As a reminder, SDWNY will be considering endorsement for the City of Buffalo Mayor's election at our upcoming meeting on Tuesday, June 25 at 6PM, among many other elections. 

 Questionnaires have been sent to all announced Democratic candidates; they will be posted if and when returned. 

 You may view the 2013 City of Buffalo Mayoral Questionnaire here. 

 We hope to see you on the 25th! 

What a Pride! A big, enormous, heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out and marched today with our Stonewall Democrats of Western New York! I have unending pride for all of you, and was honored to march alongside our memebers and supporters. It was my honor to march alongside my Democratic Chair Jeremy Zellnerand his family, with my Senator Timothy Kennedy, my Assemblymember Sean M. Ryan and one of my heroes Jamestown Council President Greg Rabb. To all our candidates who marched, attended or were reprsented in the parade thank you- especially our newly endorsed candidates Lynn Szalkowski CPA for Erie County Comptroller and Mary Giallanza Carney and Paul Crapsi - For Erie County Family Court Judge. And a huge thank you to everyone who signed one of our GENDA letters or Law Enforcement Sensitivity traning petitions at Canal Side. We have all come such a long way; the journey here has been amazing, and the journey forward will be all the more!

-Bryan Ball

SDWNY Pride 2013 Group Photos 

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Group Photo #2 

Dear Stonewall Democrats of WNY and Allies, 

Happy Pride Week! 

 As a reminder, Stonewall will be marching with our members, elected officals, candidates and allies in the Pride Parade, and having a table at the Pride Festival. Line up for the parade begins at noon on Sunday, June 2, at the intersection of Elmwood and Lafayette in Buffalo. For any further information or to help with the Pride parade or our table, please email us at info@sdwny.org. While we all may be pulled in different directions on Parade day, we will be taking as big a group photo as possible during the line-up, around 12:30PM. We hope if you are partaking in the parade you will come be a part of our photo! 

 Also, it is with great Pride that we announce our first endorsements of the 2013 election season. SDWNY is thrilled to announce our endorsement of Paul Crapsi and Mary Giallanza Carney for Erie County Family Court, and Lynn Szalkowski for Erie County Comptroller. You may read our full endorsement annoucements, as well as all candidate questionnaires on our website.

 And finally, we hope that you will join us for our next meeting on Tuesday, June 25 at 6PM where we will hear from candidates for Buffalo City Court, Erie County Legislature, City of Buffalo Mayor, Niagara Falls City Council and Erie County Sheriff. 


  Happy Pride!  



Bryan Ball
President 

It is with great pride that Stonewall Democrats of Western New York announces our endorsement of Mary Giallanza Carney for Erie County Family Court. Throughout her career, Mary Giallanza Carney has proven herself as an attorney and citizen, which will prove her to be a terrific Family Court judge once elected. 

"Mary Giallanza Carney is an ideal candidate, qualified above and beyond what it will take to be a Family Court judge," said Bryan Ball, president of Stonewall Democrats of WNY.  "Mary is a proponent of fairness and the human dignity of all people, and understands fully and intricately the needs and concerns of the LGBTQ community. I am so proud to annouce Stonewall's support of her campaign." 

 For more information on how you as a Stonewall Democrat or ally can become more involved in helping to elect Mary Giallanza Carney to Erie County Family Court, please contact us at info@sdwny.org. There are two open seats for the court to be filled in this year's elections. Currently, there are four Democrats running in a primary, and one Repulican candidate. SDWNY has also endorsed candidate Paul Crapsi in the Erie County Family Court elections. 

It is with great pride that Stonewall Democrats of Western New York annouces our endorsement of Paul Crapsi for Erie County Family Court. A distinguished and accomplished attorney, Paul Crapsi has spent his career working for our community and the issues of the people. 

"Paul Crapsi will make an incredible Family Court judge," said Bryan Ball, president of Stonewall Democrats of Western New York. "An attorney who worked on the first case involving NYS's Sexaul Orientation Non-Discrimination Act, Paul Crapsi knows and understands the needs of the LGBTQ community, and the unique needs of all who deal with the legal system and Family Court. We are absolutely thrilled to support Paul in his election." 

 For more information on how you as a Stonewall Democrat or ally can become more involved in helping to elect Paul Crapsi to Erie County Family Court, please contact us at info@sdwny.org. There are two open seats for the court to be filled in this year's elections. Currently, there are four Democrats running in a primary, and one Repulican candidate. SDWNY has also endorsed candidate Mary Giallanza Carney in the Erie County Family Court elections. 

