Michael Bobseine wants Chautauqua County to elect him to the New York State Assembly so it can take advantage of the Democrat-dominated reality of Albany. The Democratic domination disgusts Andrew Molitor.

The candidates for the 150th District seat that Andrew Goodell is leaving behind made a very clear distinction about how they would conduct themselves in the state capital, during a debate this month hosted by WRFA Radio in Jamestown with The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and WJTN radio participating.

Bobseine, a Fredonia attorney who is a Democrat, name-checked previous local Assembly members who were in the majority such as Pat McGee, Rolland Kidder and Cathy Young. He said they got a lot done for Chautauqua County, and he can, too — repeatedly mentioning his prior experience as a Chautauqua County legislator and Fredonia Board of Education president.

Molitor, also a lawyer, is an assistant district attorney who lives in Jamestown. The Republican repeatedly railed against the Democrat-dominated state Legislature.

Andrew Molitor

“They’ve passed laws that have been an unmitigated disaster for the state,” he said. “They’ve deconstructed the criminal justice system and made it easier for people to commit crimes. They’ve taxed us in all sorts of ways and made it less affordable for us to live in this state.”

Bobseine said later while responding to a question about long term health care concerns, “As a member of the majority, I can be more influential than just simply complaining and raising that issue.”

At another point, he declared that Molitor won’t have an effect in the minority, stating that Goodell, a Republican, sponsored 43 bills over the last two years but only “two very minor bills” were adopted.

When Bobseine promised to work for adding a landowner exemption to a recently passed wetlands bill, Molitor expressed skepticism that Bobseine would have any influence over that, or any other decisions by the entrenched Democratic supermajority. Bobseine tried to refute that, of course.

Molitor called the wetlands law “another example of how the Democratic majority in Albany passed a law (and) they didn’t get any input on how it’s going to affect our communities.”

He said a little later, “I think it’s important to have the opposite point of view in state government. One party rule hasn’t done us any favors…it’s just going to strip us of more and more rights and make it harder for us to live in this community.”

Molitor added, “With respectful conversation and respectful argument you can do a lot of good. Sometimes a bill is suggested in the Legislature and it takes someone like Andy Goodell to stand up and say, ‘Hey, that bill is poorly drafted. That bill is wrong.'”

Referring again to previous assembly persons, Bobseine said, “All of them were in the majority, and they got things done in the majority. As soon as Cathy Young ran and it was determined she would be in the minority, she quit, because she knew she couldn’t be effective any longer.”