The Buffalo Bean Interviews Rick Lazio

I had the opportunity to sit down with Rick Lazio while he was in town yesterday. I’d never met him before. I wasn’t a New York resident during his unsuccessful Senate bid, so this was not only my first time meeting him, but my first real opportunity to assess him as a candidate that I might vote for.

I asked him first why he was running governor. He explained, “When I was growing up my parents taught me when there’s trouble with a neighbor or a friend you run to go help them, you don’t run the opposite direction, And this state is my home state, it’s the only state i’ve ever known.”

He then expressed his dismay over the number of people giving up on New York and moving out of state, and doesn’t want that to happen with his kids, who he hopes will not only be able to stay in the state, but want to. “Maybe they’ll move out because they fall in love with somebody or meet somebody, or maybe they got a great career opportunity, but I don’t want them to feel like they have to move out because they can’t afford to live here, there are no jobs here, and they’re not proud of the state.” That, he explained, is what makes running for governor so important, and he wants to take his public and private experience to help his home state.

Lazio told me that until recently, he never thought he’d run for public office. He’s previously been asked to run, and declined all offers since his failed 2000 Senate bid. But the current crisis in New York has brought him to seek office again. According to Lazio, it’s mostly a crisis of faith. “People just don’t believe this government works for them. And it seems like they prove it everyday.”

Lazio placed blame for New York’s current crisis on both parties, who have let the state slide the past 30 to 40 years. They “have no vision, no sense of who we are as a state and who we need to be.”

I told him my experiences with New York not being very business friendly, and he agreed, noting that the tax burden that is the highest in the country, which not only sends a bad message to businesses, but to families.

At this point, I agree with all that he was saying, but I wanted to know how he felt he could change the way the state is ”One person can’t change it by themselves, but one person can lead a movement to change it.”

We talked about how every election cycle people complain about the state government, but continually reelect the same people who are causing the problems. “People need to be motivated to go out there and send a message. They need to come out in large numbers to support a change candidate and a change movement [...] a movement that has got ideas behind it.”

So what are his ideas? Good question. First, he wants to “get our fiscal house in order” by controlling spending and putting a cap on property taxes. Next, he wants to reduces the state’s mandates and provide more decision making to the local level. Lazio says the state needs to allow for more decision making at the local level since “the state operates by stalemate and avoiding responsibility,” while local leaders are more in tune with the needs of their communities.

Then there’s the structure. There are dozens of state agencies that collectively issue about a 140 billion dollars in debt  (larger than state budget) and they are acccountable to nobody. Lazio wants to see more transparency and accountability, and believes that that debt needs to be issued through the comptrollers office, and there needs to be ceilings on debt.

Is this something he can do? He told me that he understands make up of government. “The governor has to be able to work with the legislature and be a partner.” He added that he is perfectly comfortable using the veto to hold the line on spending.

While it was easy for us to discuss all the problems with the state, he was confident that something can be done. “All of our problems are solvable, all it requires is the political will.”

Of course, holding the line on spending is important, so is spending wisely. Lazio says that the state infrastructure improvements that will actually increase productivity, He mentioned the big mistake that has been made with stimulus money.

Lazio says that education is key to working ourselves out of this problem we are in now. He believes in increasing charter schools, holding schools accountable, paying for performance. “I believe in a merit-based system.” he said.

We talked about a recent New York Times editorial that called Albany a swamp,and said everyone ought to be thrown out. “I’ll be the guy who drains that swamp,” he promised.

There were a lot of issues that came up in our discussion.

He supports non-partisan drawing up of districts. We get “better quality public servants when they are in competitive districts.”

He supports term limits at all levels of government. He wants politicians to serve then live under the rules they created.

He supports a unicameral legislature, which he says would increase transparency and end those backroom deals. “The structure of New York government has to change in order for us to get better outcomes.”

