A small group of protesters gathered in Jamestown as part of a Reopen New York Rally on May 1 in front of Dow Park. Another rally is scheduled for Saturday, May 16 at noon. (Image / Kevin Mylett)

JAMESTOWN – Another Reopen NY rally is being planned for tomorrow in Jamestown.

Organizers say individuals will again meet in Dow Park at noon on Saturday, May 16 to continue to call for the ending of New York on Pause, which was put in place by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in mid March in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“Individuals will gather to urge our state, county, and local officials to honor their oaths to the Constitution and allow western New Yorkers to get back to work and their lives responsibly,” explained organizer and local resident Garrit Cain. “We will have residents ready to share with the press how their livelihoods have been negatively impacted by the NY on PAUSE/Shutdown.”

As part of his Forward New York plan, Gov. Cuomo announced at the start of this month that each of the state’s ten economic development regions are required to meet specific thresholds for seven different sets of criteria before a phased-in reopening can begin. Those metrics are based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. So far Western New York has yet to meet all of the criteria, while five other regions in the state have been given the green light to being reopening.

FLAWED REOPENING STRATEGY?

Cain said the strategy of reopening the Western New York based economic development region all at the same time is flawed because it ignores the difference between rural counties like Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties and the more heavily populated Erie and Niagara Counties.

“The data are clear that the virus is not impacting these regions equally. Therefore, we should have very different reopening strategies,” Cain said. He’s also pointing to recent comments from state and federal representatives who also favor a county-by-county reopening strategy.

“Our State legislative and US Congress representatives have all come out in support of a county-based reopening strategy despite the obstinacy of Governor Cuomo to keep the plan tied to arbitrary economic development regions,” Cain said – referring to a recent press conference held by Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning), State Senator George Borrello (R-Irving), and Assemblymen Andrew Goodell (R-Ellicott) and Joe Giglio (R-Gowanda). “These law makers have stopped just short of telling Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties to open in defiance of the State. Assemblyman Goodell made the boldest case saying, ‘Chautauqua County needs to open in a safe responsible manner now.'”

According to Borrello and Goodell, most local businesses in Chautauqua County have already developed and submitted reopening plans that detail safety measures they will enact to protect staff and customers.

“It’s time for our representatives -especially at the local and county level – to trust and support the people they were elected to represent. We are calling on them to be bold, stand up to the State, tell us we are free to get back to work responsibly,” Cain explained. “A localized strategy could include the County Health Departments signing off on business’s reopening plans and having business owners sign some sort of liability release for the County.”

“There will likely be pushback by the State but these potential consequences pale in comparison to the damage to lives and livelihoods that has occurred and will continue every day this shutdown drags on,” Cain Said. “We ask those brave legislators who spoke Tuesday, County Executive PJ Wendel, and municipal leaders to take that leap and assure us they have our backs if we go back to work with or without the blessing of the State.”

This is the third week in a row that such a rally is planned in Jamestown. The latest rally also comes as Lt. governor Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday that Western New York is not ready to reopen after the region experienced another setback and is no longer meeting the criteria for new hospitalizations.

The order was put in place in March to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. But as a result, it’s also forced a spectrum of businesses to close operations while many other have had to make adjustments.  Activities and routines also taken for granted – such as socializing, attending church services, children playing on area playgrounds, and group sports have also been put on hold.

Locally, a Reopen New York rally is planned for 3 p.m. Friday at Jamestown’s Dow Park.

Area resident and 2019 Libertarian candidate for County Legislature Gerrit Cain is helping to organize the event. He said in a media release that his group understands and takes the COVID-19 virus seriously, but doesn’t believe that it is prudent, effective, or constitutional to have the government determine which businesses are and are not essential.

“We are concerned with the effects of the PAUSE and its associated shutdowns on livelihoods, mental health, and the overall well being of society at large,” Cain stated. “It is clear to us that there is a wide spectrum of views on how quickly to reopen, what to reopen and how. We believe that with clear information from regional and local health care experts, people should be free to live their lives and do business in a responsible manner. Likewise, we believe that societal and market forces can and will steer behavior and policies toward wise and prudent decisions in terms of the ‘how’ we reopen and restart our lives better than sweeping government mandates.”

Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings has said the city is monitoring the situation.

“We’re aware of it. We are working with the state police and they are monitoring social media so we can at least get a feel for what the potential crowd could look like, but for now we’re kind of in a wait-and-see,” Snellings said during the Jamestown City Council’s April 20 work session.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist also noted during the same meeting that while a special event permit to hold the rally isn’t necessary, it still could result in a violation of the governor’s executive order, which bans groups of people from meeting.

“There wouldn’t be any [amplified] sound or things like that so a permit wouldn’t be necessary. However, there is an executive order banning all social gatherings. A gathering of individuals of any size up until May 15 is still not permitted under the governor’s executive order. Anyone who violates that can be assessed a fine of up to $1,000,” Sundquist said.

The mayor reiterated his comment about how such an event could be a violation of the governor’s executive order during a Facebook Town Hall Q&A session on Thursday.

But Cain said the group intends for the rally to be a peaceful and respectful demonstration abiding by physical distancing.

“Participants will either remain in their vehicles or walk the sidewalks around Dow Park while maintaining an appropriate distance from one another. We will be carrying signs and likely singing some patriotic songs during the event. At no time do we intend to gather in a concentrated group,” said Cain.

