Antoine Thompson (D)
State Senator
Age 37
As the political fortunes of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown (D) have risen, so have the fortunes of his political protégé, Antoine Thompson, who has literally been a Brown follower for his entire political career. A former staffer for Brown on the Buffalo City Council in the 1990s, Thompson was selected to replace Brown as the councilman for inner city Buffalo after Brown’s election to the State Senate in 2000. Following Brown’s mayoral victory in 2005, Thompson, with Brown’s strong support, sought the Senate seat, arguing that an African-American should hold one of the most strongly African-American Senate seats upstate. Bypassed by Democratic leaders for the special election, Thompson defeated State Sen. Marc Coppola (D) in the September 2006 primary for the right to represent Buffalo, Niagara Falls and two suburbs.
Thompson’s fortunes continued to rise once he reached Albany. He was quickly appointed the only upstate senator of the three Democratic Senate Campaign Committee co-chairs. After publicly flirting with challenging Rep. Louise Slaughter (D–Rochester) for her congressional seat in a 2006 primary before deciding to seek the Senate seat, Thompson’s name continues to be mentioned prominently as a potential Slaughter successor when the powerful Democrat, who is 78, retires. Thompson does not deny interest in a possible bid for higher office, but insists his focus in on the Senate and helping Democrats win the majority in 2008.
“I may be a senator for 30 years, but I doubt it,” Thompson said. “I live by the concept of work hard and be ready.”

What is your biggest accomplishment in office so far? My biggest thing this year is focusing on a couple of projects we got funded. [Several economic and tourism development initiatives in Niagara Falls, along with increasing funding for education and working on minority business initiatives.]

What do you want to accomplish in the next two years, governmentally and politically? To get as much money from Albany to my district, that is my No. 1 priority. The second one is to get rid of the fiscal control board in Buffalo.

What do you think should be the top three priorities for the state right now? Jobs; education; leadership


Mark Poloncarz (D)
Erie County Comptroller
Age 40

In 2004, Erie County went into fiscal meltdown. Tax cuts combined with spending hikes had caused the county’s tax reserves to be depleted and a sales tax hike to be proposed. While the state agreed to a sales tax hike for the county, the County Legislature changed tracks, forcing the county to lay off 3,000 employees and close such services as parks, beaches and cultural activities. The state was forced to place the county under a fiscal control board.
The county’s Democratic leadership took a different turn in the 2005 race for county comptroller: Instead of backing one of the scores of local officials looking to move up to a countywide office, the party choose instead to go with Mark Poloncarz, a little-known business attorney who had worked on Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.
Since taking office in January 2006, Poloncarz has quickly emerged as a high-profile comptroller, alternating between working with Republican County Executive Joel Giambra on fiscal reform and criticizing Giambra’s efforts. In a similar fashion, he has worked with the control board while calling for its abolishment. While a political novice, Poloncarz was publicly courted to run for county executive by County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan, who liked his freshness in opposition to the four longtime political veterans running. After flirting with the county executive’s race for several weeks, Poloncarz backed away, saying it was best for the county for him to focus on the comptroller’s office. Earlier this year, Poloncarz was mentioned as a potential successor to Alan Hevesi as state comptroller.
While insisting he will serve a full term as comptroller and seek re-election in 2009, Poloncarz has not closed the door on a future run for office. While speculation swirls that he will run for county executive, state comptroller or Congress in the future, Poloncarz declined to say which was most appealing to him.

What is your biggest accomplishment in office so far? One thing I wanted to do is turn the audit division into an inspector general’s office. We’ve issued a number of audits and some of the changes have become county law. My goal is to make sure that the changes we recommend are implemented.

What do you want to accomplish in the next two years, governmentally and politically? We have a new county executive coming in, whom I will work with. I want to insure we continue to move Erie County down a path of fiscal certainty. I want to increase our bond ratings and make sure we can make fiscal decisions on our own.

What do you think should be the top three priorities for the state right now? Curtail state mandates of county expenses; focus on upstate economic growth; focus on creating a positive business climate upstate


