Fundraiser planned for Senate Democrats

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - They just gave thousands of your dollars for raises to State Senate staffers. That comes after a Senate stalemate that stymied the state for a month, and just before a Buffalo fundraiser to collect thousands more for Senate Democrats.

Criticism over big raises given by downstate Senate leaders to their key staffers is being leveled, even within the Democratic party.

Erie County Democratic Chairman Len Lenihan said, "Coming at this time, at a time when the state is in tough fiscal shape, certainly people have a right to be angry about it."

One of Senator Malcolm Smith's aides got a $16,000 thousand dollar raise and is now making $177,000 thousand dollars a year.

Senator Bill Stachowski said, "Would I have paid that much? Probably not. But I'm not the leader and not in charge of doing his raises. Should the people be upset in my area? Sure."

Democratic State Senator Antoine Thompson said he wasn't aware of the pay increases, but justified some pay hikes within his own staff based on their performance, "It's based on merit. Not everyone got the same rate of increase as well." (July 13, 2009)

Democrats are also concerned about building up their war chest for next year's elections. Downstate Democratic leaders in the Senate will be looking for Upstate support when they attend a fundraiser at the Chop House in Buffalo on Friday.

Senator Thompson co-chairs the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee and says keeping the Democrats in the majority is one of his two most important goals, "Our number one objective is to make sure we continue to fight for western New York, and also help grow the Senate majority." (July 10, 2009)

Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes said, "Because we do have two Democratic senators, they will have available to them resources to spend in the western New York district that they didn't have in the past."

Senator Stachowski told News 4 he could not say with certainty that Empire Zone status will be given back to western New York companies that were decertified, but he said he is trying; or if property tax reform will make it to the floor this week.

The State Senate meets again Wednesday.