Dennis Gorski
Encyclopedia
Dennis T. Gorski is a retired politician in New York
and an ex-Marine. A resident of Cheektowaga, New York, Gorski is a former County Executive
of Erie County, New York
, which includes Buffalo, New York
and many of its suburbs. He was the first Democrat
elected Erie County Executive and the first Erie County Executive elected to three four-year terms. Gorski was an Erie County Legislator and a member of the New York State Assembly
prior to three-term service as county executive. During his second term as County Executive, he ran for Congress to succeed Democrat Henry Nowak, but he was defeated in the general election by Republican
Jack Quinn
.
Like many Buffalo Democrats, including Buffalo Mayors Anthony Masiello
and James D. Griffin, Gorski was known for being more conservative than the mainstream Democratic Party platform, and was regularly cross-endorsed by the Conservative Party of New York
. As county executive, he rivaled his contemporary Buffalo Mayors and on some issues his contemporary New York State Governors in power: He succeeded in bringing the World University Games to Buffalo, and since the National Football League
Buffalo Bills
play in suburban it was his responsibility to broker a deal to keep the team from leaving town. He also helped the National Hockey League
Buffalo Sabres
finance Marine Midland Arena (now known as First Niagara Center). During his early years he brought about economic recovery and kept the county on solid financial footing during his tenure. He has been described as the only County Executive to balance the budget. Gorski is a Vietnam War
veteran and remained active in Veteran's affairs while in office.
Since leaving the county executive's office, he has worked in private business in Buffalo, New York
. Gorski spent his first nine years of public life working for HealthNow (Parent company
of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York) and was subsequently was hired by McCullagh Coffee Co. of Buffalo.
, a former Buffalo City Councilman
and former member of the United States House of Representatives
. His brother Jerome Gorski was a New York State Supreme Court judge. Gorski was raised in Buffalo's far east side in a Polish community
where he served as an altar boy and played baseball
and basketball
. He was the starting catcher
for the Roman Catholic Timon High School
and later became a political activist at LeMoyne College in . Gorski earned a degree in english literature
from LeMoyne in 1966. As of February 1990, he and Mary Jo had been married for 15 years. At that time, they had five children ranging in age from 1 to 7 with the oldest two adopted. When he served in the New York State Assembly, he shared a house with Assemblyman Richard Keane.
Gorski was a Buffalo Bills
fan growing up, and he attended the first official game in franchise history at "The Rockpile
" when he was 16 years old. It was an exhibition game
against the Boston Patriots. He also attended the 1964 AFL season Championship game. He followed the Bills while in Vietnam and as an Erie County Legislator he attended the 1972 groundbreaking cermeonies for Rich Stadium in . He would eventually rise to be both a season ticket holder and the team's landlord
, on behalf of the people of Erie County.
Gorski volunteered to serve in the military "because he thought it was the right thing to do" even though he could have sought a graduate school deferment. Joining the United States Marine Corps
, he attended Marine Officers Candidate School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant
at Marine Corps Base Quantico
in 1967. After this he was deployed to Vietnam, beginning his tour of duty
in December 1967. Initially he served as a platoon
commander in a motor transport battalion
stationed at Gia Le near Da Nang
, under the command of Colonel Robert Reilly. While deployed, Gorksi took part in the Battle of Huế during the Tet Offensive, at which time his unit was employed largely in an infantry
role. In April 1968, Gorski was the officer responsible for the night watch of battalion headquarters in Gia Le, when a North Vietnamese assault breached the perimeter wire fence. During the skirmish that followed, Gorksi directed artillery and mortar fire. About a dozen North Vietnamese were killed in the engagement, along with three Marines. In January 1969 Gorski returned to the United States, having risen to the rank of captain. He earned no medals for bravery, however, nor was he wounded.
laws in order to preserve the right to declare "loss of fetus
" as a serious injury in an automobile accident. Previously, the laws were written such that this type of loss had been dismissed in the Appellate Division of the New York State Court in a suit brought by Jane Raymond for a 1978 accident. In 1985, he was selected to light the flame at the openining ceremony for the eighth annual Empire State Games
. That year, he was among the Vietnam War veterans from New York State invited by tour consultants when Vietnam
opened its economy to American tourists. Gorski, who was the only former officer on the trip, had secured state funding for the venture.
