CHEEK DEMS! -News releases
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NEWS ARCHIVES
Nov/Dec 2006
Nov/Dec 2006
DISTRIBUTING DESIGNATING PETITIONS...A LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE
June 14, 2007... How does one assemble packets of petitions for 222 committee people, including competing
petitions for two separate candidates for County Executive, get the correct petitions into everybody's hands, and
do it all in the time frame of about 36 hours? That was the challenge taken on by the Executive Board this past
weekend.
Our Town Committee did not receive the petitions until Sunday June 10, 2007 at 5:00 PM. At that time we arranged
to have some individuals come in on Monday to pick up and deliver to committee members the full slate of
petitions. Any individual requesting Paul Clark petitions instead of James Keane petitions were given them but if
no request was made then the James Keane petition was left in the packet. At approximately 5:15 PM on Monday
we were informed that all legislative districts were omitted from the packets received from Erie County
Democratic headquarters. Frantic calls were made to downtown requesting that they deliver all petitions for
legislative districts 2, 4, 8, 9 and 14. They were promptly delivered to Paul Clark’s headquarters where they were
then added to each packet.
This year we wanted to make sure that all committee members received their petitions as soon as possible.
Every attempt was made to get the petition packets in their hands as soon as humanly possible. Chairman Max
instructed the volunteers delivering the petitions to personally hand them to someone and not leave them if they
weren’t home.
Some attempts were made to deliver them on Monday but if no one was home they were delivered later. We are
proud to report that a majority of committeemen had their petitions in hand by late Monday, in advance of the first
circulation date which was Tuesday. This is in contrast to last year's performance, when many of our members
did not receive petitions until well into the signature gathering period.
If you haven’t received your petitions you may call Frank Max at 656-8966 to arrange delivery or send an email to
this website. We apologize for any inconvenience however it must be noted that we will not resort to a
disinformation campaign as put forth in a letter sent out two days ago suggesting that this Committee is shirking
its responsibility to properly distribute designating petitions to its members. The majority of individuals with their
name affixed to the Keane letter received the petitions on Monday. Furthermore, NONE of the elected officials who
had their names affixed to this letter were aware of this correspondence or offered their names in support of its
contents. This sort of electioneering is absolutely outrageous and we will try to maintain a higher standard of
conduct in the way we conduct party business. We implore our fellow Democrats who may not be in sync with
what we're trying to accomplish here to at least try to do likewise.
CHEEKTOWAGA DEMOCRATS MAKE THEIR PICKS
May 29, 2007, Cheektowaga, New York… The Cheektowaga Democratic Town Committee convened tonight to
make their selections for their seven member slate in this year’s town elections.
178 members of the 222 member committee were in attendance and cast ballots in the endorsement vote.
Heading the ticket will be Supervisor candidate Mary Holtz, who was selected unanimously by the Committee.
Holtz has worked in Cheektowaga Town government for over three decades, most recently in the position of
Town Clerk, which she was elected to in 2003. She has a long time record of service in the Town with many
civic and community organizations, and also serves as Town Historian. If elected, Holtz will replace current
Town Supervisor Jim Jankowiak, who declined to run for a full term and will be stepping down at the end of
the year.
Committee members then unanimously chose Council Member Alice Magierski to run for Town Clerk, and also
gave the nod to long time Town Justice Thomas Kolbert for a new term.
Seven individuals competed for three slots for Council Member. Winning committee endorsement were
incumbents Richard Zydel and Jeff Swiatek placing first and second. Stanley Kaznowski, a civic activist who
heads the Town Park Homeowners Association, came in third. Other participants in the endorsement process
whose results came up short were Diane Benczkowski, John Kaczorowski, Charles Markel and James Sala.
Long time Council Member Thomas Johnson will retire from his post and is not seeking re-election.
Two candidates vied for the position of Superintendent of Highways, seeking to replace retiring incumbent
Christopher Kowal. Highway Working Crew Chief Mark Wegner won the Committee’s backing, defeating former
Deputy Highway Superintendent Robert Sprada in the closest matchup of the night.
Town Chairman Frank Max expressed his satisfaction with the endorsed slate, saying, “These individuals
represent all the various interests and groups in our Committee, and offer a strong lineup of candidates to
compete in this November’s elections. I am very confident we will be successful in complete victory.”
