U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy announces House-approved funding for the Dunkirk Harbor last month on the city pier.
Standing in front of Buffalo’s VA Medical Center last month, U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy put the institution on alert during a press briefing. Following up on complaints heard from Western New York constituents regarding a lack of urgency with treatment, the congressman called for immediate action and transparency from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The Buffalo VA’s administrative failures have left veterans battling cancer – heroes who risked everything for this country – waiting 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 the VA conducts a thorough and transparent review of this matter, cooperates fully with the committee’s investigation, and takes immediate corrective action where necessary.”
Within two hours after voicing those concerns, Michael J. Swartz, executive director of the VA Western New York Healthcare System, and Chief of Staff Dr. Philippe Jaoude had been reassigned out of patient-facing positions.
An investigation into what went wrong has been completed, but not yet made public.
In the big picture, the first-term official who represents District 23 of New York state forced a significant change that impacts thousands of veterans across the region. That action is consistent with how his first 20 months have played out.
Since taking office in January 2023, Langworthy has embraced the position while taking on a much different persona — sometimes even bipartisan — than what was seen during his years as state Republican Party chairman. In the previous role he held for four years, Langworthy came across as a fiery and enthusiastic cheerleader who was an often outspoken opponent of former state Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Even if the GOP had lost ground in Albany, Langworthy made sure the party never lost its prominence or its voice. That is not the case with current — and returning — state Chairman Ed Cox.
Since re-establishing the top position, the state party seems lost and unsure of its direction to recapture Albany. The organization’s website leads off with a small montage of photos of Lee Zeldin at the 2022 state convention. This signals a lack of attention to detail.
Zeldin lost a fairly close contest to Hochul that year. Why is he even considered part of the current online platform?
Never would that have happened with Langworthy at the helm.
During a recent stop in the north county in early September, it was easy to forget the current congressman is facing a contest against Democrat Tom Carle in November’s election. Not once during the nearly one-hour conversation that took place inside Fredonia’s Domus Fare restaurant did that topic come up.
Instead, he focused on some important topics for county residents that need additional attention. Some of those include:
— A potential wetlands designation of Chautauqua Lake by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. He called the agency’s action a “gross over-reach” and while despising the fact that these decisions are made without input from residents or elected officials. “I don’t want people who are not elected or accountable to anyone making the laws for this (region and) country,” he said. “This rulemaking is more dangerous than lawmaking. At least you have a court of public opinion and you have to have a debate and a process people go through.”
— Jamestown’s crisis with hundreds of homeless downtown. “On the Chadakoin (River) situation, I applaud the mayor (Kim Ecklund for the State of Emergency declaration). She was getting a lot of detractors. … I said, ‘Listen, the people sitting on the couch, they’re with you.’”
— Dunkirk’s $18 million deficit. “I can’t see a federal solution to bailing out municipalities that have poorly managed windfalls of cash,” he said. Langworthy was referring to some $11 million the city received in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan Act that was approved during the COVID pandemic.
— This year’s damaged grape crop in the county: “It’s just an unfortunate situation with that early frost. The yield is obviously going to be very low.”
— Continued inflation concerns. “The single largest issue in my district is the cost of living,” he said. “People are struggling mightily. They’re putting groceries on credit cards. … That is a pressure that families are feeling everywhere.”
During the last election for Congress in 2022, Langworthy defeated Democrat Max Della Pia, securing 65% of the vote in a district that includes Erie and Chautauqua counties as well as six other Southern Tier counties that extend to Tioga County. Loyalty to candidates who are conservative, Pro-Life and staunch advocates of the Second Amendment in this section of the state has become a tradition.
That suits Langworthy, who has settled in quite nicely to being a strong advocate for the region while also consistently traversing 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 delivery crisis, rural broadband that hasn’t been addressed. … We need to bring our share of federal funds home … (for) projects that will help move these communities forward.”
John D’Agostino is the editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.