Senator George Borrello on the floor of the State Senate debating the AVR bill.

UPDATE [Jan. 14, 2020 at 11:33 a.m.] – Sen. George Borrello has offered a response to the criticism from the New York Young Democrats as well as their call for an apology from the senator for his statements made last week while debating the AVR bill:

“I do not intend to apologize to Democrats who imposed and stand by a so-called ‘reform’ that is letting dangerous criminals back out on our streets and putting every New Yorker at risk.

“I am sorry, however, these young Democrats misunderstood my position regarding automatic voter registration. My comments on the Senate floor related to automatically registering voters and using their personal information without their actual consent. On top of this being a tremendous burden for county governments, it creates fertile ground for voter fraud and exploitation.

“Anyone who is an American citizen who wants to vote, should vote. I cannot stress that enough; there is no cohort of people who should not be voting if they wish to vote of their own free will. Generations of American sons and daughters have fought for and died protecting that privilege, which is the foundation of our democracy.

“The partisan response by some is a typical distortion that looks to deflect attention away from real issues that irresponsible legislation creates.”

– Sen. George Borrello

– – – – –

ALBANY – Newly sworn-in State Senator George Borrello (R-Irving, NY 57) is drawing criticism from a group of Democrats for statements he made last week while debating a piece of legislation.

The New York State Young Democrats group says it is condemning what it calls “anti-disabled” and ableist remarks made by Borrello on the first full day of the 2020 legislative session.

During a floor debate on Thursday regarding a bill to enact Automatic Voter Registration (AVR), Borrello said he was opposed to the bill partly because it would give people with cognitive disabilities the ability to vote.

“This is about people only coming in contact with government in some way. This is not about registering everyone. This is about registering people who have come into government to collect benefits, to, perhaps, address mental health issues they may have. Those are the folks who are automatically be registered – people who may not even understand the impact of voting. It’s about influencing people who, otherwise, should not understand and will not understand. I find that really abhorrent. So, I will be voting ‘no’ on this,” Borrello said.

Borrello also said he was opposed to the bill because it would likely add additional costs to local governments and also encourage a “tsunami of fraud.”

In response to Borrello’s comments, Young Democrats member Seamus Campbell – who also is the Disability Issues Caucus Chair for the national Young Democrats of America group – said Borrello should be ashamed of himself.

“Senator Borrello literally said people with mental illness and cognitive disabilities are too dumb or unbalanced to vote. He should be ashamed of himself,” Campbell said in a statement. “Borrello thinks that people with disabilities lack the ability to learn about the role and importance of democracy and how to do the necessary research about the issues and candidates on the ballot. As a person who has dealt with clinical depression for his entire adult life, I am both shocked and disgusted that to learn that he honestly thinks that my condition is in any way a barrier to being an informed citizen and active voter.”

Young Democrat’s Rural Caucus chair Paolo Cremidis also said that he was troubled by the fact Borrello is targeting a specific group of people who are otherwise allowed to vote.

“George Borrello is peddling fear for the sake of peddling fear,” Cremdis said “I am troubled by the fact that he is targeting folks to exclude via automatic voter registration. The issue of mental health is not something that we can joke about.”

Under New York State Law, any United States citizen, a resident of New York State for at least 30 days, and over the age of 18, and is not currently serving time for a felony conviction can register to vote. Furthermore, the only persons empowered to remove a person’s voting rights due to mental capacity is a judge.

Chautauqua County Young Democrats president Frank Besse also shared his concern over the comments.

“It’s disappointing to see our representation in Albany speaking out against legislation that will strengthen democracy in New York State,” Besse said. “Not only does Mr. Borrello position himself in opposition to empowering the people of our state, he does so in a way that incites baseless fears and offends common decency.”

The Young Democrats group now says Borrello needs to apologize for his comments to his constituents and to the broader Upstate New York community.

“He needs to apologize for his comments to his constituents and to our broader Upstate New York community. Making comments like these do not do anything to help represent Upstate,” Cremidis said.

Borrello was sworn in as state senator for New York’s 57th senate district last week after he won the seat in a special election in November. He will finish the remainder of the term initially won by former Sen. Catherine Young, who resigned from the post in early 2019 after taking a job with Cornell University.

