David Wilfong during a 2015 Meet the Candidates Forum when running for reelection for District 11 of the Chautauqua County Legislature

JAMESTOWN – The Chautauqua County legislator from Jamestown who’s now seeking the Republican Party’s nomination as candidate for Mayor is relying on his voting record of reducing taxes in county government to convince voters he’s the right man for the job.

In early February current Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi (D) announced he would not be seeking a sixth term in office, opening the door for new leadership in City Hall. One of the individuals who’s come forward to seek the mayoral position is legislator David Wilfong (R-District 11).

Wilfong first ran for an open district 11 seat in the Chautauqua County Legislature in 2011 after former legislator Maria Kindberg (D) opted not to seek reelection. He was defeated that year by Robert Whitney (D). However, he ran once again in 2013 on a platform of selling the Chautauqua County Home in order to reduce property taxes. He defeated Whitney in that rematch and has been reelected twice since then – both in 2015 (defeating Whitney for a second time) and in 2017 (defeating Democratic challenger Frank Besse).

In a recent interview with WRFA, the three-term Republican said that since he joined the County Legislature at the start of 2014, county property taxes have gone down each year and he’s hoping to use that record to help win over voters in November.

“A lot of people don’t realize that at the county level, we have lowered your property taxes for the last five years in a row. So I have a history of making sure I do what the people sent me to Mayville to do,” Wilfong said.

Wilfong, who also currently serves as the chairman of the Chautauqua County Republican Committee, said he’s also shown he’s willing to work with people from the Democratic side of the aisle.

“I’m going to run on my background and the platform I’m going to run on is that I have the knowledge and the skill to reach across the aisle and get things done for the people of Jamestown.”

Wilfong also said he’s well aware of the financial challenges facing the city of Jamestown, which is currently at its constitutional taxing limit and which also has been working under an extremely tight spending plan for the past several years. Still, Wilfong said he does have some cost-saving proposals in mind and he’ll be rolling them out in the coming months. In addition, he said that if elected he’ll also be asking more from the Jamestown City Council.

David Wilfong (R-District 11) during the October 2018 Chautauqua County Legislature meeting

“One of the things that I’m going to request from the city council is that I need more leadership from them and I need more guidance from them because one of the things I learned, being successful at the county, is we don’t do that by ourselves,” Wilfong said. “Mayor Teresi doesn’t spend a dime.  George Borrello, our county executive, doesn’t spend a dime. It’s the city council and the county legislature that okays purchases. So you can say ‘Sam Teresi did this’ or ‘Sam Teresi did that’ but that’s not the truth. The city council is okayed those expenditures.”

Wilfong is also aware that in order for the city to rebound, it will continue to need help from New York State. During the past three budgets the city has requested a total of more than $2.7 million in supplemental state aid to close annual deficits (the state approved the requests in 2017 and 2018 and appears ready to do so again this year).

Wilfong credits the strong relationship mayor Teresi has with fellow Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo in helping to get that aid delivered. But he also hopes the state would continue offering support if he were elected to office.

“Mayor Teresi has been a good steward of reaching out the governor and receiving funding so we can pay our bills. I would just hope that if I was elected governor that same courtesy would be extended. I just hope there wouldn’t be political games going on because I would be a Republican mayor,” Wilfong said.

But before Wilfong can even run as a Republican in the November General Election, he will first likely have to win a primary in June. Both he and first-term city councilman At Large Andrew Liuzzo (R-At Large) are seeking the party’s nod for the mayoral race, with Wilfong being the candidate receiving the endorsement of the Jamestown Republican Committee. Both candidates are in the process of gathering signatures on their election petitions in order to qualify for the June primary.

Meanwhile, the City Democratic Committee has selected local attorney Eddie Sundquist as its endorsed candidate and he appears to be unopposed in seeking the full party’s nomination as a candidate for mayor.

Vanessa Weinert

JAMESTOWN – A member of the Jamestown City Council has submitted her resignation.

Jamestown City Council President Marie Carrubba announced during Monday’s city council voting session that first-year Councilwoman Vanessa Weinert (D- At Large) had submitted her resignation, based a situation in her personal life that resulted in her not being able to attend council meetings in recent months.

“It is with great regret that I had to submit my letter of resignation from Jamestown City Council. I have been honored to serve Jamestown over the last year and I was looking forward to working to make Jamestown an even greater city,” Weinert stated Tuesday morning on her Facebook page. “As many of you know, my family has endured a personal tragedy and I have to spend this next year focusing on my daughter.”

Weinert was elected to one of the three at-large seats on the council in the November 2017 general election.

The council unanimously accepted the resignation Monday night, resulting in an opening on the nine-member panel.

Under the city charter, the mayor is responsible for selecting a person to fill a vacancy on the council, with a majority approval by the city council. The person appointed to fill such vacancy shall be a member of the same political party as the person who vacated the office.

