A 60-minute debate featuring the two candidates for the New York State Assembly’s 150th District: Andrew Goodell (R) and Sandra Lewis (D).

WATCH

The debate was held on Thursday, Oct. 13 at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts inside the 3rd Floor Multimedia Room. It was moderated by WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley and also involved questions from participating media members – Terry Frank (Media One Radio / WJTN) and Justin Gould (WNY News Now), along with Ciesla-Hanley. There was also an opportunity for each candidate to ask one question to each of their two respective opponents.

Funding for the debate was made possible through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

(Left to Right) Jason Schmidt, PJ Wendel, Andy Goodell, George Borrello, and Tom Reed

It was a clean sweep for Republicans in Chautauqua County in the 2020 Election, as all GOP candidates on the ballot appeared to have won their respective races, regardless of the record number of absentee ballots that have been cast and await to be counted.

The big winners in the county-wide races were Andy Goodell (R-Ellicott) for the 150th State Assembly District, Paul “PJ Wendel (R-Lakewood) for the special election for Chautauqua County Executive, and Jason Schmidt (R-Fredonia) in the race for Chautauqua County District Attorney. Also picking up regional victories were George Borrello (R-Irving) for the 57th State Senate District and Tom Reed (R-Corning) for the New York 23rd Congressional District.

• ALL ELECTION NIGHT TOTALS IN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY

SCHMIDT VOTED INTO OFFICE FOR THE FIRST TIME

Jason Schmidt

For Jason Schmidt, the second time was a charm in his run for Chautauqua County District Attorney. He appears to have cruised to any easy victory over incumbent Patrick Swanson (D-Fredonia) after previously losing to the current DA in the 2016 election.

This time around, Schmidt received 29,925 votes between early voting and Election Day voting while Swanson picked up 17,122.

According to the Chautauqua County Board of Elections, there remains a possible 11,926 absentee ballots in Chautauqua County that could be added to the final vote total, but even if Swanson picked up all of those votes, he still wouldn’t have enough to win.

“I’m humbled, honored, and grateful to all my supporters and so appreciative to the team of people who have stood by my side the entire time and the movement that we created. Getting into this, it was really about the community – the victims and the police. We stayed true to that and that’s really what it is all about for me,” Schmidt told WRFA on Election Night following news that he had won.

Schmidt also offered his thoughts on how he was able to win by such a wide margin on Election Night.

I think in many respects, the election was about different philosophical approaches to the office. I tried to make that clear and I wanted to define the campaign based on that. I felt there wasn’t enough emphasis being placed on prosecution and conviction,” Schmidt said. “That doesn’t mean that I want to go out there and be a hammer looking for a nail, that’s not who I am. But at the same time I feel there were a lot of people let down in many high profile cases here, and that was never lost on me. It was important that they be remembered and honored by my campaign.”

WENDEL NO LONGER ‘ACTING’ COUNTY EXECUTIVE

PJ Wendel

In the special election for Chautauqua County Executive, Wendel defeated Democratic opponent Richard Morrisroe (Dunkirk) by an election night vote of 33,633 to 13,126. Wendel had been serving as acting county executive after being appointed by the Republican-controlled county legislature at the start of this year. Previously he had served as a member of the legislature representing Lakewood and Busti along with a small portion of Jamestown. He also was legislature chairman prior to his appointment to county executive.

“I’m excited and I’m very humbled by the residents of the county who elected me for this position. I’m humbled to win by that much – that’s the voters who spoke. It’s not an appointment, that’s the residents of the county and I think that means a lot. I’m humbled to have that kind of a margin,” Wendel said.

Wendel will now serve the final year of the current term of the office for County Executive and will have campaign all over again next year, as he’s already stated that he wants to serve a full term as the county’s top executive.

GOODELL LOCKS UP 6TH TERM IN ASSEMBLY

In the race for the 150th State Assembly District, Goodell also had an insurmountable lead over his Democratic opponent, Christina Cardinale of Jamestown. Goodell received 34,627 votes on election night to Cardinale’s 12,514.

