Few on the Niagara Frontier can be unaware of Joe Mesi, the former No. 1 heavyweight contender whose dedication to children's causes has made him a beloved figure throughout the region. If name recognition alone translated into votes, Mesi could pretty much skip next Tuesday's Democratic primary, along with the November general election, and just show up in Albany on Jan. 1 to be sworn in as the new state senator from the 61st District here.
Instead, he finds himself locked in a contest quite unlike any of the 36 professional bouts he fought and won in the ring, a primary pitting him against two career politicians -- Dan Ward and Michelle Ianello -- that will determine who will run against yet another longtime elected official, Republican Michael Ranzenhofer.
At 34, Mesi looks fit and trim, more than ready for whatever comes his way. If you didn't know, you'd never guess he'd been a boxer. His unmarked face and lucid, articulate conversational style project more the image of a successful small businessman -- which he is -- than that of a former pugilist.
Last week the candidate sat down with the Reporter for a wide-ranging interview on the problems facing Western New York and what he hopes to do to help alleviate them.
Q. What made you decide to run for the state Senate? Having known you all these years, it came as a little bit of a surprise to me.
A. The number one reason I got into this race was jobs. Through the years you hear about the lack of opportunity in Western New York, about how our graduates have nowhere to go without leaving the region, and all too often those stories are correct. I was out of town and I read on my laptop that (state Sen.) Mary Lou (Rath) was retiring, and it started me thinking.
I've had a lot of interest in politics through the years. It wasn't a week or two later my brother called me, saying that he only had a couple weeks left at American Axle. They were letting him go, they were letting everyone go. And he was a union autoworker for 15 years. That was 1,000 jobs right there, just gone. He said he was considering a move to Detroit, with my niece and nephew and his wife, and I thought, "Oh my God, that's my family."
Two hundred thousand people have left Erie County since 1970. That's got to stop. We've got to give people a reason to stay here, and that means jobs. You can't expect our economy to improve when people are leaving like that. Job creation has to be the top priority here.
So with Mary Lou retiring, I saw a tremendous opportunity. Not only because the Senate seat became open, but because of what's going on around us. People aren't happy. These are hard economic times, and I saw it as an opportunity to get more involved here on a different level.
People know how passionate I am about Western New York. I think they believe in me, and I think the timing couldn't be better.
Q. What can any politician do to create jobs?
A. You've got to identify the heavy hitters. The University of Buffalo, the gem of the SUNY system, is at the heart of the 61st District, the largest employer in the district. And it's a state-run institution. The Roswell Park Cancer Institute, where both my mother and father were successfully treated over the years, is another huge asset. These can provide the economic engine for the district, for the entire region. But you've got to say, "What can we do to help you grow and create new jobs?"
All around the state we've got the Industrial Development Authorities, they're already in place. But they're in need of major, major reforms. I've got no problem with the state offering tax breaks or other subsidies to spur growth. We want the business and we want the jobs. But there has to be more oversight, more transparency, so we can be sure that they're actually producing the jobs they're promising. Because I don't think they are. And there are ways to change that, and I'm going to fight for that.
Q. New York is ahead of a lot of other states when it comes to providing health care for its citizens, but there are still a lot of horror stories out there. Given the budget crisis the state's now in, do you think Albany should be doing more or less in this regard?
A. I pay my health care out of my pocket, like a lot of other people. And it's a lot of money. I'm a supporter of universal health care nationally, but what can we do on a state level? It's a tall task and one that presents a lot of difficulties, but I think it could be done.
The bottom line as far as I'm concerned is that one uninsured kid is too many. What we've got now, Medicaid, is out of control. The fraud and abuse there is amazing. And that's the biggest part of the state budget. What we've got to do is reform what we have and then expand it to the point where everyone's covered. And to do that, we've got to go right to the HMOs, attack that, because they're operating irresponsibly. They're out of control.
All of this ties into the economic picture here as a whole, because if New York could provide health care for all its citizens, that would be a tremendous incentive for business and industry to start coming back here.
Q. During your boxing career, you were well known for your love of the area, a fact that made you the target of criticism within the sport, and some say hurt your career. Do you have any regrets about that?
A. We had three fights in the city, and two here in Niagara Falls. Those events generated $9 or $10 million for the local economy, and I'm proud of that. All my life I've tried to support this region in everything I've done. This is my hometown. There were many offers to leave, write-your-own-check kind of offers, and I always said no. I was born here, raised here, educated here, and I thought I could be a contender without leaving. They laughed.
Five years later, those same people who were laughing were calling us, "Can we get involved up there?" or "What's going on in Buffalo?" We brought ESPN here, and HBO. We sold out hotels.
Finally I became the biggest ticket seller in the sport, and we did it all from Buffalo, New York. And I think that experience, making Buffalo one of the top venues in the sport, is something I can carry with me to Albany. We're facing a lot of problems here, but I don't think they're insurmountable problems. This region's got a lot going for it, and I don't think there's any reason it can't be turned around with some time and hard work.
Q. You've got Dan Ward as your major opponent in the primary, and he's been involved in politics here for the last 35 years. Obviously, you've got your supporters and he's got his, but what do you see as some of the differences that an undecided voter might look for before pulling the lever next week?
A. Look, I respect Dan Ward, he's been around for a long time, and you can't point any fingers. But I think it's time for a change here, time for a different approach. And that's not Dan Ward. We've heard Dan's ideas. Politicians have a shelf life much like boxers; it's no different. I can't be as good as I was five years ago, and I think we've heard the best from Dan Ward. It's time for a change.
Q. What's it like stepping into the ring without a referee?
A. That's right. There is definitely no referee in politics. And to tell you the truth, I'd rather get punched in the face than stabbed in the back.
I don't have all the answers. But the problem is that some of these politicians think they do have all the answers. I can tell you that I'll stand on my own two feet and be an independent voice for the people of the 61st District. There aren't enough people in Albany whose brother lost his job, or who have to pay for their own health care.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | Sept. 2 2008 |