• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council held a work session Monday night and during the meeting Jamestown Police Chief and Public Safety Director Harry Snellings spent time going deeper into the city’s 2017 crime rate report, which he first reported on during the council’s Jan. 22 work session.

Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings provides additional details regarding crime statistics in the city of Jamestown to the Jamestown City Council during its Feb. 12 work session, following a published local commentary critical of an initial report delivered in January.

Snellings said a recent analysis on the crime statistics that was printed in the Jamestown Post-Journal over the weekend gave some skewed and/or misleading information that could lead to confusion in the community. That analysis was entitled “Making Sense Of Jamestown Crime Statistics” and was contributed by city resident Michael Laurin, who ran for city council at large last November but failed to win election.

• PJ Local Commentary: Making Sense of Jamestown Crime Statistics

Laurin was critical of Snellings’ Jan. 22 report to the full council, in which he said that Part 1 Index Crimes in the city were at a 25-year low in 2017.  Specifically, Laurin said that reporting solely on part 1 Index Crimes is a very simplistic and incomplete representation of crime in Jamestown.

Chief Snellings clarified Monday night some of the details about his January presentation.

“What I said, almost verbatim, was that that was a snapshot of what is going on here,” Snelling said, adding that he also provided more information to the city council in addition to the 2017 Part 1 Index Crime document. “The other document that I provided to the public safety committee that night was the 2017 year-in-review GIVE briefing, and I also emailed it to the rest of the council members that night. And one of the things that is covered in this, again, is the Part 1 crime index comparisons, a detail of calls for service by week, and we provided maps that showed the concentration of incidents within our city.”

• Index Crime Handout [PDF]

Snellings also stated in his initial Jan. 22 report to the council that the JPD’s full 2017 Annual Report, which would be taking a deeper dive at the numbers, would be finished in February and posted on the city website.

Laurin also said that the city has an average of 2 officers for every 1,000 residents, which is below the state average of 3 officers per 1,000. Chief Snellings said that the International Association of Chiefs of Police doesn’t feel the ratio is an accurate indicator of law enforcement service.

“I guess the key point I’ll make with that and one of the key things with the article, and I agree with the IACP, they clearly state that ratios such as officer per thousand population are totally inappropriate as a basis staffing decision. I agree with that because every community is unique and every community is different. We face different issues and to try to staff your police department solely on population is just wrong and I think it’s ineffective.”

• 2016 Officers per 1,000 Residents by Region

Another ratio Laurin offered that Snellings felt was misleading was that Jamestown had 46 sworn officers, and that if all 46 of those officers responded to one of the 30,747 incidents reported, they would have individually responded to 669 incidents in 2016.

• JPD 2017 Call for Service Detailed Report [PDF]

Snelllings clarified this by saying that the city police department actually has 60 officers on the force, with two more expected to be added soon.  He also said that a number of the incidents that are counted are self-initiated by officers as part of their duties.

“Our officers are extremely busy. You’re not going to hear me say that they’re not, but another agency here in Chautauqua County, based on his analysis and to give you some comparison here, is that the city of Dunkirk has 37 officers, 27 assigned to patrol, and based on their call for service numbers for 2016 they’re officers responded to 960 incidents per officer.”

Chief Snellings did say that although he doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on the ratio, he also believes the police department could use more officers and has requested additional officers in each year’s budget submissions but due to financial constraints the mayor and city council have been unable to accommodate those requests.

The Chautauqua County Board of Elections counted absentee and affidavit ballots on Monday, with the only change being Andrew Liuzzo and Vanessa Weinert – the two newcomers to the city council – changing position among the top three vote-getters.

Following the counting of additional ballots, incumbent Kim Ecklund continued to receive the most votes at 2,430 votes, an increase of 132. In second-place was Liuzzo, with 2,075, an increase of 123. In third place was Weinert with 2,063 votes, an increase of 109. Rabb received 1,959 votes, an increase of 105 – while candidate Bob Whitney received 1,745 votes, an increase of 95; and Michael Laurin received 1,985, an increase of 122 votes.

The two new city council members will be sworn into office during the first city council meeting of 2018.

“As the dust from election night settles, the Chautauqua County Board of Elections has determined that we have four races are too close to call,” reported Norm Green in an email sent out to the media on Wednesday afternoon.

Initially near the end of Election Night, Green had told WRFA that there were no races in Jamestown too close to call, but added on Wednesday that was said “at first blush.”

In the Jamestown City Council at Large race, four candidates are separated by just 100 votes, with 446 absentee ballots issued and 230 returned so far.

The race featured a total of six candidates vying for three seats. On election Night, incumbent Kim Ecklund (R) received 2,298 votes, far above any other candidate.

