(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.

Mark Odell

BROCTON – A Republican who’s represented the Brocton and Stockton areas of the Chautauqua County Legislature for the past four years says he wants to be the next county executive.

On Monday Legislator Mark Odell (R-Brocton, District 7) announced he is a candidate for county executive to fill the seat that was recently vacated by George Borrello after he won the 57th State Senate race last month.

Odell said his decision to run for county executive came after he was asked by county residents and political leaders to consider serving as County Executive.

While on the county legislature, Odell has served as the chair of the the Planning and Economic Development Committee and is also the legislature’s representative on the County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) Board.
Odell – who is a 1989 Cassadaga Valley Graduate – also points to his experience as a private-sector businessman as one of his qualifications for being county executive. He holds advanced degrees/certifications in Economics and Engineering and is the Vice President of Sales Engineering for Econoburn Boilers/Abasco Mfg with manufacturing facilities in Brocton and Hamburg.

It’s also been reported that current county legislature chairman Paul “PJ” Wendel (R-Lakewood) is also seeking the county executive appointment.

Under new rules approved in August, the county legislature will await a nomination from the Chautauqua County Republican Committee for who it wants to fill out the remainder of the current county executive term. The Committee has 45 days from Borrello’s resignation to nominate an individual. Borrello’s resignation was on Monday, November 25 and since then county attorney Steve Abdella has been serving as acting county executive.

Stephen Abdella, Acting Chautauqua County Executive, and George Borrello, New York State Senator and former Chautauqua County Executive.

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello (R-Irving) was seated Monday as the New York State Senator for the 57th  District.  Borrello recently won the 2019 election to fill the seat, which was vacated by former Senator Catharine Young earlier this year.

“I am honored and extremely humbled to be the voice and advocate for the 57th District in the State Senate,” Borrello said.  “I look forward to continuing to work with my local government partners in Chautauqua County to advance our future with common-sense, forward-looking solutions.”

County Attorney Stephen Abdella will serve as the Acting County Executive until a new county executive is confirmed by the County Legislature within 45 days.

Under a modification to the County’s Charter adopted earlier this year, the county committee of the same political party as the county executive leaving office must nominate the successor for the County Legislature’s confirmation.  The successor shall serve until a county executive is chosen at the 2020 general election to fill the remaining year of Borrello’s unexpired term in 2021.

Acting County Executive Abdella was County Attorney from 1992-1997, County Legislature Counsel from 1999-2005, and County Attorney since 2006.  He previously served as the Acting County Executive late in 2013 when former County Executive Greg Edwards resigned to become CEO of the Gebbie Foundation.

George Borrello on Election Night after winning the special election for the State Senate’s 57th District

MAYVILLE – Republican and current Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello will be the region’s next State Senator.  On Election Day Borrello defeated Democrat Austin Morgan of Cattaraugus county. The two were running for the seat vacated earlier this year by former Sen. Cathy Young, who announced in late February she was resigning from the Senate to take a job at Cornell University.

In his victory speech at the Republican Headquarters inside the Double Tree by Hilton, Borrello thanked Young for her years of service and also said he will approach his new job in Albany the same way he’s approached his job in Mayville, while also standing up to what he feels in an extreme agenda from the Democratic controlled state legislature.

“We have a tremendous debt of gratitude that we owe to Sen. Cathy Young who did an outstanding job representing us for all these years. She has set a proud example for all elected officials and those are big shoes to fill. I will work hard every single day to fill those shoes,” Borrello said. “But now we have to step forward with a new path. We have a new reality in Albany right now and we are going to work hard to push back against this radical agenda. I will ensure that our voice is heard loud and clear in Albany from this district.”

Borrello will likely take over the Senate seat before the year is out, although it’s not clear who will be replacing him as county executive. That decision to nominate someone will fall on the Chautauqua County Republican Party Committee.

In August of this year the legislature unanimously approved a resolution that states if there is a county executive vacancy, the replacement should be from the same political party and should be nominated by the county committee of said party, which would then require the approval of the county legislature. If the legislature has not filled the vacancy within 45 days, the legislature can fill the position without the requirement that the person should be nominated by the county committee of said political party.

COUNTY LEGISLATURE TO SEE LITTLE CHANGE

Meanwhile, there won’t be a lot of changeover in the county legislature when January 1 comes. Based on the election day results, there will only be three new names added to the 19-member body.

In the Mayville-Findley Lake area, Republican newcomer Bill Ward defeated fellow Republican and incumbent Martin Proctor for the District 18 seat. Ward was cross-endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic Parties and Proctor had created his own party known as the Cornerstone Party to get his name on the ballot.

Over in District 6,  Republican Thomas Harmon of Dunkirk defeated Democratic incumbent Kevin O’Connell.

