Elected Republican candidates reject invite to Republican Committee meeting

The Lancaster Republican Party Committee held its first post primary election meeting tonight – June 28,2021.

Republican Party Chair Gregg Smith, as well as other committee members, privately and publicly invited the winning opposing primary candidates to the party’s endorsed candidates to appear and ‘end the divisiveness’.

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The elected Republican Party primary challengers, endorsed and winners of the Conservative Party primary as well, handily defeated the Republican Party’s endorsed candidates. Winners and representing Republican and Conservative Party lines in November are:

Town Justice – Anthony Cervi
Highway Superintendent – John Pilato
Town Council – Adam Dickman
Town Council – Mark Burkard

The four elected Republican candidates were ‘no shows’ at tonight’s Republican Party committee meeting. It is not difficult to understand why as registered Republicans they interviewed, vetted, and denied endorsement. Justice Cervi and Councilmember Dickman were also incumbents. The Republican Party endorsements went to two non-registered Republicans - Highway Superintendent and a Town Council position.

To add insult to injury, the victorious elected Republicans had designation petitions challenged by the Republican Party, had their Conservative Party designating petitions challenged (in court as well) by a non- campaigning interloper who had his petitions carried by several Republican Party committee members and even the one endorsed RINO candidate who was also endorsed by the Democratic and Working Family Parties.

Like many others, especially independents and ‘blanks’ the decision by the winning candidates to not attend the committee meeting is appreciated as a sign that the candidates are true to their values, ethics, and commitment to serve the best interests of the community, not their own. To have attended the ‘kiss-and-makeup meeting would give the appearance of personal gain. The elected candidates have nothing to gain. They got where they are despite Republican Party support and can very well be victorious in November without help from a deceitful committee.

Despite all machinations the colluded Republican and Democratic Parties used to undermine the victors the voters of Lancaster seen through the deceit and made the right choices. OORAH!

The victorious candidates owe their allegiance to steadfast, principled Conservative Chair Deb Lemaster, and to Greg Sojka, a deposed Chair who held on to principled Conservative / Republican values.

To all of them them we owe thanks for providing the voters of Lancaster a November election choice. Had the scheming that began in January to control all four political parties been successful, not only could Republican Party Chair Greg Smith have taken off the summer as he planned, the voters could have stayed home in November.

The winning candidates not going to tonight’s Republican committee meeting was not only justified but politically wise – IMHO! Cervi, Pilato, Dickman, and Burkard did not leave the party, the party left them!


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Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec

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Just My Opinion:

Lee, thank you for your observations and the attachment.

Normally, I would not even respond to such a bizarre statement, but since you did post it, I suggest that there is a great deal in the comment to parse-out. Frankly speaking, no pun intended, based strictly on the existent words, I do not know what in Hell to make out of Chairman Smith's remarks.

I note that Smith's comment only congratulates the Republican and Conservative candidates, but it fails to pledge his and/or his Committees' full support to the Primary election victors.

Furthermore, he limits his comments to generalized pleas to end divisiveness and for party unity, but does not suggest a rallying cause for such unity.

In that connection, he curiously ends the post by wishing the Democrat candidates that he and his Committee previously endorsed, "best of luck in their future endeavors"; the key word is "endeavors."

Is not one of their "future endeavors" their campaign against the elected Republican and Conservative candidates, Chairman Smith, O' Brilliant One?

A Comedy of Errors

After having their entire primary endorsed candidate slate trashed by challenging Conservative-Republican candidates, the Republican Party Committee held its first post-primary meeting – a raucous, fractious one at that.

Members disappointed with the loss charged the Party Chair with colluding with the Democrats to cross endorse candidates with unlike conservative-Republican Party values and ideology.

Republican Party Chair Greg Smith vehemently denied the Buffalo News report that declared he met with Lancaster Democrat Party Chair Terrance McCracken in January 2020, prior to his being elected Republican Party Chair to conspire to cross endorse candidates to ‘cool the political temperature in town’.

Smith declared that after the report was released, he was contacted by an apologizing McCracken to apologize for getting him involved in the resulting cross endorsing. However, no explanation was given when questioned why he did not contact the News requesting retraction. He adamantly maintained that he told others that if a deal was taking place, he did not want to hear of it. His position was to identify and to support the best qualified candidates.

When berated for the Republican Party’s failure to endorse and support registered Republicans espousing conservative values and ideologies, Smith voiced the party’s two non-registered endorsed candidates were registered Conservative Party members – failing to mention they were Democrats recently converting to the Conservative Party for political gain. Failing to mention two Republican Party incumbents seeking endorsement were by-passed in the endorsement process.

Smith declared he contacted the winning candidates to congratulate them on their victories and welcomed them to attend the first committee meeting after the primary election. When saying he was disappointed Cervi, Pilato, Dickman, and Burkard were ‘no shows’, he was asked by a disgruntled member why should they appear after the way they were treated - dismissed by their own party and then attacked and demeaned in the primary campaign process as well. “We need them back more than they need us right now. We need to assure them we have their backs and that we will fundraise and campaign on their behalf.”

The Prodigal Son left home with riches, squandered those riches, returned home empty handed and begged forgiveness from his father. Here, the father abandoned his political sons and expects their return without apology or concessions.

As a lifelong ‘blank’ it was heartwarming and vindicating to see this double-dealing political cross endorsing scam exposed for what it was - candidates were willing to sell themselves as having values from the extreme left to conservative for their own best interests. The scm was seen through by the Republican and Conservative Party electorate and voted down.

