NIAGARA FALLS — Brittany Catchpole v. Jason Zona for Democratic line



Brittany Catchpole

• Age: 18

• Education: Student, Niagara University

• Employment: Current full-time student

• Party Affiliation: Democrat

• Endorsements: Town of Niagara Democratic Committee, Republican Party, Conservative Party, Independence Party

• Community service/memberships: Rotary Club

• Previous government service: None — not a career politician



QUESTION: Tell us why you’d make a good Niagara County legislator and why you are running for office.

ANSWER: I want to represent you — my neighbors — in county government. I’m not running on catchy slogans, I’m running on a commitment to results. As a county lawmaker, I’m committed to holding the line on taxes during these extraordinarily difficult budget years. Bad decisions in Albany and Washington are hurting our taxpayers. County government needs to do everything it can to avoid adding to that pain, even as we strive to protect vital services relied upon by our seniors and families. We also need a government committed to fostering a climate that creates good private-sector jobs. As a young county resident, I see the impact of policy decisions on my friends just entering the workforce, and on our young families. We need more success stories like the creation of hundreds of skilled jobs at Globe Specialty Metals. County government helped make that happen through good tax policies and by working with the City of Niagara Falls. We also need leadership that understands the importance of expanding the Niagara Falls International Airport and protecting the 3,000 jobs at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. And, you deserve county legislators committed to the simple principle that our region should benefit from the presence of the Power Authority — not the other way around. That has to change, and I’ll fight as hard as leaders like Renae Kimble and John Ceretto did, until we have a permanent seat on the Power Authority Board of Trustees.

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Q: What do you feel are the three most important issues/problems facing your district and how would you, if elected, address them?

A: Preventing tax hikes and cutting government waste while protecting vital services, helping businesses create good, high-paying private-sector jobs, and holding government accountable when its failures impact the lives of my neighbors. These are difficult budget years, and the county government’s bureaucrats will try to pass on the costs of their pet programs to the taxpayers. I aim to stop that wherever I can. Our county government must be lean, it must be efficient, and it must be effective. That means I will be, along with several of my colleagues in both parties, directing the county manager to take a scalpel to the county budget and trim the fat. That means reusing older equipment, taking a serious look at generous employee benefits packages, and reviewing out-of-state travel by department heads. There are no sacred cows. Even as we do that, though, we need to realize that many government programs are there to fill a real need, and we need to make sure our most vulnerable — seniors and young families — don’t end up shouldering the burden of cuts instead of the bureaucrats. At the same time, county government needs to be a partner to risk takers, the entrepreneurs that build businesses and create jobs. County policies on everything from taxes to road maintenance need to keep in mind that ensuring our county’s future means that we encourage job creation, so that our youth are able to have a good life and raise a family someday right here, and not in Texas or the Carolinas or Colorado. Finally, though, it is clear to me that Niagara Falls city government has created a massively over-budget, off-schedule boondoggle with their mismanagement of the Lewiston Road repair project. The good folks that live DeVeaux have been inconvenienced far too long, and there are real health concerns. As a county legislator, I will demand accountability from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

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Q: Historically, primary elections suffer from low voter turnout. Do you think that’s because people are satisfied with the status quo or is it due to apathy and the feeling that nothing will change?

A: Too often in Niagara Falls and Niagara, there haven’t been choices. That’s different this year. I’m an outsider. I don’t come with any preconceived notions. Well, except for one: I will never forget who I work for, and I’ll always listen to you. I am offering a real choice, and real, positive change. I’m not backed by the Niagara Falls Democratic machine. I’m backed by my neighbors. They signed my petitions and put me on the ballot because we can’t afford the status quo any longer. My neighbors aren’t apathetic, and neither am I.



Jason A. Zona      

• Age: 36    

• Education: BA Business Administration SUNY Buffalo State, 1992 graduate Niagara Falls High

• Employment: Current captain with the Niagara Falls Fire Department. Have been with department nine years

• Party Affiliation: Democrat  

• Endorsements: Niagara County Democratic Party, Niagara Falls Democratic Committee, Working Families Party, Niagara Falls Firefighters Local 714, Niagara Falls Fire Officers Local 3359, Niagara County Building Trades Council, New York State Professional Firefighters Assn., International Association of Firefighters, AFSCME Local 182, Communication Workers of America Local 1117

• Community service/memberships: Niagara Falls Board of Education Educational Foundation, Niagara County Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board (appointed 2009 unanimously by county Legislature), Niagara Falls Firefighters Christmas Toy Fund Committee, Past President IAEP Local 394, Executive Board Niagara Falls Firefighters Local 714, Cristoforo Colombo Society member



QUESTION: Tell us why you’d make a good Niagara County legislator and why you are running for office.

ANSWER: Biggest reasons I would make a good legislator are my experience in leadership roles in labor, and with numerous community service boards I’ve served on. I’ve been able to see first-hand the problems our county faces on a daily basis. The second reason is I am truly not beholden to any special interests with county government. Unfortunately, many of our county legislator’s are under the control of special interests and political bosses that do not allow these elected officials to vote for what is in the best interests of the county. By not being controlled by these interests, I am able to truly do what is best for the taxpayers of Niagara County. This is what drove me to run for this seat in the first place. More than ever, we have a need for leaders in elected positions not controlled by special interests.

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Q: What do you feel are the three most important issues/problems facing your district and how would you, if elected, address them?

A: The biggest problem facing my district, the county, and state is taxes, namely property taxes. The high taxes has stymied business growth in the city for 40 years, and has been one of the key reasons for the decline in industrial jobs, along with being in a state that is so unfriendly to business.  We need to first on a smaller level control our discretionary costs, and on a larger level find new sources of funds for the county that do not come from the property taxpayer. This should be mainly from the Power Authority, used strictly for property tax relief. Lack of job opportunities, and I mean good-paying job opportunities is another huge problem in the county. Along with relieving the burden of property taxes on business, we need to utilize even more so the County’s Economic Development Department to push for new investment in business from Canada especially. We need to reach out with incentives currently in place for low-cost power, and water to Canadian investors looking in Niagara County for new opportunities. Looking in different areas for business investment, and making a strong business climate will lead to career opportunities for county residents. Lastly, we need to continue consolidating smaller departments within the county, that will not affect essential services.  We should also start pursuing other small scale consolidation within the towns, cities, and the county. We have to start looking outside the box for relief of costs associated with county government.

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Q: Historically, primary elections suffer from low voter turnout. Do you think that’s because people are satisfied with the status quo or is it due to apathy and the feeling that nothing will change?

A: Low voter turnout in primary elections stem from a few reasons. First, political campaigns have become so dirty, personal, and lack any discussion of issues, thus discouraging many good candidates from running for office. This lack of candidates running in primaries is one reason for low turnout. This is why, from the beginning, I vowed publicly to run a clean campaign, only discussing the issues of Niagara County. I also feel voters do have an apathy that nothing will ever change, and have decided it is not worth participating in the voting process. They see partisan gridlock on the federal level, and they see the most dysfunctional state legislature in the country and this drives voters to give up hope for change. Both of these reasons cause poor voter turnout.