Of course, talking about all these issues facing state, I knew I had to ask about Upstate New York and Western New York. “The people of Western New York have good reason to be skeptical of politicians who go to Albany and forget their promises to them.” He asks that people look at his record to see that he follows through on his promises. He recognizes that property taxes are hurting upstate (since we have a more difficult time shouldering the burdens) and that’s why he supports a property tax cap. He also feels that by allowing local leaders at the city/town and county levels will be very beneficial to our region. ”I won’t be a master, I’ll be a partner. That’s want to be with upstate.”

After talking about his ideas and plans, I wanted his thoughts on Governor Paterson. I asked if felt that Paterson deserved any blame for current crisis. “Paterson spent many years in the legislature casting votes that brought us to the point we are at now.” He added that members of both parties voted for pensions and programs they knew we couldn’t afford and weren’t sustainable because they got them through elections.

“Does Paterson have responsibility? Yes. Does he have responsibility since he’s been governor? Absolutely. while he’s said many things i agree with, he’s been completely inconsistent. He talked about how bad the budget was [...] then signed the budget.”

One of the biggest hurdles Lazio will have is being a Republican candidate in a blue state. So, I asked about his ability to gain the support of Democrat voters. He told me he’s spoken with many Democrats who have said they’d never voted Republican in the past, but will vote for him because of their disappointment with the way Democrats have run the state. He said they like his mix of public and private sector experience.

“This is not the time for people to give up, but to stand up and make a difference.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Lazio before the interview. But I found myself impressed at the end. He was not only able to tell me his position on a wide variety of issues, but he was able explain his positions, and demonstrated a true knowledge of issues facing this state. He was perfectly willing to place balme on both parties for not doing their jobs and keeping the best interests of the state first, and for that, he deserves credit. Paterson has spent the past several months blaming everyone but himself for his problems, and for the current crisis.

It’s going to be a tough battle to bring this state out of the financial crisis it is in. His ideas make a lot of sense, and he is optimistic that the problem are fixable. Some might be wary or dismissive of his candidacy after his 2000 Senate campaign, but I think he deserves a clean slate to share his ideas with the people of New York.

This interview was conducted in-person October 19, 2009.

The Buffalo Bean Interviews Matthew Ricchiazzi

The Buffalo Bean is pleased to present the following interview with Matthew Ricchiazzi, who is running for Mayor of Buffalo, NY:

THE BUFFALO BEAN: How is your campaign going so far? What kind of response are you getting?

MATTHEW RICCHIAZZI: My campaign is as grassroots as it gets: it’s me, a few volunteers and a few clipboards.  The response we’ve been getting so far has been overwhelming positive when we’ve been going door-to-door.  Everyone in Buffalo wants change.  They don’t want the region’s political discourse to focused on who in City Hall is most likely to be indicted; they’d much rather have a conversation about how we can create jobs and how we can more aggressively pursue economic development.

I want to build a city where you don’t have to move away to find a decent paying job; where your kids don’t have to move away to realize their full potential—anything short of that is failure.    But that requires that we start electing political leaders who know where we’re going and how to get us there.  This campaign isn’t about money; it’s not about patronage—which is easy, given that I don’t have money or any political connections.  This campaign is about ideas.  It’s about an Agenda to Change Buffalo, a roadmap for transformational change that be read at changebuffalo.org.

THE BUFFALO BEAN: How is your signature collecting going? How many have you collected so far?

MATTHEW RICCHIAZZI: I am a registered Republican, so initially I was seeking a Republican nomination for Mayor. I ended up falling a few dozen signatures short to get on that primary ballot, so I’m now pursuing an independent nominating petition, which would make me an unaffiliated candidate and requires 1,500 signatures. I have until August 14, and we’ve been averaging between 110 and 140 signatures per day, depending on how many volunteers I can muster on that particular day. We have a little over 900 right now, so I’m fairly confident we’ll meet the requirement with, perhaps, a few days to spare.

THE BUFFALO BEAN: Is the Buffalo Republican Party helping you at all?