2007 ENDORSEMENT VOTE - COMPLETE RESULTS
COMPLETE RESULTS (Raw numbers are weighted votes)
Town Supervisor
MARY HOLTZ -Unanimous-
Town Clerk
ALICE MAGIERSKI -Unanimous-
Town Justice
THOMAS KOLBERT -Unanimous-
Council Member (3 endorsed)
JEFF SWIATEK 16713
RICHARD ZYDEL 17596
STANLEY KAZNOWSKI 14225
JOHN KACZOROWSKI 5063
DIANE BENCZKOWSKI 6259
CHARLES MARKEL 4161
JAMES SALA 5547
Superintendent of Highways
ROBERT SPRADA 11525
MARK WEGNER 11897
SUPERVISOR JIM JANKOWIAK'S OPEN LETTER TO THE CHEEKTOWAGA DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE
May 24...As you are aware, I have announced that I will not seek election to a full four year term as Cheektowaga
Town Supervisor.
I realize that my announcement came as a surprise to most of you and many have told me of their disappointment
with my decision not to run. However, after 38 years of service to the public, with positions in the Town of
Cheektowaga and County of Erie, I have a strong desire to return to private life and make my wife and family my
first priority.
My career with the Town has been described as an example of the American Dream…when an employee who
starts out with a company as a messenger and through the display of hard work and determination one day is
promoted to the position of President and CEO. As most of you know, I began my service to the Town washing
police cars at the central garage. To end my career as the Town Supervisor is something I could not have
imagined back then.
Success in political life is not something you can achieve on your own and I want to take this opportunity to thank
the many men and women of the Cheektowaga Democratic Committee who I have had the opportunity to know
over these many years. Your encouragement, support and efforts have given me the courage and ability to realize
much success. I especially want to thank our current and past Town chairmen, Frank Max, Ken Meyers, Jim
Burst and Paul Tokasz. Having served in that position myself, I know the time and commitment one must make to
do the job right. Not only I, but the Town of Cheektowaga as well, has been the beneficiary of their hard work. I
also want to acknowledge former County Executive Dennis Gorski for entrusting me with the position of County
parks commissioner, a job which I thoroughly enjoyed and felt a great sense of accomplishment in doing.
I want to assure you and all the residents of the Town of Cheektowaga that I will continue to give 100 percent as
Town Supervisor through the end of my term. Our challenge in the Town Democratic Committee will be to
endorse a highly qualified candidate, capable of being elected to this very important Town office.
I am in full support of the candidacy of Mary Holtz for the position of Town Supervisor and highly recommend her
endorsement by our committee. Mary has the depth of knowledge, the demonstrated administrative ability and an
overwhelming concern for the Town and its people. Her ability to work well with people of divergent views will be
a great asset in addressing the challenges we continue to face in Cheektowaga.
Mary’s willingness to take on the challenge of Town Supervisor means that a new individual must be selected to
carry on the great work she has accomplished as Town Clerk. I strongly believe that with her background, Alice
Magierski is the person who, as Town Clerk, has the ability to continue and further enhance the essential
services that office provides to the operation of the Town government and its citizens.
The Supervisor and the Councilmembers each cast equal votes on the Town Board. Our incumbent
Councilmembers, Jeff Swiatek and Rick Zydel, are seeking your endorsement for a new term on the Town Board
and I wholeheartedly support the return of both men to office.
Jeff Swiatek’s knowledge and efforts in the areas of personnel and contract negotiation have produced huge
cost savings to the Town. I have been proud to have him at my side, serving in the dual role of Deputy Supervisor.
Rick Zydel, in his relatively short period of time on the Board, has proven to be a hard-working member who is
willing to address the tough issues related to our new solid waste law to help control a growing rodent problem.
We will have an opportunity to add a new member to the Town Board as well and I applaud the interest of Stan
Kaznowski in seeking elective office after many years of community organizing and advocating on behalf of the
taxpayers. His background, knowledge and skills will be a true asset to the Board and all of our residents.
Chris Kowal has also decided to retire after more than 35 years of dedicated public service and I’m hoping he and
I can enjoy doing some fishing in the future. While we all understand the importance of having a well managed
Highway Department on a daily basis, it is during those massive winter storms that we fully comprehend the
necessity of having a person at the helm who can respond when needed. It will take someone with the depth of
knowledge that Chris has about the operation of the Highway Department to continue to provide the service we
have all come to expect.
I believe Bob Sprada, with his years of experience in Highway, and his service as Deputy Highway Superintendent
can and will get the job done.
Lastly, there is no doubt Town Justice Tom Kolbert should receive the enthusiastic support of our Democratic
Committee. He has a no nonsense approach to justice that these times need.
