The Chautauqua County Board of Elections’ website at votechautauqua.com provides the information who has filed petitions to run in the November 7 elections.

Some new names are in the filing, including Jamestown Democrat Travis Knight, who has filed to run against Republican incumbent Brent Sheldon for City Council Ward 1.

In County Legislature filings, Democrat Bob Whitney has filed petitions for another rematch against Republican Incumbent Dave Wilfong in Legislative District 11.

Republican incumbent Lisa Vanstrom in District 15 will be facing Democrat Kurt Gustafson.

Marcus Buchanan has filed petitions for the Democrat, Conservative, and Working Families lines to run against Republican Incumbent Kevin Muldowney in District 1.

Democratic incumbent Bob Bankoski will face Republican Dennis Welka in District 2.

Republican incumbent Bob Scudder will have an opponent with Democrat Nevin Ecklund submitting petitions for District 3.

A couple Republican incumbents in the County Legislature appear to have decided not to seek re-election. This includes Legislative District 16 representative John Davis and Legislative District 19 representative John Hemmer.

The candidates who have submitted petitions for those districts include Republican Dalton Anthony in District 16, and Republican Fred Johnson Sr. and Democrat Braiden McElhaney in District 19.

April 10 was the last day to file petitions for the primary.

April 18 is the last day to fill a vacancy after a candidate has declined to run with April 24 being the last day to authorize a substitution after a candidate declines to run.

April 18 is also the first day for folks seeking signatures for independent, or third party, petitions.

Chautauqua County Legislature meeting – March 23, 2022

A resolution regarding a Wastewater Surveillance Pilot Program passed 16 to 2 in the Chautauqua County Legislature Wednesday night.

Legislator and County Board of Health member Liz Rankin said the program is not mandated and the county had originally planned to use American Rescue Plan monies to fund doing it before the grant was received. She said the grant had already been accepted with the resolution on the agenda adopting a budget for the grant.

Rankin said she was voting yes not just to fulfill the grant obligations but also because she believed in what the grant supports, “The wastewater surveillance program is an early warning system for managing COVID and to give a community profile, give us a heads up, not to isolate and quarantine people, but to mobilize staff and resources, first responders, and long term care systems. Public health surveillance has been around for a very long time.”

Rankin added wastewater surveillance has been done for decades including being used in the 1940s for polio, in the 1980s for Hepatitis A virus and norovirus outbreaks, and in the 1990s as well, “We are not creating something new. We are folding in a technology that’s going to work for us now. This is a great opportunity for us to stay on top of public health trends. The samples are collected at publicly owned central treatment plants and not in neighborhoods and not at specific houses. We’re not targeting anyone in particular. It is planning for the community based on results.”

An amendment proposed by Legislator Tom Harmon added language that would limit the collection of wastewater samples to publicly owned wastewater treatment plants. The amendment also stated a spreadsheet report on the collections would be provided after the pilot program ended on July 31, 2022.

Legislators John Davis and Bob Scudder were the two no votes.

The legislature unanimously approved a $2 million grant from the State Department of Health to hire fellows to work with the County Health Department.

Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon said he spoke with an epidemiologist who lives in his district who worked on the creation of the fellowship program. He said the program was established six months into the pandemic when state and local counties realized they didn’t have enough health care workers to deal with the pandemic effectively, “So the concept was, how do we get more people involved in public health, trained in public health, educated in public health. So this was created as a means of encouraging people to become more educated in public health by putting them to work in fellowships working with public health departments in the counties, doing work on the ground, learning about public health.”

Chagnon said under the program, fellows will be employed by not-for-profit organizations and work for and at the direction of the County Health Department, “Not at the direction of the state at all. So, they’re there to help the county health department, public health department. And they’re there to learn and experience the public health field first hand so that they can become better educated about the practice of public health and also to encourage those who are interested in pursuing education in public health.”

Chagnon emphasized the concerns he’s heard about the fellows working for the state are misinformed.

The legislature also passed a resolution accepting a a $25,000 grant for the Chautauqua County Mental Hygiene Department‘s Mobile Crisis Unit. The grant is to be used for education and training; billing, equipment and electronic medical record expenses.

Chautauqua County Legislature

Following public comments over the last several months over concern about governmental overreach, the Chautauqua County Legislature passed a motion last night that calls on elected officials to act within the boundaries of the U.S. Constitution.

Legislator Bill Ward asked to table the motion due to wanting more clarity on what “kind of teeth” the motion has, but the tabling request did not receive a second to move forward.

