Kathy Konst
Encyclopedia
Kathy Konst is a former legislator and political candidate in western New York
state. From 2006 to 2009 she represented Erie County's 5th County Legislature District, was a candidate for the 59th New York State Senate District in the 2008 General Election, and she is now the Commissioner of Environment, Planning, and Economic Development for Erie County, New York
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Children and seniors issues are also heavily emphasized, ranging from education and lead-poisoning prevention to heating and energy assistance for low-income families and the elderly.
Prior to being elected, Konst was a teacher, worked in environmental education and economic development for Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach County, and owned a small marketing company. She also served as the head of the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce, concurrently with her legislative responsibilities.
In the 2008 state senate race, she defeated Tim Pawarski in the Democratic primary by margins greater than three to one, despite the latter's endorsement by the local Democratic Committee. She went on to face incumbent Dale Volker
in the general election on November 4, losing by a 56 to 44 margin. The 59th Senate District was among several upstate Senate districts that allegedly was targeted in the last several days of the campaign with illegal robocalls misinforming voters.
Effective August 17, 2009, Konst resigned from both her legislative seat and her position as head of the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce in order to take a position as the Commissioner of Environment and Planning for Erie County. Kathy Konst received criticism from Democratic Party activists for taking the position because it impaired the ability of the local Democratic Committee to field a competitive candidate in the following election. She was temporarily replaced in the Legislature by Diane M. Terranova. Following a suit by the Erie County Democratic Committee to remove Konst from their ballot line, the replacement Democratic nominee lost to Republican Dino Fudoli in November 2009. Despite withdrawing from the race, Konst received 21% of the vote on her remaining minor party ballot lines.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state. From 2006 to 2009 she represented Erie County's 5th County Legislature District, was a candidate for the 59th New York State Senate District in the 2008 General Election, and she is now the Commissioner of Environment, Planning, and Economic Development for Erie County, New York
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
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Issue positions
One of Konst's main advocacy issues has been government reform, particularly term limits for state and local officials, and balancing the budget of Erie County, which was in a financial crisis at the time of her election in 2005. As chair of the Finance and Management Committee, she opposed the siphoning off of money from the Upstate Revitalization Fund to pay for projects in New York City, as well as unnecessary spending within Erie County.Children and seniors issues are also heavily emphasized, ranging from education and lead-poisoning prevention to heating and energy assistance for low-income families and the elderly.
Prior to being elected, Konst was a teacher, worked in environmental education and economic development for Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach County, and owned a small marketing company. She also served as the head of the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce, concurrently with her legislative responsibilities.
Electoral history
Konst was first elected to the Erie County legislature in 2005, in a victory against incumbent Denise Marshall after receiving the support of the local Democratic Committee, and won reelection in 2007.In the 2008 state senate race, she defeated Tim Pawarski in the Democratic primary by margins greater than three to one, despite the latter's endorsement by the local Democratic Committee. She went on to face incumbent Dale Volker
Dale Volker
Dale Volker is a New York State Senator representing the 59th Senate District, which comprises Wyoming County, as well as portions of Erie, Livingston and Ontario Counties. Volker is a Republican....
in the general election on November 4, losing by a 56 to 44 margin. The 59th Senate District was among several upstate Senate districts that allegedly was targeted in the last several days of the campaign with illegal robocalls misinforming voters.
Effective August 17, 2009, Konst resigned from both her legislative seat and her position as head of the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce in order to take a position as the Commissioner of Environment and Planning for Erie County. Kathy Konst received criticism from Democratic Party activists for taking the position because it impaired the ability of the local Democratic Committee to field a competitive candidate in the following election. She was temporarily replaced in the Legislature by Diane M. Terranova. Following a suit by the Erie County Democratic Committee to remove Konst from their ballot line, the replacement Democratic nominee lost to Republican Dino Fudoli in November 2009. Despite withdrawing from the race, Konst received 21% of the vote on her remaining minor party ballot lines.