MATTHEW RICCHIAZZI: Oh no, not at all. Clearly, the Party likes to play political games—I suppose that’s their role. They’re going to end up giving the Republican nomination to a Democrat, Mickey Kearns, so that he can remain on the ballot even if he loses his primary. I understand that the Republican Party needs to rebuild itself given the current predicament both in the City and nationally, but giving the nomination to a Democrat is a not-so-subtle attempt to play patronage politics on the part of Republican Party personalities that have essentially been shut out.

I take a very different view. We’re not going to be able to rebuild the Republican Party by becoming (and nominating) Democrats. We’ll rebuild the Party with new blood, new ideas, and a very different tone. We need to run aggressively against the institutionalized systems of patronage that plague our governmental institutions. We are victims of a one-party political machine that continues to run our City into the ground, even after decades of decline and hemorrhaging job losses. Now, more than ever, we need a radical new approach. And the approach shouldn’t be to nominate Democrats in exchange for patronage jobs. We certainly need a new Party Chairman that takes this task seriously. Our City is dying here. We’re in crisis mode, and we don’t have any more time to waste with Party hacks—in either Party.

THE BUFFALO BEAN: You’re a young guy, what makes you think you have the experience to be mayor of Buffalo?

MATTHEW RICCHIAZZI: I’m not running on experience, I’m running on skill sets. I have skill sets that Byron Brown and Mickey Kearns don’t have, and that are absolutely critical if we are going to address Buffalo’s extraordinary challenges in a meaningful way. Now, more than ever, we need an MBA Mayor who is also an urban planner—someone who’s worked in legislative affairs in DC, and as a community organizer in New York.

If we had an MBA Mayor, One Sunset would never have happened. We need a Mayor who can identify viable profit making opportunities and constantly link those opportunities with investors; but that requires a Mayor who can speak the language of structured finance and who is fluent in the analytics of firm decision making. There is a whole realm of economic development that isn’t even being engaged, because we need a Mayor who is sophisticated enough to have those conversations.

If we had a Mayor who was an Urban Planner, the concept of an elevated Route 5 would have been laughed out of the room and out of the realm of possibilities. The Wingate Hotel debacle never would have happened. Our new zoning code would certainly have been written by now. We wouldn’t have forgotten to include bike lanes in our reconstruction of Main Street. The fact that we have a Mayor who is neither an MBA nor an Urban Planner is costing us an extraordinary amount of money, time, and potential. We can’t afford to waste any more time with him.

The funny thing about experience: you can have decades of all the experience that has been killing us, without having any of the skill sets that we need. I admit that I have no experience sending your kids to other states to find work. Mayor Brown, on the other hand, has decades of experience offering mediocre leadership in dysfunctional governments where he has done nothing of consequence (nine years in the common council, three years in the State Senate, three years as Mayor). Mayor Brown has decades of precisely the experience that we can no longer afford. Only in Buffalo can you fail your way up the hierarchy like that.

THE BUFFALO BEAN: It has been four decades since the city of Buffalo has had a Republican mayor. What makes you think you are the candidate to break the trend?

MATTHEW RICCHIAZZI: I’m a very different kind of Republican. I think that we need to make government cheaper, smaller, and more flexible so that we can afford to be responsive, engaged, and catalytic when it comes to job creation and economic development. I’m a fiscally conservative, socially liberal, pragmatic objectivist. I want to understand our problems simply as they are, without the lens of ideological dogma or Party entrenchment. Progress need not be petty or partisan.

I think that my candidacy, and my Agenda to Change Buffalo, is very attractive to constituencies that aren’t typically Republican: students and young people who want a voice and a future in this City; young professionals who want jobs and opportunity; the LGBT community who wants a freer and more tolerant government; progressives who want competent and high quality urban planning; small business owners who crave a sophisticated approach to development; parents who understand that the quality of public education is the civil rights issue of our time; and homeowners who need us to eliminate the property tax’s investment penalty. My Agenda speaks to these constituencies.

