| Six years ago, primary day was disrupted by the darkest day in the history of this great nation. Although the eleventh day of the ninth month has occurred hundreds of times in history, there is only one September 11. This year, the primaries were moved to September 18 to give the day its proper respect. Readers expecting to find endorsements and candidate profiles for next Tuesday may be surprised to find them absent from this edition.
Is it right for an editorial staff consisting of members with various political beliefs to make an endorsement in a race that is designed to be determined only by members of one specific party? This is a question that we’re struggling to answer ourselves. Although we are not making recommendations in this edition, we offer quick glimpses at the candidates in some of the more interesting races.
Democrats for Town Board: Stan Kaznowski joins incumbents Jeff Swiatek and Rick Zydel as party-endorsed candidates. Charlie Markel offers an alternative. Kaznowski is president of the Town Park Homeowners Association and is vocal when necessary at town board meetings. An attorney, Swiatek has negotiated changes to the town’s collective bargaining agreements that have saved taxpayers money. Zydel, president of Doyle Hose Company No. 1, joined the board when a vacancy arose in January. Markel is a convenience store owner who ran for council on the Republican ticket in 2005.
Democrats for Town Clerk: Alice Magierski is a town councilmember who also serves as district treasurer for the Cheektowaga-Sloan School District. She is endorsed by the party. Diane Benczkowski is the challenger. A real estate agent, Benczkowski serves on the Depew Board of Education and ran for town council as a Republican in 2005.
Democrats for Erie County Legislator in the Eighth District: Incumbent Tom Mazur faces challenges from Debbie Kubiak, Joshua J. Penfold and John M. Dudziak. Mazur teaches at Erie Community College and is a former town councilmember. This is his second go-around as a legislator. Kubiak is a community activist from Cedargrove Heights. Penfold is endorsed by Primary Challenge and currently serves as Director of Communications for the Magic Penny Early Literacy Institute. Dudziak is a former Erie County Assistant District Attorney.
Democrats for Erie County Legislator in the Ninth District: Cynthia Locklear faces a challenge from Timothy Wroblewski. This is a repeat of the 2005 race in which Locklear, backed by Primary Challenge, upended Wroblewski.
The Times will offer endorsements for the November general election, the one day when persons from Democratic, Conservative, Green, Independence, Libertarian, Republican, Right-to-Life and Working Family parties unite to make the final decision. Our endorsements will be based on interviews with the candidates, their voting records where applicable and their knowledge of local topics. In the meantime, we’ll let the voters determine who’s best to represent their individual political parties.
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