Andy Goodell

“I’m very thankful that the residents of the Chautauqua County have given me the opportunity to represent our county in the State Legislature and I’m also very thankful that my Assembly colleagues give me the opportunity to serve as the floor leader on the floor of the Assembly,” Goodell said. “That gives me the opportunity to make sure the voices, concerns and issues that are important to us here in Chautauqua County are front and center in all of our legislative proceedings. I’m excited to go back, but I’m also very mindful that there is a tremendous amount of work to do and it will take everybody’s help and cooperation as we move forward to address these serious issues.”

The win secures Goodell a 6th term in Albany after first being elected to the office in November 2010.

BORELLO WINS FIRST FULL TERM IN STATE SENATE

George Borrello will also continue representing the three southwestern-most counties of the state in the State Senate as he easily won a full two years to represent the 57th District in Albany.

George Borrello

Borrello defeated Frank Puglisi (D-Cattaraugus County) with an election night final of 78,047 to 24,940.  Borello was first elected to the Senate in a special election last year to finish the final year for the current term after former Sen. Cathy Young resigned from her post in early 2019 to take a job in the private sector.  Last year, he defeated Democrat Austin Morgan by 42,563 to 17,270.

“I am honored and grateful for the trust that the hardworking people of our region have again placed in me to represent the 57th District,” Borrello said in a statement released Tuesday night. “Over the past year, we’ve faced the unimaginable challenges of a global health emergency and a devastating economic crisis…. The COVID-19 challenge has exacerbated many existing issues and failures of our state government, which has further energized the need for change. That will be the starting point for our efforts. We must now set aside the politics and work to face the tough road ahead. I vow to continue working to advance our recovery and fight against the extreme, politically self-serving agendas that undermine our security, ignore our shared values, and prevent us from realizing our fullest potential.”

REED DEFEATS MITRANO IN REMATCH OF 2018 RACE

Tom Reed

In the race for the 23rd Congressional district, Republican incumbent Tom Reed defeated Democratic Challenger Tracy Mitrano (Penn Yan) with an election night total o 160,131 to 90,959. It’s not known how many absentee ballots remain to be counted throughout the district but it is likely that there are not enough outstanding to give Mitrano an opportunity for a come-from-behind victory.

It was the second time in as many elections that Reed squared off against and defeated Mitrano.

GREENAN WINS SUPREME COURT RACE

There was also a race for State Supreme Court for the eight counties making up the Eight Judicial District. In that race, Republican candidate Gerald Greenan III defeated Democrat Amy Martoche 246,688 to 181,674. Again, the total number of absentees that remain to be counted are not available at this time, but the Greenan has a likely insurmountable lead over Martoche.

The final vote totals for each race won’t be known until later this month after all absentee ballots are opened and counted and then the canvasing of all votes takes place to provide an official, final result.

A debate between the two 2020 candidates for New York State Assembly in the 150th District – Andrew Goodell and Christina Cardinale. Moderated by WRFA’s Jason Sample with questions provided by media panelists Terry Frank of WJTN Radio and Justin Gould of WNY News Now. Recorded Oct. 8, 2020 at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in Jamestown, NY.

Andrew Goodell and Christina Cardinale

Andrew Goodell and Christina Cardinale

JAMESTOWN, NY – A 60-minute debates involving the candidates for New York State Assembly 150th District will take place at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts’ Media Arts Studio Thursday night, Oct. 8.

The debate featuring New York State Assembly candidates Andrew Goodell, the Republican incumbent, and Christina Cardinale, the Democratic challenger, will begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on local radio along with video streaming online.

Three different media outlets will be collaborating to bring the debates to residents throughout Chautauqua County. Participating media members include Media One Radio Group, WNY News Now, and WRFA Radio – all based in Jamestown.

Jason Sample, WRFA Public Affairs Director, will serve as moderator for all three debates. Questions for the candidates will be provided by participating media members – Terry Frank, Media One News Director;  Justin Gould, WNY News Now Director/Anchor; and Sample. There will also be an opportunity for each candidate to pose a question to one another.

The debate will take place at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in Jamestown, inside the facility’s Media Arts Studio.

