By Mark C. Poloncarz and Jeremy Zellner
Recently readers of this column were subjected to the personal opinion of Erie County Conservative Party Chairman Ralph Lorigo about Democrats “abandoning the working class” and the “ivory tower elitists” running the Democratic Party today.
Perhaps he is searching for relevance in a world that is leaving him behind, but as the targets of the chairman’s ill-informed piece we write to set the record straight and discuss who really stands for the hard-working men and women of Erie County.
As the Democratic Party chairman and Erie County executive, we are the sons of an autoworker and a steelworker, respectively. Our families instilled in us concepts like fair pay for an honest day’s work, equality for all, and service to our community – ideals that remain Democratic tenets today.