The proposed Automatic Voter Registration bill – if enacted – will automatically register people to vote after they fill-out paperwork with certain New York State government agencies – most notably the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Currently 11 states and the District of Columbia already provide automatic registration when citizens interact with state agencies such as the DMV, along with 7 other states that have passed legislation or committed administratively to create automatic registration systems, but not yet implemented it.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the states that have already enacted AVR have seen the rates of voter registration rise to be as much as 94%.

WRFA has reached out to Borrello’s office via email to see if he would respond to the criticism and demand for any apology.

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.

The candidates for the State Senate 57th District 2019 special election, Austin Morgan (far left) and George Borrello (right).

JAMESTOWN – The candidates for Jamestown Mayor and New York State Senate were at Jamestown Community College Tuesday night to take part in a meet the candidates forum, presented by the Chautauqua League of Women Voters, AAUW, and the Jamestown Community College Political Science Department.

• RELATED: LISTEN TO THE LOWV JAMESTOWN MAYORAL FORUM 

Candidates for New York State Senate are George Borrello (R) and Austin Morgan (D) traded jabs in their own scheduled debate prior to the special election to fill the seat of former Sen. Cathy Young – who resigned from her post earlier this year to take a job with Cornell University.

Morgan – the Democratic Candidate and recent Cornell University graduate from the town of Freedom in Cattaruagus County – spent much of the debate pointing out Borrello’s willingness to be critical of the Democrats who are in control of Albany. He Borrello’s persistent criticism of lawmakers from across the aisle wont do the district any favors, adding that residents will only benefit if they send a moderate Democrat to Albany to represent them.

“There is a clear and real choice in this election. We can elect my opponent, who, with his vitriol, has already made enemies in Albany and shown how he will be ineffective. Or we can send a rural Democrat. Someone to the majority who can make sure our district gets the attention, legislation, and funding that it deserves,” Morgan said.

Borrello – a Republican who currently serves as Chautauqua County Executive – said he’s not going to back down from speaking out against what he believes is an extreme, radical agenda from the state capital. He also said that because of his business experience and public service, he is well positioned to represent local residents.

“I have unique qualifications and experience. The combination of being a local business owner who, everyday, carries in my heart how difficult and challenging it is to do business in New York State. And also as the chief executive officer of Chautauqua County, knowing how challenging it is to deal with the laws, the regulations, and unfunded mandates and that’s what I’ll bring to Albany to represent everyone as your next state senator,” Borrello said.

The 57th Senate District includes all of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Counties – along with a portion of Livingston County.

The complete forum with Borrello and Morgan will be featured on WRFA’s Community Matters program this Thursday at 5 p.m., with an encore on Friday at 2 p.m. and also Sunday at noon. It will also be posted on the WRFA website later this week.

ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo Tuesday signed legislation authorizing school districts to install stop-arm cameras on school buses in order

The measure is similar to the School Bus Camera Safety Act introduced by Sen. Cathy Young (R-Olean) before she left the state legislature. It was also a key component of Governor Cuomo’s Justice Agenda.

“No parent should ever have to worry that their child’s bus ride to and from school is anything other than safe and easy,” Governor Cuomo said. “By signing this measure into law, we are providing school districts the tools they need to hold reckless drivers accountable and advancing New York State’s bold initiatives to keep our schoolchildren safe.” 

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of our students getting to and from school,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “This legislation will allow for the installation of cameras on school buses to crack down on drivers who illegally pass them on the road, putting young people’s lives in danger. The effort builds on our other progressive policies to protect students and all New Yorkers from harm.”

In New York State, approximately 1.5 million students ride school buses to and from school every year, and out of concern for their safety, it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus. However, Operation Safe Stop in April 2018, the one-day in which law enforcement targeted offenders passing a stopped school bus, exposed that hundreds of people ignore this law and over 850 people were ticketed. This amounts to someone passing a stopped school bus over 150,000 times in a 180-day school year, endangering the safety of schoolchildren in every corner of this state. The legislation will hold drivers accountable and continues the Governor’s history of leadership in student safety by ensuring that students are safe on their way to and from school.