When Gorski ran for the Democratic nomination for Erie County Executive in 1987, Buffalo City Councilman James P. Keane had the support of the Erie County Democratic Party and Joseph Crangle, but Gorski won the nomination in the September 15 primary election
in what The New York Times
described as an upset. In the general election, Gorski led in the polls against two-term incumbent Republican Edward Rutkowski, who had broken a campaign promise not to raise taxes, and he won the election by a two to one margin. He was the first Democrat ever elected Erie County Executive. Upon Gorski's assumption of office, he was met with the December 31, 1987 expiration of the temporary one percent increase in sales tax
, and special governmental operations by New York State Governor Mario Cuomo
were necessary to keep the county from losing revenues while awaiting reconvening of the New York State Legislature on January 6, 1988. After assuming office, Gorski was dissatisfied with Crangle's 23-year role as Erie County Democratic Chairman and sought a new county party leader. Although people such as Governor Cuomo had previously attempted to unseat Crangle, it was not until a few months after Gorski exercised his influence that Crangle stepped down. After he became County Executive, Gorski was succeeded as the 143rd district representative in the New York State Assembly by Paul Tokasz
in a March 1988 special election.
As County Executive, Gorski would oppose Mayor Griffin several times. One of the first occurred in 1989 when Griffin ignored Vietnam veterans' request to use LaSalle Park to host The Moving Wall
, a half-size replica of the Washington, DC's Vietnam Veterans Memorial
. Gorski made Chestnut Ridge Park
, which is located 25 miles (40.2 km) south of Buffalo in Erie County, available to the veterans. A major crisis during his administration led to the threatened shutdown of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
bus and Light rail
Buffalo Metro Rail
subway service throughout Western New York. At the time, Buffalo was the smallest American city with a subway system and Alfred Savage had just resigned as Executive Director to assume that position with the Chicago Transit Authority
. During Gorski's first term the local economy was revitalized: by March 1990, Buffalo's monthly unemployment rate fell below the state average for the first time in 11 years, and the region's job growth had outpaced the state average for its fourth consecutive year. The city was ranked by Fortune
as one of the nation's top five growth communities. Gorski signed the controversial item pricing law in 1991, making Erie County one of the early counties to confirm the requirement that most supermarket products have a price tag
s. By the time he ran for re-election for the first time, he was backed by both the County Democratic and Conservative parties, and he was challenged by fourth-term incumbent Mayor Griffin. Gorski handily won the Democratic nomination over Griffin by a 68–32 margin as well as the Conservative party nomination. Gorski handed Griffin the first general election defeat of his political career when the Mayor contested Gorski as the Republican Party and New York State Right to Life Party
nominee. By the end of Gorski's first term, he had established himself as the most influential person in Western New York
according to a report cited in The New York Times.
During Gorski's second term, one of the more unusual crises was the arrest of 194 pro-life
protesters who mostly declined to post bail
, which meant they were left in jail where the county was obligated to assume the costs for overtime and expenses associated with the arrests. In 1992, he ran against Republican Jack Quinn and Mary Refermat for Henry Nowak's seat in the United States House of Representatives
to serve in the 103rd United States Congress
. He was expected to win election to succeed Nowak in the New York's 30th congressional district
. One reason for this expectation was that two of his recent predecessors were at the time in higher offices: New York State Comptroller
Edward Regan and New York State Lieutenant Governor Stan Lundine
. He lost the election however and Quinn went on to serve six terms.
In both 1992 and 1993, the Erie County Legislature was unable to agree to pass the extended 1 percent special sales tax for the county without Gorski threatening major county cutbacks. When Buffalo hosted the 1993 Summer World University Games
, Mayor Griffin was very much against the idea, but Gorski was considered one of the Games' godfathers. He stood behind the effort to host the games even as it went beyond its budgeted costs. In 1994, Republican George Pataki
defeated Democrat Mario Cuomo
, causing a crisis for the Democratic Party. Gorski also arranged the deal to keep the Buffalo Sabres from moving by helping to build Marine Midland Arena.
