Elections 2008: Well-known civic activist contemplating a Maziarz challenge.

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February 28, 2008

By Joyce Miles/milesj@gnnewspaper.com The Journal-Register Thu Feb 28, 2008, 09:49 AM EST

A Democrat with name recognition and ties in three counties is eyeing a run for state Senate in the 62nd District.

Margo Sue Bittner of Appleton, proprietor of Marjim Manor Winery and a longtime Farm Bureau activist, confirmed this week she’s considering taking a shot at the seat long held by ubiquitous incumbent state Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane.

Bittner said she’s still researching issues of campaign finance, strategy and the likelihood of winning votes in a district where Republicans hold the voter enrollment edge.

Maziarz, who earlier this year said he intends to run for re-election, has a more-than $700,000 campaign war chest at his disposal and the benefit of wide name recognition in the district, which spans Niagara, Orleans and Monroe counties.

“I want all my ducks in a row before I decide one way or the other,” Bittner said. “There’s a lot to consider.”

Bittner, who was a vocal opponent of the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency’s tax break package for AES Somerset, declined to identify the specific issues motivating her exploration.

She would say only that she’s been thinking about running “for a while” and suggested she might have some advantage over Maziarz challengers who were crushed at the polls in 2004 and 2008: Extensive contacts in Orleans County through agriculture advocacy and the benefit of family ties in Monroe. Both Bittner and her husband, Jim, have politically active family members in that part of the district, Bittner said.

All state Legislature seats are up for election this year, and the state Democratic committee is strategizing ways to propel Democrats into the Senate majority. Were that to happen, the Democrats would control all of the Legislature and the governor’s office.

The state committee will have to pick a relative few places where it wants to invest big money support, however, and state committee member William Davignon of North Tonawanda says he’s not sure the 62nd district will be one of them.

Maziarz is a well-known incumbent in a predominantly Republican district, and conventional wisdom says the Democrats have a better chance of winning seats in more “even” districts, especially those where the incumbent is not a contender.

Davignon points to the Williamsville-centered 61st Senate district — where major-party registration numbers are closer and incumbent Mary Lou Rath is retiring — and says that shapes up as more of a “thriller.”

“I think you can only target 7 to 10 seats statewide (for financial support) because you don’t want to be spread too thin,” Davignon said. “And you have to pick districts that are more even in affiliation. That’s how I’d play it.”

Also, Davignon said, the state committee will be more likely to invest in races where host county committees are willing to spend money, too. That could be a problem for local Democrats.

“Democrats in Niagara County are not a wealthy bunch. We tend to lean more on grassroots support, like we did with Jack Davis’ (congressional campaigns against U.S. Rep. Tom Reynolds),” Davignon said. “We only have half, or less, of what the Republicans have.”

To run a “viable” state Senate campaign, a candidate needs to raise at least $250,000, Davignon suggested.

Daniel Rivera, chairman of the county Democratic committee, could not be reached to comment on the race Wednesday.

As of November 2007, voter registration in 62nd Senate district is 39 percent Republican and 34 percent Democratic, according to the state Board of Elections. About 6 percent are signed up with minor parties that tend to lean Republican. A whopping 20 percent of registered voters have no party affiliation.

“Blank” registration is becoming more common as voters decide they don’t want to be associated with any party, according to Niagara County Democratic Elections Commissioner Nancy Smith.

Contact reporter Joyce Miles at 439-9222, ext. 6245.

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