Published: October 29, 2009 11:29 pm      

OUR VIEW: NT council endorsements

The North Tonawanda Common Council has been a hotbed of political activity over the last several years and any newspaper editorial board would be wise to tread lightly in this partisan minefield.

We have taken special care in evaluating these candidates to take into account the various issues in each of the city’s three wards and those of the city as a whole. Factoring large into these deliberations were some of the potential financial pitfalls that could face the council to be sat this coming January. These are tough times and taxpayers in North Tonawanda need to take into careful account all of the pluses and minuses presented by each candidate. It was with considerable debate that we came to the following conclusions:

First Ward

Robert Fritz (D)

and Dennis Pasiak (R)

It’s no secret we were underwhelmed to say the least with the vote by three of the council’s present Republicans against the city budget. We thought it was far more political than ideological and meant in large part to set up a Democratic mayor for an election year fall.

To his credit, when we asked Dennis Pasiak about his no-vote on the city budget, he confirmed those suspicions. Pasiak came clean — and apologized — for what he called a “political decision” to vote to enact the mayor’s questionable budget, rather than work more diligently to improve it.

It was by far the worst decision Pasiak made during his freshman term on the council and marred what would otherwise have been a laudable term. Dennis has cultivated a reputation as a diligent public servant. His budget vote undercut that, but we were satisfied that he at least had conscience enough to admit it.

His opponent, Robert Fritz, is a nice guy. Truth be told — and this has been reflected by an entirely clean campaign between the two men — so is Dennis. But Fritz simply didn’t do enough to convince us he would be any better as an alderman than Pasiak.

Thanks for being honest, Dennis. If nothing else, it earned you our endorsement.

Second Ward

Richard Andres (R)

and Jerry DiVirgilio (D)

Make no mistake — these are freshmen candidates, but they are hardly political novices. Both men have been highly involved in city government. Both are strong candidates.

Richard Andres has to his credit service on the city’s master plan committee and brings a wealth of knowledge on zoning and planning issues. That will come in handy for the council if voters pick him. He has strong community ties and made credible and passionate arguments on neighborhood quality of life and crime problems plaguing the second ward.

Jerry DiVirgilio is an ally of Mayor Larry Soos’ administration and spearheaded the controversial — and we believe essentially correct — Charter Revision Committee. DiVirgilio held together what eventually (like everything else in NT these days) became an intensely partisan effort. He made mention of it at Wednesday night’s candidate debate and we agreed with his sentiment that “regardless of what you thought, everyone had their vote.” His work has been largely validated. A year later, City Hall looks none the worse for wear after combining the positions of clerk and treasurer.

We liked both men, but DiVirgilio seems like a better fit on a council that has lacked credible Democratic opposition to a Republican majority. For that, we endorse him in the second ward.

Third Ward

Eric Zadzilka (R)

and Janet Zehr (D)

Every time we interview a candidate you can count on one thing: They will brag about how long they’ve lived in their city or town. Janet Zehr by far won this year’s unofficial NT-off, boasting seven generations of North Tonawanda ancestors. What that has to do with how she would serve on the council remains to be seen, but it seemed worth noting.

Eric Zadzilka was better in our interview than he was at the debate, but offered a credible candidacy in both forums. He brought up what he sees as a lack of responsiveness to residents’ concerns by City Hall employees. Zehr downplayed this, saying in her experience most people are satisfied with their city’s response to problems. Unfortunately, we’ve heard from too many people that getting answers to questions in NT can be a maze.

Both of the candidates expressed cautious optimism about Walmart, with Zadzilka having been on the bandwagon from early on in the process. Zehr told us she wants to make sure Walmart is a good neighbor. We share that hope, but wonder what a single council representative would be able to do to police a major company and a huge store.

On balance, we found Zadzilka to be slightly more in touch with the needs of his ward, which is why we selected him in what appears to be one of the closest races in North Tonawanda this year.

At-Large

Dennis Barberio (D)

and Nancy Donovan (R)

Remember how we were impressed with Dennis Pasiak for at least admitting his mistake on the city budget?

Imagine how unimpressed we were when Nancy Donovan, who also voted no, spent the better part of 10 minutes tap dancing around it during our interview with her. Donovan kept falling back to her position that the mayor’s revenue projections were too rosy and that it was offering a misrepresentation to taxpayers.

Correct us if we’re wrong, but aren’t elected officials supposed to fix problems when they find them, not throw their hands up and proclaim it to be someone else’s fault?

It was transparent, petty partisan politics at its worst — and it comes from a council that’s proven itself all too willing to engage in political posturing regardless of the affect on the city.

So now we turn to Dennis Barberio, himself a total party foot soldier. He’s just as partisan as Donovan, but in the opposite direction. Their uninspiring and silly performance at our candidate debate — does anyone doubt they both came with the intent to sling mud rather than answer questions? — was a missed opportunity. Both could have taken the time to offer a positive vision of the city. Instead they bickered. Typical North Tonawanda politics.

We’re endorsing Barberio. Combined with DiVirgilio, Democrats would have a dissenting voice on a Republican-controlled council that too often has fallen into the towing the party line.

NOTE ON THE PROCESS: Candidates for elective office were invited to 30 minute individual interviews with the paper’s editorial board. These interviews in addition to the context gleaned from coverage of campaigns and ongoing issues relevant to voters were considered in making these endorsements. A particular party affiliation is not a qualification for the paper’s endorsement.