
Hoyt, Brown, Lenihan, Rumore, Struggle for Power?
That’s my title for this article I found in the Buffalo News. All this is really so dam typical in WNY politics. I heard so many rumors when I was running against Hoyt it got to be hilarious. Everything from he was not going to complete his term to he impregnated a staffer in Albany. Where did they come from? I have no idea, people would call and email me. Byron Brown? Wow I have heard some doozies about him too, but rumors run rampant as there is real power struggles going on.
This brings up many questions in my mind, of course I have asked them before and never got answers. How much of this goes on during the day and being paid for with taxpayers money? I would say most of it. How much of this goes on and absorbs the days of Byron Brown, Casey and the staff at City Hall. Now we know Hoyt is back in town after all the useless Assembly is out of legislative session and he is home running for re-election. Think about how much politicking goes on in his offices. The motto at Hoyt’s Assembly office is, “do what ever it takes to make Sam look good”. Is that politics or is that doing the job? Is he representing the people or himself?
Rumore doesn’t like Hoyt because of the control board and his support of Charter schools. There Sam and I agree at least in principal. This is where Kavanaugh kisses the ring of Rumore and get the support from the union to include money and foot soldiers. I was even told I could have gotten support from Rumore 2 years ago because of his distrust of Hoyt… I stayed far away, I do not like the way he BS’s everyone about everything is for the children when the Buffalo Schools are such a failure and cost us over 25 grand per student per year.
If you watch county politics you can see Hoyt’s hands all over it, from his support for legislative candidates like Whyte, Iannelo/Ward and the rest of the socialists and City Council candidates. He wants to control everyone so he can control his agenda just like Brown does. Of course Brown was never the Lenihan choice for mayor, good old Byron was thrust upon him and Buffalo from other power sources and money.
All in all Hoyt deserves a challenge, it can’t come from the Republican side because the district is so lop sided toward the Democrats. Like I said yesterday a monkey could win on the Democrat line against a Republican and it’s like that in many districts because of gerrymandering.
All in all this power struggle hurts us, too much time is spent on politicking during work hours and the real job of governing gets ignored. Offices are not supposed to be for politics but they all are. Hoyt could be a hero by just getting the toll bill passed instead of just announcing legislation then just sitting on it. He would also do much better if he did what he said he would do instead of trying to be everything to everyone, take a stand for once. He also spends all too much time kissing the ring of Shelly Silver and the downstate politicians and ignoring us.
I can’t vote in this primary and that’s a good thing I suppose, I don’t like either one of them.
Buffalo’s Mayor Brown accused of trying to oust Assemblyman Hoyt
According to the first rumor, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt would resign in disgrace. The second one claimed the FBI was hot on the trail of Mayor Byron W. Brown. Neither rumor proved true, but each side accuses the other of spreading such allegations, which speaks volumes about the escalating feud between the two politicians.
The rift has helped to put Hoyt, up for re-election this year, in the cross hairs of some of Buffalo’s most powerful leaders, from Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano to Philip Rumore, president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation.
“It’s time for a change,” Rumore said. “We also think Barbra Kavanaugh is a breath of fresh air.”
Kavanaugh, a former Common Council member, is staging a Democratic primary challenge against Hoyt, an old and now former friend. She has the help of some deep-pocket supporters such as Golisano and Buffalo developer Carl Paladino.
This is the second serious challenge that Hoyt, a lawmaker since 1992, has faced in recent races. Four years ago, he fended off an opponent — North Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr. — who had many of the same backers as Kavanaugh.
Is this new battle with Kavanaugh really about change and reform as Golisano and Rumore suggest? Or is it simply Round Two in Hoyt’s ongoing war with Brown?
“Their view is, ‘You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists,’ ” Jeremy Toth, one of Hoyt’s closest advisers, said of the Brown camp.
Toth says the mayor’s fingerprints, as well as those of Deputy Mayor Steve Casey, are all over Kavanaugh’s Assembly candidacy.
They range from the dozens of City Hall workers who collected signatures for her nominating petitions to the involvement of G. Steven Pigeon, a Golisano confidant who has re-established close ties to Brown and Casey.
“We think he’s a phony,” Pigeon said of Hoyt. “He talks reform, but, in reality, he’s the same old Albany politician.”
Hoyt’s backers say the mayor’s involvement is bewildering given the city’s need for lawmakers with the seniority and clout to continue the flow of state aid to Buffalo.
pfairbanks@buffnews.com
More at the link.