BUFFALO, NY - Despite how closely you may be following the Presidential Election, you may not have known that two central figures, working on behalf of each of the major party's frontrunners, are from Buffalo.
These native sons play an integral role in those most critical of campaign tasks: raising money and creating ads for Political Action Committees (PACS), which while barred from working in concert with a candidate, work indirectly on their behalf.
Monday night's broadcast of NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams, featured a story from Ted Koppel regarding so called "Super PACS".
The story included an interview with Carl Forti, who heads up "Restore Our Future" - the biggest, richest PAC supporting Republican front runner Mitt Romney.
If you didn't blink during a three second shot of Forti's Alexandria, Virginia office, you may have noticed several Buffalo Bills helmets displayed in the background.
We also noticed that Forti's public affairs firm is called the Black Rock Group. And, as most in these parts would know, Black Rock is a prominent neighborhood within New York's second largest city.
"It was named after Buffalo and after Black Rock," Forti confirmed in a brief telephone interview. "Both my business partner and I are from Buffalo and I thought it was a great name."
But beyond that, Forti didn't care to be interviewed regarding himself or his Western New York roots, preferring instead to talk about PACS and the need to "stop President Obama."
But Forti is not alone among Western New York natives playing a major role in this year's Presidential Campaign.
Former White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton heads up "Priorities USA Action", a large PAC raising money for the re-election of the President.
Burton is a North Buffalo native and a 1995 graduate of City Honors High School.
While 2 On Your Side was unable to reach Burton for this story, we were in contact with someone who knows and respects both men.
"Both Carl Forti and Bill Burton are highly skilled professionals," said former US Rep. Thomas Reynolds, who is currently a lawyer and lobbyist.
When he was head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Reynolds hired Forti as Communications Director, at about the same time Rahm Emanuel hired Burton for the same job at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Reynolds is not surprised the two high ranking political operatives were born and raised in Western New York.
"I look at politics in Western New York as almost like a gladiator sport...right behind the Buffalo Bills," Reynolds said.
"Buffalo truly enjoys a good political brawl, so it's a good place to get your feet wet whether you were born here, grew up here, or practiced politics for a career as I and many others have on both sides of the aisle."
Click on the video player to watch our story from 2 On Your Side Reporter Dave McKinley and Photojournalist Dooley O'Rourke.
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