However, the next two candidates were newcomers Vanessa Weinert (D) and Andrew Liuzzo (R), who were only separated by two votes on election night. Weinert recieved 1,954 votes and Liuzzo getting 1,952 votes. The next highest vote total went to Michael Laurin (R), with 1,863, following by incumbent and current city council president Greg Rabb (D), who received 1854 votes. Robert Whitney (D) finished sixth with 1650.

With only 100 votes separating the no. 2 candidate from the no. 5 candidate – and with there being 446 absentee ballots sent out, election officials feel it is necessary to declare the race “Too Close to Call” and await the opening of all absentee ballots that come in.

However, Green does add that while it’s mathematically possible, it’s also a near impossibility the top 3 candidates will change, except for the possibility of the no. 2 candidate (currently Weinert) and the no. 3 candidate (currently Liuzzo) switching positions.

The three other Chautauqua County races that are too close to call are for the Ellington Town Council, the Hanover Town Justice, and Sherman Village Trustee races.

All absentee ballots will be opened and counted on Monday, Nov. 20.

Results from Election Night for all races in Chautauqua County can be found online at VoteChautauqua.com.

Vanessa Weinert (left) and Andrew Liuzzo

JAMESTOWN – There will be two new members on the Jamestown City Council.

In the city council at large race, the candidates who received the three highest vote totals were incumbent Kim Ecklund (R), followed by newcomers Vanessa Weinert (D) and Andrew Liuzzo (R).

Ecklund received 2298 votes. Weinert and Liuzzo were only separated by two votes on election night, with Weinert getting 1954 and Liuzzo getting 1952. The next highest vote total went to Michael Laurin (R), with 1863, following by incumbent and current city council president Greg Rabb (D), who received 1854 votes.  Robert Whitney (D) finished sixth with 1650.

There are still 446 absentees were sent out, with 230 returned so far, but Chautauqua County Election Commissioner Norman Green tells WRFA that none of the local races from Election Night – including the city council at large races – are too close to call and the results will most likely stand.

In the two other contested city council races, incumbents Tony Dolce of Ward 2 and Marie Carrubba of Ward 4 each won reelection, defeating Joe Scapallitte and Richard Elardo, respectively.

With the loss of Rabb and the addition of Liuzzo, the city council will now be comprised of 5 Democrats and 4 Republicans when it begins its new term on Jan. 1, 2018.

For Jamestown City Council at-large,  the candidates are Republican incumbent Kim Ecklund along with Republican newcomers Michael Laurin and Andrew Luzzo. On the Democratic side, incumbent and current council president Greg Rabb is running again, along with Democratic newcomer Vanessa Weinert. Also running for an at large seat is Democrat Robert Whitney, who had previously served on the Chautauqua County Legislature.

• Q&A with Jamestown City Council Candidates: Part 1
• Q&A with Jamestown City Council Candidates: Part 2

Because at-large councilman George Spitale, a Democrat, has opted not to run for reelection, there will be at least one new member on the city council.

The two contested ward races on the city council are in Wards 2 (north side) and Ward 4 (west side).

Ward 2

– Anthony Dolce* (R)
– Joseph Scapelitte (D)

• Q&A with Jamestown Ward 2 City Council Candidates

Ward 4
– Marie Carrubba* (D)
– Richard Elardo (R)

City council members who are running for reelection unopposed are:

Ward 1
– Brent Sheldon (R)

Ward 3
– Victoria James (D)

Ward 5
– Maria Jones* (D)

Ward 6
– Thomas Nelson* (D, WF)

There is no mayoral race this year. The next mayor race in the city is set to take place in 2019.

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.

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi

JAMESTOWN – Mayor Sam Teresi is clarifying his involvement in the distribution of a campaign mailer (shown at the end of this report) that took place last weekend focusing on two candidates for Jamestown City Council at-large and questing their loyalty to the city.

According to the mayor, the Jamestown Democratic Committee created a campaign mailer targeting candidates Michael Laurin and Andrew Liuzzo due to their opposition to the Annexation of the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities substation property on Dow St. in Falconer.

In September the city council voted unanimously in favor of the annexation, saying it would serve in the best interest of the city while also saving the BPU money because it would eliminate tax payments to Falconer, Ellicott, and the Falconer School District. The annexation was unanimously voted down by both Ellicott and Falconer officials. The matter is waiting to go before the state appellate court.

Both Laurin and Liuzzo have spoken out against the annexation because they say it sets a bad precedent that could hinder or even prevent future collaborations between the city and its neighbors.

The campaign mailers targeting Laurin and Liuzzo were sent to hundreds of targeted addresses.  In addition, several copies were distributed on Saturday by Democratic Party volunteers who were canvassing the city and urging residents to support their party’s candidates – something that has become a tradition in the Jamestown area each election season for members of both major political parties.