Maggie Brooks (R)
Monroe County Executive
Age 51

Maggie Brooks came to the Monroe County executive’s office four years ago with arguably one of the highest profiles of any first-term county executive in the state. A long time Rochester television news anchor, Brooks had been in county politics for 12 years. She served as a county legislator before her 1997 appointment by Gov. George Pataki (R) as county clerk, starting her six-year tenure in this post. In 2003, she defeated a longtime Rochester mayor to take the top spot in county government. This year, she was unopposed for re-election, a rarity in a county with heavy Democratic base both in Rochester and several suburbs. Monroe County is home to not only the second-highest ranking Democratic woman in Congress—Louise Slaughter—but to one of the few upstate Democrats to win competitive statewide primaries, Brighton Town Supervisor Sandra Frankel, the 1998 lieutenant governor nominee.
Brooks, a close ally of County Republican Chairman (and former state GOP leader) Steve Minarik, has been mentioned as a future statewide candidate, usually for the office of lieutenant governor. Reports from last year had Minarik proposing her as a running mate to then-gubernatorial candidate William Weld. Brooks is also mentioned as a possible congressional or U.S. Senate candidate in future years.
Brooks remains coy on any future ambition, saying that while she is flattered to be considered for higher office, she is focused on her role as county executive. While unopposed for re-election, she did run a door-to-door campaign.

What is your biggest accomplishment in office so far? Passing our F.A.I.R. plan, which solves the county’s budget crisis, cuts the property tax rate and protects vital services for the citizens of Monroe County.

What do you want to accomplish in the next two years, governmentally and politically? I want to continue the progress we have made in our community—creating new jobs, growing our local economy and promoting our community at every turn to bring new voices and new faces into Monroe County.

What do you think should be the top three priorities for the state right now? Create a climate to stimulate economic growth upstate, including cutting state income taxes and eliminating the Wicks Law; controlling property taxes by having the state control Medicaid growth; allowing initiative and referendum in state government



Kyle Andrews (D)
Niagara County Legislator
Age 27

As a college junior at Niagara University in 2001, Kyle Andrews decided to take on an unusual extracurricular activity for his senior year and challenge the Republican majority leader of the county legislature. Knocking on every door in the very rural Lake Ontario adjacent district, Andrews scored write-in victories for several minor party lines and then upset the long term incumbent, making him, at the time, the nation’s youngest county elected official and the state’s youngest county legislator. Andrews has held his seat—the most Republican in the county—unopposed in three re-election battles.
Andrews, an attorney with the politically connected firm of Harris Beach, has been flexing his political muscle in recent years. In October, he launched an effort aimed at local government consolidation, including proposing using Niagara County as a pilot program for statewide consolidation efforts. He has appeared on panel discussions in Manhattan and announced late last year a future run for Congress after the retirement of Rep. Louise Slaughter (D–Rochester). While noting that a rural Democrat may not be the first candidate to come to mind for Congress, he believes he can represent the Buffalo/Niagara Falls/Rochester district when the position becomes available.
“We had a president come from a small town called Hope, Arkansas,” he said. “That’s all the motivation I need.”

What is your biggest accomplishment in office so far? It’s twofold. In 2001, Niagara County was facing a 20-percent tax increase with a $6 million deficit and here we are six years later and we’re talking about a 0-percent increase and a surplus. I also chaired the county manager committee and by creating the county manager form of government, we took day-to-day control out of the hands of 19 part-time legislators and brought professional management to a $300 million business.

What do you want to accomplish in the next two years, governmentally and politically?
Politically and governmentally I would like to be at the forefront of leading the way in the systematic change in Niagara County government so we can stimulate economic growth. We have the dubious distinction of being the second-highest property taxed county in terms of home value in the nation.

What do you think should be the top three priorities for the state right now?
Continuing to evolve from a manufacturing to a technological-based economy; controlling the cost of Medicaid costs on county government; adapting to a changing public education environment



Jack Quinn III (R)
Assembly Member
Age 29

Jack Quinn III is blessed with one of the best-known names in Western New York politics. The son of former Congressman Jack Quinn, Jr., a moderate Republican known for his close labor ties, the younger Quinn jumped into an open Assembly race in 2004, just as his father was retiring from Congress. Then a 26 year-old rookie assistant district attorney, he beat well-known former Assembly Member Fran Pordum (D) to win the seat. He faced only token Democratic opposition in 2006.
Quinn briefly toyed with trying to succeed his father in 2004 before setting his sights on Albany. Shortly after settling into the Assembly, Quinn briefly weighed challenging his father’s popular successor, Democrat Brian Higgins.
In the legislature, he has risen quickly in the Assembly GOP caucus, moving into the ranking member’s slot on the Judiciary Committee before the end of his first year. Quinn got married over Labor Day weekend and there has been some speculation in Western New York that he was tiring of the Albany commute and was considering a 2009 race for Hamburg Town Supervisor, a full-time post in a large suburban community once held by his father. Quinn quickly quashed that speculation.
“There is a much better shot of me running for Congress than town supervisor,” Quinn said. “I think Brian [Higgins] is doing a great job and will serve a number of years. I am happy being in the Assembly. But do I want to it for the rest of my career? I don’t know.”

