Baskin runs on her record as Szymanski tries to unseat her in the 63rd Senate District

By Sean Gallagher

LACKAWANNA — First-term state Sen. April Baskin says she is running on her record. Her challenger, former Lackawanna Mayor Geoffrey Szymanski, says now is the time to stop her, before incumbency sets in.

Voters in the 63rd Senate District get the last word Tuesday. The district covers much of Buffalo, mostly East Side neighborhoods, plus all of Cheektowaga and Lackawanna. Sunday is the last day of early voting. On Election Day, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Baskin is a Democrat. Szymanski, a registered Conservative who now works for the Erie County Water Authority, has the Republican and Conservative lines, according to The Buffalo News.

Baskin: ‘I’m running on my record’

Baskin was once the youngest chair of the Erie County Legislature. In Albany she chairs the Senate’s Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee. She points to her push for more state aid for Buffalo, which she says helped the city get through a stretch of leadership turnover and budget trouble.

“I feel like I did a really, really good job at making sure that Albany was able to deliver for Buffalo outside of the traditional municipal aid funding that they traditionally get,” Baskin told the News. “I mean, it was increased by millions of dollars, and it’s because I was relentless with making sure that we did not increase taxes to a point where people were going to be in further crises.”

She also cited her work with Cheektowaga Town Supervisor Brian Nowak to win the town a new bed tax, and state money that helped Lackawanna build its new City Hall.

“I also think that I have done a very good job at zoning in on the municipalities’ needs and building healthy relationships with the executives,” Baskin said.

Szymanski: ‘I just don’t like where New York’s heading’

Szymanski was a Democrat until several years ago. He said he got fed up with local Democratic leadership, especially Erie County Democratic Chair Jeremy Zellner, and with what he sees as election laws bent to favor preferred candidates. He is still a union member and says he still backs organized labor.

“I just got to the point where I can either stop complaining or I can get involved and do something,” Szymanski said. “So I want to get involved because I love New York. I just don’t like where New York’s heading.”

He wants to hold down state spending by applying the 2% property tax cap that local governments live under to the state budget itself. He also wants audits of state agencies, including what he called medical fraud.

“I’d like to audit many agencies to be held accountable, including looking at medical fraud,” he said.

Szymanski also wants an audit of the state Office of Renewable Energy Siting and a new look at solar panels on farmland.

Bail and public safety

Both candidates talk about cost of living and safety. They part ways on causes and fixes.

Szymanski wants to repeal parts of the state’s criminal justice changes, including the 2019 bail law, which has been amended several times since. “Repeat offenders have no consequences, and that’s why they keep repeating,” he said.

Under the law, judges cannot set bail for most nonviolent offenses. Defendants still stand trial and face bench warrants if they skip court.

Baskin said violent crime keeps falling in Buffalo and statewide, though there is more to do. She has twice voted to close a loophole tied to a Cornell University sexual assault case in which the accused was never charged.

“We are trending in a positive direction, and every time I go to Albany, I am fighting for us to have safer communities,” Baskin said. She said voters across the district’s neighborhoods want the same things: “We want an affordable life, and we want our family to be safe, no matter what culture you come from.”

Money and name recognition

Both candidates have drawn similar amounts in public matching funds, the News reported, but Baskin has raised far more from traditional donors.

Szymanski said that is exactly why he is running now. “If ever there’s a time to challenge, it’s when someone’s new,” he said.

Baskin said she is not taking the race for granted. “It’s not lost on me that my opponent has some name recognition and has maybe 20 years-plus public service under his belt,” she said. “I’ve been around for about a decade serving the community. I’m running on my record.”

The Chronicle is seeking comment from both campaigns and will update this story with any response.