Steve Cichon, candidate for Erie County Clerk, promises that under his leadership, the County Clerk’s office will ensure pay parity and will hire a management team of deputy clerks that is at least half women. Cichon’s pledges come in the wake of reports that the wage gap between men and women is wider in Western New York than other parts of the state. With women comprising half of the world’s population, Cichon, the endorsed Women’s Equality Party candidate, believes it only makes sense to have the Clerk’s office be representative.
“As Clerk, I can begin to fix a small part of what’s been wrong for too long. The way we begin to equal the income scales between men and women is to make sure that women have equal access to the best paying jobs. I pledge that my management team, particularly the deputy clerks, will be comprised of at least half women. This seems like common sense to me, but has never happened in the history of the office.”
Cichon contrasted his approach with that of his opponent, Assemblyman Michael P. “Mickey” Kearns, who voted against equal pay laws as an Assemblyman in 2013 and 2014 and touts his anti-choice voting record on campaign literature. “Kearns has a record of voting against marginalized populations: women, the LGBTQ community, refugees and immigrants. At the same time, he aligns himself with Carl Paladino and Conservative Party Chair Ralph Lorigo in order to further his own political career. I think our government should be reflective of our community. We need to work to make sure more citizens are heard and included in the process.”
