UB 20/20 FAR FROM DEAD, STACHOWSKI INSISTS...PROGRESS BEING MADE, WITH ASSEMBLY NOW ON BOARD

Is UB 20/20 dead as some critics charge? Definitely not, says the program's leading champion, NYS Senator Bill Stachowski. Instead, he indicates that the idea is gathering steam, with new supporters being recruited and old objections being refuted every day.

"We are still negotiating with regard to UB 20/20," the Senator told NewWNYPolitics recently. "The Assembly is on board now, which it wasn't before and we are going forward with the negotiations needed to make it a reality. I was holding up passage of the budget until it was passed and I wouldn't have voted for the new state budget if I didn't think we were making progress on it. I was given assurances that UB 20/20 would continue to make progress toward passage and that is exactly what is happening."

Among the encouraging pieces of news coming to the fore is the fact that some of the major objections generated by downstate legislators seem on the way to being answered.

SNOOTY FOX TO BE SCENE OF PANEPINTO EVENT

The NYS Supreme Court campaign of Catherine Nugent Panepinto will hold a fundraiser on Wed., Sept. 8 from 5:30-7:30pm at the Snooty Fox on Delaware Ave. in Buffalo. The contribution levels are $125 for Friends and $250 for Advocates. Checks can be made out to: Nugent-Panepinto for Justice; 485 Norwood; Buffalo, NY 14222. For more information, call 852-1888.  

RATED "QUALIFIED" OR "HIGHLY QUALIFIED" BY BAR GROUPS, CALVO-TORRES READY TO BATTLE FOR SUPREME COURT SEAT

Having been rated "highly qualified" by the Woman's Bar Assn. and "qualified" by both the Erie County Bar Assn. and the Minority Bar Assn,, highly respected Buffalo City Court Judge Betty Calvo Torres is running for a seat on the NYS Supreme Court, fully confident that she is as really as anyone to tackle the job.

"I feel that the New York State Supreme Court needs judges more than ever who are able to look at things from a different perspective and would bring..."

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"IF YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, I'M A PUERTO RICAN," SAYS HOYT...CALLS CUOMO "ONE OF BEST FRIENDS"

"If it's true that you are what you eat, then call me Sam-well Hoytito because I'm a Puerto Rican," NYS Assemblymember Sam Hoyt declared to cheers all around at a Latino flavored fundraiser for him at the Puch Olivencia Center on Swan St. on Friday. "I hear people say at this microphone, 'Let's support this person because he or she is one of our own.' Well, I can totally understand that. But, I'd like to be considered one of your own too. I've always been with the Latino community here in the Buffalo area and I'm always going to be with you."

After talking about his closeness to local Hispanic, Hoyt went on to discuss the blessings of being a senior member of the NYS Assembly.

"People say that seniority is bad," he observed. "They say, 'Oh, he's been there too long. We've got to get rid of him.' But, the truth is that seniority means power and influence in any legislative body, especially when that body is controlled by your party and when the Governor is a member of your party. Look, if one of you had a problem with state government back when Pataki was governor, I'd make a call and I'd get referred to some obscure legislative aide."

"Now that Paterson is governor," Hoyt continued, "when I call I get a close friend...."

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DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN TOUTS MCLEOD'S EXPERIENCE, HOYT'S LEGISLATIVE RECORD, STACH'S DEDICATION TO UB 20/20..."A CLEAN ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS DEMOCRATS"

Why should Democrats vote for the endorsed Republican candidate (Ken Case) for Erie County Court in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary? This is a question Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan was asking at last Friday night's Sam Hoyt fundraiser at the Olivencia Center.

"We have a very highly qualifed Democratic endorsed candidate for Erie County Court in Judge James McLeod, someone who has served as a judge for about ten years, someone who would bring diversity to the County Court bench as an experienced African-American who has proven he knows the law and will apply it impartially and fairly to everyone," says Chairman Lenihan. "His opponent is the endorsed Republican candidate for County Court, a candidate who is running as the nominee of the Republicans. So why should Democrats vote for him?"

Chairman Lenihan is also offering strong support for the renomination of Assemblymember Sam Hoyt, currently facing a primary challenge from Common Council Member Joe Golombek.

"Sam has a very impressive record of bringing millions of dollars in education aid to Buffalo as well as millions of dollars in state aid for housing demolition and rehabilitation, the Chairman states. "His legislative record is also excellent. The fact is that Sam Hoyt does a great job for his constituents and that's why we feel he is going to do very well on primary day."

Assemblymember Sam Hoyt refutes Joe Golombek's “reform plan” laid out in a mailer that hit homes today. In the mailer, Golombek calls for a “10% spending cut across the board.” This will directly result in a cut of $62 million to Buffalo's public schools.

“Joe's stance is hypocritical,” Hoyt said. “He claims to be on the side of Buffalo teachers, but his 'reform plan' is not in their favor. As he touts endorsements from New York State United Teachers and the Buffalo Teachers Federation, his proposals will result in massive layoffs.”

