Keeping Politics out of Elma’s Courtroom
While Joe Sakowski is mailing out postcards claiming he wants to keep politics out of
courtroom the local media overlooked the fact that he admitted to making over 100
prohibited political contributions in excess of $23,000.
Nobody likes negative politics. Like the time 8 years ago when Sakowski’s campaign stuffed misleading, dirty political pieces about his opponent in mailboxes two days before the election. This excerpt, however, is public record which you may read in full at the New York State Commision on Judicial Conduct Website.
http://www.scjc.state.ny.us/Press.Releases/2015.Releases/Sakowski.Joseph.A.Release15-09-01.pdf.
After 40 years in office you would think a judge would know and respect the laws.
Erie County Town Justice Should Be Admonished for Making Improper Political Contributions
The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has determined that Joseph
Sakowski, a Justice of the Elma Town Court, Erie County, should be admonished
engaging in prohibited political activity. Judge Sakowski agreed to the admonition.
From 2003 through January 2014, Judge Sakowski directly made 69 prohibited poli
contributions totaling $20,633, and another 36 totaling about $2,851 through his law firm.
Twenty-seven of the contributions by his law firm were for tickets to politically spons
events outside the judge’s “window period” of permissible political activity.
The Commission noted that the Rules, Advisory Opinions and its own decisions over
years have long made it clear that judges may not directly or indirectly make political contributions.
Dean Puleo for Town Justice 