And in Jamestown’s District 11 legislature district, Democrat Bob Whitney ran unopposed to reclaim a seat he lost 6 years earlier to David Wilfong, who chose not to run for reelection to the county legislature so he could instead run for mayor of Jamestown.

Other election day results had Republican incumbent Jesse Robbins defeating Democratic challenger Rudy Mueller in the Busti Town Supervisor race, in the village of Lakewood Republican Randy Holcomb was elected mayor, in the Carroll Supervisor Race Republican Russell Payne defeated Conservative candidate and incumbent Laura Smith, and in Falconer Democrat and lone candidate James Jaroszynski was elected mayor.

For a complete rundown of election day results, visit vote votechautauqua.com.

Locally there are plenty of contested races on the ballot that will likely result in a better-than-average voters turnout for a local election year.

Highlighting the election this year is the race to fill the vacant 57th district state senate seat that opened up after former long-time Senator Cathy Young resigned from her post in March in order to take a job with Cornell University. Running to fill the remaining year of the Senate term is Republican and current Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello and Democrat and recent Cornell graduate Austin Morgan of Cattaraugus county.

• LISTEN: LOWV MEET THE SENATE CANDIDATES FORUM

In Jamestown three individuals are running to fill the open mayoral seat after current mayor Sam Teresi announced in February he would not be seeking a sixth term in office. Candidates in this year’s mayoral race Libertarian and Current City Councilman Andrew Liuzzo, Democrat and local attorney Eddie Sundquist, and Republican and current county legislator David Wilfong.

• WATCH: WRFA, WJTN, WNY NEWS NOW MAYORAL DEBATE

In addition to the mayor’s race, there’s also contested races for the Jamestown City Council’s three at large seats as well as for Wards 1, 4, and 5. Candidates include:

CITY COUNCIL WARD 1
– Brent Sheldon (R, C, I)
– Tim Smeal (D, WF, Libertarian)
CITY COUNCIL WARD 4
– Marie Carrubba (D, I, WF)
– Brittnay Spry (R, C, Libertarian)
CITY COUNCIL WARD 5
– Maria Jones (D)
– Grant Olson (R)
CITY COUNCIL AT LARGE (3 Seats)
– Kimberly Ecklund (R, C, I)
– Tamu Graham-Reinhardt (D, I, WF)
– Raven Mason Thompson (Libertarian)
– Gregory Rabb (D, I, WF)
– Jeffrey Russell (R, C)
– Taylor Scott (D, WF)

• WATCH/LISTEN: WRFA MEET THE COUNCIL CANDIDATES FORUM

Other races of interest include the race for Busti Town Supervisor, where Republican Jesse Robbins is being challenged by Democrat Rudy Mueller. Over in the Chautauqua County Legislature, only 7 of the panel’s 19 seats feature contested races.

EARLY VOTING YIELDS 5% VOTER TURNOUT IN COUNTY

According to the Chautauqua county Board of Elections, there is a total of 76,762 active registered voters in the county this year. Early voting was underway from Oct. 26 through Nov. 3 and according to election officials, nearly 5% of all active voters cast ballots during that name. That made Chautauqua county the third highest per-capita early voting county in the state, with only Ulster and Columbia counties seeing a higher percentage.

Commissioners Norm Green and Brian Abram are attributing the heavy turnout to the mayors races in Jamestown, Dunkirk and Fredonia, the town supervisors races in Pomfret and Busti, and the special election for New York State Senate.

As for the regular voting hours for on Tuesday, Polls will be open 6 .m. to 9 p.m. All county poll sites will be open.  Any New York State citizen at least age 18 at the date of the General Election who previously registered is eligible to vote.

For more information on where to vote, to view a sample ballot, or to see the results after 9 tonight, visit VoteChautauqua.com.

• AUDIO ALSO AVAILABLE AT OUR SOUNDCLOUD PAGE

The 2019 Chautauqua County League of Women Voters Candidate Forum for New York State Senate 57th District, featuring candidates Austin Morgan (D) and George Borrello (R). Presented by the LOWV, the AAUW, and the Jamestown Community College Poli Sci department and taking place at JCC on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019.

Austin Morgan (left) and George Borrello

George Borrello (left) and Austin Morgan

FREEDOM, NY – The man running against George Borrello for New York State Senate in a special election this November is accusing the Republican of misusing county resources for a political stunt.

State Senate candidate Austin Morgan (D-Freedom) sent out a media release Tuesday afternoon following the Tom Reed (R-Corning) press conference where the congressman called on the Department of Justice to investigate Gov. Andrew Cuomo for failing to fund repairs on the portion of the New York Thruway that runs through the Seneca Nation.  Morgan said Borrello is playing political games, parading as County Executive to help his “low-energy State Senate campaign in another desperate and inappropriate attempt to gain traction.”

