Don’t Cry For Baby Joe Mesi
It looks like at least one good thing has happened as a result of the Senate coup.
Joe Mesi, the former heavyweight boxer appointed to a controversial new office in Buffalo by State Senate Democrats, resigned Thursday effective immediately.
Mesi, 35, who lost a contentious State Senate race last year to Republican Michael H. Ranzenhofer, is an apparent casualty of the State Senate coup orchestrated by an ally, former Erie County Democratic Chairman G. Steven Pigeon, and Buffalo Sabres owner B. Thomas Golisano.
In a statement, Mesi hinged his decision on “the events in Albany and the uncertainty over when or how the turmoil will end.”
“I accepted this appointment with the best of intentions and I’m very disappointed that events in Albany have undermined our ability to move forward with a positive agenda for Buffalo and Western New York.
“As a professional fighter, I worked hard to promote our community, whether inside the ring or through my community and charitable endeavors. . . . I want all my fans and friends to know that Joe Mesi never quit as a fighter and I will be back to serve my community in the future.”
You never know, there may be another patronage job for him in the future.
Matt Margolis is co-author (with Mark Noonan) of Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About The New Democratic Majority. He also blogs at Blogs For Victory. Follow Matt on Twitter.