Due to COVID-19, there won’t be a live studio audience for the debate. However, it will be broadcast live on WRFA radio (107.9 FM or streaming at WRFALP.com/Streaming) and also a live video stream will be available at WRFA’s Youtube Channel.

In addition, it will also be live streamed by WNY News Now on its Facebook page as well as WNYNewsNow.com/Live. It will also be rebroadcast at 10 a.m. on WJTN Radio (101.3 FM / 1240AM), and also on WRFA at 5 p.m. on Oct. 15 and again at noon on Oct. 18.   Video will also be available for viewing afterward through WNY News Now and the WRFA Youtube Channel.

Funding for the live broadcast and online streaming of the event was provided by the Reg and Betty Lenna Fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.

OTHER DEBATES ALSO PLANNED

Two other debates will also be held on Thursday, Oct. 15 and feature candidates for the special election of Chautauqua County Executive: Richard Morrisroe (Democratic, Working Families) and Paul “PJ” Wendel (Republican, Conservative, Independence); and the election for Chautauqua County District Attorney: Jason Schmidt (Republican, Conservative) and Patrick Swanson (Democratic, Independence, Working Families). Those debates will take place at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively and will also be broadcast live on WRFA, as well as streaming on WRFA and WNY News Now media platforms.

• AUDIO ALSO AVAILABLE AT SOUNDCLOUD

WRFA’s June 11, 2020 conversation with Christina Cardinale of Jamestown, the Democratic Candidate in the 2020 Election for the 150th District of the New York State Assembly.  Cardinale also took time out to discuss her recent comments to the Jamestown City Council, raising concern about a recent Facebook posting by Councilman Jeff Russell, which she claimed promoted gun violence against protesters in the Black Lives Matter movement.  On Monday Russell defended his remarks, saying the meme that he shared was in support of rights provided by the Second Amendment and was not focused on any one person or group of people.

Christine Cardinale

Christina Cardinale

JAMESTOWN – The Chautauqua County Democratic Committee is tapping a Jamestown resident to run for the New York State Assembly’s 150th District, which includes all of Chautauqua County.

Democratic Committee Chairman Norm Green said that Christina Cardinale has been named as the Democratic candidate to take on incumbent Republican Assemblyman Andrew Goodell in November.

Cardinale is a Jamestown native and works as a sales and marketing professional. This is her first attempt at running for public office.

“Christina Cardinale will be making her own official announcement shortly,” said Green. “She is an impressive candidate and I am convinced she will run a dynamic campaign in what will be an interesting election year with the pandemic.”

Goodell, who lives in the town of Ellicott, is currently serving his fifth consecutive term in the Assembly. He was first elected in 2010.

The 150th Assembly District includes all of, and only, Chautauqua County. It is the only district in the state to share the same boundaries as a single county.

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE

Full audio of the League of Women Voters of Chautauqua County Meet the Candidates Forum, featuring the two candidates for New York State Assembly (150th District): Incumbent Andrew Goodell (R) and Challenger Judith Einach (D). Recorded Tuesday, Oct.23, 2018.

Judith Einach and Andrew Goodell

Dozens of residents were at JCC Tuesday night to attend the League of Women Voters’ Meet the Candidates forum, featuring candidates for Sheriff and NY Assembly.

JAMESTOWN – More than 70 people were on hand at Jamestown Community College Tuesday night as the Chautauqua County League of Women Voters presented a Meet the Candidates forum, featuring candidates for Chautauqua County Sheriff – incumbent Joseph Gerace (D) and challenger James Quattrone (R) – and candidates for State Assembly – incumbent Andrew Goodell (R) and challenger Judith Einach (D).

While the candidates for sheriff agreed the biggest law enforcement issue facing the county is the ongoing opioid and drug epidemic, Quattrone was critical of Gerace’s oversight of the department, saying the current sheriff hasn’t done a good enough job working with other law enforcement agencies within the county.

Chautauqua County Sheriff candidates Joseph Gerace (incument, left) and James Quattrone pause for a friendly photo with one another following their Meet the Candidates forum on Tuesday night at JCC.

“A big problem we have in the enforcement issue of drugs is we have two drug task forces, Quattrone said, noting both the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force and the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force. “Working and talking with other police chiefs in the county we realize that we have to work together and share that information if we want to eradicate the problem and makes the arrests of those that are peddling the drugs.”

