City GOP Chairman Has Different Standard for Gross, Gawel

Niagara Falls GOP chairman, Patricia Castillo (above) condemned GOP members for throwing a party for John Gross (below) but welcomed Michael Gawel (top), who had a similar conviction, into her inner circle.

Curious.

Back in February, they criticized the city of Niagara Falls Republican Committee for having the audacity to throw a “cocktail event with John Gross” with “all proceeds” to benefit local charities – in short, a going away party for Gross, a Niagara Falls contractor convicted of evading income taxes and rigging bids.

Gross and dozens of supporters, including local Republican Committee members, a couple of retired judges, and several prominent attorneys gathered at the Lewiston Fire Co. No. 2 fire hall and paid $35 per ticket.

The event, organized by the Niagara Falls Republican Committee and Laborers’ Local 91, was held just before Gross began his 33-month prison term.

Then Falls GOP Chairman Robert Krause said the party raised about $2,000, all of which was donated to three local charities, including Community Missions, Opportunities Unlimited and a local soup kitchen.

Plans for the event, naturally enough, prompted criticism from Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster and the Falls Democratic Party Chairman David Houghton, condemning the local GOP’s decision to throw a party for a man who confessed to several crimes in recent years, including one involving bribery of an elected official from Niagara County.

Now one can expect Democrats to complain and whine bitterly about the doings of Republicans and vice versa, but the event also got criticism from one Republican. She is Patricia Castillo, who has just replaced Krause as the new city GOP chairman.

She called the Gross event, on her Facebook page, “a liability.” She said the City GOP has “gone rogue. It’s absolutely embarrassing...”

This is interesting in the context that Castillo has, as her GOP secretary, a man who, in the past, some have called a rogue and a liability. He is Mike Gawel, who has a record almost as serious and probably as long as Gross, but without the Robin Hood-aspect Gross is known for on account of his contributions to charities and those in need.

Gawel is a disbarred lawyer who served a federal sentence for fraud and other crimes. He also had a number of other arrests and altercations subsequent to his release from prison in 1996. But, as Gawel said of his past, “It was a long time ago. I know I have learned from my mistakes and that I’ll never repeat them.”

It would not be worth our notice perhaps had Castillo not so roundly condemned her predecessors, Krause and co. for their role in the going away party for Gross, while, at the same time, warmly welcoming Gawel for a leading role in the future of the political work in the city.

Castillo did not return a call seeking comment.

Reached for a comment, Gawel acknowledged his conviction in 1995 for filing a false return and money laundering. “That was 17 years ago. I haven’t done anything in the last five years.” He said his notary license, his real estate license, his insurance license, and his certified public accountant license have been restored since his conviction.

Gawel volunteers with an employment and training center in Buffalo to help released ex-convicts learn building trade skills. “I have worked hard to get back on track,.” he told the Reporter. In getting his CPA license back, Gawel said he believes it shows his persistence. “It’s not how many times you get knocked down; it’s how many times you get back up.”

Maybe he’s right.