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.

James Quattrone

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County will have a new Sheriff beginning in 2019. Republican Challenger James Quattrone defeated Democratic Incumbent Joseph Gerace on Tuesday, marking an end to Gerace’s 25-year reign as sheriff.

Quattrone received an unofficial total of 22,114 votes (53.6 percent) on election night, more than enough to defeat Gerace, who received 19,126 votes (46.33).  Not counting absentee or affidavit ballots, a total of 41270 county residents (54 percent of registered voters in the county) participated in Tuesday’s election.

For Gerace it is the end of an era spanning an estimated 40 years.  He joined the sheriff’s office as a deputy in 1979 and was first elected sheriff in a special election in 1994 to fill the final year of Sheriff John Bentley’s term, following his death. Gerace was reelected in six subsequent elections, serving a total of 25 years as the top law enforcement officer of the county.

In his concession speech Tuesday night, Gerace thanked his supporters and said he would do what he could to help Quattrone transition to new sheriff.

Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace

We worked very diligently but the voters of the county have spoken. That’s part of what it is to be sheriff – you are the only publicly elected law enforcement official in the country. It’s the ‘people’s lawman’ and the people have chosen somebody else,” Gerace said. “I’m going to walk out with my head high because I’ve done a lot for this county. I’ve dedicated my entire adult life to public service and I’m not going away… I’ll be doing whatever I can to help with the transition.”

Quattrone is a former lieutenant with the Sheriff’s Office. He ran on a platform of improving intermunicipal cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the county, especially when it comes to investigating illegal drug activity. He was critical of the sheriff’s office under Gerace’s watch for not being able to unite local law enforcement, with there being two separate drug enforcement agencies (The SOuthern Tier Regional Drug Task Force and the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force) operating in the county. Gerace, meanwhile, had said the second agency started as a decision by officials in Jamestown and wasn’t based on a decision he had made.  Quattrone also said he wanted to reduce spending in the county jail while also increasing morale for employees who work there.

“I’m overwhelmed by the support, the community support, the support from my family and friends, but really the voters of Chautauqua County were ready for a change — ready for a positive move forward, and I’m looking forward to working with the other police agencies cooperatively,” Quattrone is quoted as saying in his victory speech Tuesday night.

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE

WRFA public affairs director Jason Sample gives an election night news update for the 11 p.m. hour. Featuring comments from Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace, who lost reelection, and BOE commissioner Norman Green.

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE

Full audio of the League of Women Voters of Chautauqua County Meet the Candidates Forum, featuring the two candidates for Chautauqua County Sheriff: Incumbent Joseph Gerace (D) and Challenger James Quattrone(R). Recorded Tuesday, Oct.23, 2018.

Chautauqua County Sheriff’s candidates Joseph Gerace (incument, left) and James Quattrone pause for a friendly photo with one another following their Meet the Candidates forum on Tuesday night at JCC.

Dozens of residents were at JCC Tuesday night to attend the League of Women Voters’ Meet the Candidates forum, featuring candidates for Sheriff and NY Assembly.

JAMESTOWN – More than 70 people were on hand at Jamestown Community College Tuesday night as the Chautauqua County League of Women Voters presented a Meet the Candidates forum, featuring candidates for Chautauqua County Sheriff – incumbent Joseph Gerace (D) and challenger James Quattrone (R) – and candidates for State Assembly – incumbent Andrew Goodell (R) and challenger Judith Einach (D).

While the candidates for sheriff agreed the biggest law enforcement issue facing the county is the ongoing opioid and drug epidemic, Quattrone was critical of Gerace’s oversight of the department, saying the current sheriff hasn’t done a good enough job working with other law enforcement agencies within the county.

Chautauqua County Sheriff candidates Joseph Gerace (incument, left) and James Quattrone pause for a friendly photo with one another following their Meet the Candidates forum on Tuesday night at JCC.

“A big problem we have in the enforcement issue of drugs is we have two drug task forces, Quattrone said, noting both the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force and the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force. “Working and talking with other police chiefs in the county we realize that we have to work together and share that information if we want to eradicate the problem and makes the arrests of those that are peddling the drugs.”

Quattrone also was critical of how the county jail is being run, saying that the jail staff is an often overlooked component of the Sheriff’s Office they are currently experience low morale.

Gerace, meanwhile, highlighted his long-time record of improving the sheriff’s office, including improvements to the 911 central dispatch service, as well as working recently to reduce the number of inmates at the county jail.

When an audience member asked why there were two different drug task forces operating in the county, Gerace explained it had more to do with a decision by the Jamestown Police Department.

“The reason there are two task forces is because the Jamestown Police Department chose to withdraw from the [Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force].  At one time, when it was created under the late Sheriff John Bentley and then Sheriff [Jerry] Burrell in Cattaraugus County, it was a four county task force and all the agencies were involved, but there was funding. The state actually passed through funding from the federal government and that attracted law enforcement,” Gerace said. “But the reason we have two today, and its not because I want to and I’ve met with the Jamestown Police Chief and I’ve met with the mayor and we’ve met together, they chose to move and do their own thing. It’s not something where I can say, ‘You can’t do that.’  That was their choice.”

The candidates for NY Assembly during the Meet the Candidates forum on Tuesday night at JCC.