Because Weinert is a Democrat, the mayor will have to appoint a resident of the city who is also a member of that party. During the 2017 election, both former council president Greg Rabb and former county legislator Robert Whitney ran for At Large council seats but were defeated. Of the two, Rabb received the higher number of votes. It’s not known if either is among the possible people being considered for the post.  Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi was absent from last night’s meeting so we were unable to get comment from him regarding possible names to consider.

The council has 60 days from the date of Weinert’s resignation to identify and act on an individual to fill her vacated seat. Once that person is seated, he or she will remain on the council until the next General Election, which is on Nov. 5, 2019.

Meanwhile, Weinert also said she may return to public service in the future.

“I love this city and I plan on re-engaging with politics and the great community work that comes with that once I have gotten past this part of my life. Thank you all for your support. This has truly been a very difficult decision,” she said.

George Borrello

MAYVILLE – Several feet of snow in the village of Mayville didn’t prevent Chautauqua County’s new executive from making the trip from his home in Hanover to in order to be sworn into office on New Year’s Day.

County executive George Borrello (R-Irving) was inaugurated on Monday afternoon by Chautauqua county Judge David Foley. In addition, County Clerk Larry Barmore was also sworn in to his second term in office.

Both Borrello and Barmore won election November. Borrello is taking over for previous county executive Vince Horrigan, who opted not to run for a second term in office this past year.

The Chautauqua County Board of Elections counted absentee and affidavit ballots on Monday, with the only change being Andrew Liuzzo and Vanessa Weinert – the two newcomers to the city council – changing position among the top three vote-getters.

Following the counting of additional ballots, incumbent Kim Ecklund continued to receive the most votes at 2,430 votes, an increase of 132. In second-place was Liuzzo, with 2,075, an increase of 123. In third place was Weinert with 2,063 votes, an increase of 109. Rabb received 1,959 votes, an increase of 105 – while candidate Bob Whitney received 1,745 votes, an increase of 95; and Michael Laurin received 1,985, an increase of 122 votes.

The two new city council members will be sworn into office during the first city council meeting of 2018.

“As the dust from election night settles, the Chautauqua County Board of Elections has determined that we have four races are too close to call,” reported Norm Green in an email sent out to the media on Wednesday afternoon.

Initially near the end of Election Night, Green had told WRFA that there were no races in Jamestown too close to call, but added on Wednesday that was said “at first blush.”

In the Jamestown City Council at Large race, four candidates are separated by just 100 votes, with 446 absentee ballots issued and 230 returned so far.

The race featured a total of six candidates vying for three seats. On election Night, incumbent Kim Ecklund (R) received 2,298 votes, far above any other candidate.

However, the next two candidates were newcomers Vanessa Weinert (D) and Andrew Liuzzo (R), who were only separated by two votes on election night. Weinert recieved 1,954 votes and Liuzzo getting 1,952 votes. The next highest vote total went to Michael Laurin (R), with 1,863, following by incumbent and current city council president Greg Rabb (D), who received 1854 votes. Robert Whitney (D) finished sixth with 1650.

With only 100 votes separating the no. 2 candidate from the no. 5 candidate – and with there being 446 absentee ballots sent out, election officials feel it is necessary to declare the race “Too Close to Call” and await the opening of all absentee ballots that come in.

However, Green does add that while it’s mathematically possible, it’s also a near impossibility the top 3 candidates will change, except for the possibility of the no. 2 candidate (currently Weinert) and the no. 3 candidate (currently Liuzzo) switching positions.

The three other Chautauqua County races that are too close to call are for the Ellington Town Council, the Hanover Town Justice, and Sherman Village Trustee races.

All absentee ballots will be opened and counted on Monday, Nov. 20.

Results from Election Night for all races in Chautauqua County can be found online at VoteChautauqua.com.

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MAYVILLE – George Borrello will be Chautauqua County’s next County Executive.

The town of Hanover Republican and current member of the Chautauqua County Legislature defeated Mike Ferguson (D-Fredonia) by 63-37 on Election Night. The two were running for the open county executive seat following the announcement at the start of this year that current executive Vince Horrigan would not seek reelection for a second term in office.

Borrello talked with WRFA following his victory on Election Night and said he wants to continue focusing on moving Chautauqua County in what he feels is the right direction.

George Borrello

“We have all but eliminated politics in Mayville and I am proud to be a leading force in that,” Borrello said. “We’re going to continue that on throughout Chautauqua County, because this is not about political party politics. This is about what is best for everyone in Chautauqua County and I am confident that we are going to elevate the county to the next level.”

Borrello also said that just like he pledged during the campaign, his main focus will be on chipping away at the multiple layers of government in the county.

“That is thew quickest path for us to reduce taxes, reduce the burden of government, and restore jobs here in Chautauqua County,” Borrello said. “This is not something that the county executive or the legislature will make a decision on, this is something the [affected] voters will make a decision on. I just want to make sure that people will have the opportunity to get the right information and I am confident that they will make the right decision when it comes to shared services and consolidation.”

