The race to succeed Assemblyman Michael Kearns could be turning into a free for all. At least two candidates from South Buffalo have expressed interest with others considering jumping in.
There has been no formal announcement regarding a special election yet. However, the Democrats appear to be leaning towards Patrick Burke. Unfortunately for Burke, someone forgot to tell him his liberal political leanings are out of step with the majority of the constituents in the district.
Local Special Education teacher Erik Bohen has also announced plans to hold an election party, despite the fact that the election itself hasn't been announced. He's very popular with the South Buffalo clique, however his relationship with Carl Paladino (Bohen has managed his school board campaigns) won't win him any support from his fellow teachers or other unions for that matter.
Chris Scanlon's name has been mentioned as well, but I don't see him running as anything other than a Democrat, and that nod appears to be going to Burke.
I've also spoken to several people and am exploring the possibility of a run for this seat. I've run the youth soccer leagues for the past 28 years, become close to thousands of families, and have friends on every street in the district. Also, the idea of running as an Independent candidate intrigues me as I believe young people are fed up with the two existing parties and not afraid to look at a 3rd option. Also, a 3rd South Buffalo candidate might open the door for the Lackawanna Mayor or someone from West Seneca/Orchard Park to jump in. The more the merrier! South Buffalo's political leadership (including Patrick Burke) haven't been in my corner when I needed their help. This will be a great opportunity to let them know they need to respect the people in the district who actually get things done.
As soon as an election date is announced, I'll be reaching out to my friends to see who is with me. My enemies can go piss up a rope and support Burke or Bohen for all I care. Burke is a pawn for County Executive Mark Poloncarz and Democratic Party boss Jeremy Zellner. Bohen is the same for Carl Paladino and Republican Party boss Nick Langworthy.
Hopefully, Lackawanna Mayor Syzmanski will avoid making any deals and jump right into the action. A free for all is just what this district needs. Why let the party bosses choose the next representative? We all know the direction they've led us down. I envision this election resembling something like the picture below. Let's get it on!
