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.

Chautauqua County Legislature Oath of Office (1/3/2022)

Four new legislators were sworn in at the Chautauqua County Legislature‘s organizational meeting Monday.

Republican Marty Proctor replaced Bill Ward in District 18 with Dave Wilfong replacing Bob Whitney in Jamestown District 11. Both Procter and Wilfong had previously served on the Legislature. Democrat Billy Torres replaced Chuck Nazzaro in Jamestown District 9. Nazzaro had chose not to run again. Democrat Susan Parker replaced Christine Starks in Fredonia District 4.

The legislature also voted to replace Mark Odell on the Legislature with John Penhollow of Sinclairville. Odell had resigned in July after moving out of the district, but his name remained on the ballot. Penhollow was appointed to fill his term last year.

Legislator Pierre Chagnon was unanimously elected the chair of the Legislature.

The legislature approved the reappointment of Ned Barone as Public Defender. The appointment is a 2-year term.

They also appointed Olivia Lee as the new Clerk of the Legislature. Lee replaces Kathy Tampio, who is retiring after 10 years as Clerk. Legislator Chagnon and County Executive PJ Wendel presented Tampio with a commendation for her service at the meeting.

County Legislature Honors Outgoing Legislator Chuck Nazzaro

The Chautauqua County Legislature has approved a local law increasing salaries for the Undersheriff, Captain, Warden and Corrections Lieutenant.

Legislator Terry Niebel said when the local law was introduced he asked the County Sheriff and Human Resources to research salary information in other counties for comparison, “They ended up looking at 32 other counties. The salary range before us now puts us somewhere in the middle of those 32 counties. We are looking at an increase of two or three ranges for each position. But given today’s situation with law enforcement, I believe these increases are warranted.”

The local law passed unanimously.

A resolution to increase landfill and transfer station fees also passed by a vote of 16 to 2. Legislators Bill Ward and John Penhollow were the two votes against. The new fees go into effect January 1st.

Legislators approved by block vote a host of resolutions that included several resolutions that adjusted American Rescue Plan funding toward emergency services department projects. Legislator Chuck Nazzaro said while the resolutions were being handled quickly by the full legislature, that they were discussed thoroughly in committee, “As you know, we received $24.6 million in ARPA funding, the American Rescue Plan. And to date, now with what we have before us tonight we will have approved just under $10.2 million in projects. So each year we receive $12.3 million for 2021 and $12.3 million for 2022 and we’ve spent or awarded $10.2 million today.”

Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon presented outgoing Legislators Christine Starks, Chuck Nazzaro, Bob Whitney, and Bill Ward with commendations for their time and service on the Legislature.
Memorials also were read for former County Legislators who died this past year including Ron Szot, Vickye James, Mac Crowe, Bob Duff, and Tom Harte.

The next County Legislature meeting will be its organizational meeting at 4pm, Monday, January 3, 2022.

PJ Wendel

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel easily won re-election to his first full term over Democratic challenger Norm Green by a vote of 17,455 to 5,516.

Wendel had first been appointed to replace George Borrello as County Executive in January 2020 after Borrello vacated the seat due to being elected to the State Senate. He defeated Democrat Richard Morrisroe in a special election last year to fill out Borrello’s term.

Wendell said he was humbled by the results, “My team has been very focused and, you know, we’ve been leading by example, moving the county forward and we’re going to continue to do that for the next four years.”

Republican County Clerk Larry Barmore won a third term over Democratic Challenger David Salley by a vote of 16,505 to 6,192.

Republicans will retain a super majority on County Legislature with 15 Republicans being elected to 4 Democrats. District 11 Democratic Incumbent Bob Whitney lost to former legislator David Wilfong by a vote of 328 to 534.

In County Legislative District 12, Republican Incumbent Elisabeth Rankin won re-election by a vote of 614 to 307 over Democrat Heather Fagan.

Republicans also will have a super majority on Jamestown City Council even with the Ward 3 race too close to call.

