes. But the problem with gas isn't all taxes. After all, we are at war and the gas being priced well over $100 a barrel on the open market isn't helping matters.
What is it with Republicans and their obsession with cutting taxes? Are taxes a problem in New York? Certainly. But we also need to understand that some taxes are necessary and this one will bring in more revenue to the state, which is something we desperately need.
Let me frame it so that pro-business Republicans will understand it. If I'm a business owner struggling, I'm going to need to raise prices to make up for what I'm not bringing in. It's just natural. In this case, the state is increasing fees and other taxes to bring in more revenue. It's not ideal, but they need to do it.
UPDATE: By the way, notice how Maziarz played the same old Republican trick of trying to separate upstate and downstate. For the record, my sister lives in the Bronx - and drives to work. And I do believe they even use gasoline down in Manhattan, not special fairy dust.
A Democrat with name recognition and ties in three counties is eyeing a run for state Senate in the 62nd District.
Margo Sue Bittner of Appleton, proprietor of Marjim Manor Winery and a longtime Farm Bureau activist, confirmed this week she's considering taking a shot at the seat long held by ubiquitous incumbent state Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane.
Bittner said she's still researching issues of campaign finance, strategy and the likelihood of winning votes in a district where Republicans hold the voter enrollment edge.
Bittner is not a "sure thing" to be a candidate, but I think she will end up running. She would provide the best challenge to Maziarz just based on her name recognition and activism.
Now, does that mean the NY Dems should focus on this race? Right now, I don't think so. As far as Western New York districts go, I think we have better shots in SD-56 and SD-61. Maziarz has a huge bankroll and he is very popular in Niagara County where he has a huge base and has earned the nickname "Boss Tweed" by his opponents.
That being said, Bittner would still be the best person to run against Maziarz. She has name recognition and she has connections to all parts of SD-62. She would get a lot of support from the Democrats in the 62nd Senate District.
We'll see how this plays out. Hopefully Bittner joins the race and makes a serious run at Maziarz. The district isn't overly Republican, with just under 9,500 more Republicans than Democrats.
State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, dismissed a recent report in the political magazine, The Capitol, that suggested he would be interested in seeking higher office if U.S. Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-Clarence, decided against seeking a sixth term.
The article, by The Capitol's John Celock, sites "multiple sources in Western New York" as having confirmed that "there is a strong possibility" that Reynolds will not run again next year, opening the door for Maziarz to challenge for the congressman's seat.
I found this article about Sen. Maziarz. Some of you may only know him by name or by what I tell you here. But this article sums him up best.
He knows how to play "the game." Here's a little tidbit of what he can do for you (if you're a Republican, that is):
The way Maziarz controls local politics has been likened to "old-school Tammany Hall patronage," by one local politician, who asked not to be named because of fear of retribution.
"He's shrewd because he uses the great Achilles' Heel in this area, which is gainful employment," the politician said.
Of the Legislature's 14-member majority, four work for state agencies. The latest appointment was Legislator Glenn Aronow, R-Lockport, who began working for Western New York Republican state senators in January for $55,000 per year as an assistant communications director. Aronow, a two-year member of the Legislature, said his duties at his new job include reading articles from around the country that could be of interest to the senators and passing them along.
A legislator who won his seat for the first time in 2005, John Ceretto, was hired in the State Parks office at Niagara Falls last spring. Legislator Danny Sklarski, D-Town of Niagara, works for State Parks and Majority Leader Malcolm Needler, R-North Tonawanda, works at the New York Power Authority. Asked if he had anything to do with getting the legislators who work for the state their jobs, Maziarz said, "I help a lot of people, people who are involved and people who are not involved. I make recommendations."
In essence, vote for George and he can give you a good job reading letters for $55,000 a year.
After years of George Pataki, I wish I could've heard those words then out of Sen. George Maziarz and Sen. Dale Volker. Now, they are just political in nature.
Maziarz and Volker, both Republicans, accused Spitzer of a downstate bias in today's Buffalo News. The issue, they say, is over Spitzer's failure to address the NYS Thruway toll hike while addressing the MTA hikes:
Two top area Republicans took aim at Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer on Wednesday for working overtime to save New York City's transit fare but shrugging his shoulders on the Thruway Authority's plan to increase tolls.
State Sens. Dale M. Volker of Depew and George D. Maziarz of Newfane both criticized the governor for failing to exercise the same influence over the Thruway Authority that he did in nixing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's plan to increase fares on buses and subways as well as tolls on its bridges and tunnels.
"What is good for New York City commuters should be just as good for Western New York commuters as well," Volker said.
Maziarz said in a letter to Spitzer that his office's explanation of why he could prevent one increase and not another is "unacceptable."
"The governor of this great state - a state which is much larger than the New York City metropolitan area - cannot simply shrug his shoulders and say there is nothing he can do about it," Maziarz said. "I implore you to take the same aggressive approach to dealing with the unfair Thruway toll hike that you are taking with the MTA fare hike."
Spitzer did in fact halt the hike. But we're talking about a different beast here. The MTA was looking at a $2 increase for the price of Weekly MetroCards. I don't know anyone in WNY that would pay $26 a week in tolls driving to and from work.
George and Dale, save your claims of a downstate bias for another time. Oh yeah, and get back to work!
I received a phone call tonight from a friend of mine who is the son of the local Democratic Party chairwoman. He asked me if I had read Joe Illuzzi's website today. When I asked why, he told me of the news:
There's a rumor going around that Tom Reynolds could retire.
Illuzzi posted an article by John Celock, who writes for NYCapitolnews.com. In that article, Celock describes the rumors surrounding Reynolds' retirement and his possible replacement (which could impact the NYS Senate and my locale).