Stonewall Democrats of Western New York proudly annouce our support of Lynn Szalkowski for Erie County Comptroller. An accomplished CPA and force in her community, Lynn Szalkowski will bring the needed change Erie County needs to the Comptroller's office.

"Lynn Szalkowski is, in her own right, an ideal and perfectly qualified candidate for the Comptroller's office," said Bryan Ball, president of SDWNY. "Lynn provides a stark contrast to the current Comptroller, who currently lacks everything she will provide: experience, qualifications and a true sense of independence." 

 For more information on how you as a Stonewall Democrat or ally can become more involved in helping to elect Lynn Szalkowski as Erie County Comptroller, please contact us at info@sdwny.org. There are currently no other annouced Democratic candidates running for the Comptroller's office. 

As a reminder, our May meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 28. We will start at 6PM, due to endorsement interviews.  We will be hearing from candidates for Erie County Family Court and Comptroller. Questionnaires and interview times will be posted as soon as they are available and scheduled. 

 We hope to see you there! 

The following Offices and Candidates have been scheduled for interview this Tuesday 5/27, as follows:


Erie County Family Court:


6:15PM: Mary Giallanza Carney (View her questionnaire here) 
 
6:30: Paul Crapsi (View his questionnaire here)

6:45: Joe Jarzembek 

Timothy Pawarski, candidate for Family Court, has not yet responded to our endorsement questionnaire. 

Erie County Comptroller: 


7:00: Lynn Szalkowski

May 5, 2013

At our Buffalo School Board Candidate Forum, our membership heard from the following candidates and issued the following endorsements, by district: 



North District: 

-Dr. Susan Gillick, candidate for the North District, ENDORSED. View her questionnaire here. 

-Dr. Wendy Mistretta, candidate for the North District. View her questionnaire here.

-Jason McCarthy, incumbent board member. View his questionnaire here. 

West District: 

-Ralph Hernandez, Incumbent Board Member, ENDORSED. View his 2013 questionnaire here. 

View a copy of Ralph Hernandez's Dignity for All Resolution passed by the Board of Education submitted with his questionniare. 

-James Sampson, Hernandez's opponent, responded to our questionniare that he is not seeking the endorsement of group's that aren't entirely made of parents. 

As of this writing, Ralph Hernandez will not be on the election ballot this Tuesday, and is running a write in campaign for the West District. 

East District:  

-Dr. Theresa Harris-Tigg, candidate for the East District, ENDORSED. View her questionnaire here.

-Rosalyn Taylor, incumbent board member, did not respond in any way to SDWNY's endorsement questionnaire. 

 As of this writing, Rosalyn Taylor will not appear on Tuesday's ballot, but is waging a write-in campaign. 

Central District: 

-Bryon McIntyre, candidate for the Central District, ENDORSED. 

-Mary Ruth Kapsiak, incumbent board member, did not respond in any way to SDWNY's endorsement questionnaire. Joseph Mascia, who had been running in the district and has since been removed from the ballot, also did not respond to our questionnaire. 

Park District: 

-Neither candidate-- Carl Paladino or Adrian Harris-- running for this open seat responded to SDWNY's questionnaire. 

Ferry District: 

-The only candidate in the Ferry subdistrict, Sharon Belton-Cottman, has not responded to our questionnaire. On May 3, in The Buffalo News, it was reported that Rev. Kinzer Pointer is being targeted by a write-in campaign to elect him to the district seat. As he was neither an announced or filed candidate this year, he did not receive an update questionnaire. However, Rev. Pointer has not responded to our questionnaire when he ran for the seat previously in 2010.


Image: via YNN

04/22/13

***Attention everyone, we have had to reschedule our meeting for this Wednesday, at the same time and place, due to an unforseen circumstance that saw the Buffalo School Board schedule a meeting on Tuesday night which would have deprived us of nearly all our School board memebers and candidates. ****

 This Wednesday we will be meeting an hour earlier than normal-- 6PM-- due to the start of endorsement season, as we will hear from and consider endorsement for the Buffalo Board of Education. 

Due to the number of candidates running for district office (in the Park, East, Central, West, North and Ferry districts) to the Buffalo Board of Education, all endorsement interviews at our candidate forum will be scheduled in ten minute intervals. Interview will consist of a candidate’s presentation (no more than five minutes) and a question and answer portion (no more than five minutes.) 

All candidates who have filed with the Board of Elections to run for the district seats have received endorsement questionnaires. As responses come in, they will be posted on our website and linked here, and candidates will be scheduled.