Supervisor Mohan will resign within 2 days  to 2 weeks.  That’s the hot rumor circulating around Amherst’s Town Hall. 

Is the pressure getting to be too much for him?  Will he succumb to the old adage, “If it’s too hot, get out of the kitchen”?  Only time will tell.

             Daniel J. Ward, Democratic candidate for New York Senate, 61^st District, today announced release of his 2007 New York State Board of Ethics disclosure statement.  Ward received forms from the New York State Legislature, as he is a qualified candidate, and filed them before the July 18, 2008 deadline.

            “I have completed these ethics disclosure statements in a timely manner, and filed them in Albany.  I challenge my opponents to similarly release their ethics filing statements.  My disclosure basically shows me free from any business or corporate entanglements, other than my two (2) sources of income:  my service with the Town of Amherst as a councilman, and my professional law practice.”

            Ward said he personally felt the disclosure forms did not go far enough and he wants tochange that in state government.  He has been a long-time advocate to the total elimination of all gratuities to public officers, and elected officials

            I believe the new state senator from our district must make it perfectly clear, right from the get-go, that business as usual in the field of ethics is not enough.  We have had far too many ethical lapses lately in state government, and the public deserves better.”

            Ward was the author of the first draft of the Town of Amherst ethics local law.

For more information, contact DANIEL J. WARD, AMHERST TOWN COUNCILMAN at 631-7013 or 444-5326

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) hailed Congressional action moving forward measures that would provide Great Lakes protection and cleanup.  Today, Congressman Higgins and his colleagues on the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee approved the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2008, a bill authorizing funds for the remediation of contaminated sites around the Great Lakes, including the Buffalo River Area of Concern.   Yesterday the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary passed the Great Lakes Compact, a bill also cosponsored by Congressman Higgins, which prevents the diversion of water from the Great Lakes. 

“The Great Lakes represent the largest surface source of fresh water on this planet,” said Congressman Higgins.  “Our geographic position along this stretch of water provides us with unique environmental and economic opportunities.  Actions we take today will protect this enormous natural resource located in our own backyard for generations to come.” 

The remediation projects authorized under the Great Lakes Legacy Act are negotiated between the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office and a region sponsor.  The bill passed in Committee would authorize $150 million annually from 2009-2013, three times the amount included in the 2002 bill.   

The Great Lakes compact is an agreement between the Governors of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and the Premiers of Ontario and Québec, to be ratified by Congress which will ban new diversions of water from the Great Lakes basin and provide for coordinated conservation, use and data collection efforts.  Recently Congressman Higgins signed letter congratulating Great Lakes Governors for signing the Compact and he sent a letter to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging approval of the Compact bill sponsored by Chairman Jim Oberstar. 
 
Congressman Higgins is a member of the Congressional Great Lakes Task Force and led a local roundtable discussion on the Great Lakes last November.  The Congressman is the lead sponsor of H.R. 3331, a bill to limit phosphorus in detergents which when discharged into water causes excessive growth of weeds and algae which rob the water of oxygen that fish need to survive.  He is also a cosponsor of the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act, the Beach Protection Act, the Clean Water Restoration Act and the Water Quality Investment Act.  

Most recently Rep. Higgins was involved with The Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives tour, organized by the Healing our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which was designed to raise awareness and call for action on the problems facing our lakes.  A ship named the Earth Voyager traveled to several cities as a part of a public awareness campaign.  Buffalo was the first stop on the tour.   According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 30 million people live in the Great Lakes basin.  Recently the Brookings Institute found that Buffalo would see economic gains between $600 million to $1.1 billion if the Great Lakes are restored. 

The web site Speakupwny.com has matured from its beginning.  There are several excellent writers contributing to this site who make sense and “tell it like it is.”  There are individuals, who write comments using vulgar, cheap language, who greatly degrade the site.

Dan Ward has stuck his neck out many times to help the residents of Amherst win battles when they have been wronged.  NatureView Park is an example of that extra step being taken when the people were right in their cause.  The Council Members who believed in standing strong for the people in that battle were Dan Ward and Bill Kindel.

The public want their Town Board members to fight as hard as possible for them.  This is one of Dan Ward’s strongest traits.  He is a fighter.  Most politicians want to remain popular, so the stay inside a cocoon, lest a concern actually touches them.

In general most people enjoy being liked by others.  Sadly, most people know that deep inside themselves they are cowards.  They really don’t want to get involved in helping others.  Our Town Board is lucky to have a member who steps up for the people when he believes they are right.

