HOYT NIXES RUMORS HE WON'T RUN...HIGHLY PLACED SOURCE DEFENDS COUNTY LEG CHAIRPERSON WILLIAMS FROM ATTACKS ON OTHER SITE....PATERSON RUMORS PERSIST IN ALBANY AND HERE...WILL GAMBINO RUN NOW OR IN FUTURE?

NYS Assemblymember Sam Hoyt is using words such as "wrong" and "nonsense" to dispel widespread rumors that he won't run for re-election this year...So much for that

Meanwhile another highly placed source has contacted us to defend Erie County Legislature Chairperson Barbara Miller Williams from personal attacks against her published on that other website.

"With all due respect to that other website, it is simply NOT TRUE that Barbara is not doing a good job as Chairperson or that she is not prepared," this person contends. "She has been very prepared as far as I can see. Actually, I've been very impressed that she has been able to keep her poise despite a barrage of attacks and stalling tactics deployed against her during sessions by her political opponents. Exactly why someone of the stature of Lynn Marinelli would engage in such tactics I don't know. I don't understand why she would act this way or what she thinks she will gain from these actions."

Our source continues...

"I don't know of any legislature chairperson who has been perfect in her first few weeks of holding this position and neither does anyone else. But, Barbara has been doing just fine."

Moving on to state-wide affairs (no pun intended), rumors persist both here and in Albany to the effect that some sort of scandal is about to break involving our Governor, David Paterson. It's gotten so bad that his press secretary has put out a public statement denying them. That being the case, we will take the Governor at his word.

Closer to home, we are hearing that County Legislature aide and highly respected West Side community activist Jim Gambino will run for public office sooner or later, possibly as a candidate for the Assembly if Joe Golombek doesn't run. When we asked Gambino about this on Monday, he confirmed that a number of citizens have talked to him about running.

"With the situation in our state being as bad as it is, I don't think any incumbent should run unopposed," he declared. "While I have been approached about running, I have not made any decision to run. However, If I were to run, in my view, the kind of public official we need would be someone who is out on the streets every day he can be, the way I am as a West Side block club president, talking to residents and finding out what the problems are and then doing something about them."

In only a couple of years or so as a West Side resident, Gambino has already become something of a local legend for his courageous willingness to personally confront drug dealers on the streets.

"If a drug dealer is destroying a neighborhood, I will go down there and confront him or her and tell them to move on," he says. "If they won't I take photos of their license plates and report them to the police. That's the kind of direct action that we need from our public officials. The West Side needs a lot more attention than it's getting."