Kathy Hochul takes the oath of office as New York State’s first elected female Governor (January 1, 2023)

Kathy Hochul was inaugurated Sunday as New York State’s first elected female governor.

Hochul took office in August 2021 after then-Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior.

She was elected by voters in November, defeating Republican challenger Lee Zeldin.

Hochul said she’d get into policy more in her State of the State address this month, but cited housing affordability and energy affordability among other topics in her inaugural address, “And the gun violence epidemic, my gosh. The loss of lives goes on and on. The rise in hate crimes. What happened here? Especially antisemitism, Asian hate, anti LGBTQ hate and the systemic racism that still persists to this day. Those are the fights we are called to take on. We must.”

Hochul also mentioned the lingering effects of the pandemic as well as women’s rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Tom DiNapoli also took the oath of office on Sunday as New York’s second-longest serving Comptroller of more than 15 years. Letitia James was sworn in a second time as Attorney General and Antonio Delgado was sworn in as the state’s Lieutenant Governor, his first full term.

Governor Kathy Hochul is attempting to secure a full four-year term on the Democratic and Working Families line against Republican and Conservative endorsed candidate Lee Zeldin. Zeldin currently is the 1st Congressional District Representative. Hochul took over as Governor following Andrew Cuomo‘s resignation in August 2021. For the Lieutenant Governor’s race, Antonio Delgado is running with Hochul and Alison Esposito is running with Zeldin

Voters from Chautauqua County across to Stueben County and now part of Erie County will vote on a new representative for the new 23rd Congressional District. Republican Nick Langworthy is facing Democrat Max Della Pia for that seat. The pre-2020 census district was formerly led by Tom Reed for the last 10 years and is currently represented by Joe Sempolinski.

Longtime incumbent and Democrat Chuck Schumer is running for re-election against Republican Joe Pinion and LaRouche party candidate Diane Sare.

Two other statewide offices on the ballot include incumbent State Attorney General Letitia James on the Democratic and Working Families line facing Michael Henry on the Republican and Conservative lines.

And incumbent State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on the Democratic and Working Families lines is facing Paul Rodriguez on the Republican and Conservative lines.

In State Legislative races, incumbent State Senator George Borrello is running on the Republican and Conservative lines for the 57th District against Dan Brown on the Democratic line. Incumbent Assemblyman Andy Goodell is also running on the Republican and Conservatives lines against Democrat Sandra Lewis.

In Chautauqua County races, the County Sheriff race is unopposed with incumbent Jim Quattrone running on the Republican and Conservative lines.

There are two special elections for the Chautauqua County Legislature.

In District 7, incumbent John Penhollow is running on the Republican and Conservative lines against Barbara Colt who is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Penhollow was appointed to fill the seat after Mark Odell resigned in July 2021.

In District 10, Republican incumbent Jaime Gustafson is running unopposed. She was appointed to fill the seat after Ken Lawton resigned due to moving out of the district. District 10 represents the southwest side of Jamestown, the Village of Lakewood and part of the Town of Busti.

In the City of Jamestown, a special election for the Ward 5 City Council seat is being held between incumbant Bill Reynolds on the Republican and Conservative lines and Democrat Doug Lawson. The winner of that race will fill out the remainder of that seat’s term following Grant Olson declining to take the seat after the 2021 election.

There are five seats open for the 8th Judicial State Supreme Court Justices. Running on all four lines of Democratic, Republican, Conservative and Working Families is Craig Hannah. Kelly Vacco and Gerald Greenan III are running on the Democratic, Republican, and Conservatives lines. Shannon Heneghan is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. And Joseph Lorigo is running on the Republican and Conservatives lines.

There is one proposition located on the back of the ballot.

The Clean Water, Clean Air, and Clean Jobs Environmental Bond Act would, if approved, authorize New York State to borrow $4.2 billion to fund environmental protection, natural restoration, resilience, and clean energy projects.

The State Legislature has already approved the plan, which allows the state to sell the bonds immediately after approval. But in order to sell the bonds, the state has to get approval from voters.

Polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. in Chautauqua County.

For all of WRFA’s Election coverage, visit https://www.wrfalp.com/election-2022/

For voting information, including sample ballots and voting locations, visit VoteChautauqua.com

We’ll have Election Night coverage starting at 8pm tonight on 107.9 WRFA-LP.

Democratic Lieutenant Governor Candidates Antonio Delgado, Ana Maria Archila, and Diana Reyna

It’s a three-way race for Democrats running for the Lieutenant Governor seat.

Antonio Delgado, Governor Kathy Hochul‘s recently named lieutenant governor, has a significant financial advantage and the Democratic Party endorsement.

Delgado, a Schenectady native, is an attorney who won election to the House of Representatives in 2018 and again in 2020, representing a district in the Hudson Valley. He lives in Rhinebeck, in Dutchess County, and describes himself as Afro-Latino.

The contenders are each linked to a different candidate for governor, but in New York primaries they’re elected separately.

