The 142nd Assembly District is heating up early this election season. West Seneca Town Supervisor Gary Dickson is the Republican candidate, facing off against Democratic incumbent Pat Burke.
Dickson has more than 25 years of experience as an FBI special agent. New York needs better enforcement of gun laws and to stop dropping firearm charges, he said.
“We have a great relationship between our school district and our police department with school resource officers who are much more than security officers," Dickson said. "The firearms issue in this country is certainly a big problem, but I don't think it's that we need more laws. It’s that we need to enforce the laws that we have.”
Burke is chair of the Cities Committee, overseeing legislation that affects all cities in New York. There are some firearms and accessories that residents simply shouldn’t be able to access, he said.
“We decided in the state legislature, you shouldn't be able to wear full body armor. That shouldn't be allowed," Burke said. "Now, many Republicans didn't like that, but guess what? We passed the law anyway. What happened? (A) Republican judge overturned it.”
Both parties have personal scrutiny to address.
Burke has been criticized for comments on a bill that would provide protections to sexual assault survivors. An early-October report by the New York alleges that Burke called it the "ruining drunk sex bill."
Burke apologized and said his comments were taken out of context.
"I was trying to place what it was, and I said, 'Oh, you're talking about the drunk sex bill.' It wasn't an issue at the time; that was in May, at the end of legislative session," he said. "I shouldn't have said it like that, especially to a group of people who are sensitive on the issue."
Burke accused Dickson of making his own out-of-line public remarks, alleging that Dickson posted on X that George Floyd had five years of sobriety on the anniversary of his death.
Dickson denied being aware of any such post being made to his social media account.
"I doubt it, I have no idea. But you know, how many times do you disagree with your spouse?" he said. "She runs that. I don't know what she did. Could have been someone else even who posted it, maybe it was a different person."
One of Burke's priorities this cycle is cracking down on data center standards. That includes a proposed three-year moratorium on data centers producing 20 or more megawatts.
“We, kind of, know how it's going to impact communities. We should always make a pause and wait, and develop better policy," he said. "We need the governor, and we're using our voice to demand that the governor sign the bill that we, both the assembly and the senate, passed to ensure that that we have a longer pause.”
Governor Kathy Hochul signed a one-year moratorium over the summer for data centers of 50 megawatts or more.
One of the most important topics for Dickson is energy costs. The state’s push toward being more dependent on electricity makes it less affordable, he added.
“Everybody in Western New York knows that if you want to have an effective backup, you have a gas-powered generator," Dickson said. "This war on gas, led by New York City, the drive for electrification that, maybe, seems great in Manhattan but does not work in the rest of the state.”
The state had plans to require all-electric in new buildings seven stories or shorter starting in 2026. That was delayed over concerns with construction costs and possible strain on the grid.
Election Day is Tuesday, but early voting is underway and continues through Sunday, November 1st. Polling sites will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the weekend or noon to 9 p.m. through Friday.