Governor Cuomo recognizes that the safety of our children is our highest priority. Earlier this year, Governor Cuomo signed legislation to reinstate the speed camera program in New York City and expand the number of authorized school speed zones from 140 to 750. The bill also expanded the hours of the program to weekdays between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Additionally, in 2016 Governor Cuomo modernized the New York’s school safety laws to increase student safety. The updated laws required school districts to designate a point of contact in case of emergency, increase training requirements for faculty and staff and update safety drills to include a lock down event.

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN AT SOUNDCLOUD

The 2019 Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast from April 12, 2019, featuring both Assemblyman Andy Goodell and former State Senator Cathy Young as they offer thoughts on the recently approved state budget and other issues involving Albany. Held at the Lakewood Rod & Gun Cub and moderated by John D’Agostino of the Dunkirk Observer.

John D’Agostino of the Dunkirk Observer with Assembly Andrew Goodell and former State Senator Catherine Young.

George Borrello

MAYVILLE – Regardless of what happens with a special election for an open state senate seat, Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello (R-Irving) intends to remain focused on county government while he also campaigns to be the region’s next representative in the New York State Senate.

During an interview this week with WRFA, Borrello spent some time offering an update on his election effort. In March Borrello announced that he would be seeking the Republican Party’s endorsement to be its candidate in a special election for the 57th Senate District. The announcement came after former Senator Cathy Young (R-Olean) resigned from the position the first half of March to take a job with Cornell University, less than three months into a new 2-year term in the Senate.  It also came with Borrello in just the second year of a four-year term as Chautauqua County Executive.

Borrello has already received endorsement from the majority of the Republican Committee Chairs of the four counties in the 57th Senate District (Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, and Livingston Counties). In addition, he’s secured enough signatures to get his name on the ballot, should the special election wait until this year’s November General Election.

“We were able to deliver more than double of what was needed as far as signatures, and in a very challenging environments, in the sense that this was the first year [candidates] were collecting petitions for the November elections in March [due to a new state law]. Typically that is something that had been done in June July,” Borrello noted. “Then you had the timing of Senator’s Young announcement, which came after the petition process had already started. And then [Republicans] went through our own series of meetings to determine who would be our chosen candidate here in Chautauqua County. You add that all up and we had less than two weeks to collect all those signatures.”

With the seat being vacated, Governor Andrew Cuomo has the option of setting a special election date to fill the seat prior to November. If that were to take place, then Borrello would be the Republican Party’s endorsed candidate by way of the endorsement from the majority of the four county Republican committees (a rule laid out in state law).

But if the Governor opts to not set a special date for an election to fill the seat, then the special election will automatically be held at the same time as the local elections in November. That is the likely scenario and as a result, all Senate candidates will follow the same procedure as any other candidate would, which means they are required to get their name on the ballot through a petition process. That’s why Borrello circulated nominating petitions for the Republican Party, and also for both the Conservative and Independence Parties.

In addition to Borrello running, Allegany County Legislature Chairman Curtis Crandall (R-Belfast) is also seeking the endorsement of registered Republicans in the district, should the special election take place in November. If both Borrello and Crandall submit enough signatures on their nominating petitions, then a Republican Primary Race for the Senate seat will take place in June. That means Borrello would have to focus more energy into a campaign during the next couple months. However, he says he wont let that district him from his current job as County Executive.

“First and foremost, being county executive is job number one and will continue to be,” Borrello said. “But this is a process and I’ll be happy to go out there and tell people why I’m the right choice. Mr. Crandall is nice man, I’ve met him before at New York State Association of Counties and he’s done a great job as a county legislator in Allegany County. So we’ll move through this process as needed.”

In addition to discussing the campaign during his interview with WRFA, Borrello also discusses several county issues including the recently completed Chautauqua Lake Consensus agreement, the newly announced county economic development alliance, and the impact the new state budget will have on the county.

The interview will be broadcast Thursday at 5 p.m. on Community Matters, with an encore at noon on Sunday.

