Published: August 05, 2008 07:57 pm      

POLITICS: GOP chair: Dems should give money back

Wojtaszek calls on rival to return campaign money to Davis

Niagara County Republican Party Chairman Henry Wojtaszek wants his rivals in the Democratic Party to give Jack Davis his money back.

A day after the release of a letter in which Democratic Party Chairman Dan Rivera called for a district attorney’s investigation into the handling of election petitions by Davis staffers, Wojtaszek publicly called on his Democratic counterpart to return every dollar his party has ever received from the Akron businessman he now accuses of wrongdoing.

“I believe it is important for political parties to try to maintain the highest political standards so voters can have faith in the integrity of our system,” Wojtaszek said in a statement released Tuesday. “So if Chairman Rivera believes Jack Davis broke the law, I applaud him for coming forward. But if he really believes in honesty and integrity, he will return the tens of thousands of dollars he has taken from the man he now describes as a lawbreaker.”

Last week, Rivera sent a letter to Niagara County District Attorney Michael Violante in which he called for an investigation into “irregularities” related to petitions filed by Davis supporters in the race for the 26th Congressional District. Rivera said he has provided the DA’s office with notarized affidavits from nine individuals who claimed to have signed petitions that were supposed to have been witnessed by a female Davis staff member, Kelly Taylor, but were actually circulated by a male member of the Davis team. Davis backers insist the petitions were legal and have been approved by the state Board of Elections.

On Tuesday, Rivera dismissed Wojtaszek’s request to return contributions from Davis as the latest in a series of attempts to discredit the local Democratic Party under his leadership. Rivera said local Democrats have received donations from Davis whom he said has also sponsored a couple of the party’s golf outings. He added that the contributions — no matter what type or amount — do not add up to Rivera overlooking what he believes may have been violations of election law on the part of Davis staffers.

“Is what Wojtaszek saying is that he’d keep his mouth shut if someone paid him enough money, even if he knew they did something illegal?” Rivera said.

Rivera insisted that his issue was not with Davis himself, but rather with members of the Davis campaign who handled his petitions.

“I never said Jack Davis has done anything illegal,” Rivera said. “I never stated that.”