Quattrone also was critical of how the county jail is being run, saying that the jail staff is an often overlooked component of the Sheriff’s Office they are currently experience low morale.

Gerace, meanwhile, highlighted his long-time record of improving the sheriff’s office, including improvements to the 911 central dispatch service, as well as working recently to reduce the number of inmates at the county jail.

When an audience member asked why there were two different drug task forces operating in the county, Gerace explained it had more to do with a decision by the Jamestown Police Department.

“The reason there are two task forces is because the Jamestown Police Department chose to withdraw from the [Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force].  At one time, when it was created under the late Sheriff John Bentley and then Sheriff [Jerry] Burrell in Cattaraugus County, it was a four county task force and all the agencies were involved, but there was funding. The state actually passed through funding from the federal government and that attracted law enforcement,” Gerace said. “But the reason we have two today, and its not because I want to and I’ve met with the Jamestown Police Chief and I’ve met with the mayor and we’ve met together, they chose to move and do their own thing. It’s not something where I can say, ‘You can’t do that.’  That was their choice.”

The candidates for NY Assembly during the Meet the Candidates forum on Tuesday night at JCC.

In the forum featuring the assembly candidates, challenger Judith Einach was straightforward, saying the only way residents in Chautauqua County would get more help and assistance from Albany is if they put a Democrat in office, because the Assembly is currently controlled by Democrats.

“I’ve been told by our lieutenant governor that I am correct: once we have a Democrat in that seat, resources will truly flow to this county. As we know many of the resources that been flowing to this county have been coming because, like it our not, we have a governor who’s been giving them to us,” Einach said.

However, Einach was unable to provide specific examples of what additional funding she could help secure or where it would come from when pressed by an audience member.

Meanwhile, Goodell focused on his effort to increase the business climate in New York State and Chautauqua County, while also working to reform the state’s welfare system so that those receiving social services from the state will only use the short-term.

“In my opinion the most urgent issue facing New York State is our need to be more competitive with our other states so we can build a stronger economy, have more job opportunities for all our friends, neighbors and our kids, and provide the foundation for job and population growth and a more prosperous community,” Goodell said, adding, “What can we do, though to help those that are less fortunate to get out of welfare? Sadly our system traps a lot of people in welfare.”

Both Goodell and Einach agreed that more needs to be done to help Jamestown Community College receive additional funding, especially with a decline in enrollment due to the recently enacted Excelsior Scholarship Program that provides free tuition to low income and middle class students. They also felt that the state needs to do more to help struggling dairy farmers.

The forum became most heated when the issue of women’s reproductive rights and abortion came up.  Goodell said there is no need to expand the abortion laws for the state that are currently in place and he is fighting new legislation that he said would increase the rate of late term abortions – even for healthy babies and mothers – all the way up to the  ninth month.  Einach said she is in full support of a woman’s right to make her own decisions regarding her own body.

Both forums will be broadcast in their entirety on WRFA on Thursday Nov. 1, beginning at 7pm and then posted on our website. You can also find and listen to recent episodes of Community Matters, which already features interviews with all four candidates.

Meanwhile, our next episode of Community Matters will feature our interviews with the candidates for congress – Tom Reed and Tracy Mitrano. It will air this Thursday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m., and then Sunday, Oct. 28 at noon.

The event, jointly sponsored by the Jamestown chapter of the American Association of University Women and the Political Science Department of Jamestown Community College, will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, in the Weeks Room at JCC.

During the event the audience will be able to question candidates for the Assembly, Republican incumbent Andrew Goodall and his Democrat challenger, Judy Einach, and also incumbent Democrat Sheriff Joseph Gerace and his Republican challenger, James Quattrone. Some of the candidates are sponsored by additional parties and will appear on more than one line on the ballot.

Time-keepers are strict about keeping the candidates’ statements brief so that many members of the audience can ask questions. Candidates are also encouraged to question one another in true debate form. The candidate events are free and open to the public.

A second Meet the Candidates event will also take place in the north county at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in the courtroom in Dunkirk City Hall.