In the other county-wide race, incumbent County Clerk Larry Barmore (R-Gerry) easily won reelection to a second term after defeating challenger LeeAnn Lazarony (D-Cassadaga) by a 58 to 42 percent margin. Barmore ran for reelection on his record of improving the clerk’s office over the past four years, which included relocating the Department of Motor Vehicles’ Jamestown office and helping to reduce the annual cost for that office in the process.

Vanessa Weinert (left) and Andrew Liuzzo

JAMESTOWN – There will be two new members on the Jamestown City Council.

In the city council at large race, the candidates who received the three highest vote totals were incumbent Kim Ecklund (R), followed by newcomers Vanessa Weinert (D) and Andrew Liuzzo (R).

Ecklund received 2298 votes. Weinert and Liuzzo were only separated by two votes on election night, with Weinert getting 1954 and Liuzzo getting 1952. The next highest vote total went to Michael Laurin (R), with 1863, following by incumbent and current city council president Greg Rabb (D), who received 1854 votes.  Robert Whitney (D) finished sixth with 1650.

There are still 446 absentees were sent out, with 230 returned so far, but Chautauqua County Election Commissioner Norman Green tells WRFA that none of the local races from Election Night – including the city council at large races – are too close to call and the results will most likely stand.

In the two other contested city council races, incumbents Tony Dolce of Ward 2 and Marie Carrubba of Ward 4 each won reelection, defeating Joe Scapallitte and Richard Elardo, respectively.

With the loss of Rabb and the addition of Liuzzo, the city council will now be comprised of 5 Democrats and 4 Republicans when it begins its new term on Jan. 1, 2018.

Locally in Jamestown, incumbent David Wilfong (R) defeated  challenger Frank Besse (D) in the District 11 race. Meanwhile in District 12, incumbent Elisabeth Rankin (R) defeated challenger Dave Reinhardt (D).

A complete list of legislative winners is provided below.

Meanwhile, in addition to 17 incumbents winning reelection, there were also two open seats up for a vote.

In District 16 – which includes the towns of Kiantone, Carroll, and Poland – John Davis (R-Frewsburg) defeated Terry Walker (D-Kennedy). That seat is currently held by Ron Lemon (R-Frewsburg) who did not seek reelection.

The closest legislative race of the night was in District 6, where Kevin O’Connell (D-Silver Creek) defeated Gary Cerne (R-Irving) 53 to 47 percent.

With the election day results, Democrats in the legislature will have picked up one seat on the legislature but will still be significantly outnumbered by nearly a 3 to 1 margin, with 14 Republican to just 5 Democrats.

Chautauqua County Legislature 2017 Election Results

District 1

• WINNER – Kevin Muldowney* (R– Dunkirk)
• James Palmatier (D-Dunkirk)

District 2 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Robert Bankoski* (D-Dunkirk)

District 3

• Robert Dando (D-Fredonia)
• WINNER – Robert Scudder* (R-Fredonia)

District 4 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Christine Starks* (D-Fredonia)

District 5 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Terry Niebel* (R-Dunkirk)

District 6

• Gary Cerne (R, Con, Ind – Irving)
• WINNER – Kevin O’Connell (D-Silver Creek)

District 7 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Mark O’Dell* (R-Brocton)

District 8

• WINNER – Pierre Chagnon* (R-Bemus Point)
• Jeri Ann Simora (D-Stow)

District 9 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Charles Nazzaro* (D-amestown)

District 10 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Paul “PJ” Wendel* (R-Lakewood)

District 11

• Frank Besse (D-Jamestown)
• WINNER – David Wilfong* (R-Jamestown)

District 12

• WINNER – Elisabeth Rankin* (R-Jamestown)
• Dave Reinhardt (D-Jamestown)

District 13 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Paul Whitford* (D-Jamestown)

District 14 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Dan Pavlock (R-Charlotte)

District 15 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Lisa Vanstrom* (R-Jamestown)

District 16

• WINNER – John Davis (R-Frewsburg)
• Terry Walker (D-Kennedy)

District 17 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Frank “Jay” Gould (R-Ashville)

District 18

• Ella Ames (D-Mayville)
• WINNER – David Himelein* (R-Findley Lake)

District 19

• Laurel Adams (D-Ripley)
• WINNER – John Hemmer* (R-Westfield)

By a 3 to 1 margin, voters opposed the opportunity to open the state’s highest governing document to its first large-scale rewrite since 1938.

The defeat was bolstered by a $3 million campaign from labor unions that feared a convention could lead to a rolling back of collective bargaining rights and pension benefits.

The constitutional convention question was one of three proposals to appear on every ballot in New York.

Voters also approved a measure allowing judges to strip elected officials and top appointees of their pension benefits if the official is convicted of a felony directly related to their job.

A proposal to create a forest land bank to streamline infrastructure projects in the Adirondacks and Catskills remained too close to call.