Earlier this year, I wrote that our chief economic export is now our political culture. The past few months have provided disturbing evidence confirming this trend. If left unchallenged, this could accelerate the 40-year decline of Western New York. It’s like the vortex of a whirlpool — it’s always faster and more violent at the bottom.
Western New York politicians’ lust for omniscient control over every facet of the community has succeeded not only in killing manufacturing but also taxing, permit fee-ing and licensing most independent businesses out of Western New York, and we haven’t even mentioned the exorbitant cost of electricity.
The very same way that communities such as Niagara Falls get eaten away by absentee landlords, the economy in Western New York is rife with absentee business ownership that siphons off profits without care or concern for the community. Absentee business ownership pays the lowest wages and benefits, causing the flight of population, as talented workers move elsewhere. Eventually the absentee businesses move — usually the moment their IDA-sanctioned tax break expires — leaving the community without any positive reputation, infrastructure or pride.
We have to say it over and over again — it needs to become the mantra we chant on a daily basis: Watch what politicians do, not what they say they do. Now that politicians are the major employer in Western New York, what will they do?
In the business world, you follow your model. While models differ, they generally have a common theme: Once you dominate one market, expand to other markets. It’s this expansion to “new” markets — namely Albany — that we are now witnessing. And the product they are selling is our particularly vile political culture.
The evidence of our cultural expansion that surfaced earlier this year was the partnership formed by George Maziarz and Steve Pigeon to use Western New York political tactics to hold state government hostage. Think that was a failed business strategy? Pigeon re-joined the state payroll at $150,000 per year in the most powerful position in the Senate, that of counsel to the majority leader. Maziarz, by virtue of his partnership with Pigeon, ensured himself of running unopposed in the upcoming election. The Democrats who now control the Senate and are counseled by Pigeon will quash any Democratic efforts to run a campaign in Niagara County.
Pretty slick huh? The winners and losers in political battles are not always obvious.
The recent evidence of Western New York political culture being exported statewide comes with the failed candidacy of Niagara County Republican Party Chairman Henry Wojtaszek, who ran for chairman of the statewide Republican operation but withdrew his name one week ago. Trouble was, there was already a candidate for chairman who had sewn up the nomination, and the Republican Party — in chaos nationally and statewide — was finally finding its footing and rallying behind respected businessman Edward Cox. More trouble: Someone forgot to tell Ed Cox deals had been made, commitments were in place and status quo must be preserved.
The Republican status quo that ruled Albany for 40 years in the state Senate leapt to action, recruiting Rudy Giuliani, who allowed his name to be bandied around for governor. It didn’t have to be a serious candidacy, just a name striking enough to make people stop and reconsider.
Niagara County and Western New Yorkers in general have become numb to our political abuse. Most of us have grown up with it our entire lives and cannot remember a time when it didn’t exist. But anyone with a broader perspective can see that oppressive leadership is not accepted everywhere; it’s not normal.
Apparently the rest of the state, and even Giuliani, were shocked by our political culture. The New York Post reported this about Wojtaszek’s attempt to seize control of the Republican Party:
One GOP leader said Republicans were struck by “the poor quality of Rudy’s statewide political operation” as he backed Wojtaszek against Cox.
“He has a terrible political organization: His people are nasty and vindictive — not a good combination — and I hear he’s pretty upset with the advice he got on all of this.”
It’s hard to come up with a more toxic combination to attract business or residents to Western New York than “nasty and vindictive.” Can you imagine that our brand of politics is deemed worse than the corruption of Albany and New York City? That, my friends, is certainly saying something right there!
When politics replaces manufacturing and private industry as our chief economic export, we all become stockholders in this new enterprise. While we’re smart enough to know about it and watch it develop, are we strong enough to do anything about it?
Tom Christy is the founder of FAIR Government, a non-political and non-editorial educational foundation dealing with local government issues. The Web site is www.fair-government.org. He encourages communication and can be reached via e-mail at aim1986@mac.com.