Despite the troubles for the Democratic party in New York, Gorski defeated Republican Lucian J. Greco in his second re-election in November 1995. In 1997, the city of Buffalo was in such a financial plight that it considered merging itself into the county government. At the time, the Buffalo Bills were considering moving from the county-owned Ralph Wilson Stadium
(then known as Rich Stadium) until they worked a deal with the county. The stadium name change was part of the deal that was eventually finalized between Gorski, Pataki and Bills Owner Ralph Wilson in late 1998. In 1998, Gorski was named County Leader of the Year by American City & County magazine. Gorski was considered a contender for the Democratic nomination to challenge Pataki. In 1998, the Seneca nation
filed suit that they were the rightful owners of , a 18600 acres (75.3 km²) island in the Niagara River
with 17,000 residents, and all islands in the river. When Gorski ran for a third re-election, at first he was a wide underdog to Republican Joel Giambra
, and it was the first time the Buffalo News, who was satisfied with Gorski's fiscal policies but was not impressed with is innovations, did not endorse him. By the final weekend before the election, Gorski had narrowed the gap among voters according to the polls. Gorski lost to Giambra, who had only recently switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party.
pages about the prospects of him serving as Superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools
. He also consulted for the Upstate Medicare Division. By December 2000, he had been hired as a Vice President of HealthNow. He eventually became a senior vice president at HealthNow overseeing government affairs and lobbying, which made him responsible for government health programs, such as Medicaid
, Medicare
, Family Health Plus and Child Health Plus and earned him a 2007 salary of $398,302. Previously, Gorski was HealthNow's vice president of policy and representation. In February 2009 HealthNow laid off 17 employees, including Gorski and three other senior executives, during a restructuring. In July 2009, Gorski was hired by McCullagh Coffee Co. of Buffalo to help it negotiate government channels on many fronts—especially with its new "sustainable" coffee brands.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and an ex-Marine. A resident of Cheektowaga, New York, Gorski is a former County Executive
County executive
A county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...
of Erie County, New York
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
, which includes Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and many of its suburbs. He was the first Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
elected Erie County Executive and the first Erie County Executive elected to three four-year terms. Gorski was an Erie County Legislator and a member of the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
prior to three-term service as county executive. During his second term as County Executive, he ran for Congress to succeed Democrat Henry Nowak, but he was defeated in the general election by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Jack Quinn
Jack Quinn (politics)
John Francis "Jack" Quinn is the President of Erie Community College and a former politician from the State of New York. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives....
.
Like many Buffalo Democrats, including Buffalo Mayors Anthony Masiello
Anthony Masiello
Anthony M. Masiello was mayor of Buffalo, New York from 1994 to 2005. Prior to being mayor, he served as a New York State Senator.-Personal and Educational Background:...
and James D. Griffin, Gorski was known for being more conservative than the mainstream Democratic Party platform, and was regularly cross-endorsed by the Conservative Party of New York
Conservative Party of New York
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....
. As county executive, he rivaled his contemporary Buffalo Mayors and on some issues his contemporary New York State Governors in power: He succeeded in bringing the World University Games to Buffalo, and since the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
play in suburban it was his responsibility to broker a deal to keep the team from leaving town. He also helped the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
finance Marine Midland Arena (now known as First Niagara Center). During his early years he brought about economic recovery and kept the county on solid financial footing during his tenure. He has been described as the only County Executive to balance the budget. Gorski is a Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran and remained active in Veteran's affairs while in office.
Since leaving the county executive's office, he has worked in private business in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. Gorski spent his first nine years of public life working for HealthNow (Parent company
Parent company
A parent company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors; the second company being deemed as a subsidiary of the parent company...
of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York) and was subsequently was hired by McCullagh Coffee Co. of Buffalo.
Personal
Gorski is the son of Helen and Chester C. GorskiChester C. Gorski
Chester Charles Gorski was an American congressman who represented the state of New York. He was born in Buffalo, New York, USA on to a Polish immigrant family. He was a member of the Erie County Board of Supervisors from 1941 to 1945 and of the Buffalo Common Council from 1946 to 1948...