I realize that in taking myself out of contention, I now play a different role in the endorsement process. But I’ve
given it my all over the years and would not want to walk away without sharing what I hope you will consider a
valuable opinion on who can best carry us forward.
Once again, thank you for the confidence you have placed in me over the years.
Sincerely,
James J. Jankowiak
Town Supervisor
SENATOR BILL STACHOWSKI DISCUSSES AIRLINE PASSENGER BILL OF RIGHTS
May 15...Earlier this week, the New York State Senate passed legislation to provide passengers stranded on
airplanes at new York airports with certain basic amenities to make their wait more tolerable. The bill also
creates a new Airline Consumer Advocate Office to help airline passengers in our state report air travel service
problems.
Although we here in Western New York only think of the Great Buffalo Niagara International Airport as our
transportation hub, we need to keep in mind that our state is home to some of the world's busiest airports. In fact,
many connections to Buffalo are made through either JFK airport or LaGuardia airport, so we do have a vested
interest in the problems that travelers have experienced at these large volume facilities.
It's my feeling that in too many instances the airline industry has failed to exercise corporate responsibility by
providing for the basic needs of their customers. This measure would set basic customer standards that all
major airlines should follow. Included in the bill are provisions that all airlines in New York airports provide snacks
and water, fresh air and power, and working rest rooms to passengers on any plane that has left the gate and
been on the tarmac for more than four hours.
This legislation would also create the Office of Airline Consumer Advocate within the NYS Consumer Protection
Board to provide the public with a New York-based consumer advocate and contact person who can help to
coordinate with the appropriate airline industry officials and federal agencies in the event an incident occurs.
This law was suggested after the now famous "Valentine's Day" ice storm stranded passengers on planes on
runways at downstate New York airports. Then on March 17th, another day-long ice storm forced airlines to
strand hundreds more passengers at JFK for hours. Passengers onboard these planes complained of no food or
water, overflowing toilets and no ventilation. While JetBlue has since announced their own Passenger's Bill of
Rights that provides monetary compensation following such incidents, it does not require amenities be given to
stranded passengers.
Although federal law places restrictions on what individual states can do when it comes to legislation relating to
air travel, federal courts have held that the provision of "amenities' for air travelers is one area that states can
legitimately address.
If you think this is a good idea, you can contact your State Assemblyman and ask that it be passed by that house.
June 14, 2007... How does one assemble packets of petitions for 222 committee people, including competing
petitions for two separate candidates for County Executive, get the correct petitions into everybody's hands, and
do it all in the time frame of about 36 hours? That was the challenge taken on by the Executive Board this past
weekend.
Our Town Committee did not receive the petitions until Sunday June 10, 2007 at 5:00 PM. At that time we arranged
to have some individuals come in on Monday to pick up and deliver to committee members the full slate of
petitions. Any individual requesting Paul Clark petitions instead of James Keane petitions were given them but if
no request was made then the James Keane petition was left in the packet. At approximately 5:15 PM on Monday
we were informed that all legislative districts were omitted from the packets received from Erie County
Democratic headquarters. Frantic calls were made to downtown requesting that they deliver all petitions for
legislative districts 2, 4, 8, 9 and 14. They were promptly delivered to Paul Clark’s headquarters where they were
then added to each packet.
This year we wanted to make sure that all committee members received their petitions as soon as possible.
Every attempt was made to get the petition packets in their hands as soon as humanly possible. Chairman Max
instructed the volunteers delivering the petitions to personally hand them to someone and not leave them if they
weren’t home.
Some attempts were made to deliver them on Monday but if no one was home they were delivered later. We are
proud to report that a majority of committeemen had their petitions in hand by late Monday, in advance of the first
circulation date which was Tuesday. This is in contrast to last year's performance, when many of our members
did not receive petitions until well into the signature gathering period.
If you haven’t received your petitions you may call Frank Max at 656-8966 to arrange delivery or send an email to
this website. We apologize for any inconvenience however it must be noted that we will not resort to a
disinformation campaign as put forth in a letter sent out two days ago suggesting that this Committee is shirking
its responsibility to properly distribute designating petitions to its members. The majority of individuals with their
name affixed to the Keane letter received the petitions on Monday. Furthermore, NONE of the elected officials who
had their names affixed to this letter were aware of this correspondence or offered their names in support of its
contents. This sort of electioneering is absolutely outrageous and we will try to maintain a higher standard of
conduct in the way we conduct party business. We implore our fellow Democrats who may not be in sync with
what we're trying to accomplish here to at least try to do likewise.