Legislator John Davis, who was one of the sponsors of the motion along with Legislator Dan Pavlock and County Executive PJ Wendel, said each legislator has been sworn to uphold the Constitution, “It has become clear, in my opinion, especially during this Pandemic, that there are some elected officials at the state and federal levels who have used mandates to push the limits of their constitutional authority as they seek to achieve their own policy objectives. This motion serves as a reminder to all elected officials of their oath to uphold the Constitution.”

The motion passed 13 to 6.

A second motion asking New York State to consider alternative preventive procedures against COVID-19 transmission and infection for those healthcare workers who decline to get vaccinated also passed.

Legislator Bill Ward said if daily testing can be done for healthcare workers, that’s a step forward versus the current mandate, but he emphasized he endorses the vaccine for everyone who is eligible. He also expressed worry about the intent of the Legislature’s motion given that many constituents have said they want an ordinance versus a motion, “If this is a step towards moving us toward a county that disobeys the law, it’s not gonna happen. That has to happen in court. If you want to change a law you have to go to court. We can’t do this in this body we can’t do it certainly with a motion.”

Legislators Chuck Nazzaro, Terry Niebel, Christine Starks and Elisabeth Rankin also voiced that they support the COVID-19 vaccine but don’t want to see the healthcare industry unnecessarily burdened by requiring workers be vaccinated. The motion passed 17 to 2.

Under the local law, a child aged 12 or 13 must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or mentor in hunting deer with a bow, rifle, shotgun, or muzzle-loading firearm. The child also must have participated in a hunter education-safety course and have a hunter’s license.

Legislator John Davis said as an educator he sees firsthand the importance of training and teaching proper policy, techniques, and practices, “I think it’s very important for us to begin teaching individuals at a young age how to properly handle fire arms, how to properly hunt. And with the mentoring of seasoned hunters, as Legislator Pavlock indicated, I think that’s very important to have seasoned individuals teaching our youngsters how to properly hunt.”

As part of the local law, Chautauqua County will be entered into a Pilot Youth Deer Hunter Program with New York State.

The County Legislature also unanimously endorsed the 2021 Chautauqua Lake Memorandum of Understanding. This MOU replaces a two-year Memorandum of Agreement about the Lake that expired at the end of April.

Legislator Bill Ward spoke in favor of the MOU, saying it’s a document of hope and aspirations, and it’s being presented in an atmosphere where it could allow everyone to step back, “Because of the fact, perhaps, that there’s more science at work than ever before. We are in a situation where it is important to honor each other even if it’s just in a non-binding agreement.”

Ward added that sometimes the “hand shake across the fence” means more than the long drawn-out documents in the past.

County Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon announced at the end of last night’s meeting that starting in June, Legislature Committees and the full Legislature will resume meeting in person.

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.

Candidate petitions were submitted to the Chautauqua County Board of Elections last week and of the 19 seats that will be up for a vote, just seven have more than one candidate running.

JAMESTOWN AREA WILL FEATURE ONE CONTESTED RACE

In Jamestown, the lone contested race will be for District 12 on the north side of the city. Currently, Republican Elisabeth Rankin holds that seat and she is running for reelection. She will face Democratic challenger Margaret “Peg” Cornell.

All other candidates from the Jamestown area who serve on the county legislature are running unopposed. That includes the candidate for District 11, a seat currently held by Republican David Wilfong. Because Wilfong is running for mayor of Jamestown in this year’s election, the district 11 seat will be an open race. However, only Democrat and former county legislator Robert Whitney has submitted petitions to run for that seat. Whitney last served on the legislature in 2013, when he was defeated by Wilfong in that year’s election.

The other Jamestown-area seats all have incumbents running unopposed. They include Chuck Nazzaro, D-District 9 (Jamestown); Paul “PJ” Wendel, R-District 10 (Busti/Lakewood and Jamestown); Paul Whitford, D-District 13 (Jamestown); Daniel Pavlock, R-District 14 (Ellicott north of I-86, Gerry, Ellington, Charlotte/Sinclairville); Lisa Vanstrom, R-District 15 (Ellicott/Falconer, West Ellicott/Celoron); John Davis, R-District 16 (Carroll, Kiantone, Poland); and Frank Gould, R-District 17 (Busti, Harmony/Panama, Clymer, French Creek).

REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES SCHEDULED FOR DISTRICT 1 and DISTRICT 18

Other races of note include District 18 (Chautauqua/Mayville, Mina, Sherman), which is now an open seat after the untimely passing of Republican David Himelein. The two candidates running for that seat are Richard Syper and Bill Ward, both of Mayville. Both Ward and Syper and seeking the Republican party endorsement, meaning they will square off in the June 25 primary. Syper has also been endorsed by the conservative party, while Ward is the lone candidate for the Democratic, Independence, and Working families parties.

Another Republican Primary will take place in District 1 (Dunkirk), where current incumbent Kevin Muldowney (R) is being challenged for the party line by Ronald Hall. Muldowney has also been endorsed by the Independence party, while Hall has been endorsed by the Conservative party. Meanwhile, a third candidate – Phillip Collier – is the lone candidate for the Democratic and Working Families parties. That means regardless of how the Republican primary shakes out in that district, there will still likely be a three-way race come November.

Other contested races for the legislature will take place in District 3 (Pomfret/Fredonia) with incumbent Robert Scudder (R, C) facing challenger Christopher Schaeffer (D, I), in District 4 (Fredonia) with incumbent Christine Starks (D, I, WF) facing Melanie Mann (R, C), in District 5 (Arkwright, Cherry Creek, Sheridan, Villanova) with incumbent Terry Neibel (R, C, I) facing Jeffry Sayers (D, WF), and in District 6 (Hanover/Silver Creek/Forestville) with incumbent Kevin O’Connell (D, I, WF) facing Thomas Harmon (R, C).

The other four legislature incumbents running unopposed include Robert Bankowski, D-District 2 (Dunkirk); Mark O’Dell, R-District 7 (Chautauqua, Portland/Brockton, Stockton); Pierre Chagnon, R-District 8 (Ellery/Bemus Point, North Harmony), and John Hemmer, R-District 19 (Ripley, Westfield).

While the petition deadline has passed for candidate to get their name on the ballot for a specific party, it’s still not to late for the party to place a candidate on the ballot. Any party that currently doesn’t have a candidate listed for any office up for election can still file for an Opportunity to Ballot, or could circulate an Independent petition accompanied by mail, pointing out that the candidate is endorsed by the party.

The Grow Chautauqua Hops and Grains economic development project is something that County Executive George Borrello called for during his 2019 State of the County address in order to help local farmers who aren’t making enough money through traditional agriculture products.

“This initiative will create new opportunities for our farmers along with other new businesses involved in processing, distribution and marketing for these in-demand agricultural products,” Borrello noted in February. “It will allow our farmers to be part of creating a premium ‘Chautauqua Grown’ brand of high-quality products made right here with their crops. This is a big idea that has potential to be a game-changer for the future of agriculture and our economy.”

The effort would involve spending a total of $120,000 for a consultant, Chris LaCorata, to develop a feasibility study and plan to launch the coop – which Borrello said would be the first of its kind in the state.

LaCorata would personally cover $60,000 of the cost, with that the County and other local stakeholders covering the other $60,000. County development officials have already requested funding to come from local foundations, while the county itself would pitch in $20,000.

Once completed, the results of the study will be jointly owned by the Developer and the funding parties, along with the conditions and use of the study being agreed upon by the funding parties.

The vote to apply county tax payer money toward the project wasn’t unanimous with four legislators voting against it. They were Republicans John Hemmer (Westfield), John Davis (Frewsburg), Jay Gould (Ashville), and Daniel Pavlock (Sinclairville).

Locally in Jamestown, incumbent David Wilfong (R) defeated  challenger Frank Besse (D) in the District 11 race. Meanwhile in District 12, incumbent Elisabeth Rankin (R) defeated challenger Dave Reinhardt (D).

A complete list of legislative winners is provided below.

Meanwhile, in addition to 17 incumbents winning reelection, there were also two open seats up for a vote.

In District 16 – which includes the towns of Kiantone, Carroll, and Poland – John Davis (R-Frewsburg) defeated Terry Walker (D-Kennedy). That seat is currently held by Ron Lemon (R-Frewsburg) who did not seek reelection.

The closest legislative race of the night was in District 6, where Kevin O’Connell (D-Silver Creek) defeated Gary Cerne (R-Irving) 53 to 47 percent.

With the election day results, Democrats in the legislature will have picked up one seat on the legislature but will still be significantly outnumbered by nearly a 3 to 1 margin, with 14 Republican to just 5 Democrats.