Council members come from different backgrounds.  Some may have felt their constituents were wronged on various issues, but they have yet to learn to step out of the box to help those same people.  There are some council members, who HIDE their real names as they write nasty comments against other council members, who want their cohorts to be real fighters for them when they are in trouble.  They want help from members like Dan Ward.

The Bee sure did a much better reporting job of the Monday Mohan outrage than the News did. The Bee went so far as to push for names of disgruntled “criers.” I also like that they put “crying” in quotes because Mohan is always insisting that residents are in his office “crying.” Excellent editorial, too. Mohan is out of control and the public needs to know it.

                Written by Left Wing  on Speakupwny.com

Tuesday evening Council Member Debbie Bucki was endorsed by the Amherst Democratic Committee for the position of Town Clerk.  The election for this position will be in November.  Debbie will on the campaign trail starting this Monday.

Council member Shelly Schratz announced on Channel 2 today that she isn’t going to be running for public office after her present term ends in December 2010.

As the National Conventions near, the media is focused on the national presidential race.  But action promised by Governor Patterson on July 23, 2008, to veto the two bills put forward by the Republican-Controlled Senate and the Democratic-Controlled Assembly — to reduce the powers of the Erie County and Buffalo Control Boards — reminds us that as much is at stake in New York in both the State Senate and State Assembly races.   If we voters really believe that our government needs to be changed, then we must be willing to do three things:   

First, we voters must be willing to cast votes to remove an incumbent, even a personally likeable — yet career-politician — incumbent. 

Second, the voters must be able to recognize that being a “career” politician does not equate to being a “competent” political leader.

Third, and, even more important, voters must not be fooled by the slime politics which permeate our elections. 

Voters must recognize that a non-incumbent challenger is likely to have fewer funds to compete in the political arena and less likely to be able to “punch back” from slime politics which all too frequently dominate our elections.  For example on the national level, John McCain illustrated all three points recently.  He’s likeable [point # 1], but he recently demonstrated that he did not know that Iraq does not border Pakistan [point # 2 - incompetence], and his latest campaign advertisement blatantly fabrics an allegation that his opponent, Democratic Candidate Barak Obama, is the cause of the high price of gasoline [point # 2 - sliming].  The McCain statement on Iraq demonstrates how a career politician’s years of political experience do not translate into “intelligent” understanding of the world and do not make them a competent candidate for voters.  The latter false statement about the price of gasoline — an outright lie – demonstrates that we citizens and voters must no longer tolerate such tactics.  We can no longer tolerate candidates willing to lie and lying candidates willing to do anything through “slime” campaigns to be elected.  We must retire such career politicians from office.

So what questions should be answered in the New York State contests?  Let me suggest one or two [I may suggest others in later articles]:

Has the career politician incumbent consistently voted with his or her political party for the “party bloc” voting that has created gridlock in Albany?  By always voting along Republican Party lines as a Republican and Democratic Party lines as a Democrat, the minority Republicans in the Assembly have complained that the “Democrats” are the problem and the minority Democrats in the Senate have complained that the Republicans are the problem.   Such career incumbents have failed to take responsibility to make hard decisions for the voters and citizens of New York State.

Put another way, “Is the INCUMBENT promising to do in the FUTURE what he or she has failed to accomplish in the past?”  If the answer to that question is “Yes”, then voters must have the intelligence, the intestinal fortitude to vote them out of office even if it means voting for a challenger from a party other than that of the voter.  Real change will NOT occur if voters do not have the will to so vote.  We cannot afford do nothing career politicians in Albany.

On Saturday August 2, 2008 Kaleida Health is so-Sponsoring the 10th Annual Health Fair.  The event will be held at the Amherst Senior Center, 370 John James Audubon Parkway off North Forest Road.  It will run from 9 am to 1 pm.  

There is no admission fee, no reservations are needed and there are free screenings.  It is a family event so feel free to bring the whole gang!

Here are just some of the free health services that will be available . . .
FREE cholesterol screenings.  No fasting necessary
FREE chiropractic spinal exams
FREE hearing checks
FREE glucose tests
FREE blood pressure checks
FREE prostrate cancer testing

DAN WARD 
Democratic Primary Candidate
for New York State Senate 61^st District 

The Eagle House
5578 Main Street – Williamsville, New York 14221 – (opposite Town Hall)

Thursday, August 7, 2008   *   5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Beer, Wine, Pop Light Food

 $50.00 Friend                         $85.00 Couple
$100.00 Good Friend                        $500.00 Very Good Friend