, a former Buffalo City Councilman
Buffalo Common Council
The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the Buffalo, New York City Government. It is a representative assembly, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, North, University, and South. In the past, the Common...
and former member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. His brother Jerome Gorski was a New York State Supreme Court judge. Gorski was raised in Buffalo's far east side in a Polish community
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
where he served as an altar boy and played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. He was the starting catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
for the Roman Catholic Timon High School
Bishop Timon - St. Jude High School
Bishop Timon – St. Jude High School is a Roman Catholic Franciscan private high school for young men located at 601 McKinley Parkway in South Buffalo, New York. Bishop Timon High School, as it was originally known, was founded in 1946.-History:In 1946, the school officially opened its doors with a...
and later became a political activist at LeMoyne College in . Gorski earned a degree in english literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
from LeMoyne in 1966. As of February 1990, he and Mary Jo had been married for 15 years. At that time, they had five children ranging in age from 1 to 7 with the oldest two adopted. When he served in the New York State Assembly, he shared a house with Assemblyman Richard Keane.
Gorski was a Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
fan growing up, and he attended the first official game in franchise history at "The Rockpile
War Memorial Stadium (Buffalo)
War Memorial Stadium is the name of a stadium that formerly stood in Buffalo, New York. The stadium was on a rectangular block near the downtown area. Its main entrance was at Jefferson Avenue to the east and Best Street to the south...
" when he was 16 years old. It was an exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against the Boston Patriots. He also attended the 1964 AFL season Championship game. He followed the Bills while in Vietnam and as an Erie County Legislator he attended the 1972 groundbreaking cermeonies for Rich Stadium in . He would eventually rise to be both a season ticket holder and the team's landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
, on behalf of the people of Erie County.
Military career
During the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
Gorski volunteered to serve in the military "because he thought it was the right thing to do" even though he could have sought a graduate school deferment. Joining the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, he attended Marine Officers Candidate School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
at Marine Corps Base Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico
Marine Corps Base Quantico, sometimes abbreviated MCB Quantico, is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly in southern Prince William County, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County...
in 1967. After this he was deployed to Vietnam, beginning his tour of duty
Tour of duty
In the Navy, a tour of duty is a period of time spent performing operational duties at sea, including combat, performing patrol or fleet duties, or assigned to service in a foreign country....
in December 1967. Initially he served as a platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
commander in a motor transport battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
stationed at Gia Le near Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
, under the command of Colonel Robert Reilly. While deployed, Gorksi took part in the Battle of Huế during the Tet Offensive, at which time his unit was employed largely in an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
role. In April 1968, Gorski was the officer responsible for the night watch of battalion headquarters in Gia Le, when a North Vietnamese assault breached the perimeter wire fence. During the skirmish that followed, Gorksi directed artillery and mortar fire. About a dozen North Vietnamese were killed in the engagement, along with three Marines. In January 1969 Gorski returned to the United States, having risen to the rank of captain. He earned no medals for bravery, however, nor was he wounded.
Political career
Gorski served in the Erie County Legislature from 1972–1974. Then he was elected to the New York State Assembly. In the Assembly, he chaired the Committee on Local Governments from 1984–1987 and the Oversight, Analysis and Investigation Committee from 1980-1984. He had previously chaired the Assembly subcommittee on Volunteer Fire Service. In 1984, Assemblyman Gorski co-sponsored legislation that amended state no-fault insuranceNo-fault insurance
In its broadest sense, "no-fault insurance" is a term used to describe any type of insurance contract under which insureds are indemnified for losses by their own insurance company, regardless of fault in the incident generating losses. In this sense, it is no different from first-party coverage...
laws in order to preserve the right to declare "loss of fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
" as a serious injury in an automobile accident. Previously, the laws were written such that this type of loss had been dismissed in the Appellate Division of the New York State Court in a suit brought by Jane Raymond for a 1978 accident. In 1985, he was selected to light the flame at the openining ceremony for the eighth annual Empire State Games
Empire State Games
The Empire State Games are a set of annual Olympic-style competitions for amateur athletes from the state of New York, encompassing several divisions and allowing athletes of all ages to compete. It was a member of the National Congress of State Games...
. That year, he was among the Vietnam War veterans from New York State invited by tour consultants when Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
opened its economy to American tourists. Gorski, who was the only former officer on the trip, had secured state funding for the venture.
