Gabryszak-- from the Republican wing of the Democratic PartyPoor New York state Assemblyman Dennis Gabryszak. Not many people outside of Buffalo (and Albany) ever heard of him until he entangled himself in a sexual harassment scandal that's ending his political career. So now all they know about him is that the 62 year old Democrat from Cheetowaga is that he's married with 2 children and that he was hitting on young female staffers-- at least 5 so far-- to a point behind merely creepy. He brought one woman, in her 20s to a massage parlor within 2 weeks of hiring her and he had a habit of making sexually charged comments and suggestions to women a third his age.
The allegations include claims that Gabryszak told one female staffer he has a tattoo on his penis and that he showered one woman with gifts and offered her a well-paying job in Buffalo after learning that she had become engaged-- a revelation that allegedly upset the assemblyman.Within hours of the allegations surfacing, Gabryszak was already losing key Democratic Party support. “If these allegations are even close to being true, the Assembly member should resign immediately and spare the community from further embarrassment,’’ said Jeremy Zellner, the chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party.The allegations of sexual harassment are contained in an explosive document filed in the State Court of Claims, a legal maneuver that for one year preserves the women’s right to sue the state for damages.…“The behavior was so severe, persistent and pervasive that the claimants had no alternative other than to leave their employment,’’ the papers state, adding that it forced them to lose wages, health care insurance and other benefits. The papers said the three women suffer emotional distress and mental anguish as a result of their dealings with the lawmaker.
Is there actually anything else to know about this wretched man? Well, of course there is? The son of a small town mayor and a former employee of Citicorp, Gabryszak was elected to the Assembly 7 years ago. "Ha, ha!" Republicans might say, "a Democrat!" and he is-- but not a real Democrat. As you might guess, he's the Steve Israel kind of Democrat we're always railing against here-- an opportunistic hack who calls himself a Democrat despite his conservative disposition… and record. Start with women's health. Gabryszak is anti-Choice. Sound like a Democrat to you? Last year the NRA gave him a grade of 83% and the year before that, a "B." New Yorkers Against Gun Violence graded him too-- with a "D." New York's conservative party gave him a 70% last year, higher than any other Democrat in the Assembly other than crazy wing nut Robin Schimminger from nearby Tonawanda who they gave an 85%, better than almost any Republican.A look at Gabryszak's voting record doesn't tell you why he's a sex predator but it does paint a picture of a typical anti-family conservative. When the Assembly voted to establish a farm worker bill of rights, Gabryszak voted with the Republicans against it. When the Assembly voted to increase the minimum wage, Gabryszak voted with the Republicans against it. When the Assembly voted for modest gun safety regulations last January, Gabryszak voted with the Republicans against it. When the Assembly pass a bill prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity, Gabryszak voted with the Republicans against it. When the Assembly passed a bill requiring that firearms have microstamping technology that would make them traceable for law enforcement, Gabryszak voted with the Republicans against it. When the Seembly passed their marriage equality bill, Gabryszak voted with the Republicans against it. He voted "no" on every piece of progressive legislation passed in 2011, from rent control to a bill to suspend tracking to a bill to prohibit wage discrimination baseds on gender, race or national origin. His voting record is conservative and quintessentially Republican. He's the kind of "Democrat" that Steve Israel is constantly looking for to recruit for the DCCC.Gabryszak filled out a questionnaire for Project Vote Smart about his views on Abortion and Reproductive Issues. Does this look like a Democrat's responses?
