SOURCE REPORTS NIAGARA COUNTY GOP CHAIRMAN HENRY WOJTASZEK LOST HARRIS BEACH GIG PARTLY DUE TO STATE SENATE COUP ATTEMPT...AES DEBACLE ALSO FACTOR...FASO, MEYER FRONT RUNNERS FOR NYS REPUBLICAN CHAIR

Why did Niagara County Republican Chairman Henry Wojtaszek leave his cushy six figure position as a top legal eagle for the prestigious Buffalo law firm known as Harris Beach? Our source tell us that Wojtaszek's cover story to the effect that he left to concentrate on winning the NYS GOP chairmanship race months in the future is nonsense.

"It doesn't make any sense that Wojtaszek would quit a six figure gig to concentrate on the state chairmanship race that's not going to even come up for a vote for many weeks," our source insists. "It's ridiculous! Actually, the truth has a lot more to do with two factors: (1) Wojtaszek had become a political and business liability because of his involvement in the failed state senate coup attempt and (2) He had promised that he could make good things happen for Harris Beach clients in Niagara County due to his influential role as Republican Chairman and it just didn't happen."

The details follow:

HIGHLY PLACED SOURCES SAY: EACH E-MAIL COULD BE A MISDEMEANOR COUNT FOR PERRIN-JOHNSON...ANOTHER COMMISSIONER USED TEXT MESSAGES...DAVIS: WHERE'S THE CASH?...ARE COUP PLOTTERS PLOTTING YET ANOTHER DOOMED TO FAILURE INSURRECTION?

Brown Administration top sider Tanya Perrin-Johnson has secured the services of Buffalo attorney Jonathan Daniels, according to one source, in an effort to sidestep the legal consequences of her alleged attempt to pressure City Hall employees to work on the Mayor's re-election campaign using e-mails.

"Perrin-Johnson has definitely lawyered up in an effort to get out of this mess," he or she reports. "It's true that you're probably just dealing with misdemeanors related to the e-mails. The problem is that each e-mail could be a separate misdemeanor, which could mean 15-20 or more charges, not the kind of thing anyone wants to face as a defendant in criminal court. Now we hear that there's another City Hall Commissioner who could be charged with the exact same kind of offense. In his case, he used text messages, not emails to spread the same word...When will people learn that nothing is private in cyberspace?...In any case, so far we don't have any tangible evidence of involvement from higher ups in either scheme, though certainly suspicions in this regard are widespread."

Moving on to the Brian Davis tragedy, we are being told that things are just getting worse and worse for the Ellicott District Common Council Member.

A START AT TRUE HEALTH CARE REFORM..."SUCH RATE SHALL NOT VARY BY HEALTH STATUS"

The 615 page Health Care Reform bill approved by the Senate Health, Education, and Labor Committee on Wednesday, could be the start of real universal health care reform for America. Since we can not publish the entire bill, we will attempt to offer significant excerpts. In the following passage, the bill's sponsors seek to prevent health insurance companies from rejecting or overcharging those with pre-existing conditions.

HERBERT NO LONGER A MAYORAL CANDIDATE...SETS SIGHTS ON FILLMORE DISTRICT...HOCHUL, OTHER US ATTORNEY NOMINEES STILL WAITING FOR OBAMA, CONGRESS

Democratic mayoral candidate Sam Herbert has decided to drop out of the race for his party's nomination due to a lack of petition signatures. However, he signalled his desire to stay active in politics by taking some parting shots at Mayor Brown and also by announcing that he will run for the Fillmore District Common Council seat in 2011.

"I was only able to get 1,523 signatures out of the minimum 2,000 that I needed," he acknowledged. "However, I am going to start working right now on winning the Fillmore District Common Council seat, for which I received approx. 41% of the vote in 2007. Also, I want people to know that I will very seriously consider voting for Micky Kearns for Mayor because so many people are telling me that Mayor Brown is not listening to the people of the African-American community and other inner city residents. They are angry and I am angry because the Mayor is not doing anything for us. If the Mayor is going to listen only to those from outside our community, We might as well have a Mayor from outside our community."

MAZIARZ A CHAMPION OF PATRONAGE REFORM...ARE YOU KIDDING, Ch. 2?

The other day while doing a highly one sided story on recent State Senate staff salary hikes, (We say "one sided" because many of the largest increases went to GOP staffers, a fact that was never mentioned in the piece) WGRZ, Ch. 2 then went on to get a quote from their #1 anti patronage crusader, Republican Senator George Maziarz....But, wait a minute! The local TV station known to many as "2 on the Republilcans' side," has never pointed out the fact that their favorite source to quote about the need to eliminate all patronage has been himself for years, the biggest patronage boss in the entire state, according to many.

