Published: November 11, 2006 10:52 pm      

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Niagarans willing to split their vote

Niagara County’s leading Republican thinks that despite last week’s Democratic sweep across New York, Republicans did well locally.

State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, who easily beat his own challenger, Christopher Srock, pointed to county Treasurer David Broderick’s 12-point win against Patrick Brown, a Democrat with strong name recognition, strong fund-raising ability and solid qualifications.

“This was a very good year for Republicans,” Maziarz said, noting that despite the statewide Democratic sweep, Niagara County residents split their vote.

He also noted that Republican Ernest Palmer beat incumbent Democrat Gary Pacioni in the Town of Lewiston board race.

Palmer garnered 3,012 votes to Pacioni’s 2,144.

But Niagara County Republicans didn’t exactly deliver for Western New York’s biggest Republican, who was ultimately successful.

Like 2004, the county chose Democrat Jack Davis over Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-Clarence, by a margin of 54 percent to

46 percent.

Actually, Niagara County chose several losing candidates.

They liked Republican J. Christopher Callahan over Democrat Alan Hevesi in the state comptroller’s race by a 51 percent to 45 percent margin.

Hevesi, embroiled in a scandal over his use of a state employee to act as a driver for his wife, which had caused him to be ousted from the state Democrats’ inner circle and to reimburse the state about $172,000, won with 57 percent.

Even though her home county of Westchester rejected her, by a slim margin, Niagarans favored Jeanine Pirro, the GOP’s candidate for attorney general over Andrew Cuomo.

The statewide tally, however, put Cuomo over the top by a margin of 17 percent, according to unofficial returns.

Maziarz attributed the “wins” in Niagara County by Republicans to party Chairman Henry Wojtaszek.

“The Niagara County Republican organization under Henry is a very good organization,” he said.

Wojtaszek, who has recruited Democrats to act like Republicans in the county Legislature to the point where his party holds a 14-5 margin over the Democrats despite the Dems’ enrollment advantage, isn’t a candidate for the soon-to-be-vacant statewide chairmanship, Maziarz said.

Chatter on the Web suggests the honor of filling Stephen Minarik’s shoes could go to one of Sen. Joseph Bruno’s allies, a GOP chairman from Long Island or even Pirro.

Reform, anyone?

There may be a new governor, but the power structure in the state Legislature remains the same.

In the Senate, Republicans will continue to control at least 34 out of 62 seats, and Democrats have a firm grip on power in the Assembly.

“This is a testimony of how we have delivered to our constituents and all the people who want checks and balances in state government,” Senate GOP Leader Joe Bruno told the New York Daily News.

Or maybe it’s a testimony to the extreme lengths that Republicans in the Senate (and the Democrats in the Assembly) go to crafting districts that are friendly to their members.

The one race that’s still a toss-up is Sen. Nick Spano’s in Westchester. The Republican beat Democrat Andrea Stewart-Cousins by 18 votes in 2004 and again, the two are locked in a close race, though it appears Spano is trailing, pending a final vote count.

If Spano loses, it will mark the only seat in the Senate that will switch parties.

Is it really a democracy when seats (almost) only change hands when someone retires?

Thirteen out of the Senate’s 62 races, or 21 percent, were uncontested. Others were marginally contested by underfinanced and underprepared challengers.

In the 60th Senate District, the Republicans didn’t even put up a challenger.

That seat will change hands but not parties. Marc Coppola, who was chosen by the Erie County Democratic Committee to run in February’s special election, was defeated in a Democratic primary by Antoine Thompson, a member of the Buffalo Common Council. Thompson will take office

Jan. 1.

Contact Jill Terreri

at 282-2311, Ext. 2250.