THE BUFFALO BEAN: Between your age and your political party, what is the bigger obstacle to overcome?

MATTHEW RICCHIAZZI: That’s hard to say. Certainly, there exists a great deal of ageism that I’ve encountered going door to door. But there is also a great deal of anti-Republicanism, which I certainly understand given the performance of the National Republican Party over the last eight years. I’m a harsh of critic of the National Republican Party, and I think that President Bush squandered so much potential over his eight years as President. We need leaders like Jack Kemp, who was a policy innovator. He didn’t follow polls, he changed opinions through robust and respectful debate, and he articulated a vision for the Party that was forward-thinking, inclusive, diverse, tolerant, and respectful. Where did that caliber of Republican go?

THE BUFFALO BEAN: How is the media treating your candidacy?

MATTHEW RICCHIAZZI: I’m running, in large part, because my generation is absolutely irate that the current and previous generations of Buffalo Niagara’s leadership have squandered my generation’s future here. It pains me to say that we are a failed community—we cannot regenerate ourselves. If you want to find a decent paying job or to realize your full potential, you have to move someplace else. I love this City—like many people of my generation, we think Buffalo is an extraordinary place and we’d love to make our futures here. But we can’t, because a one party political machine has run this City into the ground for decades. My message is simple: don’t squander our future, don’t mitigate our promise or potential, don’t vote for more of the same. Vote for change.

Why the establishment media (aka, the Buffalo News) hasn’t covered my campaign is a mystery to me, but I’m not worried. The Buffalo News’ target demographic is very different than mine. They’re missing the story.

THE BUFFALO BEAN: What, as mayor, would be the top three things on your agenda?

MATTHEW RICCHIAZZI: First, we need to much more aggressively pursue economic development and job creation. We need to hire a professional economic development staff that markets development incentives to the world’s most promising, most innovative, most cutting edge companies, so that we can cultivate the industries of the future here. We need to establish a venture capital fund that the City can use to rapidly capitalize promising start ups in emerging industries. We need an aggressive land banking operation to correct the extraordinary housing disequilibrium in so many of our neighborhoods.

Second, we need to streamline the size and scope of the City government, so that we can dramatically reduce our operational spending in order to reduce the property tax levy in a meaningful way. We need to devolve some service delivery to not-for-profit intermediaries who don’t have the same union obligations that the City is burdened with. We need to implement automated systems throughout the City government to improve labor productivity and reduce our staffing needs. We need to regionalize some functions of municipal government to county-wide or regional entities that can take a more holistic view while eliminating redundant layers of government. And, because it makes sense for tax payers, we need to privatize our public works operations so that we can enjoy greater flexibility and lower fixed costs for those operations.

Third, we to establish a robust intergovernmental affairs operation in both Albany and Washington, where we need permanent offices and full time lobbyists who are constantly pushing for state and federal investment in our transportation and higher education infrastructure, in addition to securing the changes in State law that are required to build a more flexible and more responsive City government.

This interview was conducted via email July 22, 2009.

The Buffalo Bean Interviews Dennis Delano

The Buffalo Bean was fortunate enough to ask Dennis Delano a few brief questions about his being found guilty of insubordination by a hearing officer yesterday, and his retirement announcement today:

THE BUFFALO BEAN: Your attorney noted how offended you were that you were even prosecuted for your actions, but were you expecting to be found guilty?

DENNIS DELANO: Absolutely not, but I did tell everyone that “if the hearing officer was going to really be fair and impartial, that I would be exonerated of all charges, and if he wasn’t, then there was nothing that I could do about it.” Anyone that attended the hearing knew that the city had no case!!! 

THE BUFFALO BEAN: Your decision to retire was obviously a difficult one. How did you reach that decision?

DENNIS DELANO: It was extremely difficult, but I knew in the back of my mind, that I would not be able to return to work after the way that I was treated by this administration. They made up most of the charges, and it boggles my mind that they could keep me out of the game for over a year on this, even if it was true, which it was not even close to being so.

