April Baskin nominated by Erie County Democrats for State Senate seat
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Erie County Legislature Chairperson April Baskin has been nominated by the Erie County Democratic Committee for the 63rd New York State Senate seat, the organization announced on Thursday night.
This now clears the way for Baskin to succeed Tim Kennedy, who is vacating his seat to run for the seat to fill New York’s 26th Congressional seat, which was vacated by Brian Higgins earlier this month.
“Tonight will forever etched in my heart which is overflowing with gratitude. This support will translate into our unified victory,” Baskin said. “You are going to send a proud Buffalonian with grit and determination to the New York State Senate.”
Baskin was elected to represent District 2 of the Erie County Legislature in 2017 and was later elected to serve as chairperson in 2019. She has been re-elected each year since then. Her run as chairperson is one of the longest in the county’s history. District 2 represents much of North Buffalo.
“I am a woman from Buffalo who in 2017 decided I wanted to see changes in my community so I ran for public office,” Baskin said. “I had a goal of creating systems that would improve the lives of my neighbors.”
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In her time in the Legislature, she has negotiated community benefits agreements for the new Bills Stadium as well as several other policy initiatives in Erie County. She had previously said that in Albany she would work on helping small businesses as well as criminal justice reform.
The 63rd district includes most of Buffalo, as well as all of Cheektowaga and Lackawanna. If elected, she would be the first Black woman to serve the area in Albany.
“I know that legislation and policy can change our community,” Baskin said. “And that is what I plan to do when I get to Albany.”
Baskin was given the nod over Buffalo Common Council member Mitch Nowakowski, who represents the Fillmore District in the Common Council. Erie County Democratic Committee Chairman Jeremy Zellner said that Nowakowski withdrew his request for the endorsement on Thursday night.
“He got a lot of goodwill from the folks in this room, he’s a terrific public servant with a very bright future,” Zellner said. “I just think that there’s no question that right now this moment demands somebody like the chair of the legislature April Baskin, somebody who has a proven track record of leading in that body, but also delivering for the community and bringing people together.”
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Through Baskin’s leadership, Zellner said that he thinks that Baskin will be a chance to grow the party.
“She came in for the first time and I knew she was something special,” Zellner said. “She has really worked within government to meet people, build coalitions and relationships to get things done that we haven’t seen before.”
Election day is still months away, but Baskin is looking to get ready for the state level immediately.
“I am dedicated to knocking on every single door humanly possible across the 63rd district,” Baskin said. “I have got to get to know you, I got to get to know your family, and I got to get your concerns. Because when I go to Albany, I will be a reflection of you.”
You can watch the full press conference from Thursday night in the media player above.
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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.
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