This Republican Party should be ashamed of itself. The Democratic Party is no better, The Conservative Party now rules!

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Smith voiced the party’s two non-registered endorsed candidates were registered Conservative Party members – failing to mention they were Democrats recently converting to the Conservative Party for political gain.

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How recent? Like 10 years ago recent or within the last year recent?

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Originally Posted by WNYresident

How recent? Like 10 years ago recent or within the last year recent?

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One a lifelong Democrat and Town of Lancaster Democrat committeeman in 2020 to be eligible to primary the Conservative line in 2020, the other within the past several months (2021) for same reason. Both accepting radical left Working Families endorsements as well. Political whores!

That doesn't seem possible. You would think the person running the Lancaster Republican party would have caught something like that.

Just My Opinion(s)

Lee,

I have been exposed to several anecdotes regarding the Republican Committee meeting, and I do have one source that seemingly took copious notes during the meeting.

With that said, based on my understandings, I offer my opinions in response to some of your observations. I wish to emphasize that I have no first-hand knowledge of the occurrences. I certainly welcome and invite opposing fact-based comments to be posted on this thread so that a full and truthful account of the meeting may be made available for the readers.

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Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec

A Comedy of Errors
After having their entire primary endorsed candidate slate trashed by challenging Conservative-Republican candidates, the Republican Party Committee held its first post-primary meeting – a raucous, fractious one at that.

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I understand that the meeting was replete with offensive words and personal insults. If that was the case, perhaps such conduct was employed in order to divert attention away from the party's most audacious attempt to depart from its purported core values and beliefs?

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Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec

Republican Party Chair Greg Smith vehemently denied the Buffalo News report that declared he met with Lancaster Democrat Party Chair Terrance McCracken in January 2020, prior to his being elected Republican Party Chair to conspire to cross endorse candidates to ‘cool the political temperature in town’.

Smith declared that after the report was released, he was contacted by an apologizing McCracken to apologize for getting him involved in the resulting cross endorsing. However, no explanation was given when questioned why he did not contact the News requesting retraction. He adamantly maintained that he told others that if a deal was taking place, he did not want to hear of it. His position was to identify and to support the best qualified candidates.

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My source's notes, the substance of which was communicated to me, seem to confirm your comments Mr. C.

In that connection, I offer these observations:

(1) As you previously stated, why is it that there were no apparent attempts, by either Chairman, to contact Mr. Watson for the purposes of clarifying events or retraction?

(2) Again, if the accounts presented to me are entirely accurate, was it not suggested that there was, at the very least, some January musings of a possible movement to undertake such a cross-endorsements "deal;" that Smith, far from discouraging such an initiative, only suggested that he wanted what I am terming "deniability," of such discussions, and then perhaps left it to a political plenipotentiary(s) to negotiate such a deal?

(3) Absent a direct admonishment by Smith not to engage in such talks, would it not seem logical that the negotiator(s) may have been fully empowered and authorized to conclude such an agreement?

(4) I also note that based on the accounts made available to me, it is my understanding that Smith purportedly stated that he had not "met" with Chairman McCracken, but did not deny the use of any other forms of communication, such as telephone calls, emails, or my suspected use of a third party(s).

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Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec

Smith declared he contacted the winning candidates to congratulate them on their victories and welcomed them to attend the first committee meeting after the primary election. When saying he was disappointed Cervi, Pilato, Dickman, and Burkard were ‘no shows’...

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Just My Opinions:

If the candidates were to respond to this post and a contact reflecting the substance thereof, is it any wonder that the candidates wisely sought to avoid such an engagement:

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In that regard, I note my previous observations:

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Originally Posted by mark blazejewski

... I suggest that there is a great deal in the comment to parse-out. Frankly speaking, no pun intended, based strictly on the existent words, I do not know what in Hell to make out of Chairman Smith's remarks.

I note that Smith's comment only congratulates the Republican and Conservative candidates, but it fails to pledge his and/or his Committees' full support to the Primary election victors.

Furthermore, he limits his comments to generalized pleas to end divisiveness and for party unity, but does not suggest a rallying cause for such unity.

In that connection, he curiously ends the post by wishing the Democrat candidates that he and his Committee previously endorsed, "best of luck in their future endeavors"; the key word is "endeavors."

Is not one of their "future endeavors" their campaign against the elected Republican and Conservative candidates, Chairman Smith, O' Brilliant One?

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Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec

...he was asked by a disgruntled member why should they appear after the way they were treated - dismissed by their own party and then attacked and demeaned in the primary campaign process as well.

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Indeed...

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...why should they have attended, for a photo op, or to stain the candidates with what I consider to have been their perplexing collusive efforts?

Were the candidates, including two incumbents, not labeled, in a paraphrase, "inferior" candidates, who "can't measure up to" Rudz and Wozniak, and were actors who suggestively prioritize politics over the taxpayers and residents of Lancaster?

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Originally Posted by WNYresident

That doesn't seem possible. You would think the person running the Lancaster Republican party would have caught something like that.

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Come on, man.

Both major party bosses and their candidates were well aware of the colluded effort to knock out all opposing party competition to control the town board, government policy and patronage. They went too far as to include the radical left Working Families endorsements to their deceitful campaign strategy.

The Republicans had their asses handed to them in the primary and the same outcome should take place to the Democrats in the November election. The Conservative and Republican Party voters saw through the double-dealing BS and elected candidates whose best interest are those of the town, not their own.

The Democrat voter should take this as a wake-up call as to how they are being manipulated / misled by their own party bosses.