Three vying for 2 GOP ballot lines in Newfane town board race

Jun. 23—A three-way Republican primary race is on in Newfane for two open seats on the town board.

Any of the three candidates, Robert Horanburg, George Maziarz and Pete Robinson, will be new additions to the board. Incumbents Troy Barnes and Laura Rutland, whose terms of office expire at the end of the year, are not running for re-election.

All of the hopeful successors have longstanding connections to Newfane.

Horanburg, an electrician and president of Olcott Volunteer Fire Company, is a cousin of the late Tim Horanburg, the veteran town supervisor. Robert Horanburg said that his cousin being involved with town government was a deciding factor for him when he contemplated pursuing a town office.

"I remember talking to Tim about town business. I want try to do the same things (he did) and be really active in the town," he said.

Horanburg and Robinson, a New York State Court Sergeant, were both endorsed by the Niagara County Republican Committee, and both secured the Conservative line on the November general election ballot.

Robinson said his experience as a member of law enforcement would be a useful perspective for the town board to have.

"No matter what part of law enforcement you're in, you deal with the public and they entrust you to do a good job. This naturally falls into the same pocket as that," Robinson said.

Horanburg and Robinson both said that, as board members, they would work to promote events, festivals and local businesses in Newfane. Robinson said he'd try to identify incentives to draw in more small businesses and encourage investment in the town.

The most seasoned candidate in the bunch is Maziarz, who represented New York's 62nd Senatorial District from 1994 until 2015.

A North Tonawanda native and longtime Newfane resident, Maziarz pointed to the Niagara County Legislature's approval of a county water rate increase earlier this year as a reason he wants to get involved in politics again. He said the increase will have a serious negative impact on Newfane property owners and he wants to provide a platform for town residents to get their concerns addressed.

"You're gonna raise tens of thousands of people's water rate by 20% and you only give them 15 minutes to comment?" Maziarz asked rhetorically. If he has a seat on the town board, he said, he'll push for a resolution to repeal the water rate increase, find ways to provide financial support for town-based businesses, and advocate measures to make Newfane a "Second Amendment sanctuary."