In the forum featuring the assembly candidates, challenger Judith Einach was straightforward, saying the only way residents in Chautauqua County would get more help and assistance from Albany is if they put a Democrat in office, because the Assembly is currently controlled by Democrats.

“I’ve been told by our lieutenant governor that I am correct: once we have a Democrat in that seat, resources will truly flow to this county. As we know many of the resources that been flowing to this county have been coming because, like it our not, we have a governor who’s been giving them to us,” Einach said.

However, Einach was unable to provide specific examples of what additional funding she could help secure or where it would come from when pressed by an audience member.

Meanwhile, Goodell focused on his effort to increase the business climate in New York State and Chautauqua County, while also working to reform the state’s welfare system so that those receiving social services from the state will only use the short-term.

“In my opinion the most urgent issue facing New York State is our need to be more competitive with our other states so we can build a stronger economy, have more job opportunities for all our friends, neighbors and our kids, and provide the foundation for job and population growth and a more prosperous community,” Goodell said, adding, “What can we do, though to help those that are less fortunate to get out of welfare? Sadly our system traps a lot of people in welfare.”

Both Goodell and Einach agreed that more needs to be done to help Jamestown Community College receive additional funding, especially with a decline in enrollment due to the recently enacted Excelsior Scholarship Program that provides free tuition to low income and middle class students. They also felt that the state needs to do more to help struggling dairy farmers.

The forum became most heated when the issue of women’s reproductive rights and abortion came up.  Goodell said there is no need to expand the abortion laws for the state that are currently in place and he is fighting new legislation that he said would increase the rate of late term abortions – even for healthy babies and mothers – all the way up to the  ninth month.  Einach said she is in full support of a woman’s right to make her own decisions regarding her own body.

Both forums will be broadcast in their entirety on WRFA on Thursday Nov. 1, beginning at 7pm and then posted on our website. You can also find and listen to recent episodes of Community Matters, which already features interviews with all four candidates.

Meanwhile, our next episode of Community Matters will feature our interviews with the candidates for congress – Tom Reed and Tracy Mitrano. It will air this Thursday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m., and then Sunday, Oct. 28 at noon.

The event, jointly sponsored by the Jamestown chapter of the American Association of University Women and the Political Science Department of Jamestown Community College, will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, in the Weeks Room at JCC.

During the event the audience will be able to question candidates for the Assembly, Republican incumbent Andrew Goodall and his Democrat challenger, Judy Einach, and also incumbent Democrat Sheriff Joseph Gerace and his Republican challenger, James Quattrone. Some of the candidates are sponsored by additional parties and will appear on more than one line on the ballot.

Time-keepers are strict about keeping the candidates’ statements brief so that many members of the audience can ask questions. Candidates are also encouraged to question one another in true debate form. The candidate events are free and open to the public.

A second Meet the Candidates event will also take place in the north county at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in the courtroom in Dunkirk City Hall.

James Quattrone

JAMESTOWN – The Chautauqua County Association of Chiefs of Police has endorsed James Quattrone for Sheriff of Chautauqua County. The Chiefs of Police Association represents the Chiefs of Police of Dunkirk, Ellicott, Fredonia, Jamestown, Lakewood-Busti, New York State University Police at Fredonia, and Westfield police departments.

“Chautauqua County residents and visitors deserve a community that they can feel safe and secure. It is only when agencies can collaborate and cooperate with each other that we will have these safe communities,” Quattrone said in a statement announcing the endorsement. “The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office needs to better utilize its current workforce and work with all police agencies – local, state, and federal to ensure the quality of life we deserve.”

“We must unify the county’s efforts on drug enforcement rather than having multiple drug task forces so that we can effectively remove those who are selling and dealing in the poison that is taking too many lives,” Quattrone added. “At the same time we need to work with our rehabilitation centers and peer advocacy networks to assist those who are fighting addictions and are seeking help.”

Quattrone is endorsed by both the Republican and Conservative Parties and is challenging Democrat and four-term incumbent Sheriff Joseph Gerace in the November elections.

Joseph Gerace

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace will be seeking re-election as sheriff of Chautauqua County.

First elected in 1994, Gerace is seeking his seventh consecutive term as sheriff under the Democratic Party line.

In a statement, Gerace said that since his first election to sheriff, his team of deputies, correction officers, 911 dispatchers and other staff have risen to every challenge presented to the office at the least possible cost to property taxpayers, and he’s asking voters to allow him to carry out the mission of the office for the next four years.

Gerace, a 39-year Sheriff’s Office veteran, holds a master’s degree in administration from Alfred University, a bachelor’s degree in Police Science from Mercyhurst College, and an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Jamestown Community College.

He has been extensively trained by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Gerace will likely square off against retired Chautauqua County Sheriff deputy James Quattrone, who announced in early March his intention to seek the Republican Party’s endorsement to run for Sheriff.

According to the Post-Journal, former sheriff’s office lieutenant James Quattrone announced his candidacy Tuesday during a meeting of the Chautauqua County Republican Committee.

Quattrone is retired from the sheriff’s office and currently serves as the executive director of the United Christian Advocacy Network – or UCAN – City Mission in downtown Jamestown.

He has not yet been endorsed by the county Republican committee and there is still the potential for other individuals to come forward and also seek the party’s endorsement for the office.

Meanwhile, Chautauqua County’s current sheriff, Democrat Joe Gerace, has not yet announced whether or not he intends to run for seventh term. He was first elected to the office in 1994.