Image from www.facebook.com/andrewcuomo

ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo will remain in office for four more years.

That after voters across New York went to the polls on Tuesday to vote for the top office in New York State – along with several other statewide, regional and local offices.

With nearly all election precincts reporting by the end of Election Day, Cuomo had collected about 54 percent of the statewide vote, with Republican challenger Rob Astorino of Westchester County picking up 41 percent and Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins coming in a distant third with just over 5 percent.

Shortly after the close of the polls on Tuesday, the Associated Press declared Cuomo the winner. During his victory speech, the governor focused on his campaign’s rhetoric – playing up his accomplishments of the last four years, which include legislation involving property tax assistance, new jobs and on-time budgets. The governor also promised those in attendance that he was just getting started and that New Yorkers “ain’t seen nothing yet.”

The governor said during the next four years he will focus on raising the minimum wage, improving public education, fighting the local property tax burden, passing the Women’s Equality Act and passing the DREAM Act.

Schneiderman, DiNapoli Win Re-Election

In addition to Cuomo’s victory, the two other state-wide office holder also picked up re election wins for their respective offices. Both Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli will serve four more years in Albany following wins on Election night.

Schneiderman defeated Republican opponent John Cahill 58-39 percent, while DiNapoli bested his Republican opponent Robert Antonacci, 61-36 percent. It was the first re-election for both Democrats.

Reed Cruises to Third Congressional Term

Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) with his family following news that he won re-election on Election Night, 2014. (photo from www.Twitter.com/TomReedCongress)

Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) will remain in office for at least two more years. The two-term Republican from Corning easily defeated his lone challenger – Martha Robertson (D-Dryden) from Dryden New York – by a margin of nearly 63 to 37 percent. The unofficial Election Night total from CNN had Reed picking up more than 105,000 votes across the 23^rd Congressional District, while Robertson was able to pick up just over 63,000.

Reed fared especially well in the western section of his district, which includes Chautauqua County. He picked up an estimated 40,600 votes in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties compared to the 20,000 that Robertson Received. The only county Robertson won was her home of Tompkins County – where she received over 14,000 votes compared to just 5,700 for Reed.

GOP Retakes State Senate

While Republicans were unable to win any of the three statewide offices, the GOP did find some success in the state’s upper legislative chamber.

It appears that Republicans will once again have sole control of the state Senate with candidates picking up enough wins to attain the required 32-vote majority.

Statewide, there were enough GOP victories rolling in around 11 p.m. on Election Night for Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos to declare in a statement that “New Yorkers have chosen balance and bipartisanship over an entire state government made up of Democrats from New York City, and placed their trust in Republicans to lead the Senate.”

Democrats later conceded that they weren’t going to win the majority.

It remained unclear whether members of the Independent Democratic Conference, led by Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein, would once again join forces with the Republicans, as they have for the past two years, or ally with their minority-conference Democratic colleagues.

Locally, Senator Cathy Young (R-Olean) picked up her fifth term in office after running unopposed.

In the State Assembly, the Demcrats picked up a seat and increase their majority with 99 of the 150 seats.

Goodell, Gerace and Piazza win County-Wide Races

Assemblyman Andy Goodell (R-Chautauqua) and Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace (D-Jamestown) both won re-election, while Jeffrey Piazza was a four-way race to be the county’s new Family Court Judge.

In the Local elections here in Chautauqua County, it was a big night for the two candidates who hold county wide offices.

Assemblyman Andy Goodell, who’s 150^th district covers all of and only Chautauqua County, cruised to a third term in office after easily defeating democratic challenger Barrie Yochim. With all districts in the county reporting, Goodell picked up 75 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace cruised to a sixth term in office, defeating Republican Challenger Russell Payne from Frewsburg by a margin of 63 to 37 percent.

In the race for the newly created second Chautauqua County Family Court Judge position, republican Jeffrey A. Piazza of Jamestown easily defeated his three opponents. Piazza picked up 59 percent of the votes throughout the county. In addition to running as a Republican, Piazza also ran on Conservative and Independence party lines.

