In a choking feat of Hillary Clinton-like proportions, Erie County Legislator Pat Burke was defeated by Special Education teacher Erik Bohen in last week's Special Election for NY State Assembly. Despite having name recognition, broad union support and money, and a huge Democratic enrollment advantage in the district, the heavily favored Burke somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I'm not saying some of his supporters were arrogant, but here's the first comment I got on Facebook when I wrote an article a few months ago describing Bohen's potential for an upset...
As anyone who received one of Burke's 80,000 direct mailings can attest, the State Teacher's Union broke the bank in an unsuccessful effort to elect their puppet. Rumor has it, the 500 votes Burke lost by were the 500 Erie County mailmen who had to carry his literature to people's mailboxes every 1-2 days for the month prior to the election. They must've spent a fortune! And in none of those countless mailings did Burke once say anything about the pay raises Andrew Cuomo is trying to bestow upon the current legislators in Albany. In this case, the more astute voters realized silence equals compliance. Burke wants nothing more than to be in Albany, cozying up to Cuomo and the Manhattan elite. Bohen did speak out against it and the people took notice. If Bohen continues to speak out publicly against these raises, I believe he would garner even more support from the voters.
Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy Zellner must be scratching his head over who to support this Fall (when the seat becomes open once again). Will he make the same mistake twice and pump thousands of dollars and resources into a candidate whose liberal beliefs are clearly out of step with the views of the majority of people in the district? Here's Pat Burke praising Socialist Bernie Sanders in a 2016 photo...
Or will Zellner go to his bullpen and back Lackawanna Mayor Geoffrey Syzmanski, who is rumored to be salivating at the prospect of running for the seat? If not, I wonder if Syzmanski will challenge Burke anyway in September. Syzmanski should also know there are other South Buffalo Democrats willing to enter the primary, too. This could only help his chances of defeating Burke and getting his shot at Bohen.
Other notes about the election...
-The Editorial Board at The Buffalo News lived up to it's out of touch reputation with their endorsement of Burke. Here's an actual photo of Burke receiving the endorsement, otherwise known as the Hoity Toity Kiss of Death...
Because South Buffalo residents really care about the opinion of the nameless, faceless suits from Williamsville and Clarence, who have no clue as to what's going on in our neighborhood. I have respect for a few of the reporters there, who do a good job. However, the Editorial Board does them a disservice by exposing how out of touch they are, every time there's an election.
-The Burke-Bohen race exposed a huge faction between South Buffalo voters and left a bad taste in the mouths of many. Nobody likes to see such divisiveness and animosity. Except me, of course... This split could really hurt Burke's reelection chances should another South Buffalo resident decide to run against him for his County seat. Given the fact that the district is 2/3 in Cheektowaga, this could open the door for a Polish Democrat to send Burke back to bar-tending school should he/she choose to run. A three person race would almost guarantee this result.
-Bohen was able to pull out the victory despite receiving the endorsement of Mickey Kearns. Fortunately for Bohen, most voters are still being fooled by Tricky Mickey and aren't onto him just yet. Check your watch.
-City Comptroller Mark Schroeder stuck out his neck for Burke. This can not sit well with Bohen's South Buffalo base. Bohen just recently was one of Schroeder's key strategists in his unsuccessful mayoral bid. To be fair, Burke did support Schroader also and is a fellow Democrat. However, I have a feeling some Bohen supporters wish Schroeder would have stayed neutral like every other South Buffalo elected Democratic official. Personally, I give him credit for taking a side, albeit the wrong one. It just goes to show that things aren't always as they seem. As Tip O'Neill once said, "If you want a friend in politics, get a dog."
-Speaking of which, the Democratic Chairman as well as Burke's supporters cannot be happy with the lack of support he received from fellow Democrats Chris Scanlon and Tim Kennedy. Especially with the results being so close. Their silence was a tacit endorsement of Bohen.
-Stay tuned in the coming months. It's going to be a battle in September and/or November for this seat. Candidates, this post will reach thousands in the district. I'm only one phone call/text/email away if you want to let me know why you should be the next State Assemblyman and what you plan on doing to lower taxes and help the working poor in the district. I know you'll see this message. If I don't hear from you, that's a clear indication to me that you aren't concerned with the needs of the non-union working class vote. *
-Go forth and sin no more!
*If you'd like to see this article reach thousands of like minded residents, please help me to make it a sponsored post on Facebook. I've been doing this with other articles and the number of people it reaches is impressive. However, because I'm part of the non-entitled working poor, it's difficult to spend money promoting my articles. I'm soliciting small donations to help pay for this to go into every home in the district. A PayPal donation below of $1, $2, or $5 will go a long way towards making sure it reaches the intended audience. Thank you.
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