Challengers for Hamburg Town Board are questioning family ties in their attempt to counter the 4-1 Democratic majority on the Town Board in Tuesday’s election.
Two seats are up, both held by Democrats.
Incumbents Karen L. Hoak and Shawn P. Connolly also have the Working Families line on the ballot.
Challenging them on the Republican and Conservative lines are Frank M. Bogulski and Daniel M. Kozub.
Kozub and Bogulski do not think siblings – Hoak and her brother, Supervisor Randy Hoak – should be serving on the board together. Now that residents have watched the board the past two years, they can decide, Kozub said.
“I’m running for checks and balances,” he said.
“Forty percent of the Town Board is controlled by one family,” said Bogulski, who said none of his family members will work, or will work, in town government.
Karen Hoak was first elected to the board in 2019 and Randy Hoak was elected two years later.
“We work independently and advocate for the things we want,” Karen Hoak said. “I’m an independent voice. I was raised to be such.”
She said she brings 17 years working in infrastructure and public works, a background different from other board members.
Hoak, deputy commissioner of the Erie County Department of Public Works, said many citizens are concerned with public safety, and the Town Board plans to add equipment and an additional police officer to the department in the 2024 budget.
She said she has worked to increase community feedback, including informational meetings and workshops on walkability. The town also has started its outreach…
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