When Gorski ran for the Democratic nomination for Erie County Executive in 1987, Buffalo City Councilman James P. Keane had the support of the Erie County Democratic Party and Joseph Crangle, but Gorski won the nomination in the September 15 primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
in what The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described as an upset. In the general election, Gorski led in the polls against two-term incumbent Republican Edward Rutkowski, who had broken a campaign promise not to raise taxes, and he won the election by a two to one margin. He was the first Democrat ever elected Erie County Executive. Upon Gorski's assumption of office, he was met with the December 31, 1987 expiration of the temporary one percent increase in sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
, and special governmental operations by New York State Governor Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
were necessary to keep the county from losing revenues while awaiting reconvening of the New York State Legislature on January 6, 1988. After assuming office, Gorski was dissatisfied with Crangle's 23-year role as Erie County Democratic Chairman and sought a new county party leader. Although people such as Governor Cuomo had previously attempted to unseat Crangle, it was not until a few months after Gorski exercised his influence that Crangle stepped down. After he became County Executive, Gorski was succeeded as the 143rd district representative in the New York State Assembly by Paul Tokasz
Paul Tokasz
Paul Tokasz represented District 143 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises the towns of Lancaster, and Cheektowaga, and villages of Depew, Lancaster and Sloan, from 1988 to 2006....
in a March 1988 special election.
As County Executive, Gorski would oppose Mayor Griffin several times. One of the first occurred in 1989 when Griffin ignored Vietnam veterans' request to use LaSalle Park to host The Moving Wall
The Moving Wall
The Moving Wall is a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It was devised by John Devitt after he attended the annual commemoration celebrated in Washington for Vietnam veterans. He felt that he needed to share his experience with those who did not have the...
, a half-size replica of the Washington, DC's Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national memorial in Washington, D.C. It honors U.S. service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for during the War.Its...
. Gorski made Chestnut Ridge Park
Chestnut Ridge Park
Chestnut Ridge Park is a park in Orchard Park, New York, originally named for the chestnut trees on its hills. The park is open year-round and offers hiking and sledding among other activities. During the summer, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra plays at the base of the sled hill, providing an...
, which is located 25 miles (40.2 km) south of Buffalo in Erie County, available to the veterans. A major crisis during his administration led to the threatened shutdown of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is a public authority responsible for the public transportation oversight of Erie and Niagara counties in the State of New York...
bus and Light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
Buffalo Metro Rail
Buffalo Metro Rail
The NFTA has a fleet of 26 rigid-bodied LRVs for the Metro Rail system, numbered sequentially from 101 to 127. They were built by Tokyu Car Corporation of Japan. One car was damaged in transit and later purchased by a restaurateur, Bertrand H. Hoak, of Hamburg, as an addition to Hoak's Armor Inn...
subway service throughout Western New York. At the time, Buffalo was the smallest American city with a subway system and Alfred Savage had just resigned as Executive Director to assume that position with the Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
. During Gorski's first term the local economy was revitalized: by March 1990, Buffalo's monthly unemployment rate fell below the state average for the first time in 11 years, and the region's job growth had outpaced the state average for its fourth consecutive year. The city was ranked by Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
as one of the nation's top five growth communities. Gorski signed the controversial item pricing law in 1991, making Erie County one of the early counties to confirm the requirement that most supermarket products have a price tag
Price Tag
"Price Tag" is a song by English singer-songwriter Jessie J, featuring American rapper B.o.B. It was released on 28 January 2011 in the United Kingdom as the second single from Jessie J's debut studio album, Who You Are. "Price Tag" was written by Jessie J, Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and B.o.B, and it...
s. By the time he ran for re-election for the first time, he was backed by both the County Democratic and Conservative parties, and he was challenged by fourth-term incumbent Mayor Griffin. Gorski handily won the Democratic nomination over Griffin by a 68–32 margin as well as the Conservative party nomination. Gorski handed Griffin the first general election defeat of his political career when the Mayor contested Gorski as the Republican Party and New York State Right to Life Party
New York State Right to Life Party
The New York State Right to Life Party was founded to oppose the legalization of abortion in New York in 1970. The party first made the state ballot in the 1978 gubernatorial election, where its candidate Mary Jane Tobin won 130,000 votes...
nominee. By the end of Gorski's first term, he had established himself as the most influential person in Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
according to a report cited in The New York Times.
During Gorski's second term, one of the more unusual crises was the arrest of 194 pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
protesters who mostly declined to post bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
, which meant they were left in jail where the county was obligated to assume the costs for overtime and expenses associated with the arrests. In 1992, he ran against Republican Jack Quinn and Mary Refermat for Henry Nowak's seat in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
to serve in the 103rd United States Congress
103rd United States Congress
- House of Representatives :- Leadership :- Senate :* President: Dan Quayle , until January 20, 1993** Al Gore , from January 20, 1993* President pro tempore: Robert Byrd - Majority leadership :* Majority Leader: George Mitchell...