Democrat Sally Jaroszynski, picked up 28.5 percent of the vote, Fredonia Republican Michael J. Sullivan, who ran on the Green Party line, picked up 6.6 percent of the vote while Working Families candidate James J. Spann, received 5.81 percent of the vote.

Rankin Defeats Kresge in District 12 Special Election

The Chautauqua County Legislature will have a new member serving on the panel. Republican Elisabeth Rankin won the special election for the District 12 seat which cover the north side of Jamestown, picking up nearly 52 percent of the votes. Rankin was challenging Democrat Beth Kresge – who was appointed to the seat earlier this year after it was vacated by Fred Larson, who had to step down after being appointed as the new Jamestown city court judge.

Rankin picked up an unofficial election night total of 746 votes, compared to Kresge’s 691.

All Three State Propositions Pass

State voters were supporting all three ballot propositions, according to unofficial returns on Tuesday night.

Voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1 – the amendment that would retool the state’s redistricting practice, the once-a-decade redrawing of the state’s political districts.

And Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed Smart Schools Bond Act, Proposal 3, which would generate $2 billion to improve classroom technology and other elements of educational infrastructure, also saw approval, as did Proposal 2, the constitutional amendment that would eliminate the need for legislative bills to be printed and supplied to every lawmaker before being considered.

State Assembly Candidate Barrie Yochim of Jamestown Stands in front of a ‘zombie property’ on Weeks St. in Jamestown. Yochim said that unlike his opponent Andy Goodell, if elected he would support a measure that addresses the growing problem of zombie properties in New York State.

JAMESTOWN – The Democratic challenger for the local State Assembly seat is drawing attention to the need to address zombie properties in areas across New York State, including here in Chautauqua County.

New York State Assembly candidate Barrie Yochim of Jamestown is challenging incumbent Andy Goodell (R-Chautauqua) for the 150th Assembly seat that covers all of Chautauqua County. On Tuesday, Yochim said that unlike his opponent, he’s in favor of a recently announced plan to fight back at the growing number of zombie properties in New York State, known as the Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act. It was presented in May by State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Schneiderman’s proposal requires that banks clearly notify homeowners who’ve fallen behind in mortgage payments that they are still allowed to live in the home during the foreclosure process and they should also be given any opportunity possible to catch up on mortgage payments. If the homeowner abandons the property before the foreclosure is completed, the bank would then become immediately responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the property. Schneiderman’s plan would also require a statewide registry of properties that are in the foreclosure process, making it easier for residents and local municipalities to identify who is responsible for the upkeep when the property becomes blighted.

Currently there is no law that requires a bank to follow through on the upkeep of a property during the foreclosure process- which often times results in the property falling into neglect and disrepair, becoming what is known as a “zombie property.”

Earlier this year Goodell had said he does not support the Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act, on the grounds that it could result in higher interest rates and liability costs for all property owners, due to banks having to be financially responsible for any property going through the foreclosure process (which can take months and sometimes even years to take place).

Instead, Goodell would rather see changes to the current foreclosure law, making it easier and, as a result, faster for banks to foreclose on properties. He believes a more efficient process would result in the banks getting the property back on the market sooner and thus preventing it from falling into disrepair.

Yochim, however, says that’s taking an approach that is in the bank’s best interest, and not in the property owner’s or neighborhood’s best interest. Yochim says Goodell’s suggestion could actually make it easier for banks to foreclose on properties by taking away certain rights and mechanisms that currently exist for homeowners who are behind on their mortgage, but still want to work to keep their property.

Yochim said that if elected to the Assembly, he’d support Schniederman’s measure because it looks out for both property owners who may fall behind on mortgages and also for homeowners who have to live next to our nearby a zombie property.

The city of Jamestown has also come out in support of Schneiderman’s zombie property bill, approving a motion of support in the summer.