Council President Tony Dolce called it a “statement election,” “The public spoke loud and clear. They wanted a check and balance on the Mayor and his administration. And they came out in droves and voted for all three At-Large candidates. There was a change in Ward 6 with Andrew Faulkner – a huge win, that was a huge upset. And even Grant Olson who didn’t run or actively campaign won that seat.”

Republican Incumbents Kim Ecklund and Jeff Russell came first and second for the At-Large race with Republican newcomer Randy Daversa coming in third with 16% of the vote.

In other ward races, Ward 4 Democratic councilmember Marie Carrubba held onto her seat against Republican Rick Elardo.

And the Ward 3 race between Democratic Incumbent Regina Brackman and Republican Robert Reedy will come down to absentee ballots with Brackman currently leading by 11 votes.

For the 8th Judicial State Supreme Court Justice race, Grace Hanlon, John Licata, Frank Caruso and Raymond Walter all were elected.

Voters statewide voted no on ballot propositions 1, 3, and 4 which all dealt with elections and redistricting.

However, Proposition 2 was passed which adds the right to clean water, clean air, and a healthful environment to the New York Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

Proposition 5 also passed which allows the New York City Civil Court to hear and decide lawsuits involving claims of $50,000, rather than the current threshold of $25,000.

For full local election results, visit VoteChautauqua.com

In County races, incumbent Republican County Executive Paul “PJ” Wendel is facing Democratic challenger Norm Green. Wendel is running for full 4-year term after being appointed to replace George Borrello in January 2020 when Borrello was elected to the State Senate. Green formerly worked in the Chautauqua County Board of Elections as its Democratic Commissioner for over 20 years.

The County Clerk race will feature incumbent Republican Larry Barmore against Fredonia Democrat David Salley.

All 19 County Legislature seats are on the ballot. In Jamestown, the contested races are in District 11 between incumbent Democrat Bob Whitney and Republican Dave Wilfong; and in District 12 between incumbent Republican Elisabeth Rankin and Democrat Heather Fagan.

In the City of Jamestown, all City Council seats are on the ballot.

In Ward 3, incumbent Democrat Regina Brackman faces Republican Robert Reedy. Brackman was appointed in April to fill the seat after the untimely death of Vickye James. In Ward 4, incumbent Democrat Marie Carrubba is running against Republican Rick Elardo.

In Ward 5, Republican Grant Olson is facing Democrat Doug Lawson, however Olson announced in mid-September that he was no longer seeking re-election. As it was too late to remove his name from the ballot, should Olson win and decline to accept his seat again, Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist would be charged with appointing a Republican from Ward 5 to replace him in January.

And in Ward 6, incumbent Democrat Tom Nelson is going up against Republican Andrew Faulkner.
There are six candidates running for 3 At-Large seats. Incumbent Republicans Kim Ecklund and Jeff Russell are running for re-election as well as Republican Randy Daversa. Running on the Democrat line are Christina Cardinale, Ellen Ditonto, and Alyssa Porter. Democrat Tamu Graham-Reinhardt is not seeking re-election for her At-Large seat.

There are two seats open for the 8th Judicial State Supreme Court Justices. Running on all four lines of Democrat, Republican, Conservative and Working Families are Grace Hanlon and John Licata. Frank Caruso and Raymond Walter are running on the Democrat, Republican, and Conservative lines.

There are also 5 propositions located on the back of the ballot.

Proposal 1 deals with redistricting and, if passed, includes capping the number of State Senate seats at 63, require that incarcerated persons be counted at the place of their last residence for redistricting, and require the state to count residents, including people who are residents but not citizens, should the federal census fail to do so.

Proposal 3 removes the requirement that persons must register to vote at least ten days before an election. This would allow people to register to vote the same day as elections.

Proposal 4 would allow no-excuse absentee voting. Currently, in order to qualify for an absentee ballot, a voter must be absent from their county of residence, ill, or physically disabled.

