[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 146 (Monday, November 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2285-E2286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING RETIRING ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATOR CHARLES M. SWANICK
______
HON. BRIAN HIGGINS
of new york
in the house of representatives
Monday, November 7, 2005
Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a longtime member of
the Erie County Legislature who has chosen 2005 as his final year of
service as a legislator. This person is not a resident of the 27th
Congressional District, but is someone with whom I have worked closely,
and about whom I still maintain kind and warm thoughts--former Erie
County Legislature Chairman Charles M. Swanick, one of that body's
longest-serving members.
Now, Mr. Speaker, believe me, there have been and will continue to be
many things said about Chuck Swanick, his tenure in the legislature and
his service to the people he represented. I choose to remember Chuck's
service in a manner once used by The Buffalo News in endorsing his
candidacy for re-election in 1995. That word was ``indefatigable.''
The word indefatigable is defined as ``tireless,'' ``unflagging'' or
``untiring.'' Knowing Chuck as I have for nearly 20 years, these words
could not describe him, or his manner of service to his constituents,
more effectively.
Chuck Swanick was born a quintessential ``baby boomer''; born in
Buffalo on December 18, 1948 and raised in a northern first-ring suburb
of Tonawanda, Chuck and his older brother Dave were raised by two
wonderful people, his father Dave, a railroadman, and his mother
Murial, a homemaker. Chuck grew up on Moore Avenue in Tonawanda's
Lincoln Park area, and like most baby boomers of his generation, made
his way through the 1960s and 1970s in a routine way. He finished high
school, found work on the railroad like his dad, and spent time with
his friends.
It was his friends--or rather a conversation with his friends--that
brought Chuck Swanick into the public realm.
During one night's round of discussion and ``refreshment,'' Chuck
Swanick and his friends continued a long-held discussion of current
events that ordinarily would end with the conclusion that the public
officials running Erie County were, shall we say, less than effective.
During this conversation, as more beverages were consumed, it was
determined that one of the group should stand for election to public
office, in order to ``make a difference'' for their community and, one
supposes, for their younger generation.
Then came the kicker for Chuck: he was the only unmarried person--and
thus the only person with enough time to effectively campaign for
office--among the group. Chuck, it was collectively decided, would be
the group's candidate. The office he chose? Erie County Legislator.
Chuck began his quest for public office by answering the local
Democratic Party's advertisement for a candidate for the Legislature in
what was then the 12th District. Upon attending an endorsement meeting,
Chuck was dutifully supplied the party's endorsement and was told,
``we'll see you in November.'' Obviously, the committee wasn't counting
on victory. In truth, they were in for a wild ride.
Chuck began his quest for office with a write-in candidacy for the
Conservative Party's endorsement--an impossible task, many pundits
thought. Chuck began a write-in campaign the likes of which had never
before been seen in Erie County, and stunned observers by stealing the
line away from the incumbent. Thereafter, Chuck won a difficult general
election victory, and so born was a political career that has stretched
more than 25 years.
Chuck was a rebel during his early years in the Legislature. Known as
a ``maverick'' Democrat, Chuck always sought to represent the people of
his district--in the towns of Tonawanda and Grand Island, the City of
Tonawanda and the Village of Kenmore. Chuck had no problems bucking the
party line when he thought it appropriate to do so. In so doing, at one
point or another, he earned the enmity of public officials from all
levels of government. But in his mind, he was representing the people
who sent him to County Hall. That was good enough for him.
In later years, as Chuck's years of service in the Legislature grew,
he became something of an ``elder statesman.'' Graying hair
precipitated the shaving of his moustache, and by the 1990s, Chuck's
years of service gave him an institutional knowledge of County
government that few possessed. Indeed, it would be that knowledge that
would serve him well in years to come.
Chuck served as the chairman of several of the Legislature's standing
committees, and was the longtime chairman of the Agricultural and
Farmland Protection Board (formerly known as the Agricultural District
Advisory Committee).
In 1996, after nearly giving up hope of ascending to the
Legislature's leadership, a sudden vacancy in the Legislature's
Chairmanship occurred. With a unanimous vote, Chuck Swanick became the
9th Chairman of the Erie County Legislature in May of 1996.
I was proud to work with Chuck during this period. At this time, Mr.
Speaker, I had just returned from my studies at Harvard University's
Kennedy School of Government, and was eager to work with Chuck in his
newfound leadership role.
We would have many successes, working together. All told, I worked
with Chuck in the Legislature until my election to the New York State
Assembly in 1998, and during that time we had many successes. We worked
together to keep the county's property tax levy at a reasonable level,
and working together with then-Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski, we
retired $108 million in debt left over from the previous county
administration.
Chuck made his mark upon the local laws of Erie County as well. Chuck
worked with Legislator Ray Dusza on his first Item Pricing/Scanner
Accuracy Law, and then forged a coalition of business leaders and
consumer advocates to draft a new, more comprehensive law in 1997.
Chuck also was the author of many laws involving one of his pet areas
of county government, the Erie County Parks system.
After my election to the State legislature, Chuck continued as
Chairman and fought battles old and new. Chuck would go on to serve
[[Page E2286]]
two stints as Chairman, for a total of six and one-half years as
Chairman, which is the longest total amount of service as Chairman of
the Erie County Legislature.
There is one other aspect of Chuck Swanick's life that I cannot fail
to mention--and that is his family. Chuck's wife Shelly may well be the
most patient and understanding spouse of an elected official in the
United States, given Chuck's seemingly non-stop campaign schedule.
Chuck is also the father of two children, Maverick and Charlie.
Chuck Swanick's record in the Erie County Legislature is an
impressive one. Chuck was the author of dozens of local laws and
thousands of legislative resolutions. As a member of the Legislature,
Chuck served with four county executives, six legislative chairs
(excluding himself), ten majority leaders and eleven minority leaders
(excluding himself). Over the Legislature's thirty-seven year history,
one hundred and three people have served as members of the Erie County
Legislature; at one time or another, Chuck Swanick served with 57 of
those people.
At the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, there will be a lot of things
said about Chuck Swanick and about his 26 years of service in the Erie
County Legislature. To me, Mr. Speaker, I will always remember the
sincere concern that Chuck had for his constituents, and the
earnestness with which he served those constituents. Chuck's legacy of
twenty-six years of service will mark an important chapter in the
history of county government, and I am proud to honor his service
today.
____________________