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Gabryszak cruises as Dems post gains
Town Supervisor Dennis H. Gabryszak is heading to the New York State Assembly after defeating Republican Jeffrey Sell in the race to represent the 143rd district during Tuesday's general election.
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Gabryszak's victory mirrored dozens throughout the state and across the country as Democrats won every major state position and took over the United States House of Representatives for the first time since 1994.
Unofficial results had Gabryszak- who will replace retiring Assembly Majority Leader Paul A. Tokasz- earning 25,419, or 70 percent, of the vote with 99 percent of districts reporting as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Reached by the Times on Wednesday afternoon, a "little tired" Gabryszak, who must relinquish his position as supervisor, said he looks forward to a new challenge in Albany.
"I'm excited to work with (Governor elect) Eliot Spitzer in terms of trying to reverse the sad state of the economy in Western New York," Gabryszak said. "It's not going to happen overnight. It's going to take a lot of hard work, but I'm excited to try to create the opportunity to bring the economic recovery this area needs."
Noting the state's high debt, Gabryszak said that two "immediate" focuses are to reduce spending and taxes.
Sell, who ran on a budget of less than $3,000, garnered 11,136 votes, or 30 percent.
"We fought a good fight and did the best we could with the resources that we had," Sell told the Times. "No Republican has ever had the resources in this district to run a competitive race."
Gabryszak said that there is much to be done in the few remaining weeks before he begins his new job, such as tying up loose ends as supervisor.
Among Gabryszak's list of tasks is finding a district office. Unlike Tokasz, who kept his office in downtown Buffalo, Gabryszak said his office will be located in the district.
"I want to make the office as central and easy for people to get to as possible," Gabryszak said. "We want to be as accommodating as possible."
Gabryszak said that he doesn't plan to change how he works with the public. He said that he will maintain the same "open door" policy that he used as supervisor.
Sell, noting that the New York State Democratic Party mailed at least five campaign slingers throughout the district in recent weeks, said that the results reflected the financial disparity between the political parties.
"I couldn't hit enough homes," Sell said. "I'm not sure if there's enough support for change in this general area. There are people who want change, but not enough of them."
Town Democratic Committee Chairman Frank Max told the Times that a solid turnout from party volunteers bolstered the victory.
"We had 135-140 volunteers who showed up for a literature drop," Max said. "We had five or six phone banks going. Everything went well and we expect it to get better."
Most New York State races ended with the incumbent candidates reelected, or the incumbent party retaining control of the seat.
Sell said that he is "dumbfounded" by the logic used in some of the races.
"Regardless whether it was a mistake or not, (NYS Comptroller Alan) Hevesi stole from the taxpayers," Sell observed, "and they voted him back into office. It just blows my mind. Why would you vote for someone who stole and never would have admitted it had he not been caught?"
Despite the loss, Sell said that he believes in the voting system used in "the greatest nation on Earth," the United States.
Gabryszak said that he believes the relative ease with which many Democrats won on Tuesday is the result of the public's overall displeasure with the GOP, from the president to the governor and county executive.
"When I was going door-to-door, I heard something that I hadn't heard in a long time, which was people telling me they were voting straight Democratic," Gabryszak said. "At the polling places, I had Republicans telling me they voted for me and more Democrats than they ever had before."
Both candidates said that they were humbled and grateful for the support they received.
"I'm thankful for the people who put their faith and trust in me," Gabryszak said. "That's something I take very seriously."
"More than 11,000 people placed their trust in me," said Sell. "Words cannot express...for that I'll always be grateful."
Gabryszak's win means that he will vacate the position that he has held since 1993, that of town supervisor.
Max said that the Town Democratic Committee will meet Monday to discuss candidates interested in the supervisor opening. He added that he has "a sense of a couple of solid people" who may want the position but, "I'll be interested, just like everyone else, to see who in the final analysis wants to run."
Max added that he will not solicit possible candidates. Instead, interested persons should either contact him or party secretary John Marriott.
The final decision will be made by the town board, which usually accepts the recommendation from the town committee.
Still, noting that there are serious town issues to resolve, Max said that the successful candidate will take the job seriously and be a strong leader.
"I'm not in a hurry," Max added. "It's a process we'll take our time with."
If the supervisor position remains unfilled on January 1, 2007, then Deputy Supervisor James J. Jankowiak will assume the duties until a replacement is named.
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