Yochim and Goodell are the only two candidates that will appear on the ballot in this year’s 150^th Assembly district election, which takes place next Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Attending the forum were the two candidates for State Assembly, the four candidates for Chautauqua County Family Court Judge and the two candidates for Chautauqua County Legislature’s District 12 special election. In addition, County Sheriff Joseph Gerace was in attendance although his opponent, Republican Russell Payne, backed out of the event citing a busy schedule.

GOODELL & YOCHIM

The 2014 candidates for 150th NY Assembly District, which covers all of Chautauqua County, incumbent Andy Goodell (R, C) and challenger Barrie Yochim (D, WF).

The first 45 minutes of the event were devoted to the Assembly Candidates – incumbent Andy Goodell (R-Chautauqua) and challenger Barrie Yochim (D-Jamestown). Both said the most important issue in the campaign is working to making the 150^th assembly district more competitive for business.

Goodell said to accomplish that goal, he would focus on welfare reform, lifting onerous business regulations and providing more tax cats to businesses and individuals. In addition to focusing on improving the business climate, he said he’s also focused on addressing the problems in public education – mainly the common core teaching standards.

Yochim said he’d also focus on improving the business climate by addressing the shortage of a skilled workforce in the area. He noted that while there are many people who need jobs in the area, they currently don’t have the skills and qualifications necessary to get the jobs that are available. He also said he wants to focus on improving public education by reducing class sizes in many of our public schools.

While both Goodell and Yochim shared similar views on several issues, the most noted difference between the two was their view on horizontal hydrolic fracking – which is currently under moratorium in New York State. Goodell said he is in favor of lifting the moratorium – explaining that the process, which requires a large volume of water, is safe under current state regulations. He also said that if the moratorium was lifted it would have a major economic upside for the region.

However, Yochim said that he is concerned with the chemicals that are put in the water as part of the process, which could pose a serious threat to public and environmental health if they were to make their way into the water table. As a result, he said he is not in favor of lifting the moratorium and would only support a lift if the chemicals were no longer a part of the process.

A recap of the other candidates’ comments along with complete audio will be provided later this week and also will be available on this week’s Community Matters program (Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at Noon).

The election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4. For a complete list of candidates, visit our WRFA 2014 Election Page.

The Chautauqua County League of Women Voters is sponsoring its Meet the Candidates Forum Tuesday at the Robert H. Jackson Center. It’s one of two forums the organization is hosting for the community. A second forum is set for this Thursday night in the north county in the Fredonia Village Hall. Both forums begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

According to organizers, several candidates will be on hand for Tuesday’s forum. They include:

• Candidates for State Assembly: Republican incumbent Andy Goodell and Democratic challenger Barrie Yochim;
• Candidates for Chautauqua County Sheriff: Democratic incumbent Joseph Gerace and Republican challenger Russell Payne;
• Candidates for the county legislature’s 12th district special election: Democratic incumbent Beth Kresge (appointed earlier this year) and Republican challenger Elisabeth Rankin;
• And the four candidates for Chautauqua County Family Court Judge: Sally A. Jaroszynski; Jeffrey A. Piazza; James J. Spann, Jr. and Michael J. Sullivan.

The two candidates for Congress – Republican incumbent Tom Reed and Democratic challenger Martha Robertson – will not be in attendance.

WRFA will be on hand to cover Tuesday’s forum and will broadcast the portions of forum during this week’s Community Matter’s program on Thursday at 6 p.m. Audio from the forum will also be available at our website www.WRFALP.com.

IN addition, WRFA will be hosting one-on-one interviews with both Congressman Tom Reed and challenger Martha Robertson – which will air next week during our Oct. 30 Community Matters Program.

(Clockwise from top left): Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning); Candidate Martha Robertson (D-Ithaca); Candidate Barrie Yochim (D-Jamestown); Republican Andy Goodell (R-Chautauqua).

DUNKIRK – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) and State Assemblymen Andy Goodell (R-Jamestown) – who are both running for reelection this November – were in Dunkirk Thursday afternoon to speak out against a lawsuit involving the NRG Repowering Project.

The two explained that the lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club against the state Public Service Commission is frivolous and if successful, would harm not only taxpayers in the Dunkirk area but also those across the county, because NRG is the largest tax payer in the county.

