Published: August 24, 2008 12:43 am      

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Three minutes — or else!

NIAGARA FALLS — Some actions are tough to live down.

Legislature Chairman Bill Ross, C-Wheatfield, announced plans this week to invite to a future meeting lawmakers who used to serve the county as part of a special bicentennial celebration.

Following the announcement, Legislator Clyde Burmaster, R-Ransomville, jokingly asked if the former legislators would be held to no more than three minutes each at the podium as is the rule for speakers addressing members during formal legislative sessions.

“They will only get three minutes, right?” Burmaster said.

Ross noted that Burmaster made a good point. He then told Burmaster — who ordered an entire crowd of residents dismissed from the legislative chambers while he serving as chairman last year — that Burmaster would be in charge of making sure all of the ex-lawmakers follow the rules.

“Yes, they will, or you will kick them all out,” Ross said.

Environmental backing

The New York League of Conservation Voters, the political voice for New York’s environmental community, has endorsed Alice Kryzan for the 26th Congressional District.

The organization commended Kryzan on her extensive legal background, including her work on environmental issues. Kryzan represented the Town of Clarence in its battle against the expansion of a hazardous waste facility and later helped ensure that the site was cleaned up in an environmentally sound manner. The League noted that Kryzan is currently working as a volunteer with a coalition of environmental groups helping them oppose the construction of a coal-fired power plant.

Kryzan’s campaign is focused on protecting the environment while achieving economic goals. She hopes to transform Western New York into a center for “green-collar” jobs by encouraging the growth of the alternative energy industry in the region.

“Alice Kryzan has been an outstanding advocate for open space preservation, clean water, clean energy, and environmental justice in Western New York,” said Marcia Bystryn, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “We’re proud to throw our full support behind her candidacy, and we strongly urge voters who care about New York’s environment to make her the next Congress member from the 26th District.”

GOP’s Upstate voice

Niagara County Chairman Henry Wojtaszek received some recognition this week from state Republican Party bosses.

State GOP Chairman Joseph N. Mondello appointed Wojtaszek to a newly created position of second vice chair for upstate which will focus on improving party communications, program implementation and opportunities for communities in Western New York and throughout upstate. Wojtaszek has also been selected as the Western New York vice chair by party leaders in the region.

“Chairman Mondello’s decision to reinforce the Republican Party’s traditional support for upstate will not only help Republicans deliver their messages to the public and succeed at the polls this fall, but it will also provide another avenue for our voice to be truly heard by the entire state,” Wojtaszek said.