CHEEKTOWAGA DEMOCRATS MAKE THEIR PICKS
May 29, 2007, Cheektowaga, New York… The Cheektowaga Democratic Town Committee convened tonight to
make their selections for their seven member slate in this year’s town elections.
178 members of the 222 member committee were in attendance and cast ballots in the endorsement vote.
Heading the ticket will be Supervisor candidate Mary Holtz, who was selected unanimously by the Committee.
Holtz has worked in Cheektowaga Town government for over three decades, most recently in the position of
Town Clerk, which she was elected to in 2003. She has a long time record of service in the Town with many
civic and community organizations, and also serves as Town Historian. If elected, Holtz will replace current
Town Supervisor Jim Jankowiak, who declined to run for a full term and will be stepping down at the end of
the year.
Committee members then unanimously chose Council Member Alice Magierski to run for Town Clerk, and also
gave the nod to long time Town Justice Thomas Kolbert for a new term.
Seven individuals competed for three slots for Council Member. Winning committee endorsement were
incumbents Richard Zydel and Jeff Swiatek placing first and second. Stanley Kaznowski, a civic activist who
heads the Town Park Homeowners Association, came in third. Other participants in the endorsement process
whose results came up short were Diane Benczkowski, John Kaczorowski, Charles Markel and James Sala.
Long time Council Member Thomas Johnson will retire from his post and is not seeking re-election.
Two candidates vied for the position of Superintendent of Highways, seeking to replace retiring incumbent
Christopher Kowal. Highway Working Crew Chief Mark Wegner won the Committee’s backing, defeating former
Deputy Highway Superintendent Robert Sprada in the closest matchup of the night.
Town Chairman Frank Max expressed his satisfaction with the endorsed slate, saying, “These individuals
represent all the various interests and groups in our Committee, and offer a strong lineup of candidates to
compete in this November’s elections. I am very confident we will be successful in complete victory.”
2007 ENDORSEMENT VOTE - COMPLETE RESULTS
COMPLETE RESULTS (Raw numbers are weighted votes)
Town Supervisor
MARY HOLTZ -Unanimous-
Town Clerk
ALICE MAGIERSKI -Unanimous-
Town Justice
THOMAS KOLBERT -Unanimous-
Council Member (3 endorsed)
JEFF SWIATEK 16713
RICHARD ZYDEL 17596
STANLEY KAZNOWSKI 14225
JOHN KACZOROWSKI 5063
DIANE BENCZKOWSKI 6259
CHARLES MARKEL 4161
JAMES SALA 5547
Superintendent of Highways
ROBERT SPRADA 11525
MARK WEGNER 11897
SUPERVISOR JIM JANKOWIAK'S OPEN LETTER TO THE CHEEKTOWAGA DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE
May 24...As you are aware, I have announced that I will not seek election to a full four year term as Cheektowaga
Town Supervisor.
I realize that my announcement came as a surprise to most of you and many have told me of their disappointment
with my decision not to run. However, after 38 years of service to the public, with positions in the Town of
Cheektowaga and County of Erie, I have a strong desire to return to private life and make my wife and family my
first priority.
My career with the Town has been described as an example of the American Dream…when an employee who
starts out with a company as a messenger and through the display of hard work and determination one day is
promoted to the position of President and CEO. As most of you know, I began my service to the Town washing
police cars at the central garage. To end my career as the Town Supervisor is something I could not have
imagined back then.
Success in political life is not something you can achieve on your own and I want to take this opportunity to thank
the many men and women of the Cheektowaga Democratic Committee who I have had the opportunity to know
over these many years. Your encouragement, support and efforts have given me the courage and ability to realize
much success. I especially want to thank our current and past Town chairmen, Frank Max, Ken Meyers, Jim
Burst and Paul Tokasz. Having served in that position myself, I know the time and commitment one must make to
do the job right. Not only I, but the Town of Cheektowaga as well, has been the beneficiary of their hard work. I
also want to acknowledge former County Executive Dennis Gorski for entrusting me with the position of County
parks commissioner, a job which I thoroughly enjoyed and felt a great sense of accomplishment in doing.
I want to assure you and all the residents of the Town of Cheektowaga that I will continue to give 100 percent as
Town Supervisor through the end of my term. Our challenge in the Town Democratic Committee will be to
endorse a highly qualified candidate, capable of being elected to this very important Town office.
