Langworthy focuses on topics related to the diseased area | News, Sports, Jobs

U.S. Congressman Nick Langworthy announced last month from the city pier that the House of Representatives had approved funding for the port of Dunkirk.

Standing outside Buffalo’s VA Medical Center last month, U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy put the facility on alert during a news conference. In response to complaints from Western New York residents about a lack of urgency in treatment, the congressman called for immediate action and transparency from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“The Buffalo VA’s administrative failures have caused veterans battling cancer – heroes who risked everything for this country – to wait far too long for the care they need.” he said in late August. “This situation is unacceptable, and we owe it to our veterans to get to the bottom of it. It is imperative that VA conducts a thorough and transparent review of this matter, cooperates fully with the committee in its investigation, and takes immediate corrective action as necessary.”

Two hours after expressing these concerns, Michael J. Swartz, executive director of the VA Western New York Healthcare System, and chief of staff Dr. Philippe Jaoude were removed from patient-facing positions.

An investigation into what went wrong has been completed, but the results have not yet been made public.

In the bigger picture, the first-term incumbent, who represents New York State’s 23rd District, has forced significant change that impacts thousands of veterans across the region, an action that is consistent with how his first 20 months have gone.

Since taking office in January 2023, Langworthy has embraced the position with a very different persona — at times even bipartisan — than the one seen during his years as state Republican Party chairman. In his previous post, which he held for four years, Langworthy came across as a fiery and enthusiastic cheerleader who often openly opposed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Even as the GOP lost ground in Albany, Langworthy made sure the party never lost its footing or its vote. That’s not true of current — and returning — state chairman Ed Cox.

Since reclaiming the top job, the state party has seemed confused and unsure of where to go to reclaim Albany. The organization’s website begins with a small montage of Lee Zeldin’s photos from the 2022 state convention. It’s a sign of a lack of attention to detail.

Zeldin lost a pretty close fight to Hochul this year. Why is he even considered part of the current online platform?

This would never have happened if Langworthy had been at the helm.

During a recent stop in North County in early September, it was easy to forget that the congressman is running against Democrat Tom Carle in the November election. Not once during a nearly hour-long conversation at the Domus Fare restaurant in Fredonia did the topic come up.

Instead, he focused on several important topics for county residents that require additional attention. Some of them include:

— The potential designation of Chautauqua Lake as a wetland by the state Department of Environmental Protection. He called the agency’s action “gross abuse of authority” and at the same time despising the fact that these decisions are made without the involvement of residents or elected officials. “I don’t want people who are not elected or accountable to anyone to make laws for this (region and) country,” he said. “It’s more dangerous to legislate than to legislate. At least you have the court of public opinion and you have to have debate and a process that people go through.”

— Crisis in Jamestown, hundreds of homeless in the city center. “As far as the Chadakoin (River) situation, I take my hat off to the mayor (Kim Ecklund for declaring a state of emergency). She had a lot of critics. … I said, ‘Listen, people sitting on the couch, they’re with you.’

— Dunkirk’s $18 million deficit. “I don’t see a federal solution that would allow bailing out municipalities that mismanaged unexpected cash gains” he said. Langworthy was referring to about $11 million the city received in 2021 under the American Rescue Plan Act, which was approved during the COVID pandemic.

— This year’s destruction of vineyards in the district: “It’s just an unfortunate situation with these early frosts. The yield will obviously be very low.”

— Inflation concerns persist. “The biggest problem in my district is the cost of living” he said. “People are struggling. They’re paying for their purchases with credit cards. … It’s a pressure that families everywhere are feeling.”

In the last congressional election in 2022, Langworthy defeated Democrat Max Della Pia with 65% of the vote in a district that includes Erie and Chautauqua counties, as well as six other Southern Tier counties that extend into Tioga County. Loyalty to candidates who are conservative, pro-life and staunch Second Amendment supporters has become a tradition in this part of the state.

This suits Langworthy, who has settled in well and has become an active advocate for the region, regularly crisscrossing the nine counties. “I want to solve problems” he said. “Our district has a lot of them. We have a rural poverty crisis, a rural health care crisis, rural broadband that hasn’t been addressed. … We need to bring our share of federal funding home … (to) projects that will help these communities thrive.”

John D’Agostino is an editor at The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to [email protected] or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.