Morgan said as a result of the Tuesday press event, Borrello has shined the light on his own ineffectiveness, and that of the congressman. He points out that Borrello has represented the area for the last two years as Chautauqua County Executive and hasn’t said a word about the Thruway until after he decided to run for State Senate.

Morgan acknowledged the roads are in deplorable condition and must be fixed, but also said political grandstanding by Borrello and Reed are making the situation worse.

George Borrello

ALBANY – The GOP Primary race for the 57th State Senate District wasn’t very close.

Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello defeated Allegany County Legislature chairman Curt Crandall Tuesday by a marigin of 28%. According to the New York state Board of Elections, of the 11,700 votes cast across the district, Borrello picked up 7,453.

Borrello also picked up 4500 votes in Chautauqua County alone, while Crandall was only able to gain about 400 votes here. Borrello also beat Crandall in two out of the three other counties in the district. Crandall did easily win in his home county, where he won 1566 to 459.

Borrello will now face Democratic candidate Austin Morgan of Cattaraugus County in November’s general election.

The 57th Senate District seat was vacated earlier this year when Republican Cathy Young resigned in March to take a job at Cornell. The district covers Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, and a portion of Livingston counties.

George Borrello (left) and Curt Crandall

The Chautauqua County Board of Elections says a total of 25,500 Republican voters are eligible to vote in today’s Primary for the 57th NYS Senate District – with candidates George Borrello, the current Chautauqua County executive, and Curt Crandall, the chair of the Allegany County Legislature, squaring off.

The Senate district includes Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany and part of Livingston Counties. There are 64,000 active Republican voters eligible to vote across the district.

Borrello was elected Chautauqua County executive in 2017 after spending eight years in the Chautauqua County Legislature, representing his home area of Hanover. Crandall is a long-time member member of the Allegany County Legislature and has served as its chair for the past 14 years.

Sen. Cathy Young was reelected to office in November 2018, but when she announced she was resigning from her seat in late February of this year, it meant that a special election would have to take place to fill that seat. As a result, the Republican party chairs for each of the four counties that comprise the 57th district (Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Livingston) met in early March to select their candidate and it was Borrello, with only the Republican Party chair from Allegany County selecting Crandall.

When Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not set a special election date to fill the vacated seat, the special election date was set for this coming November’s general election. That gave Crandall an opportunity to challenge Borrello’s endorsement and force a primary.

Borrello is also the endorsed candidate for the Conservative Party.

• LISTEN: WRFA INTERVIEWS GEORGE BORELLO AND CURT CRANDALL

Andrew Liuzzo (left) and David Wilfong

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR JAMESTOWN MAYOR

An estimated 3800 Republicans will be choosing their candidate for mayor to appear on the ballot for the November general election.

The two candidates who will appear on today’s republican party ballot are City Councilman at Large Andrew Liuzzo and Chautauqua County Legislator David Wilfong. Liuzzo was first elected to the Jamestown City Council in the 2017 election, while Wilfong was first elected to the County Legislature in 2013. He’s also the current chair of the Chautauqua County Republican Committee.

In February, Wilfong became the endorsed candidate of the Jamestown Republican Committee. But Liuzzo was able to force a primary by collecting an overwhelming number of petition signatures from registered Republicans living within the city.

Wilfong is also the endorsed candidate for the Conservative Party.

• LISTEN: WRFA INTERVIEWS ANDREW LIUZZO AND DAVID WILFONG

Tony Dolce and Raven Mason Thompson

CANDIDATES FOR CITY COUNCIL – WARD 2

There’s also a Republican primary for Jamestown City Council Ward 2 – with incumbent Tony Dolce being challenged by newcomer Raven Mason Thompson.

Dolce is the city Republican committee’s endorsed candidate, having served on the city council since 1999. This is Mason Thompson’s first attempt at running for public office.

• LISTEN: WRFA INTERVIEWS TONY DOLCE AND RAVEN MASON THOMPSON

OTHER LOCAL PRIMARIES

Other local primaries for the Republican Party include Carroll Town Supervisor and Town Clerk, Charlotte Town Council (Vote for 2), and Kiantone Town Supervisor. Also, Republicans have County Legislature primaries in Legislative District 1 in Dunkirk and Legislative District 18, covering the Mayville area, along with the towns of Mina and Findley Lake.

There are no primaries scheduled for the Democrats in Chautauqua County. However, a few third party primaries will be taking place in other areas of the county outside of Jamestown.

Polls are open Noon to 9 p.m.

Election officials say the busiest times to avoid will be Noon to 1 p.m. and in the evening during the dinner hour. All county poll sites will be open.

Results for all races will be posted online tonight at the website VoteChautauqua.com for local races and at Elections.NY.gov for 57th Senate district-wide results.