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.

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The forum was featured on WRFA’s Community Matters Program the following week.

Candidates for Jamestown City Council attend the League of Women Voters’ Meet the Candidates Forum on Oct. 22, 2015.

In addition, we’ll hear from Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi, as we share with you his budget update he gave to the Jamestown City Council during its Oct. 1 work session. The mayor will unveil his official 2013 budget proposal next Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. in City Hall.

Finally, we will have a brief conversation with Ken Hardley as he talks about a free meditation workshop given by Tibetan Lama Anam Thubten, set to take place next Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2012 at Jamestown Community College.

Community Matters airs tonight at 6 p.m. and will replay on Sunday at noon on WRFA-LP 107.9 FM.

During testimony last week, lawmakers heard testimony from environmentalists who say the lack of a health assessment for high-volume hydraulic fracturing by the state Department of Environmental Conservation indicates the state is not ready to approve the controversial process of drilling for natural gas.

Hydraulic fracturing involves pumping a water, sand and chemical mixture underground to split up bedrock containing natural gas. Opponents of the process say it could contaminate groundwater, pollute air, expose radioactive rock layers or cause earthquakes. Proponents say it would create jobs and boost the state’s economy.

Josh Fox, who is the director and star of “Gasland” – a documentary investigating the impact of hydraulic fracturing across America – testified and said he is concerned the DEC will attempt to rush through the thousands of letters and public comments sent to them addressing the proposed fracking regulations. He’s also stated that wherever the gas industry operates, groundwater is contaminated.

Other groups that have come out against hydrolic fracking are the Food & Water Watch’s New York chapter, the New York League of Women Voters, the Tompkins County Legislature and officials from the town of Otsego – both of which have banned hydraulic fracturing.