Mayor Teresi and city development director and former Democratic councilman Vince DeJoy were among the dozens of volunteers campaigning on behalf of the Democratic candidates on Saturday and handing out the mailers targeting Laurin and Liuzzo.

The top portion of a campaign flyer critical of candidates Michael Laurin and Andrew Liuzzo, distributed on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Jamestown.

Both Laurin and Liuzzo took issue with the mayor distributing mailers, with Liuzzo accusing the mayor of stooping low by attacking two candidates, adding that it shows how arrogant both Teresi and DeJoy are.

WRFA spoke with Teresi about the matter Monday night. He admits to distributing the mailers while also handing out copies of the Jamestown Times, a piece of campaign literature fashioned as a newspaper and focusing on various Democratic candidates.

Teresi said he wasn’t involved with writing the mailer, but added that he agrees with what was written about Liuzzo and Laurin, adding that it wasn’t in anyway a personal attack on the two candidates.

“It was none the less, in my mind, accurate. The numbers on the back page were accurate. And quite frankly, in comparison to some of the other pieces of claimed and unclaimed campaign literature that’s been distributed this year, this is relatively mild,” Teresi said, referring to an anonymous piece of campaign literature that was sent out earlier this campaign season. “There were no personal attacks in this piece. It was all about the position that these two individuals have taken on a particular issue.”

The flyer stated on the front that both Laurin and Liuzzo think the city of Jamestown should continue needlessly paying hundreds of thousands of residents’ tax dollars to underwrite the operations of Ellicott, Falconer, and the falconer School District.

The flyer also accused the two candidates of routinely attacking city officials – including other Republicans – over the annexation effort.

It closed by asking “Exactly who will Laurin and Liuzzo represent…their out-of-town friends, relatives, and business partners…or city residents?”

The back of the flyer also details the amount of tax revenue currently paid by the city to its neighboring municipalities, showing that it is the largest tax payer for both Ellicott and Falconer.

There are six candidates running for the three Jamestown City Council at Large seats. Those candidates are: Incumbent Republican Kimberly Ecklund, Laurin and Liuzzo – both running under the Republican ballot, Incumbent Democrat and current Council President Gregory Rabb, and Democrats Vanessa Weinert and Robert Whitney.

EDITORS NOTE: An update on our previous story had said that the mayor and DeJoy had unknowingly included the mailer when distributing copies of The Jamestown Times Democratic election newspaper. That detail was provided by an individual involved with the Jamestown Democratic Committee and not by the mayor, he openly admits he was distributing the mailer while campaigning for Democratic candidates.

The front of the election flyer critical of candidates Michael Laurin and Andrew Liuzzo, distributed on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Jamestown.

The back of the election flyer critical of candidates Michael Laurin and Andrew Liuzzo, distributed on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Jamestown.

The top portion of a campaign flyer critical of candidates Michael Laurin and Andrew Liuzzo, distributed on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Jamestown.

JAMESTOWN – The final weekend before the 2017 Local Election saw some increased excitement on social media as two Republican candidates for Jamestown City Council found themselves to be the target of a campaign flyer encouraging voters to not support them on Tuesday.

The flyer (posted below) was reportedly passed out Saturday door-to-door in various neighborhoods of the city and pointed out that Jamestown city council at large candidates Michael Laurin and Andrew Liuzzo have been critical of the city’s recent effort to Annex the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities’ multi-million dollar Dow St. substation property from the Village of Falconer and Town of Ellicott.

The flyer does not indicate what individual(s) or group was behind writing it was written by the Jamestown Democratic Committee and was intended to be distributed as a mailer, but some copies were also included with a newsletter that was being delivered by dozens of volunteers. Two of those volunteers were Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi (a Democrat who’s office is not up for election this year) and city development director and former Democratic councilman Vince DeJoy.

The annexation, which was approved unanimously by the city council in September, would reduce annual property tax payments the city makes to those two municipalities, along with the Falconer School District and Chautauqua County.  Ellicott, Falconer, and Falconer School officials are all against it because of the loss of revenue, which totals nearly 360,000 annually. The matter will now be settle in state appellate court.

During their campaigns, both Laurin and Liuzzo have spoken out against the annexation, saying they disagreed with the way the process played out due to a lack of communication with the neighboring municipalities.

A map depicting the BPU substation property (in red) that sits adjacent to the border between Jamestown and Village of Falconer/Town of Ellicott.

Based on their comments of being critical of the process, a flyer was purportedly distributed by area Democrats saying, “City council candidates Michael Laurin and Andrew Liuzzo think the city of Jamestown should continue needlessly paying hundreds of thousands of your tax dollars to underwrite the operations of Ellicott, Falconer, and the falconer School District.”