The Buffalo Public Schools received approximately $624 million in state aid during the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Golombek's proposal to reduce state spending across the board by 10% would result in $62 million in cuts to public schools. That translates into 650 to 700 teaching jobs cut in Buffalo. 

COMMITTEE TO ELECT CALVO-TORRES TO SUPREME COURT HOLDING EVENT, THIS THURS., AUG. 26

The Committee to Elect Judge Betty Calvo-Torres to the NYS Supreme Court will hold a fundraiser on Thurs., Aug. 26 at the Nixon Residence at 549 Linwood, near Balcolm in Buffalo from 5:30-7:30pm. The contribution levels will be: $50 for a Birthday Wish; $100 for a Birthday Cake; and $200 for a Birthday Party. Checks can be made out to the Committee to Elect Judge Betty Calvo-Torres to the NYS Supreme Court.

COULD ANTI-IMMIGRANT LEGISLATION SPELL THE END OF LATINO SUPPORT FOR THE GOP?

Is the national Republican Party burning its bridges with Latinos by supporting anti-immigrant legislation? A recent article by Robert Marus in the Associated Baptist Press pointedly asks this question while documenting what many HIspanics feel is the trend in the GOP toward spurning their vote in favor of the backing of right wing whites.

“We are very disappointed with the rhetoric stemming from the Republican Party,” said Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership...

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FIRING LOCAL POLS IS ONE THING, BREAKING UP VILLAGES PEOPLE CALL HOME IS QUITE ANOTHER...ONE OF WNY AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY'S LEADING YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS TO BRING WORLD OF YOUTH CULTURE TO BLACKWNY

WNY government downsizing activist Kevin Gaughan should have known better. Give local voters the chance to get rid of local politicians and, of course, they'll go along. "Where do I go to vote" is the only question they'll ask. But, try to get them to vote to eliminate village entities which have become part of their personal identities all their lives and, possibly, for generations before that, and you'd better get ready for a whooping 

As one Williamsville resident who is a close friend of this reporter put it: "We are a pretty close knit group in Williamsville. We work together on things and we just done't want to give that up, even if it meant saving a small amount of money. We choose to live here in Williamsville and to pay the additional costs. That is our right."

In other news, one of the WNY African-American community's most successful young entrepreneurs, Mr. Will Jones, agreed to serve as the Youth Culture Editor of Black-WNY.com on Wednesday.  Combined with the major design improvements coming to the site very soon, this new development makes us confident that this new Positive Voice of WNY African-Americans will continue to grow and provide more and better service to a growing audience among Buffalo/Niagara Falls African-Americans...Welcome aboard, Will!!!

Finally, Noticias-WNY.com is proud to welcome the Pucho Olivencia Center to its family of advertisers. Not only are we honored to have the Center's support under Chairman Wilmer Olivencia, we are looking forward to the additional coverage of the WNY Latino community that this cherished association will make possible. 

"More than one-third of voters are following the news about the proposed Muslim community center and mosque two blocks from the World Trade Center site very closely and 75 percent are following it either very or somewhat closely, up from 20 percent and 56 percent, respectively, two weeks ago," says Steven Greenberg of the Siena College Institute. "This is clearly an issue that has received a great deal of media coverage and has attracted the public’s attention.

"The level of opposition to building the Cordoba House remains very strong, with 63 percent of voters opposing it and only 27 percent supporting it, virtually the same as the 61-26 percent opposition in the Siena Poll two weeks ago. Voters, however, can clearly distinguish their personal view on whether the community center and mosque should be built near Ground Zero from their opinion on whether the developers have a Constitutional right to build the Cordoba House there," Greenberg said.

Siena College Poll:

Cuomo Holds Wide Lead over Reps; Rated Better on 7 Issues

Loudonville, NY.  Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo maintains leads of more than 30 percentage points against Republicans Rick Lazio and Carl Paladino in both head-to-head and three-way match-ups, and voters think he will be more effective than either of the Republicans on seven key issues that affect New Yorkers.  Paladino has closed the gap against Lazio to 13 points among Republicans, according to a Siena College poll of registered New York voters released today. 

Three-quarters of voters have been following the news about the proposed Muslim community center and mosque in lower Manhattan at least somewhat closely, up significantly in two weeks.  Opposition remains strong against building the mosque, 63-27 percent, however, by a margin of 64-28 percent voters say that the developers of the Cordoba House have a Constitutional right to build it.  Nearly one-quarter of voters say the position of the gubernatorial candidates on this issue will have a major effect on which candidate they support.

“With less than 11 weeks until election day, Andrew Cuomo continues to be the prohibitive favorite to be elected New York’s next governor. 

GRANT, PRIDGEN, HAYNES TEAM UP TO BATTLE INNER CITY VIOLENCE

Several positive programs to stop inner city violence emerged from Monday night's community meeting at the Delavan/Grider Center, hosted by Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant. Among the most promising is a plan to have every black church and black owned business in Buffalo hire one young person this year.

"There are about 750 black churches and black owned business in this city," says Grant...

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