Proposal 2 would add a right to clean water, clean air, and a healthful environment to the New York Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

And proposal 5 would allow the New York City Civil Court to hear and decide lawsuits involving claims of $50,000, rather than the current threshold of $25,000.

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

For all of WRFA’s Election coverage, visit wrfalp.com/election-2021

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.

WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley moderated a Legislative debate for Chautauqua County District 11 between incumbent legislator Bob Whitney and Dave Wilfong. District 11 is located in the City of Jamestown.

Dave Wilfong (left) and Robert Whitney

Under the local law, a child aged 12 or 13 must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or mentor in hunting deer with a bow, rifle, shotgun, or muzzle-loading firearm. The child also must have participated in a hunter education-safety course and have a hunter’s license.

Legislator John Davis said as an educator he sees firsthand the importance of training and teaching proper policy, techniques, and practices, “I think it’s very important for us to begin teaching individuals at a young age how to properly handle fire arms, how to properly hunt. And with the mentoring of seasoned hunters, as Legislator Pavlock indicated, I think that’s very important to have seasoned individuals teaching our youngsters how to properly hunt.”

As part of the local law, Chautauqua County will be entered into a Pilot Youth Deer Hunter Program with New York State.

The County Legislature also unanimously endorsed the 2021 Chautauqua Lake Memorandum of Understanding. This MOU replaces a two-year Memorandum of Agreement about the Lake that expired at the end of April.

Legislator Bill Ward spoke in favor of the MOU, saying it’s a document of hope and aspirations, and it’s being presented in an atmosphere where it could allow everyone to step back, “Because of the fact, perhaps, that there’s more science at work than ever before. We are in a situation where it is important to honor each other even if it’s just in a non-binding agreement.”

Ward added that sometimes the “hand shake across the fence” means more than the long drawn-out documents in the past.

County Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon announced at the end of last night’s meeting that starting in June, Legislature Committees and the full Legislature will resume meeting in person.

JAMESTOWN CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

During a Zoom meeting Wednesday, the Jamestown Democratic Committee announced that Jamestown city council incumbents Marie Carrubba (W2), Vickye James (W3), and Tom Nelson (W6) will each be seeking two more years in office. However, Graham-Reinhardt (At Large) won’t be running for reelction.

Democrats are currently the minority party on the nine-member city council, but can pick up the majority with a win by all three incumbents also victories from two of the four newcomers. They include At Large candidates Christina Cardinale, Ellen DiTonto, and Alyssa Porter. Joining the three is Ward 5 candidate Doug Lawson.

Republicans haven’t announced their candidates for 2021 yet. Those currently on the council include City Council President Tony Dolce (W2), Brent Sheldon (W1), Grant Olson (W5), Kim Ecklund (At Large), and Jeff Russell (At Large).

They mayor’s office, held by Democrat Eddie Sundquist, is in the middle of its four-year term and is not up for election this year.

COUNTY LEGISLATURE TO LOSE MINORITY LEADER

Chautauqua County Democratic Party Chairman Norm Green announced the slate of Democrats running for Chautauqua County Legislature. But prior to naming the candidates, he first announced that long-time legislator Chuck Nazzaro (D9) would not be seeking reelection. Nazzaro is a long-time member of the legislature, is the current minority leader, and the ranking member of the legislature Audit and Control Committee.

Instead, running for District 9 (South Dide) will be Billy Torres. For the other Democratic candidates, current legislators Bob Whitney (D11-West Side) and Paul Whitford (D13-East Side) are both seeking reelection. And Heather Fagan (D12-North Side) will be making her first run for public office.

For Republicans, Elisabeth Rankin (D12) is the only current city resident who sits on the Chautauqua County Legislature. A portion of District 10 is also in Jamestown, but it is held by Lakewood area resident Ken Lawton, a Republican.

Republicans haven’t yet announced their full slate of candidates for 2021.

Eddie Sundquist

JAMESTOWN – Democratic officials in Jamestown have selected their candidate for mayor.

On Thursday night the Jamestown Democratic Committee voted to endorse local attorney and 2018 Democratic congressional candidate Eddie Sundquist for Mayor in the 2019 local election.

