The feud between the Erie County Independence Party, and Republican election commissioner Ralph Mohr seems to have cooled a little. Independence Party Chairman Charles Flynn accused Mohr of trying to take control of the Party and make it subservient to the interests of Republicans. Mohr mounted an impressive campaign to oust Flynn, or so it seems. But it failed - by the slimmest of margins. The battle erupted last Summer after Mohr refused to accept Flynn's challenge of two committeemen, then intensified when Flynn and his party endorsed Democrat Dan Crangle over Republican Stephan Sterling in a Town of Tonawanda council race. Crangle won, arguably because of the Independence Party endorsement; the votes he received on the Independence line were 8 times his margin of victory. Crangle became the sole Democrat on Tonwanda's long-time all Republican board - a bitter pill for Republicans to swallow.

Flynn claims that, in retaliation, Mohr and his cohorts attempted to displace him by running de facto Republicans and their spouses as Independence committee persons. Although Mohr says he had no involvement with the coup attempt, he apparently drew and did notarize documents for three principal insurgents, as well as recruit Independence Party committee people. One of them, Mary Beth Chaplain, wife of the Republican Town Clerk of Tonawanda, Cal Chaplain, voted to oust Flynn. So what was Mohr's alleged motive? According to Flynn, if Republicans secretly held majority power in the party - it could be the "Independence" Party in name only, and deliver every valuable endorsement to Republicans. It almost worked. But Flynn, with characteristic vigor, survived the coup, and the august realization fell upon certain Republicans that the GOP might not even get a single endorsement from the Independence Party this election season - a potentially devastating fact since the Independence line will be pivotal in the upcoming County Legislative races. Finally, Republican Chairman Bob Davis, Deputy Chairman Ralph Vanner, and County Executive Joel Giambra stepped in and met with Flynn last week to try to resolve the differences, and, with diplomats akin to them, it will surprise few that they made substantial headway in the peace process.

Yet Flynn had already beaten back the coup attempt; he could afford to be gracious. He told Giambra, Vanner, and Davis that if Mohr would stop interfering with his party, he would, as he has in the past, be willing to consider all Republican candidates - but based solely on their respective merits, and their alignment with the ideals of the Independence party .

Left unresolved at this juncture is whether Mohr, who is a sagacious attorney, will continue to advise certain Republican state supreme court justices who secured the Independence line in the last election (some of whom won their elections by less than the number of votes they received from the Independence line) not to pay their respective judicial convention fees to the Independence party. Mohr says that the expenses of the convention could not be properly verified, and therefore should not be paid. And Mohr, curiously, is acting as attorney for at least one of the Justices in question, Judge Frederick Marshall, formerly the Republican majority leader in the county legislature. Mohr is not, he says, interfering with the party, nor trying to improperly stop legitimate payment. "The only thing I am doing is interpreting the law as I understand it in these cases," he said.

Although Flynn may trust on high, (in the GOP), he also keeps his ammunition dry. Jeanine Baran of the executive committee has asked the state chairman to assign a grievance committee to listen to complaints, filing a 17 page motion, replete with alleged instances of Mohr's interference in the party, and specifically calling for the ouster of three alleged Mohr operatives still remaining in the party. A decision is expected in late May.

Meanwhile, Mohr says that, at least for him, all is well. "I have no interest in taking over any other party, and I'm not having a feud with Charley Flynn. Maybe, he is having a feud with me."

But Flynn is less than sanguinary: "We want what's best for our party. And I am going to fight to keep the Independence party independent. It will take a lot more than Ralph Mohr to stop me," he said.

Pauley vs Ward?

Amherst Democratic Town Chairman Dennis Ward said that 14th District County Legislator Bill Pauley (R- Amherst) will have a Democratic opponent this year. "I know the district and I may run." said Ward, who ran unsuccessfully against Pauley in the past. "But, I am certainly not closing the door on other (Democrats) who might want to run. George Hasiotis has also expressed interest and I would encourage him to consider the possibility also."

County Democratic Chairman Steve Pigeon may, however, try to secure the Democratic endorsement for Pauley as a reward for supporting Legislature Chairman Chuck Swanick (D-Kenmore). Pauley, a registered Republican, however, would need the support of the district's Democratic committeemen to run as a Democrat and a Republican.

Ward feels Pauley's chances are remote. "It will not happen in your lifetime or mine!," he said "The district is about 70 percent in Amherst, 20 percent in Cheektowaga, and 10 percent in Tonawanda. I know (the Democrat committee people) would never vote for that."

MESI VS MARINELLI?

The Giambra forces, led by Amherst Chamber of Commerce President Colleen DiPirro, are said to be trying to lure boxer, Baby Joe Mesi to run against County legislator Lynn Marinelli (D-Tonawanda) who aligns, typically, with Swanick. Sources say, however, that Pigeon/Swanick will prevail, and that Mesi will run instead against Al DeBenedetti (D-Buffalo),who typically supports Giambra.

Primary For Swaitek?

West Seneca Supervisor Paul Clark is rumored as a possible opponent to Jeff Swiatek for the Democratic primary for County Comptroller- an assault, it can be characterized, by County Clerk David Swarts's forces, on Chairman Pigeon. If Pigeon fails to secure the Democratic line for Swiatek in this pivotal race, he will be seen as a greatly weakened party boss.

Interestingly, County Legislator Ray Dusza (D-Cheektowaga) and Cheektowaga Town councilman Bill Rogowski are calling for Democratic party unity - asking inter-party infighters to nix all primary challenges to incumbents in Cheektowaga. Dusza said he was calling for unity for the sake of Swiatek. If too much money had to be raised for primary battles, Dusza said, there won't be enough left for Swiatek to wage a strong battle against the well financed Republican Comptroller Nancy Naples.

Some Cheektowaga politicians suggest however that while Dusza's idea might benefit Swiatek, it has the additional advantage of helping its proponents. In 1999, Dusza, as did several other legislators, ran unopposed. Yet primaries are, in districts where one party has a large enrollment advantage, the de-facto election. In Cheektowaga, this is true. If there are no primaries there, it may be argued that this is tantamount to canceling the election and appointing every Democratic incumbent to another term. Not to fear: Because of warring factions within the party, -ie Pigeon vs Swarts (with Giambra). Gabryszak's vs. Rogowski, we suspect that Dusza might be the only Cheektowaga official seeking reelection who may not see a primary in 2001.