What is your biggest accomplishment in office so far?
In Western New York, our state delegation is able to work together well, regardless of party labels. The Assembly Democrats here are open to the Republicans going to them and working together. We are able to press a lot of issues.

What do you want to accomplish in the next two years, governmentally and politically?
I want to work on economic development and health care issues.

What do you think should be the top three priorities for the state right now?
Jobs, Taxes, Health care



Once Up and Coming, Now Looking
for a Way to Stay Relevant
Crediting his background and cancer bout for giving him the strength,
Erie County Exec Joel Giambra refuses to fade into oblivion.

By John R.D. Celock

In November 1999, Republican Joel Giambra rode a wave of popularity and curiosity [arose over] his regionalism proposals to unseat a three-term Democratic county executive in heavily Democratic Erie County. A former Democrat and longtime Buffalo politician, he was ready to conquer the world, with limitless potential in his political future.
Giambra’s world came crashing down just after his victory with a diagnosis of throat cancer, which was treated during his transition and first months in office. His diagnosis not noticeable eight years later—except by the ever-present water bottle at his side—Giambra’s recovery, following a stunning victory, served as a sign of how his administration would proceed.
Giambra reached stunning heights of popularity for his entire first term, as he delivered double-digit property tax decreases while preaching regionalism. Very quickly, he was being touted as a future statewide candidate, and after he placed then-Gov. George Pataki’s (R) name in nomination for a third term at the 2002 Republican State Convention, some speculated he would join Pataki’s ticket as the candidate for lieutenant governor. Others said he was aiming to challenge Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) or attempt to succeed Pataki as governor in 2006. He declined the 2004 nomination to challenge Sen. Charles Schumer (D).
“I probably would have been one of the top two contenders last time around,” Giambra said, looking back at last year’s gubernatorial election.
Then Giambra’s political world fell out from under him.
The Medicaid costs the state places on county governments soared during Giambra’s first term just as he was cutting property taxes. The county’s tobacco surpluses depleted, Giambra proposed a penny increase in the county sales tax in 2004 to make up the difference. After getting two approval votes from the county legislature and one from the state legislature, the flipping of several Republican county legislators on the third vote to implement the sales tax led to the plan’s defeat. Just as the 2004 holiday season came around, Giambra had to play Grinch and close down Erie County.
He laid off 3,000 county employees, shuttered county parks and beaches, cut off funding from cultural institutions; libraries were locked, potholes went unfilled, the veterans services office closed. The state stepped in, with then-Comptroller Alan Hevesi (D) saying the county needed “adult supervision,” before setting up a control board.
Giambra’s popularity plummeted, hovering in the single digits for a point. He became politically toxic, with the county GOP chairman who recruited him to the party publicly shunning him. His statewide dreams shattered, Giambra, now 52, found himself a public pariah. Sensing the mood, he announced in 2005 that he would not run for re-election in 2007, making him a very lame duck.
Crediting his working-class background in Buffalo and bout with cancer for giving him the strength, he remains as committed as ever to his dreams of regionalism and is a fighter who refuses to follow the suggestions by some that he fade into oblivion.
“Shit happens. It wasn’t in the stars,” Giambra said. “Most people said any other person who would be in my shoes would have been in much worse shape.”
One former ally who has distanced himself from Giambra is Robert Davis (R), who helped recruit Giambra to the GOP in 1999 and helped arrange the alliance with Pataki. After the fiscal meltdown, Davis said he needed to back away from the county executive in the hopes of salvaging the chances of Republican candidates for the county legislature and county comptroller. Regardless, Republicans dropped to three legislative seats and lost the comptroller’s office for the first time in a generation.
But Giambra’s relationship with local Republicans has always been rocky. He often gave patronage jobs to close allies from his days on Buffalo’s west side—mostly Democrats—angering Republican activists countywide. The term “Giambracrat” has been used to describe these hires, many of whom became nominal Republicans.
“Party politics was never something I wanted to practice,” Giambra said. “The Republican Party was frustrated with me because they couldn’t control me. The Democratic Party was scared of me because I was popular.”
That, he believes, explains his political downfall.
“The two parties came together to plan my demise. No one can control me, not even my mother. I got here because of my message. I will not ignore you, but in the end I will make the final decision.”
Once out of office, Giambra said he plans to start a consulting firm to work with local governments nationally on government reform issues. With a million dollars left in his campaign account, Giambra says he plans to remain a political force, and may run for another office down the line.
“I want to be remembered for being a bold and visionary leader who was not afraid to speak his mind,” Giambra said. “That’s been my hallmark from day one.”
johncelock@aol.com
Direct letters to the editor to TheCapitol@nycapitolnews.com.