I am in full support of the candidacy of Mary Holtz for the position of Town Supervisor and highly recommend her
endorsement by our committee. Mary has the depth of knowledge, the demonstrated administrative ability and an
overwhelming concern for the Town and its people. Her ability to work well with people of divergent views will be
a great asset in addressing the challenges we continue to face in Cheektowaga.
Mary’s willingness to take on the challenge of Town Supervisor means that a new individual must be selected to
carry on the great work she has accomplished as Town Clerk. I strongly believe that with her background, Alice
Magierski is the person who, as Town Clerk, has the ability to continue and further enhance the essential
services that office provides to the operation of the Town government and its citizens.
The Supervisor and the Councilmembers each cast equal votes on the Town Board. Our incumbent
Councilmembers, Jeff Swiatek and Rick Zydel, are seeking your endorsement for a new term on the Town Board
and I wholeheartedly support the return of both men to office.
Jeff Swiatek’s knowledge and efforts in the areas of personnel and contract negotiation have produced huge
cost savings to the Town. I have been proud to have him at my side, serving in the dual role of Deputy Supervisor.
Rick Zydel, in his relatively short period of time on the Board, has proven to be a hard-working member who is
willing to address the tough issues related to our new solid waste law to help control a growing rodent problem.
We will have an opportunity to add a new member to the Town Board as well and I applaud the interest of Stan
Kaznowski in seeking elective office after many years of community organizing and advocating on behalf of the
taxpayers. His background, knowledge and skills will be a true asset to the Board and all of our residents.
Chris Kowal has also decided to retire after more than 35 years of dedicated public service and I’m hoping he and
I can enjoy doing some fishing in the future. While we all understand the importance of having a well managed
Highway Department on a daily basis, it is during those massive winter storms that we fully comprehend the
necessity of having a person at the helm who can respond when needed. It will take someone with the depth of
knowledge that Chris has about the operation of the Highway Department to continue to provide the service we
have all come to expect.
I believe Bob Sprada, with his years of experience in Highway, and his service as Deputy Highway Superintendent
can and will get the job done.
Lastly, there is no doubt Town Justice Tom Kolbert should receive the enthusiastic support of our Democratic
Committee. He has a no nonsense approach to justice that these times need.
I realize that in taking myself out of contention, I now play a different role in the endorsement process. But I’ve
given it my all over the years and would not want to walk away without sharing what I hope you will consider a
valuable opinion on who can best carry us forward.
Once again, thank you for the confidence you have placed in me over the years.
Sincerely,
James J. Jankowiak
Town Supervisor
SENATOR BILL STACHOWSKI DISCUSSES AIRLINE PASSENGER BILL OF RIGHTS
May 15...Earlier this week, the New York State Senate passed legislation to provide passengers stranded on
airplanes at new York airports with certain basic amenities to make their wait more tolerable. The bill also
creates a new Airline Consumer Advocate Office to help airline passengers in our state report air travel service
problems.
Although we here in Western New York only think of the Great Buffalo Niagara International Airport as our
transportation hub, we need to keep in mind that our state is home to some of the world's busiest airports. In fact,
many connections to Buffalo are made through either JFK airport or LaGuardia airport, so we do have a vested
interest in the problems that travelers have experienced at these large volume facilities.
It's my feeling that in too many instances the airline industry has failed to exercise corporate responsibility by
providing for the basic needs of their customers. This measure would set basic customer standards that all
major airlines should follow. Included in the bill are provisions that all airlines in New York airports provide snacks
and water, fresh air and power, and working rest rooms to passengers on any plane that has left the gate and
been on the tarmac for more than four hours.
This legislation would also create the Office of Airline Consumer Advocate within the NYS Consumer Protection
Board to provide the public with a New York-based consumer advocate and contact person who can help to
coordinate with the appropriate airline industry officials and federal agencies in the event an incident occurs.
This law was suggested after the now famous "Valentine's Day" ice storm stranded passengers on planes on
runways at downstate New York airports. Then on March 17th, another day-long ice storm forced airlines to
strand hundreds more passengers at JFK for hours. Passengers onboard these planes complained of no food or
water, overflowing toilets and no ventilation. While JetBlue has since announced their own Passenger's Bill of
Rights that provides monetary compensation following such incidents, it does not require amenities be given to
stranded passengers.
Although federal law places restrictions on what individual states can do when it comes to legislation relating to
air travel, federal courts have held that the provision of "amenities' for air travelers is one area that states can
legitimately address.
If you think this is a good idea, you can contact your State Assemblyman and ask that it be passed by that house.