Chautauqua County Legislature 2017 Election Results

District 1

• WINNER – Kevin Muldowney* (R– Dunkirk)
• James Palmatier (D-Dunkirk)

District 2 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Robert Bankoski* (D-Dunkirk)

District 3

• Robert Dando (D-Fredonia)
• WINNER – Robert Scudder* (R-Fredonia)

District 4 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Christine Starks* (D-Fredonia)

District 5 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Terry Niebel* (R-Dunkirk)

District 6

• Gary Cerne (R, Con, Ind – Irving)
• WINNER – Kevin O’Connell (D-Silver Creek)

District 7 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Mark O’Dell* (R-Brocton)

District 8

• WINNER – Pierre Chagnon* (R-Bemus Point)
• Jeri Ann Simora (D-Stow)

District 9 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Charles Nazzaro* (D-amestown)

District 10 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Paul “PJ” Wendel* (R-Lakewood)

District 11

• Frank Besse (D-Jamestown)
• WINNER – David Wilfong* (R-Jamestown)

District 12

• WINNER – Elisabeth Rankin* (R-Jamestown)
• Dave Reinhardt (D-Jamestown)

District 13 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Paul Whitford* (D-Jamestown)

District 14 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Dan Pavlock (R-Charlotte)

District 15 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Lisa Vanstrom* (R-Jamestown)

District 16

• WINNER – John Davis (R-Frewsburg)
• Terry Walker (D-Kennedy)

District 17 – Uncontested

• WINNER – Frank “Jay” Gould (R-Ashville)

District 18

• Ella Ames (D-Mayville)
• WINNER – David Himelein* (R-Findley Lake)

District 19

• Laurel Adams (D-Ripley)
• WINNER – John Hemmer* (R-Westfield)

George Borrello (left) and Michael Ferguson, the 2017 Candidates for Chautauqua County Executive

MAYVILLE – Election Day 2017 has arrived and by tonight most if not all the candidates around Chautauqua County will find out if they have been elected to public office.

BORRELLO VS. FERGUSON FOR COUNTY EXEC

The highlight of this local election year is the race for Chautauqua County Executive, which features George Borrello (R-Irving) and Mike Ferguson (D-Fredonia).

Borrello has touted his work as a private businessman and elected official on the Chautauqua County Legislature as reasons why residents should select him. Meanwhile, Ferguson has prided himself on being able to serve as a top administrator at a number of private and nonprofit operations, including a past GM of the Jamestown Jammers professional baseball team, the former GM of the Northwest Arena, a member of the county’s tourism board, and as current executive of the Fredonia Place skilled nursing facility.

• Listen to WRFA’s Community Matters’ Interview with Ferguson (Oct. 12)
• Listen to WRFA’s Community Matters’ Interview with Borrello (Sept. 28)

Larry Barmore (left) and LeeAnn Lazarony

BARMORE VS LAZARONY FOR COUNTY CLERK

Another county-wide election will feature the race for Chautauqua County Clerk, where incumbent Larry Barmore (R-Gerry) will square off against former Cassadaga Mayor LeeAnn Lazarony (D-Cassadaga).

• Listen to WRFA’s Community Matters’ Q&A with both Larry Barmore and LeeAnn Lazarony

COUNTY LEGISLATURE HAS NINE CONTESTED RACES

All 19 seats of the Chautauqua County Legislature are also up for a vote, but only nine of them feature contested races. The main focus will be to see if Democrats are able to cut into the Republicans Stronghold over the legislature, where currently the GOP outnumbers its counterparts 15 to 4.

In Jamestown there are two contested races for the Legislature.

In District 11, which is the northwest portion of the city, incumbent David Wilfong (R) who’s also the county GOP committee chair, is being challenged by local businessman Frank Besse (D).

In District 12, which covers the northeast portion of the city, incumbent Elisabeth Rankin (R) will face challenger Dave Reinhardt (D).

Another local race of interest features the open seat in District 16, which is currently held by Ron Lemon (R-Frewsburg). Lemon has opted not to run for reelection and as a result, that race will feature John Davis (R-Frewsburg) squaring off against Terry Walker of (D-Kennedy). District 16 covers the towns of Kiantone, Carroll, and Poland.

A map of the legislative districts for Chautauqua County.