Curtis Crandall

BELFAST, NY – Nominating Petitions to run for office in the 2019 November General Election are due this week and besides the numerous local races that will be taking place there will also likely be a special election for New York’s 57th Senate District.

At the end of February former Senator Cathy Young (R-Olean) announced she would be resigning from her position, creating a vacancy in a district that covers Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Counties along with a portion of Livingston County.

Since then three candidates have received endorsements from party officials to run for the open seat in a special election, including Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello (R-Irving), who’s seeking the Republican, Conservative, and Independence Party lines on the ballot.

But Borrello is not the only person seeking the GOP endorsement. He is joined by long-time Allegany County Legislature Chairman Curtis Crandall (R-Belfast) who recently explained to WRFA why he wants to be the region’s next senator.

“We all know friends, family and neighbors that have left this state. The population is decreasing. And if you look at the reasons why they’re leaving and where they are going to, it has to do with the property taxes and the cost of doing business and living in New York,” Crandall said. “I really think that there could be a better way of doing business in New York. Reduce those costs and get more in line with some of the other states that people are moving to.”

• RELATED: WRFA March 28 Interview with Curtis Crandall

Crandall said that during his time on the Allegany County Legislature he’s also seen first-hand how unfunded mandates on local governments have put pressure on local taxpayers, which is something he would work to remove if elected.

“A lot of the issues that we have to deal with at the county level are pushed down from the state,” Crandall said. “Several mandated programs, as a county we have to carry out and provide for, takes up a large portion of our revenue just for the state programs.”

Crandall also says that if he is elected, he’s not worried about working in a legislative Chamber that will be controlled by a majority of Democrats. He said his years of leadership experience in the Allagany County Legislature has prepared for dealing with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.

“If you have a good idea or proposal that is good for the 57th District, it’s obviously good for New York State,” Cranadall said. “As long as I’ve been in the legislature – and I’m currently the longest-serving chairman and that’s only a year-to-year designation. You don’t get there by not getting along with others across the aisle or your colleagues.”

Crandall was first elected to the Allegany County Legislature in 2000 and was appointed as chairman of the legislature in 2006. Unlike Chautauqua County, Allegany County doesn’t have a county executive position, meaning the legislature chairman as viewed as the head of county government. Prior to serving in the legislature he was also a member of the Belfast Town Board.

In addition to public service, Crandall is a businessman with memorial companies in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties. He said that’s allowed him to regularly travel the district, making him very familiar with the various communities across the western half of the Southern Tier, from the shores of Lake Erie in Chautauqua County to the county line Allegany County shares with Steuben County.

Crandall has been endorsed as a Senate candidate by his home county and he says he has received enough support to get a nomination for the Republican Party. As a result, he will likely square off against Borrello in a party primary, scheduled for June 25.

The winner of the likely primary in June will go on to face Democratic candidate Austin Morgan of Cattaraugus County in November.

George Borrello

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello is reporting that he’s submitted double the mandatory required petitions to the New York State Board of Elections to become the Republican, Conservative and Independence Party candidate in the upcoming election for the 57th State Senate District.

This seat recently became open with the resignation of former Senator Cathy Young (R-Olean), who opted to leave Albany at the start of a new term in order to take a position with Cornell University.

Borrello has been Chautauqua County Executive since January 2018. Before that he was a member of the Chautauqua County Legislature.

If Governor Cuomo had set a date for a special election to fill Young’s vacated seat, then Borrello would be the automatic Republican candidate, due to his being endorsed by a majority of the County Republican Committee chairs in the 57th district.

However, the governor never set a date, meaning the special Senate election will be held at the same time as the November General Election.  As a result, Borrello will likely have to run a primary for the Republican nomination – and perhaps other parties as well. That’s due to Allegany County Legislature Chairman Curtis Crandall has also seeking the Senate office. He told WRFA last week he was well on his way to collect the required number of signatures to force a party primary.

Borrello has been endorsed as a candidate by the Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Livingston County Republican Committees. Crandall has been endorsed by the Allegany County Republican Committee.

The winner of the likely primary in June will go on to face Democratic candidate Austin Morgan of Cattaraugus County in November.

