Buffalo Criterion and Illuzzi letter

Erie County 5th district legislator David Dale (D-Buffalo) announced today that he will endorse fellow legislator Crystal Peoples (D-Buffalo) for the NYS Assembly seat being vacated by Arthur O. Eve.

Dale had to make, he said, the ‘very difficult choice" of whether or not to announce any endorsement at all, since, among the field of contenders, there are "two excellent candidates."

Dale was referring to Peoples and Buffalo Common Council Member At Large, Charley Fisher.

"Fisher is an excellent councilman, unquestionably. But it’s Crystal’s time," said Dale.

Among his reasons, Dale admitted that one primary one is that he works with Peoples, and has come to know her well. He points to experience; Fisher is still in his first term as a council member, but Peoples has been a legislator for a number of years, and has served her district "admirably well."

"Crystal has been involved with the entire district on a wide variety of issues," Dale said. "Don’t misunderstand me, Charley is an excellent council member, and undoubtedly, if elected, he would serve well, but Crystal, I believe, is better suited for this. She is better acquainted, having worked at the County level, with numerous state issues. She’s been a legislator longer."

Planning to officially announce in front of the K-Mart Store on Broadway near Fillmore, across the street from the Broadway Market, on Friday, at 1:00 PM., Dale is expected to give an exuberant endorsement, and said he hopes his supporters will get out and vote for her.

When, finally, he was asked if the sudden entrance in the assembly race of his former opponent, Gregory Olma, had any bearing on his decision to endorse Peoples, Dale said he had decided to endorse Peoples before he knew of Olma’s entry in the race.

Still, Dale, who recently appealed Judge Elfvin’s decision to eliminate his district, speculated that, if he is successful, and, perchance, the county legislators run again this year, a remote chance at best, as most observers say, Dale opined that Olma would rather gleefully forgo his chance at the State assembly in favor of another shot at the 5th. Dale also seemed gleeful at this prospect.

As those who follow these matters may recall, Dale, after a rather savagely contentious campaign, defeated Olma last year, both in the Democratic primary, and, again, in the general election, when Olma ran solely on the Conservative line.

As Dale compared Peoples to Olma, struck perhaps forcibly in his mind by the contrast of the two political figures, Dale dilated warmly on Peoples, and, available space might not suffice to recount the entire litany of accomplishments Dale ascribes to her, and, this, too, as, merely, a summum bonum, a synposis, merely, and not a surfeit, at that, of the fruits of her long and tireless work as a county legislator. He described to the Illuzzi Letter a woman who both works pragmatically, and yet is evidently imaginative.

'Crystal Peoples will be an outstanding addition to the NY State assembly," Dale said.

(this appeared in Illuzzi only)

FROM THE REPUBLICAN SIDE...

GATTONE THINKS PEOPLES APPEARS AS FRONT RUNNER FOR DEMS

Rick "Baron" Gattone, as the Republican Chairman of Lovejoy, is working "assiduously" on the candidacy of Cliff Scott and naturally wonders which one of the four Democrats (Peoples, Fisher, Sam Herbert, or Olma) his candidate will ultimately face.

Gattone said that while, with a strong candidate like Fisher in the race, he cannot be certain that Peoples will win the primary, she is more and more being viewed as the likely opponent for Scott in November.

Gattone said, "Based on Ms. Peoples peformance during her (previous) contest with Arthur O Eve, and the support she is picking up now, including the help of David Dale most recently, it is of little surprise to me that she has emerged as the Democrat front runner. However regardless of which Democrat wins in September, Cliff Scott is a remarkable and charismatic candidate and will be, unequivoicably, the next NY state assemblyman in the 141st district."