. He was expected to win election to succeed Nowak in the New York's 30th congressional district
New York's 30th congressional district
The 30th Congressional District of New York was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York. It was eliminated as a result of the 2000 Census...
. One reason for this expectation was that two of his recent predecessors were at the time in higher offices: New York State Comptroller
New York State Comptroller
The New York State Comptroller is a state cabinet officer of the U.S. state of New York. The duties of the comptroller include auditing government operations and operating the state's retirement system.-History:...
Edward Regan and New York State Lieutenant Governor Stan Lundine
Stan Lundine
Stanley Nelson Lundine is a politician from Jamestown, New York who served as Mayor of Jamestown, a United States Representative, and lieutenant governor of New York. A Democrat, he was inaugurated Mayor in 1970 and served to 1976 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives after the...
. He lost the election however and Quinn went on to serve six terms.
In both 1992 and 1993, the Erie County Legislature was unable to agree to pass the extended 1 percent special sales tax for the county without Gorski threatening major county cutbacks. When Buffalo hosted the 1993 Summer World University Games
1993 Summer Universiade
The 1993 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVII Summer Universiade, took place in Buffalo, New York, United States of America.-Medal table:-External links:*...
, Mayor Griffin was very much against the idea, but Gorski was considered one of the Games' godfathers. He stood behind the effort to host the games even as it went beyond its budgeted costs. In 1994, Republican George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
defeated Democrat Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
, causing a crisis for the Democratic Party. Gorski also arranged the deal to keep the Buffalo Sabres from moving by helping to build Marine Midland Arena.
Despite the troubles for the Democratic party in New York, Gorski defeated Republican Lucian J. Greco in his second re-election in November 1995. In 1997, the city of Buffalo was in such a financial plight that it considered merging itself into the county government. At the time, the Buffalo Bills were considering moving from the county-owned Ralph Wilson Stadium
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Ralph Wilson Stadium is a football stadium, located in the town of Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. It is the home for the Buffalo Bills, of the NFL...
(then known as Rich Stadium) until they worked a deal with the county. The stadium name change was part of the deal that was eventually finalized between Gorski, Pataki and Bills Owner Ralph Wilson in late 1998. In 1998, Gorski was named County Leader of the Year by American City & County magazine. Gorski was considered a contender for the Democratic nomination to challenge Pataki. In 1998, the Seneca nation
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
filed suit that they were the rightful owners of , a 18600 acres (75.3 km²) island in the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
with 17,000 residents, and all islands in the river. When Gorski ran for a third re-election, at first he was a wide underdog to Republican Joel Giambra
Joel Giambra
Joel Giambra is the former County Executive in Erie County, New York. The county seat is Buffalo, New York, where Giambra currently resides.-Early life:...
, and it was the first time the Buffalo News, who was satisfied with Gorski's fiscal policies but was not impressed with is innovations, did not endorse him. By the final weekend before the election, Gorski had narrowed the gap among voters according to the polls. Gorski lost to Giambra, who had only recently switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party.
Public life
Since leaving the county executive's office, he has worked in private business in Buffalo. Gorski worked for HealthNow (Parent company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York) for nine years in a variety of capacities. At first he was hired as a consultant to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York in January 2000. At the time there was lots of talk in local op-edOp-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
pages about the prospects of him serving as Superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools
Buffalo Public Schools
Buffalo Public Schools serves approximately 47,000 students in Buffalo, New York, the second largest city in the state of New York. It is located in Erie County of western New York and operates nearly 70 facilities.-History:...
. He also consulted for the Upstate Medicare Division. By December 2000, he had been hired as a Vice President of HealthNow. He eventually became a senior vice president at HealthNow overseeing government affairs and lobbying, which made him responsible for government health programs, such as Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
, Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
, Family Health Plus and Child Health Plus and earned him a 2007 salary of $398,302. Previously, Gorski was HealthNow's vice president of policy and representation. In February 2009 HealthNow laid off 17 employees, including Gorski and three other senior executives, during a restructuring. In July 2009, Gorski was hired by McCullagh Coffee Co. of Buffalo to help it negotiate government channels on many fronts—especially with its new "sustainable" coffee brands.