THE BUFFALO BEAN: Commissioner Gipson said that orders must be followed in the police department. What is your response to that?

DENNIS DELANO: He is absolutely correct, the problem comes in when the orders are “selectively enforced”, thereby creating a “grey area.” It is usually created by “incompetent” administrators. Another problem arises when the “boss” is caught breaking actual laws, and not held accountable for his actions, it creates “hypocrisy!”

THE BUFFALO BEAN: Do feel this verdict sends a bad message to other detectives in the department?

DENNIS DELANO: Yes, they will be reluctant to “stand up” against the administration for fear of reprisal.

THE BUFFALO BEAN: Do you have any confidence in the Buffalo Police Department anymore to serve and protect the community?

DENNIS DELANO: Yes, there are extremely competent officers in the department, it is only a few at the very top that are incapable of doing the job.

THE BUFFALO BEAN: Should the community have any confidence in the leadership in the department?

DENNIS DELANO: Supervisors, yes. Administrators, no.

THE BUFFALO BEAN: So, what is next for Dennis Delano? Private practice? Are you considering another run for office?

DENNIS DELANO: Not a clue, all options are open, including politics!

The Buffalo Bean thanks Mr. Delano for taking the time to answer these question and wish him the best of luck.

This interview was conducted via email May 6, 2009. 

NY-26: Five Questions With Chris Lee

The Buffalo Bean recently had the opportunity to interview Chris Lee, candidate for U.S. Congress in New York’s 26th district. The interview was conducted via email and is posted below:

THE BUFFALO BEAN: You have been the target of some false negative ads put out by the DCCC on behalf of Alice Kryzan. As a newcomer to politics, were you surprised by the tone taken by your opponent and the groups trying to put her in office?

CHRIS LEE: It is unfortunate that Alice Kryzan has run a negative smear campaign against my family and our business. It does not surprise me that she has nothing positive to say about her background or her vision for Western New York.

Unlike my opponent my campaign has focused on the issues. Alice Kryzan has been on record for wanting to raise taxes which would harm our economy and destroy jobs in Western New York.

TBB: A new poll by SurveyUSA has you with a significant lead over your opponent. With the outlook for Republicans nationwide considered bleak even in Republican-leaning districts, why do you think you’re running so strong?

CJL: I don’t take a lot of stock in polls. The only poll I care about is the one on Election Day.  Voters are interested in electing someone who brings solutions and experience.

TBB: According to that same poll, there are still 18% who are undecided. What would you tell those voters to convince them they should support you?

CJL: In these troubling economic times we need a leader in Congress that has the real world experience of creating jobs in Western New York, balancing a budget and meeting a payroll.  Western New Yorkers deserve an independent voice in Washington who won’t accept business as usual.  A leader who will fight to keep taxes low, not raise them – who will fight for affordable health care, not government run health care. We have enough attorneys in Washington it is time to send a businessman to Congress.

TBB: What part of your message has resonated the most with the voters you’ve talked with on the campaign trail?

CJL: People like the fact that I have created jobs in Western New York. I have spent my career growing a family business that helped Western New York’s economy. Out of the 535 members of Congress, 237 members hold a law degree and only 18 members hold an MBA degree. Western New Yorkers understand that we don’t need another lawyer in Congress we need a businessman.

TBB: How do feel your experience as a successful businessman makes you better suited to represent the 26th district than your opponent?

CJL: I am a businessman, not a career politician. I bring real world experience to the job.  I’ve helped build a business and create jobs in Western New York.  I’ve been fortunate enough to sign the front of paychecks as well as the back. I know the challenges job-creating businesses face — and in Congress, I will work to make sure it is easier for them to grow in our communities.  When you are meeting a payroll you understand how difficult it is to earn a dollar. Therefore you are also a better steward of taxpayer’s hard earned tax dollars.

