CHEEKTOWAGA HIGHWAY SUP PREDICTS MAX WILL BE OUTSTED BY SPEYER..."NON-POLITICAL" RODRIGUEZ SPONSORING FUNDRAISER FOR KAVANAUGH, RUNNING FOR COMMMITTEE

Cheektowaga Highway Superintendent Mark Wegner is predicting that town Democratic Chairman Frank Max will be defeated for re-election next month.

"I think there's about an 80% chance that Jim Speyer will defeat Max and become the new town Chairman," Wegner told us. "We are running candidates in 70 of the 111 committee districts in Cheektowaga and I think most of them are going to win. In a lot of the other districts, the unopposed candidates are people who may not show up at the meeting. People are tired of Max threatening people to get them to do things. They want him out."

A POLITICAL CITIZENS RIGHTS CHIEF? 

As a contender for the postion of executive director of the City of Buffalo's Commission on Citizens Rights and Community Relations, Crystal Rodriguez pledged that she would be non-political and impartial. Yet, more recently we hear that she is a pro-Brown candidate for a seat on the Democratic Committee. Tonight she is co-sponsoring a fundraiser for Assembly candidate Barbara Kavanaugh at her headquarters along with Community Services Commissioner Tanya Perrin.

On top of that, she is the head of the city's primary agency that's devoted to protecting the rights of all Buffalonians. Yet, she is backing a candidate who advertises on an openly homophobic web site, one that spews scorn and insults at the local gay community at every turn....Shouldn't someone be looking into all this?

RUMORED PRO KAVANAUGH MOVEMENT WITHIN STONEWALL FIZZLES...BAD NEWS FOR MAYOR BROWN AS STONEWALLS VOTE TO BAR ILLUZZI CANDIDATES FROM ENDORSEMENTS...DAVIS RECALLS '72 CONVENTION SPEECH

A supposed movement within the Stonewall Democrats to rescind the group's endorsement of Assemblyman Sam Hoyt for re-election fizzled on Tuesday night as the group voted overwhelmingly to continue its support for Hoyt while rejecting the candidacy of former Common Council Member Barbara Kavanaugh, who is herself gay. This highly influential political club then voted to bar candidates who advertise on the homophobic Illuzzi web site from being considered for endorsement by the Stonewall Democrats. Since Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is an advertiser on the infamous Illuzzi site, this would prohibit Mayor Brown from gaining the Stonewall Democrats' nod in the future.

DAVIS' HISTORY MAKING MOMENT IN 1972

As the historic 2008 Democratic national convention continues, Stonewall Democrats Vice-President Madeline Davis reminded us of the groundbreaking part she played in both convention and gay history some 36 years ago.

EAST AURORA BUSINESSMAN REPORTS BEING INTERVIEWED BY DA CLARK...CLARK DECLARES, "CRIMES HAVE BEEN COMMITTED...WE ARE OPENING A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION...THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIRTY POLITICS AND COERCION"...ASKS FOR TESTIMONY AGAINST VOLKER CHIEF OF STAFF HARRY WAHL

NewWNYPOlitics.com has learned that Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark is conducting what he refers to as "a criminal investigation" of charges that local Republican leaders with ties to Senator Dale Volker used illegal intimidation and coercion tactics in an unsuccessful attempt to disuade former East Aurora Mayor David DiPietro from challenging Volker in the 2008 GOP primary. East Aurora businessman David Gunner, a current Highway Superintendent candidate and DiPietro supporter, told us today that he and his wife were called personally by Clark to a downtown Buffalo interview on the subject.

"He told us that he thought crimes had been committed and that this was a criminal investigation," Gunner said. "He also told us that there is a big difference between just dirty politics and coercion. He asked me if I would be willing to testify on conversations I have had with Harry Wahl, Senator Dale Volker's chief of staff and also with Rob Ruffner, the chairman of the Town of Aurora Republican Party."

The full story of the coercion campaign allegedly carried on by local Republican officials to dissuade DiPietro from running has been aired on NewWNYPolitics.com in several previous interviews with DiPietro. Gunner recently outlined his own experiences in an interview with  the local East Aurora web site, eastaurora.org. Excerpts from that interview follow. We pick up the story from the period right after Gunner got the Republican endorsement for highway superintendent.

"BREAKING NEWS" ON FOX TURNS OUT TO BE BOGUS...GOLISANO CHOOSES STACHOWSKI...POLLS SHOW HOYT WAY AHEAD AS SAM CONTINUES DOOR TO DOOR CAMPAIGN

It was supposed to be "BREAKING NEWS" on that other web site the other day: Allegedly there was a Fox News story on the internet about the Hoyt-Kavanaugh race...What did it turn out to be? A three day old Associated Press piece about the contest that simply repeated a few stale rumours, most of them false...Who's going to break the news to you know who that, instead of breaking news these days,  his sense of news is broken?"

To the surprise of many, billionaire Tom Golisano's Responsible New York campaign has endorsed Democrat Bill Stachowski, a 27 year Senate veteran,  for re-election over outsider Dennis Delano. Some might wonder if this wasn't a case of old school ties triumphing over any lingering hunger for reform.  Former Erie County Democratic Chairman Steve Pigeon, who is advising Golisano, is an old Dennis Gorski hand and so is Stachowski.

Then again, others might argue that Senator Stachowski is a voice for reform himself, noting his recent vote for the 4% cap on annual property tax increases.

Hoyt Ahead Despite Smear Campaign  

FAMILY COURT JUDGE LISA BLOCH RODWIN URGES ALL TO VOTE...TOUTS ENDORSEMENTS FROM BUFFALO PBA, BTF, AFL-CIO, UAW

Erie County Family Court Judge Lisa Bloch Rodwin is urging all registered voters to cast their ballots in the Sept. 9 primary. She is also touting her long list of endorsements from local unions.

"The experts are predicting that only about 12-15% of eligible voters will vote in the primary," she points out. "When you consider that 38,000 people's lives are touched by Erie County Family Court every year, I don't think I have to tell you how important the selection of a Family Court Judge is."