Politics on the Hudson

Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, admitted tonight to having an affair during a “difficult time in our marriage,” but blasted his political opponents for choosing to resort “to the lowest tactics by dredging up a private matter from years ago just 21 days before an election.”

Liz Benjamin has a lot more on the Hoyt’s troubles, but he has been under fire from the PoliticsNY.net blog, which has posted embarrassing emails Hoyt apparently sent to former legislative interns in 2003 and 2004.

Hoyt faces a tough primary battle against former Buffalo City Councilwoman Barbara Kavanaugh.

Here’s Hoyt’s statement: Recently, accusations and slurs have been made online about my personal life; and like a lot of things on the Internet, much of it is false.

Here’s what is true. Several years ago, my wife and I had a difficult time in our marriage. Since that time, my wife Connie and I have worked hard to put this behind us, and believe the episode to be a painful but private matter best left in the past.

While my past actions were unfortunate, and for which I have expressed to my family my sincere apology, one blogger has alleged that official rules or laws were broken. That simply is not true.

It’s sad that my political opponents have chosen to resort to the lowest tactics by dredging up a private matter from years ago just 21 days before an election. The timing is no accident. They would rather wallow in this type of politics than debate the challenges that face our community.

I am disappointed, but frankly, not all that surprised given the players involved. I leave this in the voters’ hands. It’s my view that the people of Buffalo and Grand Island face more pressing issues than this. My family, who are more important to me than anything, has gone through a great deal to put this in the past where it belongs.

We ask only for the privacy that any other family would be granted under these circumstances—nothing more, nothing less.”

|  Email This