This opens up the possibility that Hochul could win her primary but have to run in the general election – and govern – with a lieutenant governor who doesn’t fully support her agenda.

Ana María Archila is the running mate of the most left-leaning gubernatorial candidate, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and is backed by the Working Families Party and other progressive organizations and political figures such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Archila, who was born in Colombia and lives in Brooklyn, is a longtime progressive activist who co-founded Make the Road NY, an immigrant-rights organization.

The third candidate, Diana Reyna, is the running mate of Representative Tom Suozzi.

A first generation Dominican-American, the Brooklyn resident served 12 years in the New York City Council, where she said she focused on efforts to fight gang violence, spur economic development and encourage the construction of new affordable housing. She also was a deputy Brooklyn borough president.

The last Democratic primary for lieutenant governor was a close race, with Hochul defeating Williams, then a New York City Council member, by 53% to 47%.

In the general election, party nominees run on a joint ticket.

There is no Republican primary for lieutenant governor, with Alison Esposito running unopposed for the nomination.

Polls are open in Chautauqua County from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Visit votechautauqua.com for more information on polling sites and to view sample ballots.

Carl Paladino statement on Twitter announcing candidacy for 23rd Congressional District

Buffalo businessman and one-time candidate for governor, Carl Paladino, has entered the race for the 23rd Congressional District.

The Republican announced on Twitter that he has enough petitions to qualify for the Republican and Conservative lines in addition to having $500,000 cash on hand for the campaign.

Paladino announced on Friday he’d run if Congressman Chris Jacobs stepped down from the race. Jacobs abandoned his re-election campaign after expressing support for a federal assault weapons ban, which received intense backlash from GOP leaders.

Governor Kathy Hochul officially declared that special elections to fill the vacancies in the 19th and 23rd Congressional Districts will be held on Tuesday, August 23. The special elections will fill the vacancies created by the resignations of Antonio Delgado, who is now the state’s Lieutenant Governor; and Tom Reed.

A primary will be held the same day for the 23rd District. Other Republicans had previously announced they planned to run in the new district including State Republican Party Chair Nick Langworthy.

Democrat Max Della Pia will be that party’s candidate in the special election and in the general election should no other Democrat step forward to force a primary.

The deadline to file petitions to run in the special election is Friday, June 10.

Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado with his family at his swearing in ceremony (May 25, 2022)

Democrat Antonio Delgado was sworn in as New York’s lieutenant governor Wednesday, becoming the state’s first person of Latino heritage to serve in statewide office.

Delgado was selected by Governor Kathy Hochul after the previous lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin, resigned following his arrest in April for federal corruption charges.

Delgado will also be Hochul’s running mate in this year’s gubernatorial election, with the Lieutenant Governor primaries taking place June 28.

Delgado spoke out about gun violence, citing that for over 60 years, the leading cause of death for kids and teens was car accidents. And that since 2000, that leading cause is now guns, “The most common-sense proposals, universal background checks for all firearm sales can’t get done even when 80% of this entire country supports it. The gun lobby and gun manufacturers specifically have a stranglehold on our democracy. Simply put, there are politicians out there who are bought and paid for by the NRA. We know stronger gun laws can work because they have.”

Delgado is a Rhodes Scholar who, after earning a Harvard law degree, pursued a rap career before becoming a litigator at a New York City law firm.

The two-term congressman represented the Hudson Valley and the Catskills. He had campaigned for the U.S. House on universal access to Medicare, creating good jobs and eliminating tax loopholes for the rich.

Delgado grew up in Schenectady and lives in Rhinebeck.

Antonio Delgado

Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed Representative Antonio Delgado to serve as Lieutenant Governor of New York.

Delgado, who has been representing New York’s 19th Congressional District since 2019, will replace former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, whose resignation last month came after he was indicted and arrested on charges in connection to a bribery scheme. Benjamin was appointed to the position by Hochul after she took over the state’s top job from Andrew Cuomo following his resignation last summer.

Delgado was among a group of New York Democrats in Congress calling for Cuomo to step down last year in the wake of sexual harassment allegations and his handling of COVID-19 deaths at state nursing homes.

In Congress, Delgado serves as the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy and Credit, and also has seats on the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Transportation and infrastructure. He has a record of bipartisanship, according to his biography, which said that in this Congress, nearly 90% of the legislation he’s co-sponsored is bipartisan.

Delgado, speaking at a press conference, said all New Yorkers want security, family, and opportunity, “The key is to listen, to listen to New Yorkers from all walks of life and be their voice to get the job done. I’ve already begun work on infrastructure, economic development and job creation in New York. I’ve led the way and making sure that local communities have economic development resources, and importantly can decide what to do with economic development funds. I’ve worked on the nexus between agricultural development, upstate and critical markets downstate.”

Hochul said “I am proud to appoint Antonio Delgado, an outstanding leader and public servant, as Lieutenant Governor of New York, and I look forward to working with him to usher in a new era of fairness, equity, and prosperity for communities across the State.”

