June 29, 2002

 
 
 
 

Just a Democrat making some calls

by Deborah Lynn Williams


Remember the mysterious "Save Our City" mailings that were sent out a few weeks ago? [See "'Save Our City' starts the sneaky season in Buffalo politics", BR 26 May] Well, they asked for those interested in saving the city by becoming a committee person to send in the attached postcard.  I sent in the postcard to see what would happen.  

At 10 p.m. on a Friday night about 2 weeks ago, I got a call from someone named Rita (who would not identify herself any further beyond being "a Democrat") saying she needed to ask a few questions.  She told me I was the last on her list to call.

I asked whom she was calling for.  She said, "Didn't you sent in a card after saying you were interested in being a committee person?" I said I had, and she said she just needed to ask me a few questions.  

I again asked, "Whom are you calling for?"

She said "I am just a concerned Democrat like you."  

I said, "Great, but whom are you calling for?"  

She said that she didn't know, she was just a Democrat making the calls.

I said, "It seems suspicious that you cannot say whom you are calling for."  I asked whether she knew who was paying her.  

She said she did, but she was not allowed to say.  

I said that it seemed odd that an organization that wanted to make the democratic process better in the Erie County Democratic Party was so secretive.  She said that all she was doing was asking the questions and someone else would be deciding who would make a good committeeman and they would make calls later to explain further.

At that point I said go ahead then and ask the questions. The questions were:

—Do you think the city should file suit against Adelphia if they don't build the building downtown?

—Do you think the PBA should just build a bridge or continue studying the issue further?

—Do you support the recall of the mayor being considered by Jimmy Griffin?

—Of the following who would you consider voting for for chairman of the Democratic Party?  Jim Keane, Len Lenihan, Ken Kruly, Steve Pigeon? (I could respond yes to more than one.)

Then she said, "Thank you," and that I might get a call after all the responses were reviewed.

I never got a call back, so I assume the secret agent man was who made the decision regarding who would make a good committee person decided that I did not make the grade.

There you have it, the democratic process under Chairman Steve Pigeon.  Of course, that is only an educated guess since no one ever claimed responsibility for the mailings.

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