WRFA also recently talked with NY Senator for District 57 and former Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello and asked him his thoughts about these types of rallies taking place in New York State and around the country.

“I would encourage those folks to practice social distancing and to protect themselves, because we don’t know all the details (about COVID-19) and don’t have enough data,” Borrello said. “But I understand the impact and I agree there are serious constitutional questions to what is going on right now.”

Andrew Liuzzo

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown city councilman who was unable to secure the Republican party’s nomination as a candidate for mayor in June may still appear on the November election ballot.

Members of the Chautauqua County Libertarian Party held their monthly meeting last week in Bemus Point and nominated several additional local candidates for the 2019 general election.

Among those who were chosen was Andrew Liuzzo for mayor of Jamestown. Liuzzo, who is currently a first-term city councilman at large, lost to Chautauqua County legislator David Wilfong in the Republican party primary last month.

While campaigning as a Republican candidate for mayor, Liuzzo had said that he would not be seeking any other party’s endorsement because he didn’t want to split the Republican ticket in November.

“I will not seek or accept another party line nor will I pursue an independent line. If I am not your choice I will not risk splitting the vote to let the opposition party win,” Liuzzo wrote on his Facebook page on May 4.

However, following the Libertarian party’s announced nomination, Liuzzo said he would have to consider the endorsement.

“I’m grateful for the endorsement from the Libertarian party and thankful for the support I’ve received since they made their announcement. I will take the next couple of days to discuss it with my family before I make a decision,” Liuzzo wrote on his Facebook page on July 13.

As of Monday morning he has not yet announced if he planned to accept the nomination.

In addition to Wilfong, the other mayoral candidate is Jamestown attorney Eddie Sundquist. Wilfong is also running under the Conservative party line n the ballot, while Sundquist is running under the Working Families and Independence lines on the ballot.

Current Mayor Sam Teresi, a Democrat, had announced in February he wouldn’t be seeking a sixth term in office.

Raven Mason Thompson

In addition to choosing Liuzzo as its candidate for Jamestown Mayor, the Libertarian party is also selecting Raven Mason Thompson as its only candidate for Jamestown City Council At Large. Mason Thompson had ran against Tony Dolce in the June Republican Primary for City Council Ward 2 – but was defeated.

The Libertarian party is also endorsing Dolce for Ward 2, along with Brittnay Spry for Ward 4. Both those two are also the endorsed Republican candidates for those respective offices.

Other Libertarian Party endorsements that came out of last week’s meeting include:

• Rudy Mueller for Busti Town Supervisor,
• Russell Payne for Carroll Town Supervisor,
• Dennis Welka for Dunkirk City Council Ward 1,
• Daniel Heitzenrater for Ellicott Town Council Ward 4,
• Susan Baldwin for Villenova Town Council,
• John Dudley Robinson for Villenova Town Council,
• Ron Hall for Chautauqua County Legislator District 1,
• Christopher Schaeffer for Chautauqua County Legislator District 3,
• Terry Niebel for Chautauqua County Legislator District 5,
• and Bill Ward for Chautauqua County Legislator District 18.

Previous the party had already nominated Gerrit Cain for Chautauqua County Legislator District 16 and Ryan Sanders for Sherman Village Trustee. Other potential candidates will be voted upon in August.

The local Libertarian party has a deadline of Sept. 1 to announce its candidates for the November election instead of having an April deadline like other established parties. That’s because the Libertarian is a “start-up party” and is given more time to select candidates after receiving at least 50,000 votes during last year’s gubernatorial election.

Gerrit Cain

KENNEDY – The Chautauqua County legislative district that includes the town of Carroll, Kiantone and Poland will have a contested race in November.

Libertarian Candidate Gerrit Cain (L-Poland) has announced his intention to challenge incumbent legislator John Davis (R-Frewsburg) in his bid for District 16 of the Chautauqua County Legislature. The announcement by Cain came after he was unanimously approved as a candidate by the Chautauqua County Libertarian Party, where he serves as secretary.

Cain is a Randolph, NY native and attended Jamestown Community College, graduating from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2004. He currently works as a quality technician for a beverage manufacturing facility in Chautauqua County.

“My campaign will focus on reducing the size and cost of government and increasing the ability of individuals and businesses to grow and innovate,” Cain said in a media release. “Despite the burden of State regulations and mandates, I believe the county can do more to hold the line and even reduce taxes by finding new ways to fund and facilitate projects in the county. I believe there is still a good chunk of
unnecessary spending we can eliminate from the county budget.”

Cain also said he would like to see the legislature work with local municipalities to making zoning and permitting laws more uniform form town to town to favor “entrepreneurship, business growth, and personal freedom.”

“This race is bigger than a single county district. It has potential to be an historic starting point for a much need shift in the political landscape at all levels of government from a broken two-party system to one where there is a viable third party with fresh innovative ideas,” Cain said.

Cain is the first libertarian candidate to come forward in the 2019 local elections in Chautauqua County. He will appear on the ballot after the Libertarian Party secured statewide ballot access following the 2018 elections and the strong showing by gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe – who received almost 80,000 votes state wide.

There was no candidate selected by Democrats to run in District 16, making it a two-way race between Davis and Cain.  In addition to the Republican Party, Davis has also been endorsed by the Conservative and Independence Parties.