[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 27214-27215]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING RETIRING ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATOR EDWARD J. KUWIK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 17, 2005

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a great son of the city of 
Lackawanna, New York, and a longtime public servant whose retirement at 
the end of this year will mark the close of a career in elective office 
that has spanned nearly four decades. Today, I want to honor the career 
in public service of Erie County Legislator Edward J. Kuwik.
  Ed Kuwik is a special kind of public servant and leader. Born and 
raised in gritty Lackawanna, Ed was educated at local schools, and 
earned a Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the 
University at Buffalo, and a Master's degree in education from Niagara 
University.
  Ed began his public service as a mathematics teacher in the 
Lackawanna city school system. Later, after serving a stint as 
Lackawanna's City Engineer, Ed was elected to the first of two four-
year terms as Mayor of Lackawanna.
  In 1983, a vacancy occurred in the 1st district seat in the Erie 
County Legislature, and Ed sets his sights on filling it. Fighting an 
uphill battle for the appointment with a candidate supported by the 
party leadership, Ed won the appointment and was in November 1983 
elected to the Legislature in his own right. Aside from a primary 
election in 1987, Ed Kuwik was never seriously challenged for election 
again.
  Throughout his many years of service to his constituents, public 
safety has been a hallmark issue for Ed Kuwik. From 1984 to 2001,

[[Page 27215]]

and from 2004 to today, Ed Kuwik has served as Chairman of the 
Legislature's Public Safety Committee, overseeing the operations of the 
county's Correctional Facility, Department of Central Police Services, 
STOP DWI Division, Department of Emergency Services, and worked closely 
with the county District Attorney's Office and the county Sheriffs 
Office. Ed has always been a fighter for additional resources to fight 
crime, adding prosecutorial positions in the District Attorney's 
Office, civil and criminal deputy positions in the Sheriff's Office and 
probation officers in the Division of Probation.
  In 1993, Ed began a stint as a member of the Legislature's formal 
leadership, and was unanimously selected as Majority Leader, a position 
he held until 1996. After finishing his service as Majority Leader, Ed 
returned to focus his attention on his continued leadership of the 
Public Safety Committee and on an unparalleled reputation for 
constituent service.
  Ed Kuwik is a full time public official, and when he says full time, 
he means it. Until January of 2003, when Ed was unexpectedly 
hospitalized for several days, Ed Kuwik had attended every single 
legislative session since his initial appointment to the Legislature in 
1983--543 consecutive legislative sessions. Ed has also attended every 
scheduled committee meeting that has been held since that time. No 
other member in the nearly four decade history of Erie County 
Legislature has a record to match.
  Ed is also a forceful and effective member of his local Democratic 
Party. Ed is a former Chairman of the Lackawanna Democratic Committee 
and has been a force in Lackawanna city politics for more than 30 
years.
  Ed Kuwik has enjoyed many successes as a public official. However, 
his greatest success has been as a devoted husband and father. Ed is 
married to the former Karen Moore, a public school teacher in the 
Lackawanna City school system. Ed is the father of three sons, Kevin, 
Keith and Mark, all of whom have collectively made their mark 
academically, militarily and professionally in their respective fields 
of study and service.
  In 2005, Ed Kuwik chose not to run for re-election, and although he 
will be succeeded in the Legislature by another fine public official, 
the Legislature and his district will each be poorer for his absence. 
It is my fervent hope and belief that Ed Kuwik will remain an active 
member of his community, and allow us to work together to make his city 
and our region a better place to live, work and raise a family. I am 
proud to call Ed Kuwik my colleague and my friend, and I am grateful, 
Mr. Speaker, that you have allowed me this opportunity to commemorate 
his service here today.

                          ____________________