Hawley sees elected office as service to community

Hawley sees elected office as service to community

The son of a former assemblyman has tossed his hat into the ring for a seat in the 139th Assembly District that was vacated by Charles Nesbitt.

Stephen M. Hawley, a Batavia native, said he decided to run for election for the same reason he's done just about everything else in his career and life - for the community and the people in it.

"I've always thought of elected service as community service whether on the Rotary, United Way or when we organized a Katrina relief effort," he said. "My parents and grandparents raised us to be active in the community."

Hawley's grandfather, Warren, was the president of the New York State Farm Bureau. His father, R. Stephen, served as an assemblyman for 20 years as well as serving as a county legislator. As for his community service, Stephen counts his service on the board of education for Genesee Valley BOCES and service as a county legislator among his accomplishments.

"When Charlie (Nesbitt) called to tell me he was resigning from the position and asked if I would consider running, I was happily into running my insurance business but wanted to give it a shot."

Hawley said he brings his love of helping people to the position, if elected. "I like helping people in their perceived time of need," he said. "Sometimes people need help with the overwhelming influence of government."

In his career as an insurance agent, Hawley said he has never really considered himself a salesman but instead he viewed himself as a "neighbor helping a neighbor."

When asked if he thought being a Republican in a Democrat controlled Assembly would be a detriment he said: "I am a people person, whether in farming or the army or insurance business - we don't say no to someone because they don't share our opinions," he said. "In business, as in politics, it's a people business. I know many Democrats and Republicans who get along just fine. It's okay to differ philosophically. Every day for the past 33 years this district has been served by members of the minority and we've been served well."

Hawley and his wife, Crystal (Fazio) run the insurance business together. They have four sons, Brooks, Cooper, Tim and Dan and daughter-in-law Linda.

He believes his background in both farming and as a small businessman in the community, in addition to the amount of community service he has been involved in, make him a good choice for the assembly seat. He has been endorsed by both the Republican and Conservative parties.

"I operate under the philosophy that less government is better government and I will work closely with the constituency to closely reflect those views for this district," he said.

A special election will be held February 28 to fill the remaining year of Nesbitt's seat. The district covers all of Orleans county and parts of Genesee, Monroe and Niagara counties.

Note: Hawley's opponent is Democrat Gary Kent. An article about Mr. Kent was printed in the February 12 issue.

The 139th Assembly District is defined below.