The flyer also accused the two candidates of routinely attacking city officials over the annexation effort.

“Laurin and Liuzzo routinely attack the city Council…starting with their ‘fellow’ Republicans…for trying to lower the City’s suburban tax bill,” the flyer reads.

The flyer closed by asking, “Exactly who will Laurin and Liuzzo would represent…their out-of-town friends, relatives, and business partners…or you???”

It also details the amount of tax revenue currently paid by the city to its neighboring municipalities, showing that it is the largest tax payer for both Ellicott and Falconer.

Copies of the flyer were reportedly distributed on Saturday, with both Laurin and Liuzzo responding on Facebook through their own campaign pages and on the Jamestown, NY group page.

Liuzzo said that both Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi and city development director and former city councilman Vince DeJoy were reportedly going door-to-door talking with residents and handing out the flyers.

“When you have little accomplished and less to offer you stoop this low. It is always about being good neighbors. These two aren’t. I want to thank them both for showing the city how arrogant they are,” Liuzzo wrote.

He later clarified his views to WRFA.

“My position was always about the unneighborly way the city of Jamestown approached the annexation process,” Liuzzo explained in a message to WRFA. “Of course I do not support raising city taxes to supplement neighboring towns and villages. This should have been negotiated. The way the city conducted itself sets a bad precedent for neighboring areas where the BPU maintains a presence. Given the opportunity, I would recommend that we withdraw this frivolous lawsuit (which the current administration has a propensity to pursue) and return to the negotiating table with our village neighbors. Otherwise, the city’s tax dollars are contributing to court and legal fees for a case that might very well be ruled in Falconer and the town of Ellicott’s favor due to the hardship it would cause them. I’d like to see a city that promotes its residents’ interests without ostracizing its neighbors. If our objective is to pursue shared services, offending our neighbors with strong-armed tactics is not a step in the right direction.”

Laurin also responded to the flyers on Facebook, calling them political propaganda that inaccurately describes his thoughts regarding the annexation.

“Jamestown residents are paying court and lawyer costs associated with the annexation. If Jamestown does not win in court, valuable time and money would have been wasted; future cost saving collaborations with Ellicott may also be at risk,” Laurin wrote. “The challenges that Jamestown has are enormous. Through greater collaboration, perhaps there is a solution that could be mutually beneficial. Controversially taking legal action to take our neighbors’ property is not a path I agree with; especially when that property has been secured and well-maintained by the Town of Ellicott.”

ANNEXATION LEGAL FEES VS. PROJECTED SAVINGS

So far, the Jamestown BPU has earmarked $60,000 toward the legal battle involving the annexation. If the city were to win in court, the BPU would save nearly $160,000 annually in property tax payments. That’s after it makes a required annual tax equivalency payment of nearly $80,000 to both the city and the Jamestown Public School District.

The State Appellate Court in Rochester has yet to set a date on its calendar for when arguments in the case will be presented.

Meanwhile, there are six candidates running for the three Jamestown City Council at Large seats. Those candidates are: Incumbent Republican Kimberly Ecklund, Laurin and Liuzzo – both running under the Republican ballot, Incumbent Democrat and current Council President Gregory Rabb, and Democrats Vanessa Weinert and Robert Whitney.

Interviews with all those candidates are available at WRFA’s Election 2017 web page. Election Day is Tuesday Nov. 7.

COPY OF THE FLYER THAT WAS DISTRIBUTED ON SATURDAY, NOV. 4

The front of the election flyer critical of candidates Michael Laurin and Andrew Liuzzo, distributed on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Jamestown.

The back of the election flyer critical of candidates Michael Laurin and Andrew Liuzzo, distributed on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Jamestown.

According to the Chautauqua County Board of Elections, 14 candidates submitted petitions to run for the nine city council seats, with six of those candidates vying for the three at-large seats. In addition, three of the six ward seats will also be contested.

Contested races for the nine council  seats include:

At Large – Incumbent and current City Council President Gregory Rabb (D), incumbent Kim Ecklund (R), Michael Laurin (R), Andrew Liuzzo (R), Vanessa Weinert (D), and Robert Whitney (D). Current at large council member George Spitale is not seeking reelection.

Ward 1 – Incumbent Brent Sheldon (R) is facing challenger James Walton (D).

Ward 2 – Incumbent Tony Dolce (R) is facing challenger Joseph Scapelitte (D).

Ward 4 – Incumbent Marie Carrubba (D) is facing challenger Richard Elardo (R).

Incumbents running unopposed include Vicki James (D-Ward 3), Maria Jones (D-Ward 5), and Tom Nelson (D-Ward 6).

There is no mayoral  race for this year, with  the next mayoral election set for 2019.