David Himelein

FINDLEY LAKE – A member of the Chautauqua County Legislature and former Chairman has passed away.

Findley Lake resident David Himelein (R-District 18) died on Friday due to health issues.

Himelein joined the legislature via appointment to the District 21 seat in 2010 and was first elected in 2011. He also held onto a seat in the legislature following the redistricting of 2013, which combined his district with another to create District 18, which covers the towns of Mina, Sherman and Chautauqua Lake. During that year’s election he had to run in a primary against fellow legislator and Republican Fred Croscut, who he defeated via a primary.   In 2016 and 2017 he served as chairman of the Legislature.

In addition to the legislature, he was also a life member and past Chief of the Findley Lake Fire Department, a member and previous chairman of the Chautauqua County Fire Chiefs Association, a member and previous chairman of the Chautauqua County Fire Advisory Board, a member of the NYS Fire Chiefs Association, a member of the Olive Lodge #575 Masons of Sherman, the Eastern Stars of Sherman, and served on the Mina-Findley Lake Historical Society.

With Himelein’s passing, the legislature will be down to 18 members. It’s not known if the seat will be filled before the November election, but that is an option for the legislature’s vacancy committee.

Himelein was part of a crowded field of candidates running in District 18 this year. Not only did he file a petition for reelection, but there were two others who also filed as Republican. The other two are Richard Syper and William Ward – who’ve both submitted petitions to run for that party. Ward is also the lone Democratic Candidate.

Meanwhile, the funeral for Himelein will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at the Findley Lake United Methodist Church, 2862 N. Rd, Findley Lake, NY 14736. The Rev. David Cooke will officiate. Burial will be in the Mina Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9th at the Freay Funeral Home in Mayville, 139 S. Erie St., where an Eastern Stars service will be held at 7:30 p.m. To leave a remembrance or to post condolences to the family, please visit freayfuneralhome.com.

According to an article in today’s post journal, a postcard has been mailed out to residents in the Sherman area, urging them to write-in the name of Fred Croscut for the District 18 seat. Croscust the Sherman legislator who lost the September Republican primary to David Himelein of Findley Lake.  The two currently serve on the legislature but due to the downsizing of the panel, were put into the same district.

With the victory in the primary, Himelein advanced to face Democratic candidate Ed Carutis of Sherman. But a postcard urging voters to write-in Fred Croscut’s name has been circulating in the Sherman area, although no one has come forward to claim responsibility. Croscut himself has said he has nothing to do with the postcard and is supporting Himelein in the race.

However, a successful write-in campaign could split the republican vote in the district, and open the door for a victory for the Carutis and the Democratic party.

The head of the county GOP committee is urging his party members in District 18 to disregard the postcard and support the candidate who’s name appears on the ballot.

In the Legislative District 16 Republican primary, which includes the towns of Carroll, Poland and Kiantone, Ron Lemon of Frewsburg received a total of 108 votes. His opponent, Tami Downey of Kiantone had 106 votes.

The winner for the democratic ticket in Legislature District 5 was Susan Baldwin of South Dayton. She finished with a total of 76 votes. Her opponent, Amy Farnham of Forestville, had 72 votes.

The winner of the third legislative primary race, between Republicans David Himelein and Fred Croscut, was determined Sept. 10 with Himelein getting the victory.

Highlighting today’s primary are three legislative races. They include a Democratic primary in legislative district 5, where Susan Baldwin of South Dayton will face Amy Farnham of Forestville.

There will also be two key republican primaries scheduled to take place. In Legislative District 16 former legislator Tami Downey of Kiantone will face former legislator and former county legislature clerk Ron Lemon of Frewsburg. In Legislative District 18, David Himelein of Clymer will face Fred Croscut of Sherman. Both men currently sit on the legislature but because of redistricting and downsizing the legislature, they now share the same district.

In addition to the legislative district primaries, several towns will have contested party races.  In the south county, half-a-dozen towns will be hosting a republican primary for various offices. They include the towns of Carroll, Gerry, Kiantone, Poland and Sherman. Also the town of Chautauqua is having a republican primary in all districts except district 4.  Also in the town of Chautauqua, there will be a Working Families primary in District 4.

In order to determine current major party affiliation and registration, visit www.votechautauqua.com and click on “voter lookup.” Residents can also contact the Board of Elections.

Ballots for viewing and election night unofficial results are available at: www.votechautauqua.com.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

BEMUS POINT – Chautauqua County’s representative in Congress says he wants to help improve the health of Chautauqua County’s greatest resource. On Friday, Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) was in Bemus Point announcing his effort to take action to improve water quality in Chautauqua Lake and offer financial assistance to the community toward cleanup efforts.

Reed said he has drafted legislation known as the Impaired Waters Improvement Act, which he says will provide grant opportunities to communities affected by an inundation of phosphorus in local waterways. Locally, the bill will help all communities around Chautauqua Lake address the long-term costs associated with the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) of phosphorus and meet water quality needs.

In 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accepted the TDML submitted by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for phosphorus in Chautauqua Lake and local officials soon learned the lake’s TMDL requires costly improvements to local water systems.

Funding for the grants will be raised through revenue gained from penalties imposed under the Clean Water Act, with the aim of helping communities meet water quality requirements without introducing any new spending.

Joining Reed on Friday in making the announcement was Assemblyman Andy Goodell (R-Chautauqua), County Executive Greg Edwards (R-Jamestown), County Legislators Fred Croscut (R-Sherman) and Vince Horrigan (R-Bemus Point), and Bemus Point Mayor Bryan Dahlberg.

According to a report in today’s Buffalo News, the county lawmakers from across Upstate New York have called the new law everything from an infringement on Second Amendment rights to legislation stacked with costly state-imposed mandates.

Opposition to the law, which pollsters say has contributed to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent noticeable drop in poll ratings, appears only to be intensifying the emotional debate over gun control.

The New York State Rifle and Pistol Association – which is affiliated with the National Rifle Association – says the issue will not go away and is set to file a lawsuit in the next 10 days challenging the new law. The lawsuit will come about the same time as a rally next Thursday in Albany that organizers say could draw thousands.

The Chautauqua County Legislature will vote on a motion calling for the repeal of the law, which is sponsored by Fred Croscut (R-Sherman) during its monthly voting session next Wednesday night.

There are currently 450 miles of groomed trails spanning across Chautauqua County and each trailhead is nestled among service stations, restaurants, and accommodations so riders never have to venture far from the trails for amenities. The trails are usually open from late December to late March and take riders across scenic terrain from rolling foothills, to open meadows and forest lands. 

Snow Goer, a Plymouth, Minn. based magazine, covers everything in the world of snowmobiling from product reviews, technology updates, how-to-tips, trails, and snowmobile racing. The article on Chautauqua County will appear in a future issue of the publication.