Other contested races include:

District 8 – Towns of Ellery and North Harmony

• Pierre Chagnon* (R, Con, Ind – Bemus Point)
• Jeri Ann Simora (D, WF – Stow)

District 18 – Towns of Chautauqua, Mina and Sherman

• Ella Ames (D, Ind, WF, WEP – Mayville)
• David Himelein* (R, Con – Findley Lake)

District 19 – Towns of Ripley and Westfield

• Laurel Adams (D, WEP – Ripley)
• John Hemmer* (R, Con, Ind – Westfield)

District 1 – Dunkirk

• Kevin Muldowney* (R, Con, Ind – Dunkirk)
• James Palmatier (D-Dunkirk)

District 3 – Fredonia

• Robert Dando (D, WF, WEP – Fredonia)
• Robert Scudder* (R, Con, Ind – Fredonia)

District 6 – Hanover (Borrello’s current seat)

• Gary Cerne (R, Con, Ind – Irving)
• Kevin O’Connell (D, WF – Silver Creek)

Local legislators Paul Whitford (D), Chuck Nazarro (D), and Lisa Vanstrom (R) – all  of Jamestown – along with PJ Wendel (R) of Lakewood, are all running unopposed.

For more information on Election Day 2017, visit www.VoteChautauqua.com.

Polls opened at 6 a.m. and will remain open until 9 p.m.

This year’s election features races for several local offices, including County Executive, County Clerk, and all 19 seats in the Chautauqua County Legislature.

Already announced candidates include Republican George Borrello (Irving) and Democrat Mike Ferguson (Fredonia) running for the open seat of County Executive after Vince Horrigan announce at the start of this year he would not seek another term in office. Running for county clerk will be Republican incumbent Larry Barmore of Gerry, being challenged by Democrat LeeAnn Lazarony of Cassadaga.

10 out of 19 Legislature Seats Uncontested

A map of the legislative districts for Chautauqua County.

In addition to the two county-wide races, there will be nine contested races for in the 19-seat Chautauqua County Legislature, including two open seat races.

Contested races include:

• District 1 (Dunkirk) – Democrat Tommy Roque is facing Republican incumbent Kevin Muldowney;
• District 3 (Fredonia) – Democrat Robert Dando is facing Republican incumbent Bob Scudder;
• District 6 (Hanover) – Democrat Kevin O’Connell of Silver Creek is facing Republican Gary Cerne of Irving. The two are vying for the seat currently held by Borrello, who is running for County Executive;
• District 8 (Ellery and North Harmony) – Democrat Jeri Ann Simora of Stow is challenging Republican incumbent Pierre Chagnon of Bemus Point;
• District 11 (Jamestown) – Democrat Frank Besse is challenging Republican incumbent and County Republican Party Chair Dave Wilfong;
• District 12 (Jamestown) – Democrat Dave Reinhardt is challenging Republican incumbent Elisabeth Rankin;
• District 16 (Kiantone, Carrol, Poland) – Democrat and Poland Town Councilman Terry Walker of Kennedy is facing Republican John Davis of Frewsburg. The two are vying for the seat currently held by Republican Ron Lemon (Frewsburg) who has announced he will not seek reelection;
• District 18 (Chautauqua, Sherman, and Mina) – Independence Party member Ella Ames of Mayville is running on the Democratic ticket and is challenging Republican incumbent and Legislature Chairman David Himelein of Findley Lake;
• District 19 (Westfield and Ripley) – Democrat Laurel Adams of Ripley is challenging Republican incumbent John Hemmer of Westfield.

It appears 10 races will be uncontested this year.

The four incumbent Democratic legislators are all seeking re-election and are apparently not being opposed by Republicans. They include Minority Leader Chuck Nazzaro (District 9 – Jamestown) Assistant Minority Leader Bob Bankoski (District 2 – Dunkirk); Christine Starks (District 4 – Fredonia) and Paul Whitford (District 13 – Jamestown).

Six Republicans, including five incumbents, are also running unopposed. They are Terry Niebel (District 5 – Dunkirk), Mark O’Dell (District 7 – Brocton), Paul “PJ” Wendel (District 10- Lakewood), Lisa Vanstrom (District 15 – West Ellicott), and Frank “Jay” Gould (District 17 – Ashville).

Republican Dan Pavlock of Charlotte will be running unopposed in the open District 14 seat, which is being vacated by Republican Mark Tarbrake (Jamestown), who is vacating the seat due to moving out of the district. District 14 covers the Town of Ellicott north of I-86, along with the towns of Gerry, Ellington, and Charlotte.

Republicans currently hold at 15 to 4 majority in the legislature.