The lawsuit is scheduled to be heard Nov. 7 in Albany Supreme Court.

The event coordinated by Reed and Goodell did not include appearances by their respective opponents, Martha Roberston (D-Ithaca) or Barrie Yochim (D-Jamestown), both of whom also oppose the lawsuit.

Yochim has said he also opposes the lawsuit and if his schedule allowed it – and had he known of the scheduled news conference – he would have also been on hand to publicly announce his opposition to the lawsuit.

Robertson’s campaign has also made it clear she does not support the lawsuit, even though the Sierra Club has endorsed her as a candidate.

In a statement released Friday, Robertson said, “I drove across the 23rd District in the dead of winter to stand with the working families of Dunkirk to advocate for keeping the NRG plant open, and converting it to natural gas. While I understand the Sierra Club’s position, I also know that these jobs need to stay right here at home. I don’t have anything to do with this lawsuit and I do not think it’s in the best interest of working people in Chautauqua County.”

In the same statement, Robertson also went on the attack against Congressman Reed. “Once again, Congressman Tom Reed is making false, negative attacks against me,” she explained. “I am clearly on the record supporting Dunkirk repowering. He is deliberately misleading voters, and refusing to face me in a televised debate in Western New York, because he can’t defend either these false attacks or his own failed record.

COUNTY DEM COMMISSIONER CRITICIZES REED CAMPAIGN

Chautauqua County Democratic Committee Chairman Norman Green was critical of the Reed-Goodell news conference and released a statement Thursday night criticizing Congressman Reed. In the release, he called the event a shameful substitute for a debate on the issues.

“Tom Reed was in Dunkirk hosting a set-up contrived news conference blasting the Sierra Club lawsuit attempt to shut down the Re-powering of the Dunkirk NRG,” said Green.  “The majority of the citizens of our county and Democratic Congressional candidate Martha Robertson herself disagrees with the Sierra Club lawsuit.  Tom Reed’s news conference is a shameful substitute for a real debate on the real issues.”

Green also said that Reed should be more willing to debate the real issues with Robertson in a public debate, either with the County League of Women Voters or one that would be televised in the region. While Chautauqua County contains 20 percent of the voting base in the 23rd Congressional district, the only local debate Reed has agreed to with Robertson is a closed-door debate with the editorial staff of the Jamestown Post-Journal.

Meanwhile, Goodell and Yoakum  have already taken part in at least one debate and will take part in several others, including a public debate Oct. 21 at 7pm in Jamestown, hosted by the League of Women Voters.

County Democratic officials met last week in Mavyille to endorse their 2014 slate of candidates and threw their support behind Barrie Yochim as the Democratic Candidate for state Assembly. Yochim currently serves as the executive director of Meals on Wheels and is also the president of the Meals on Wheels Association of New York State.

According to the Dunkirk Observer, Yochim said he would focus on two specific points while campaigning: he plans to make the Assembly his full-time job and also stresses the importance of having a Chautauqua County Democrat as part of the assembly, which has a majority of Democrats.

Unless another democrat steps forward and challenges Yochim in a party primary, he will square off against incumbanent Republican Andy Goodell in November. Goodell first won election to the Assembly in 2010, defeating Democrat Nancy Barger. He won reelection in 2012 after defeating Democrat Rudy Mueller.

Petitions for assembly, along with County Sheriff or State Senate, will begin circulating on Tuesday, June 3. Petitions to be a candidate for Congress can be circulated starting Tuesday. March 4.

Meals on Wheels executive director Barrie Yochim says the 40 individuals who may no longer receive service from the organization are comprised of  senior citizens, who are unable to make any contribution toward the cost of their meals from Meals on Wheels. They are being targeted first because others who even make a small money contribution for their meals will at least provide the meal system some revenue.

Of the 40 people who could lose meal service, 22 are in the Jamestown service area, 10 are in the Sinclairville service area and eight are in the Dunkirk-Fredonia service area.