Over the last year, the Erie County Democratic Party seems to have been increasingly hell-bent on dramatizing Rogers’ famously ironic characterization of the way Democrats operate politically. Two major party factions—one centered on Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown, the other headed by county chair Leonard R. Lenihan—have been creating another chapter in the often fractious history of the party. Last Saturday, the Brown forces either heightened tensions or alleviated them slightly—depending on who one talks to—by boycotting the meeting of the party’s committee, held to select a chair, in this case to reelect Lenihan.

On Friday, September 19, Erie County Executive Chris Collins suspended the County’s Apprenticeship Law, effectively killing legislation that had basically gone unenforced since 2006.

“My aunt is 83—she’s still paying off her house. Well, I’m 73 and I’m still paying off my college loan.”