Therefore, in an effort to help Ch. 2 out, we offer the following story, first published on NiagaraFalls Politics several months ago:

There may be some who have been taken in by NYS Senator George Maziarz's emergence as a born again spokesperson for state-wide political reform...And, then there are those who know better such as Niagara County Democratic Chairman Dan Rivera.

"There is simply no bounds to Senator Maziarz's hypocrisy," Chairman Rivera declares. "For over a decade Maziarz has been the Prince of Patronage during the time he's been in the Senate and the Republicans have had their majority there. Now, all of a sudden, the Republicans have lost their Senate majority and he's trying to pass himself off as a political reformer...It's a joke and that's the nicest thing I can say about it. He's had the biggest friends and family plan around in Niagara County for years."

The list of Republicans functionaries whom Senator Maziarz has found patronage jobs for is legion, as Chairman Rivera is more than happy to point out.

Introduction of Judge Sonia Sotomayor by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
July 13, 2009

Thank you Chairman Leahy, Ranking member Sessions, Senator Schumer, and the other distinguished members of the Judiciary Committee for the privilege to speak on behalf of Judge Sonia Sotomayor.  President Obama has chosen one of the country’s outstanding legal minds with his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court. 

As a New Yorker, I take great pride along with the rest of my state in Judge Sotomayor’s nomination. 

As a woman, I take great pride in this historic nomination.  In the words of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor “It took a very long time – about 171 years – to get the first woman on the Supreme Court.  And I thought … that we’d very likely always have two and eventually more.” 

WROBLEWSKI BACKERS BELIEVE BOVE HAS "AWAKENED A SLEEPING GIANT"...CONTEND THEY HAVE POLL IN WHICH "TIM KILLS CHRISTINE!"

The many supporters of the re-election of West Seneca/Cheektowaga County Legislator Tim Wroblewski struck back Monday against the campaign of challenger and West Seneca Town Board Member Christine Bove.

"The only thing Bove has done is awaken a sleeping giant in Tim Wroblewski," said one. "Tim is out there working hard, going door to door for his re-election campaign right now. As for any supposed poll that shows here ahead, it's not true. We have a poll that shows Tim killing Christine."

Among the problems Bove faces in the view of many is that she opposed the West Seneca Town Board downsizing initiative, which voters supported overwhelmingly, whereas Wroblewski was the author of the unanimously passed Erie County Legislature downsizing bill.

"Who does Bove think she's kidding," yet another Wroblewski backer asks. "The fact that she was on the wrong side of the downsizing issue while Tim is on the right side has got to hurt her. Of course, Tim Wroblewski will bring up her opposition to the will of of the people on downsizing at every door he knocks on. Besides that there is the fact that the Cheektowaga Democrats feel insulted by her last minute candidacy, which she did not run past them...They and everyone else looks at her as an incredible opportunist. She's losing her seat because of downsizing and now she has decided to campaign for some other office. She just doesn't respect the voters' decision."

MAYORAL CANDIDATE KEARNS PROMISES BUSINESS PLAN FOR CITY, HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS, MORE POLICE ON STREETS IF HE WINS IN SEPTEMBER

What kind of Mayor would South District Common Council Member Mickey Kearns be? According to the Councilman, he'll be the kind of Mayor who would be a familiar sight in the neighborhoods and not just in election years...the kind of Mayor who would put city money into community business strips, not just big ticket downtown enterprises of questionable worth.

"When I look around the City of Buffalo, I see neighborhoods and individuals who need a Mayor who puts his primary attention on helping them, not just politics," Councilman Kearns declares. "I see a city which needs, not just surveillance cameras on every corner, which are little more than enforcement tooks, but additional police officers on the streets to protect law abiding citizens. I never saw a camera put the cuffs on anyone and I don't think anyone else has either."

SUNDAY BUFFALO NEWS REPORT THAT STATE POLICE, ERIE COUNTY DA'S OFFICE ARE NOW INVESTIGATING DAVIS VINDICATES TREZEVANT'S LONG CRUSADE TO BRING INCUMBENT COUNCILMAN TO JUSTICE 

Sunday's front page Buffalo News story revealing that both the New York State Police and the Erie County District Attorney's Office "have launched a criminal investigation into the financial dealings of Ellicott District Common Council Member Brian Davis" is a vindication of the work of many who have labored long and hard to get such inquiries begun. Chief among them has been prominent Buffalo attorney Bill Trezevant, who has shown enormous courage and persistence in continuing to write letters to law enforcement officials with the goal of getting such investigations off the ground. Unlike many who merely talk about such lofty aspirations, Bill is a true Christian as well as a dedicated champion of this community.

Far away from his efforts to bring integrity to the Ellicott District Council seat, Bill has worked for years to rehabilitate the east side's historic and beautiful Transfiguration Church, meeting with increasing success as time has gone on. Meanwhile, he has proven that he is willing to face down opposition and even threats in order to make justice a reality and not just a slogan for the people of the City of Buffalo.