Niagara County GOP chair backs Norris

Norris, former GOP chairman and Board of Elections commissioner is hoping to replace fellow Republican, Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, who declined to run for a fifth term.

Kiedrowski is one of several local Republican leaders named on Corwin’s vacancy committee, a group that decides on a substitute candidate if a candidate with sufficient petition signatures to qualify for the ballot declines to seek an office. He will be among those choosing her replacement on the Republican line.

“I spoke with Mike at length after he announced Wednesday, as well as several Republican leaders from towns throughout the 144th Assembly District, and a strong case was made for Mike’s candidacy,” Kiedrowski said this morning. “He is respected throughout eastern Niagara County as a sharp legal mind and a committed conservative, and I think he’s a natural fit for the district.”

Kiedrowski noted that he had heard much from Norris both in their personal conversation and in Norris’s candidacy announcement that inclined him to support the Lockport attorney.

“Mike was clear about his priorities: joining Senator [Robert G.] Ortt (R, North Tonawanda) in his efforts to repeal the SAFE Act, opposing tax increases at all levels of government, and working to get our volunteer firefighters the resources they need,” Kiedrowski said. “That’s a message that will resonate with the conservative-leaning voters in the 144th, who Jane Corwin so effectively represented.”

Kiedrowski, who succeeded Norris as chairman of the Niagara County Republican Committee three years ago, added a personal note: “I’ve known Mike for some time, and I know he has a keen legal mind, and that he understands not just government policy, but how to make it work for Western New York. He is a committed Republican and a principled conservative, and his views are in line with the people he hopes to represent. We had a good conversation about the concerns of citizens living in the eastern and lakeshore parts of the county—as well as the City of Lockport, where Mike grew up and still lives. Mike shares their values. He’s the right person to succeed Jane Corwin, and I plan to support his candidacy.”