Members of the commission tasked with drawing new legislative boundaries for federal House seats and the state Senate and Assembly on Wednesday said they were unable to agree on one set of maps.

So Democrats and Republicans each issued their own maps and will deliberate over them before sending the final ones to the Democratic-controlled state Legislature for final approval early next year.

Democrats on the state Independent Redistricting Commission recommended the 23rd congressional district currently held by Republican Congressman Tom Reed be folded into neighboring districts.
Republicans, meanwhile, want to carve up the 19th district that runs through the Hudson Valley and into the Albany area currently held by Democratic Congressman Antonio Delgado.

New York’s redistricting process is supposed to be in the hands of a commission to remove some of the influence of members of the state Legislature, who have traditionally drawn boundaries, in effect choosing their own voters, and strengthening the power of incumbency in the process.

The creation of the commission through a state constitutional amendment was supposed to change that process, throwing it to the commission. Without an agreement in place by January 15th when the final set of maps are due, the process could eventually wind back up in the court of the state Legislature, where Democrats have supermajorities in both chambers.

Still, members of the commission hoped the next round of 14 public hearings to be held across the state in the coming weeks will provide an opportunity to reach an agreement.

State Senator George Borrello issued a statement saying, “The IRC’s admission that they were unable to reach agreement on a proposed map, and the release of two very different maps, one drawn by Democrats and the other by Republicans, is concerning. It suggests the very real possibility that the process will end up being controlled, once again, by the Legislature, where Democrats can use the behind-closed-doors gerrymandering process to strengthen their One Party Rule. They have little incentive to compromise through the framework of the IRC.

The people of New York State spoke out and said that they wanted an inclusive, transparent and bipartisan process. With the next round of hearings occurring in the weeks ahead, I encourage New Yorkers to participate and provide their input on these two proposed maps.”

The closest hearing to Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Counties will be the one in Buffalo at 4pm, Wednesday, October 20th at the Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College.

The representatives asked that any eligible work paid for through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) be paid for by the federal government rather the New York taxpayers, as was done by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama after 9-11 and Superstorm Sandy.

“With New York State at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, it is imperative that New York receive all the federal resources available to save lives and protect public health and safety. The costs associated with responding to this public health crisis are astronomical,” the jointly signed letter stated. “New York State expects to request billions of additional funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the DRF in the coming months. If New York State must shoulder the cost of even 25 percent of this massive bill, it could deal a devastating blow to New York’s vibrant economy.”

The complete 28 member New York delegation that joined the letter were Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Representatives Lee Zeldin (NY-1), Pete King (NY-2), Thomas Suozzi (NY-3), Kathleen Rice (NY-4), Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Grace Meng (NY-6), Nydia Velazquez (NY-7), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8), Yvette Clarke (NY-9), Jerry Nadler (NY-10), Max Rose (NY-11), Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Jose Serrano (NY-15), Eliot Engel (NY-16), Nita Lowey (NY-17), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Antonio Delgado (NY-19), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Anthony Brindisi (NY-22), Tom Reed (NY-23), John Katko (NY-24), Joe Morelle (NY-25), and Brian Higgins (NY-26).

A copy of the letter sent to President Trump can be found below:

Dear President Trump: 

We write today to urge you to expeditiously grant New York a waiver that provides 100 percent federal funding for all FEMA emergency work in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Any eligible work paid for through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) should be paid for by the federal government, not New Yorkers.

On March 13, you issued an Emergency Declaration for New York, as well as for 55 other states, territories, and the District of Columbia. On March 17, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York requested a Major Disaster Declaration (MDD), the first in the country, to aid the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. On March 20, you granted the first-in-the-nation COVID-19 MDD for New York after a strong push from the New York Congressional Delegation. Both of these declarations allow New York State to receive reimbursement for eligible work from the DRF. On March 25, the Senate passed H.R.748, the CARES Act, which more than doubled the DRF by adding $45 billion. The March 20 MDD now grants New York State access to Public Assistance, Category B – Emergency Protective Measures and the Crisis Counselling program for individuals. While this is an incredibly important step in combating the COVID-19 outbreak, this assistance comes at a 75 percent federal and 25 percent state cost share.

As of April 13, the New York State Department of Health reported over 195,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York State, with over 104,000 in New York City alone. Tragically, our home state has already experienced at least 10,000 deaths from this outbreak and experts anticipate this number will continue to rise. 

With New York State at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, it is imperative that New York receive all the federal resources available to save lives and protect public health and safety. The costs associated with responding to this public health crisis are astronomical. New York State expects to request billions of additional funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the DRF in the coming months. If New York State must shoulder the cost of even 25 percent of this massive bill, it could deal a devastating blow to New York’s vibrant economy.

As New York continues to address the escalating outbreak of COVID-19, we urge you to expeditiously grant a waiver that adjusts the current DRF cost-share to provide 100 percent federal funding for New York State’s response to this outbreak. We thank you for your time and attention to this matter, please do not hesitate to contact our staff members with any questions.