Hackarama

Chuck Swanick has got to be the ultimate hack. A hack's hack. The hack all hack wannabes look up to. He barely squeaked through to reelection after switching to the Republican Party, getting beat by Kevin Hardwick in the primary, and then running on a ridiculous minor party line. And winning. Gotta hand it to the guy, for someone whose only qualifications for government involve being a train engineer, having a bright smile and quick handshake, he's made good. But he's a vindictive hack, ain't he? According to Republican Legislator Barry Weinstein, (same party as Swanick's), EC Legislators who voted against Giambra's penny on December 8th are not suffering political consequences as a result.

It was the early morning hours of Friday March 4th, just before Erie County Legislators approved a final job cuts package. That’s when, according to Dr. Weinstein, Republican Legislator Chuck Swanick told fellow Republican Legislators in a private meeting that staffing levels would be less for those who did not vote in favor of increasing the sales tax on December 8th, 2004. According to Dr. Weinstein, Legislators who voted for the sales tax will get one full-time staff member for their respective office, while those who voted against the sales tax will get one part-time staff member. "Charles Swanick told us that this was going to be the staffing for the Legislature. He said that the five of us who voted against the sales tax would all get a half of a staff person,” said Legislator Weinstein.

That's apparently how the "republican" Giambra and his Igor, Swanick, play the game. Read the rest here. Cusack backs Weinstein up, and indicates that Swanick and Holt (peas in a pod) orchestrated this petty, vindictive backlash. When the backroom dealings of uber-hacks like Swanick get exposed to the light of day, we all benefit.