Reflections of a Grassroots Campaigner - By Jerry Mosey

As a candidate for the Niagara County Legislature, my goal is to visit the 4,000+ homes that make up the 12 th District (Lewiston) - one handshake at a time. As a result, I have been on the "streets" or in the countryside (on a very regular basis) since last April, meeting people like you and, most of all, listening to what you have to say. With over 1,000 homes still to visit, I have taken a rare moment to reflect on my adventure.

One thing is for certain: YOU DO CARE! The idea that you have given up and "gone home" could not be further from the truth. You care deeply about the quality of life in your neighborhoods and communities. I have been honored to sit on your porches, join your backyard barbeque, or to just stand in your driveway and talk. Your concerns are many and they come from the heart.

You are the Sanborn mother who has invested in a house that needs more work than she can afford but is more concerned about the relocation of convicted child predators. You are the Village of Lewiston couple who are enraged that their taxes will be raised by approximately $40.00 to support the AES Corporation in Somerset. You are the spouse of a resident of Mount View who has not yet been relocated to an equitable facility or one of the workers who feels that she is not only losing her job at Mount View but a "family" as well. You are a lifelong resident of Sanborn who is worried that the relocation of a CVS and the rumored coming of a Tim Horton's will forever change the quaint landscape of your beloved hamlet. You are the Town of Lewiston father who is saddened that his children had to move to another state because real wage jobs were not available to them in Niagara County. You miss your grandchildren who live so far away because no one took the time to make accommodations for their future. You are the Lewiston mother who tries to explain to her children why so many garbage trucks keep going by their home and where that garbage is being dumped. You are residents from across the 12 th District who wonder why we cannot achieve a balance between developing tourism while retaining our natural resources. However, what I hear more than anything else is how you feel you've been "disconnected" from your County Government. You have told me that your voices are not taken seriously or that they are not heard at all. You are angry that you are made aware of vital information only after legislative decisions have been made, as was the case with the closing of Mount View and the AES PILOT agreement forged by the Industrial Development Agency (IDA).

I am not a politician and I have no desire to behave as one. I am a concerned citizen and taxpayer who believes, like you, that together we can make a positive difference. We can no longer allow our County Government to leave us out of the very decisions that shape our future. You have awakened within me the belief that concerned and well-informed citizens, with access to open and accountable elected officials, can bring about the positive changes so desperately needed in our precious neighborhoods and communities.

It is time for us to take back our future. You have taught me that the winning of an election is only a beginning. It is a chance for you and me to work together to achieve our goals. I have been moved by your genuine interest and heartfelt concerns for each other and so, after further reflection, I make this promise to you: After the election in November, I will return to your porches and driveways, to your living rooms and backyards - through the vehicle of effectively run and regularly scheduled town meetings - to once again listen to your ideas and opinions, hopes, and fears. Together we will take them to the County Legislature and finally we will be heard.

- Jerry Mosey is a Candidate for Niagara County Legislator (12th Dist.)
(Endorsed - Democratic and Working Families Parties)