The Chautauqua County Board of Elections’ website at votechautauqua.com provides the information who has filed petitions to run in the November 7 elections.

Some new names are in the filing, including Jamestown Democrat Travis Knight, who has filed to run against Republican incumbent Brent Sheldon for City Council Ward 1.

In County Legislature filings, Democrat Bob Whitney has filed petitions for another rematch against Republican Incumbent Dave Wilfong in Legislative District 11.

Republican incumbent Lisa Vanstrom in District 15 will be facing Democrat Kurt Gustafson.

Marcus Buchanan has filed petitions for the Democrat, Conservative, and Working Families lines to run against Republican Incumbent Kevin Muldowney in District 1.

Democratic incumbent Bob Bankoski will face Republican Dennis Welka in District 2.

Republican incumbent Bob Scudder will have an opponent with Democrat Nevin Ecklund submitting petitions for District 3.

A couple Republican incumbents in the County Legislature appear to have decided not to seek re-election. This includes Legislative District 16 representative John Davis and Legislative District 19 representative John Hemmer.

The candidates who have submitted petitions for those districts include Republican Dalton Anthony in District 16, and Republican Fred Johnson Sr. and Democrat Braiden McElhaney in District 19.

April 10 was the last day to file petitions for the primary.

April 18 is the last day to fill a vacancy after a candidate has declined to run with April 24 being the last day to authorize a substitution after a candidate declines to run.

April 18 is also the first day for folks seeking signatures for independent, or third party, petitions.

Republican Kim Ecklund kicks off mayoral campaign (March 23, 2023)

Kim Ecklund said, “It takes a village” as she formally announced her candidacy for mayor of Jamestown.

The Republican endorsed candidate, speaking before a packed room of supporters and elected officials, said this is about doing what’s right, “It’s not really hard to take and do the right thing. It’s not hard to be honest. And know that we’re going to meet with some opposition. People are going to agree to disagree. We’re not going to make everybody happy. But at the end of the day, if you do what’s right we’ll succeed.”

Ecklund has served as a City Council member at Large since 2004, also serving on the City Council’s Public Works and Finance committees and has been the Chair of the Finance Committee for over three years.

She will face Democratic incumbent Mayor Eddie Sundquist in the November Elections.

Ecklund said as she’s gone door to door for petitions, she’s hearing that Jamestown residents are looking for a change in leadership, “But I think people have been receptive to my leadership on the finance team and concern for this city’s future, fiscally. And, I think they’re ready to see some changes. There’s a lot of things going on in this city, some of which we can and cannot control. Drugs is a huge issue. Problems with the youth. I do a lot with youth and I’ve mentored youth for 20 years.”

Ecklund said whoever is mayor next will have a tough task as the over $28 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds are closed to being used up. She said that’s why hard conversations about the $1.8 million in SAFER funding to hire eight firefighters are being had, “It’s great for three years but at the end of the three years, who wants to lay them off? I don’t. If we can’t afford it, they’re going to get laid off. So, those are financial tough decisions and, like I said, when I had the conversation with the firefighter today, his answer was, ‘Let’s just do this and worry about it later.’ My answer from a financial background is, ‘That’s not how I work,’ I gotta know up front. You hear me all the time at council, give me the numbers. Give me the numbers, show me how it’s going to work.”

Ecklund added that she will be releasing her platform once the petition process is completed. Petitions are due to the Board of Elections by April 6.

Democrat and current Mayor Eddie Sundquist previously announced he is seeking re-election for a second term with Republican Council Member at Large Kim Ecklund recently announcing she will be running against him for the seat.

The City Democratic Committee has endorsed local attorney John I. LaMancuso to run for City Court Judge. His father, John L. LaMancuso, has held that position for 29 years. Republicans have not endorsed a candidate for that race.

Democratic endorsements for City Council At Large include Isaiah Rashad II and returning candidate Alyssa Porter. Republicans have endorsed incumbents Jeff Russell and Randy Daversa; as well as Russ Bonfiglio.

Republican Ward 1 Council member Brent Sheldon and Ward 2 Council member and Council President Tony Dolce are running unopposed.

Ward 3 Democratic Incumbent Regina Brackman will again face Republican Robert Reedy. That race in 2021 was determined by three absentee ballots.

Democratic incumbent Marie Carrubba has been endorsed again to represents Ward 4 and will face Republican Joe Paterniti.

Republican Incumbent Bill Reynolds will face Democrat Kaycee Colburn for Ward 5 and Republican Incumbent Andrew Faulkner will be running against former Council Member at Large Vanessa Weinert in Ward 6.

For the County Legislature endorsements, Democratic incumbent Billy Torres and Republican Phillip Landy have been endorsed for District 9.

Republican incumbent Jamie Gustafson will face newcomer Democrat Julie Jackson-Forsberg for District 10.

Republican incumbent Dave Wilfong is unopposed for District 11.

District 12 endorsements include Republican Elisabeth Rankin against former Democratic County Legislator and former County Attorney Fred Larson.

Democratic Incumbent Tom Nelson will face Republican Joseph Tickle for District 13.