Austin Morgan

FREEDOM, NY – The Democratic candidate running for Cathy Young’s (R-Olean) recently-vacated State Senate seat says that despite his age, he’s still just as capable and qualified to represent voters in the 57th district when compared to the other two individuals running for the seat.

Democratic candidate Austin Morgan, 22, is a lifelong resident of Freedom, NY in Cattaraugus County. The son of a teacher’s aide and a maintenance mechanic, Morgan was the valedictorian of Pioneer High School’s Class of 2015, and he is a first-generation college student about to graduate from Cornell University where he is studying child development and environmental influences on that development. He’s worked as a teacher aide with special needs students, substitute teacher, State Senate Legislative Analyst, and as the co-President of a student-run event production business on the Cornell Campus.

Morgan has already been endorsed by all four county Democratic Committees in the 57th district, including Chautauqua County.

Morgan was a guest on this week’s Community Matters program and talked about his candidacy and why he’s decided to run for State Senate.

“I think it’s time for some energy and I think it’s time for some excitement in our local politics. When was the last time we looked at government and didn’t have an exhaustive sigh?” Morgan asked. “So I put my name in because I really feel a sense of duty to the towns, the streets, and the people who raised me.”

• RELATED: Community Matters – Austin Morgan Discusses Run for State Senate

Morgan appears to be the lone Democratic candidate in a special election for a Senate district that historically has favored Republicans (the party has held the seat going back to the days of the late Jess Present, who was first elected to the State Senate in 1968).  On the Republican side both Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello (Irving) and Allegany County Legislature Chairman Curtis Crandall (Belfast) are vying for the party’s nomination, with Borrello already receiving the endorsement of all four county Republican Committees.

Even though both Borrello and Crandall have been elected to public office and currently serve in leadership positions at the local level, Morgan said that doesn’t necessarily translate to them having more knowledge about what it takes to operate within the State Legislature.

A map showing New York’s 57th Senate District, which is now vacant following the resignation and departure of former Sen. Catherine Young

“In 2018 I worked for the State Senate and I realized that a lot of the places, a lot of the folks around where we live, just aren’t at the table right now. Their voices just aren’t being heard,” Morgan explained, later adding, “Beyond the two Republican opponents that I have right now, I have more experience in how the Senate works, how the Democratic majority works, and how things are actually done in Albany.”

Besides their history in public office, both Borrello and Crandall also have extensive experience running a business, which can be appealing for some constituents who want a representative who understands the challenges that face small businesses and their owners.

But Morgan said he also has experience managing people and making a company profitable.

“When I came to Cornell University, I found out there was an on-campus business called Cornell Production. It does media events – we do sound and lighting for them. When I first found the company it was going under. It lacked leadership and it just was not functioning. So one of the things I did in my Freshman semester was I joined the organization. A friend and I got it organized, got the employees organized – over 40 students who worked for the company. And we turned it around. We reached profit the very next semester,” Morgan said.

And while it appears a Republican will once again be heavily favored to win the 57th District (Young ran unopposed in the most recent election), Morgan said that if residents want any chance at fair representation they will have to send a Democrat to the Senate.

“What we’re facing right now in our region are two realities. One is that the State Senate is solidly Democratic and it will not be changing back soon. The second is that in order for our region to continue to get the resources that it needs, we need a voice in the room when Democrats are plotting the course for our state’s future,” Morgan said. “The party is incredibly New York City-centric. There are not voices from rural regions like ours. So if our voters believe we need help from Albany to continue growing, which I believe we do, what needs to happen is we need to send someone to put our voice at the table.”

Morgan also said that despite his age, he is ready to represent the region in Albany.

“I may be young but I think in this case that’s an asset. I may be only 22, but I know [Chautauqua County Democratic Committee] Chairman Norman Green says ‘I’m 22 going on 40’ and I think a lot of people would feel that way if they get the chance to talk with me and I hope I have the chance to talk with them,” Morgan said.

Meanwhile a date has not been set for when a special election for the 57th district may occur. That decision rests with Governor Andrew Cuomo. If he chooses not to call for a special election, then Young’s replacement will be voted on during the November General election to fill out the remainder of the current term, which ends on December 31, 2020.