The move comes after current mayor and Democrat Sam Teresi announced earlier this month he would not be seeking a sixth consecutive term in office.

In a media release sent out Thursday, city Democratic chair Jim Walton said party officials are excited to endorse Sundquist because of his commitment to Jamestown and its citizens.

Born and raised in Jamestown, Sundquist is a graduate of Jamestown High School and is the first in his family to graduate college, having earned a political science degree at St. John Fisher College. He then earned his Masters of Science in Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, and received his law degree from the University of Buffalo School of Law. His law practice currently focuses on helping injured workers and grieving families. His first foray into running for public office was in the 2018 race for the New York 23rd Congressional District. In that race he finished fifth out of five candidates in the Democratic Party June primary.

Sundquist is the third person to throw his hat into the ring for the mayoral race.  At the start of the month Republican City Councilman Andrew Liuzzo announced his intention to run and earlier this week the city Republican Committee endorsed County Legislator David Wilfong as its choice. That means if both Liuzzo and Wilfong get the required number signatures from registered party voters there will be a primary in June to determine which of those two will advance to the November General Election.

DEMS PRESENT FULL SLATE OF CANDIDATES FOR CITY COUNCIL

Meanwhile, the Jamestown Democratic Committee also endorsed several others for city offices, including current City Council members Marie Carrubba (Ward IV and current council president), Vickye James (Ward III), Maria Jones (Ward V), Tom Nelson (Ward VI), and Tamu Graham-Reinhardt (At-Large).

In addition, the committee is endorsing past council member and city council president Greg Rabb – who served on the council for 10 years before not winning reelection for an at large seat in the 2017 general election. Rabb still remains active in city government as the chair of both the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities and the Jamestown Planning Commission. He was appointed to both as a citizen member by Mayor Teresi at the start of 2018. Rabb is again running as an at-large candidate in 2019.

The Democrats other at large candidate will be newcomer Taylor Scott.

Rounding out the slate of candidates for city council will be newcomer Tim Smeal running in Ward I (a seat currently held by Republican Brent Sheldon) along with Tom Vitale running in Ward II (a seat currently held by Republican Tony Dolce).

Joining the Jamestown team are endorsed county legislator incumbent Chuck Nazzaro (District 9) and candidate Bob Whitney for District 11 – which is currently held by Republican mayoral candidate David Wilfong.

A rally is being planned to formally announce Sundquist and other endorsed Democrats on Thursday February 28 at 4 p.m. at the Chadakoin River scenic overlook on the Jamestown River Walk (across from McCrea Point).

For Jamestown City Council at-large,  the candidates are Republican incumbent Kim Ecklund along with Republican newcomers Michael Laurin and Andrew Luzzo. On the Democratic side, incumbent and current council president Greg Rabb is running again, along with Democratic newcomer Vanessa Weinert. Also running for an at large seat is Democrat Robert Whitney, who had previously served on the Chautauqua County Legislature.

• Q&A with Jamestown City Council Candidates: Part 1
• Q&A with Jamestown City Council Candidates: Part 2

Because at-large councilman George Spitale, a Democrat, has opted not to run for reelection, there will be at least one new member on the city council.

The two contested ward races on the city council are in Wards 2 (north side) and Ward 4 (west side).

Ward 2

– Anthony Dolce* (R)
– Joseph Scapelitte (D)

• Q&A with Jamestown Ward 2 City Council Candidates

Ward 4
– Marie Carrubba* (D)
– Richard Elardo (R)

City council members who are running for reelection unopposed are:

Ward 1
– Brent Sheldon (R)

Ward 3
– Victoria James (D)

Ward 5
– Maria Jones* (D)

Ward 6
– Thomas Nelson* (D, WF)

There is no mayoral race this year. The next mayor race in the city is set to take place in 2019.

For more information on Election Day 2017, visit www.VoteChautauqua.com.

Polls opened at 6 a.m. and will remain open until 9 p.m.