NY-27: Five Questions With Dan Humiston

The Buffalo Bean recently had the opportunity to interview Dan Humiston, candidate for U.S. Congress in New York’s 27th district. The interview was conducted via email and is posted below:

THE BUFFALO BEAN: You were quoted in the Buffalo News last week saying that when things are bad “you want to shake things up.” How would you shake up Washington?

DAN HUMISTON: I would shake things up in two very important ways: First I would bring a new perspective to the job; the perspective of a entrepreneur who has personal experience in creating jobs, making payroll and having to operate within a budget; things that career politicians have never had to do. Second, I would not be afraid to buck the House leadership, I don’t think Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank know a thing about Western New York and I would stand up to them when it is in the interest of the 27th district. `

TBB: You’ve been very critical of your opponent, Brian Higgins, for his vote for the $700 billion bailout. From talking with the voters in your district, have you found a lot of anger over this issue?

DH: Western New Yorkers didn’t create the financial crisis but now we have to pay for it, you bet voters in this district are unhappy about that bailout. I was on record against the bailout before the first vote because I knew it was it wasn’t fair to Western New Yorkers. Unfortunately, too many members of Congress ignored their constituents and caved to pressure from their party.

TBB: Higgins claims a lot of credit for making things happen in the 27th district. Is that credit deserved?

DH: I am sure Brian Higgins made some things happen during his time in Congress but he has done nothing to impact the most important issue facing this region, creating, keeping and attracting jobs. There over 70,000 fewer people living here today than lived here when he first took office in 1988. If I am elected to Congress, growing the population will be my priority.

TBB: You have spent the majority of the campaign out on trail by yourself. It was only recently that Brian Higgins seemed to acknowledge your presence in the race, even agreeing to a number of debates. What do you think accounts for Higgins’ sudden interest in his reelection campaign?

DH: That is a question that you need to ask Brian Higgins but I can tell you this; people are worried about the direction of this county; Congress’s approval ratings are the lowest they have ever been and the voters are mad about the bailout. Business as usual isn’t working and many see an opportunity for change in my candidacy.

TBB: The dominant theme of this election season has been “change.” Please explain how you will do things differently than your opponent in Congress.

DH:The biggest difference between Brian Higgins and me is our respective backgrounds. I am an entrepreneur, my background is in business. Brian’s a politician whose background is in government.

Entrepreneurs who are successful in business are good at managing constant change, at taking risks, and turning problems into opportunities.

Politicians who are successful in government are good at managing the status quo, at avoiding risk and turning opportunities into problems.

Interview with S.E. Cupp and Brett Joshpe

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing New York-based authors S.E. Cupp and Brett Joshpe, who co-wrote the book Why You’re Wrong About The Right: Behind The Myths – The Surprising Truth About Conservatives, which debunks 20 negative stereotypes about Republicans and conservatives. Here is a portion of the interview:

MATT: Did your experiences growing up and living in the liberal northeast inspire you to write this book? Was there any particular incident that made writing book feel more like a necessity to you?

S.E.: Although I grew up in the liberal northeast, I didn’t necessarily grow up in a particularly political household. My parents were patriotic, hardworking and compassionate, so that was my largest immediate influence — not politics. It wasn’t until college really that I understood how conservative I was, and until I realized that the Republican Party best addresses my political interests. This book is a direct result of our circumstance, being conservative fish-out-of-water in liberal Manhattan, and finding ourselves inexplicably at the business end of a verbal firing squad on a near-daily basis.

BRETT: Yes, for sure.  My experiences in college and law school probably contributed to my desire to write this book more than anything.  It is very frustrating being lectured to by left-wing professors and having relatively little recourse.  It made me want to respond in other ways, hence the book.  Also, I witnessed a great deal of anti-Americanism given the post 9/11 world we live in, which was also frustrating and inspired me to want to work on this project.

You can read the entire interview at Blogs For Victory.