George Borrello

ALBANY – The GOP Primary race for the 57th State Senate District wasn’t very close.

Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello defeated Allegany County Legislature chairman Curt Crandall Tuesday by a marigin of 28%. According to the New York state Board of Elections, of the 11,700 votes cast across the district, Borrello picked up 7,453.

Borrello also picked up 4500 votes in Chautauqua County alone, while Crandall was only able to gain about 400 votes here. Borrello also beat Crandall in two out of the three other counties in the district. Crandall did easily win in his home county, where he won 1566 to 459.

Borrello will now face Democratic candidate Austin Morgan of Cattaraugus County in November’s general election.

The 57th Senate District seat was vacated earlier this year when Republican Cathy Young resigned in March to take a job at Cornell. The district covers Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, and a portion of Livingston counties.

George Borrello (left) and Curt Crandall

The Chautauqua County Board of Elections says a total of 25,500 Republican voters are eligible to vote in today’s Primary for the 57th NYS Senate District – with candidates George Borrello, the current Chautauqua County executive, and Curt Crandall, the chair of the Allegany County Legislature, squaring off.

The Senate district includes Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany and part of Livingston Counties. There are 64,000 active Republican voters eligible to vote across the district.

Borrello was elected Chautauqua County executive in 2017 after spending eight years in the Chautauqua County Legislature, representing his home area of Hanover. Crandall is a long-time member member of the Allegany County Legislature and has served as its chair for the past 14 years.

Sen. Cathy Young was reelected to office in November 2018, but when she announced she was resigning from her seat in late February of this year, it meant that a special election would have to take place to fill that seat. As a result, the Republican party chairs for each of the four counties that comprise the 57th district (Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Livingston) met in early March to select their candidate and it was Borrello, with only the Republican Party chair from Allegany County selecting Crandall.

When Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not set a special election date to fill the vacated seat, the special election date was set for this coming November’s general election. That gave Crandall an opportunity to challenge Borrello’s endorsement and force a primary.

Borrello is also the endorsed candidate for the Conservative Party.

• LISTEN: WRFA INTERVIEWS GEORGE BORELLO AND CURT CRANDALL

Andrew Liuzzo (left) and David Wilfong

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR JAMESTOWN MAYOR

An estimated 3800 Republicans will be choosing their candidate for mayor to appear on the ballot for the November general election.

The two candidates who will appear on today’s republican party ballot are City Councilman at Large Andrew Liuzzo and Chautauqua County Legislator David Wilfong. Liuzzo was first elected to the Jamestown City Council in the 2017 election, while Wilfong was first elected to the County Legislature in 2013. He’s also the current chair of the Chautauqua County Republican Committee.

In February, Wilfong became the endorsed candidate of the Jamestown Republican Committee. But Liuzzo was able to force a primary by collecting an overwhelming number of petition signatures from registered Republicans living within the city.

Wilfong is also the endorsed candidate for the Conservative Party.

• LISTEN: WRFA INTERVIEWS ANDREW LIUZZO AND DAVID WILFONG

Tony Dolce and Raven Mason Thompson

CANDIDATES FOR CITY COUNCIL – WARD 2

There’s also a Republican primary for Jamestown City Council Ward 2 – with incumbent Tony Dolce being challenged by newcomer Raven Mason Thompson.

Dolce is the city Republican committee’s endorsed candidate, having served on the city council since 1999. This is Mason Thompson’s first attempt at running for public office.

• LISTEN: WRFA INTERVIEWS TONY DOLCE AND RAVEN MASON THOMPSON

OTHER LOCAL PRIMARIES

Other local primaries for the Republican Party include Carroll Town Supervisor and Town Clerk, Charlotte Town Council (Vote for 2), and Kiantone Town Supervisor. Also, Republicans have County Legislature primaries in Legislative District 1 in Dunkirk and Legislative District 18, covering the Mayville area, along with the towns of Mina and Findley Lake.

There are no primaries scheduled for the Democrats in Chautauqua County. However, a few third party primaries will be taking place in other areas of the county outside of Jamestown.