Candidate petitioning to get on the election ballot begins tomorrow, February 28 and ends April 6. Any primaries necessary will be held on Tuesday, June 22, 2023.

Kim Ecklund

The City Republican Committee has unanimously nominated Kim Ecklund to run for Mayor of Jamestown.

Ecklund will face Democrat and current Mayor Eddie Sundquist who announced his re-election campaign in early January.

Ecklund, who has served as a City Council Member at Large since 2004, said “it’s time,” “There are some things I feel I can make a difference in that I feel it’s time for me to step forward and at least try to do that.”

Ecklund said she plans to stay true to who she is, “Obviously, very important to me is fiduciary responsibility and obviously keeping the city in a fiscally responsible place. I’ve been on every avenue of City Council but some things obviously, public safety is very important, homeowners, and tax base, and businesses along with the quality of life issues that we have here.”

Ecklund has a multi-decade career in finance at eSolutions Furniture, formerly known as Bush Industries, in addition to her nearly 20 years in city government.

She has served on the City Council’s Public Works and Finance committees and has been the Chair of the Finance Committee for over three years. Ecklund currently serves on the Jamestown Local Development Corporation and the Parks and Recreation Commission and previously served on the Riverfront Management Commission, the Joint Task Force on Efficiency and Cost Reduction, as well as other ad hoc committees.

She is married to Keith Ecklund, a former Jamestown Firefighter. She has been a mentor through Chautauqua Striders for 18 years and also is the Vice President of the Jamestown Babe Ruth World Series Board of Directors.

She thanked the Republican Committee for their support and said she expects to make a more formal announcement about her campaign in the coming weeks.

Redistricting

Following the decennial census, District boundaries at all levels of government are redrawn to meet equal representation of the newly acquired population numbers.

The Chautauqua County Board of Elections said now that that process has been completed, their website, www.votechautauqua.com, contains the new information related to the redistricting.

Additionally, new County Legislative Maps and Election District maps are available for the public. The Board of Elections is also capable of running lists of voters reflecting the new District lines.

Per NYS Election Law, official numbers of voters which determine signature requirements for Designating Petitions will be determined on February 21, 2023; on that date, these numbers will be added to the County Board of Elections website.

Designating Petitions for the 2023 General Election can begin to be circulated on February 28, 2023. A complete list of Offices up for Election can be found at the County Board of Elections website.

Jamestown City Council work session (January 23, 2023)

Jamestown City Council is proposing to increase both Council and the Mayor’s salaries with some caveats following recommendations by the Jamestown Salary Review Commission.

Finance Chair Kim Ecklund said the consensus from Council members is to raise the City Council member’s salary to $7,000; the Council President’s salary to $8,000; and the Mayor’s salary to $82,000.

The current salaries are $5,000 for Council members, $6,000 for Council President, and $72,000 for the Mayor.

Council Member at Large Jeff Russell proposed adding language to the local law that states the Mayor’s position is a full-time job, “Meaning, he or she that holds the office going forward should forgo any other paying employment or engagements unless City Council grants approval on a case by case basis, by request from the City Council.”

Russell said when employed by the Jamestown Police Department, he had to make a written request to the Police Chief to get approval if he wanted to take on secondary employment.

Council member Marie Carrubba agreed with the proposal, saying the practice is common for a lot of non-profits where the executive director needs permission from the board for outside employment, “Because again, as you state, they consider it a full-time job and that they want all your attention focused on that job and that job alone. It also eliminates conflicts of interest with outside employment for any number of reasons. I would support that. I tend to agree. I think as government and problems become more complicated, it really requires full time and attention.”

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said the proposed change would require a Charter change. The current Charter simply says the Mayor’s position is full-time with no language about outside employment.

Currently, in addition to being Mayor, Sundquist is a Court Examiner for the County, still maintains a practice at Raimondo & Sundquist LLP; and according to the Jamestown Post-Journal, is an adjunct professor at St. Bonaventure University. Sundquist announced earlier this month he is running for re-election this November.

If approved, the salary increases would not go into effect until January 1, 2024.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist announces his re-election campaign (January 6, 2023)

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist has officially announced he is seeking re-election.

Sundquist, at a campaign kick-off event at the Chop House Friday night, said there has been incredible work done over the last four years in the city and he wants to continue that, “We’ve touched on everything from homelessness to financial crisis to dealing with economic development. We’ve done so much and I’ve been so blessed to have such an incredible team. We want to continue that success and continue putting Jamestown on the map.”

Sundquist said there is still a lot of rebuilding that needs to be done due to the effects of the Pandemic, “We’ve started to bring in more developers in the city. We’ve started to see businesses pop up. So our next four years is really going to be focused on the rebuilding of Jamestown, ensuring our downtown storefronts are filled, that our homes are taken care of across our neighborhoods, and that we are using those Federal dollars to improve what we have here.”

Sundquist said he announced his candidacy this early in the year due to the petitioning process for those seeking election starting in February.

He added that the Jamestown Democratic Committee is holding a Candidate Workshop for those interested in learning about running for office or volunteering on campaigns. That will take place at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 10th at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

For more information on the workshop, contact Democratic City Committee Chair Alyssa Porter at info@alyssaporter.com.