Dennis T. Gorski | |
|---|---|
 Gorski in Buffalo, New York in 1991 | |
| 5th Executive of Erie County | |
| In office January 1, 1988 – December 31, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Ed Rutkowski |
| Succeeded by | Joel Giambra |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 146th, later the 143rd district | |
| In office 1975–1987 | |
| Preceded by | Alan J. Justin |
| Succeeded by | Paul Tokasz |
| Member of the Erie County Legislature from the 3rd District | |
| In office 1972–1974 | |
| Preceded by | Frank C. Ludera |
| Succeeded by | William Stachowski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 20, 1944 |
| Died | July 4, 2021 (aged 76) Cheektowaga, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mary Jo (Craven) |
| Children | 5 (two adopted) as of 1990 |
| Alma mater | Le Moyne College, 1966 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Marines |
| Years of service | 1967–1969 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | United States Marines |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Dennis T. Gorski (July 20, 1944 – July 4, 2021) was an American politician in New York and a Marine.[1] A resident of Cheektowaga, New York, Gorski served as County Executive of Erie County, New York, which includes Buffalo and many of its suburbs. He was the first Democrat-elected Erie County Executive and the first Erie County Executive elected to three four-year terms.[2] Gorski was an Erie County Legislator and a member of the New York State Assembly prior to three-term service as county executive. During his second term as County Executive, he ran for Congress to succeed Democrat Henry Nowak, but he was defeated in the general election by Republican Jack Quinn.
Like many Buffalo Democrats, including Buffalo mayors Anthony Masiello and James D. Griffin, Gorski was known for being more conservative than the mainstream Democratic Party platform, and was regularly cross-endorsed by the Conservative Party of New York. As county executive, he rivaled his contemporary Buffalo Mayors and on some issues his contemporary New York State Governors in power:[3] He succeeded in bringing the World University Games to Buffalo, and since the National Football League's Buffalo Bills play in suburban Orchard Park, it was his responsibility to broker a deal to keep the team from leaving town. He also helped the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres finance Marine Midland Arena (now known as KeyBank Center). During his early years he brought about economic recovery and kept the county on solid financial footing during his tenure. He has been described as the only County Executive to balance the budget.[4] Gorski was a Vietnam War veteran and remained active in veterans' affairs while in office.
After leaving the county executive's office, Gorski worked in private business in Buffalo, New York. He spent his first nine years of public life working for HealthNow (Parent company of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York) and was subsequently hired by McCullagh Coffee Co. of Buffalo.
- ^ Borrelli, George (1995-09-17). "Gorski Waltzes Up One Mountain – Peaks 2 and 3 Await". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
- ^ Borrelli, George (1996-01-07). "Gorski Masiello Bury The Hatchet In Each Other". The Buffalo News. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
PT911229was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Spina, Matthew (2007-11-03). "Candidates court constituencies – A son of South Buffalo, Keane stresses his closeness to the people and his opponent's distance from them". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2009-09-06.