Polls are open Noon to 9 p.m.

Election officials say the busiest times to avoid will be Noon to 1 p.m. and in the evening during the dinner hour. All county poll sites will be open.

Results for all races will be posted online tonight at the website VoteChautauqua.com for local races and at Elections.NY.gov for 57th Senate district-wide results.

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE

Originally airing Thursday, June 20, 2019

WRFA’s Jason Sample talks with Republican Candidates for State Senate George Borrello and Curtis Crandall. The two will square off in a GOP Primary on Tuesday, June 25 to determine who will represent the party in the 2019 November General Election for the 57th Senate District.

• [RELATED] April 2019 Interview with George Borrello, Republican Candidate for State Senate
• [RELATED] March 2019 Interview with Curtis Crandall, Republican Candidate for State Senate

The race is taking place due to former Republican Senator Cathy Young leaving office in early March 2019.

Andrew Liuzzo

JAMESTOWN – About 3800 registered Republicans will be eligible to vote in this year’s June 25 Republican Primary for mayor, featuring current Jamestown City Councilman (at Large) Andrew Liuzzo and current Chautauqua County County Legislator (District 11) David Wilfong.

But those who are planning to vote will do so without having the opportunity to hear the two candidates square off to discuss and debate the issues. That’s because Liuzzo declined any invites that involved a forum where both he and Wilfong would be present.

In early April WRFA invited both candidates to participate in debate that would be hosted and broadcast by our radio station prior to June 25. Wilfong accepted the invite but Liuzzo declined, saying he would rather focus on running his campaign.

In an interview last week with WRFA, Liuzzo offered further details on why he didn’t want to debate Wilfong before June 25.

“I’m very accessible to the public. I’m a servant and I see myself as a servant. In order for me to sit down and have a debate with a primary opponent is premature. I’d be willing to debate the candidate once I become an [endorsed] candidate. I will share my views as opposed to the opposing candidates views. But in a primary, our records speak to what they speak for,” Liuzzo said when asked about not doing a debate.

David Wilfong

WRFA also spoke with Wilfong about the lack of a debate prior to the primary. He didn’t mix words in offering his reaction.

“As far as Andy not wanting to debate, he’s either afraid or he’s a little arrogant. I think it’s a little bit of both,” Wilfong said. “I can’t see what it would hurt for us to sit down in front of a group of people and kind of discuss the issues. I’ve had to do it before as a county legislator. I actually think it’s one of my strong points. But he’ll have to answer to the voters on that. I’m not going to try and put words in his mouth or make up answers for him.”

WRFA has also learned at least one other local media outlet – WNY News Now – also invited the two candidates to participate in a debate, but Liuzzo respectfully declined that invitation as well.

As indicated earlier, Liuzzo has said that he would be willing to debate any and all candidates for mayor prior to the November General Election. Jamestown attorney Eddie Sundquist is the endorsed candidate for the Democratic, Independence, and Working Families parties. Wilfong is the endorsed candidate for the Conservative Party. So far there is not a candidate for the Libertarian Party, which has until the end of August before it has to name a candidate.

It’s not uncommon for two candidates vying for the same party endorsement to square off in a debate or similar “meet the candidates” forum prior to a primary. We see it on the national level when it comes to the office of president, as well as for Congress – as we witnessed in 2018 when five different Democratic candidates were vying for the party’s endorsement to run against Congressman Tom Reed in the 23rd Congressional District.

And the Chautauqua County League of Women votes will be hosting the two Republican candidates for  state senate during a forum Monday night, June 16 at Dunkirk City Hall. Those candidates are Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello and Allegany County Legislature Chairman Curtis Crandall. Both men will also be interviewed on WRFA for this week’s Community Matters program.

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.

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN VIA SOUNDCLOUD

Originally airing Thursday, March 28, 2019

WRFA’s Jason Sample talks with Curtis Crandall, chairman of the Allegany County Legislature and Republican candidate for the New York State Senate’s 57th District.

Curt Crandall

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.