Nancy Bargar

LAKEWOOD – A former Chautauqua County legislator and past candidate for both the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly says she is considering a run for the State Senate seat that will soon be vacated by current Senator Catherine Young (R-Olean).

Lakewood resident and Democrat Nancy Bargar announced over the weekend via Facebook she is considering a run for the Senate Seat and has notified party officials of that intent.

Bargar served for nearly 10 years on the Chautauqua County Legislature with leadership roles first in the minority, and then in the majority.

Bargar was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2005 special election against Young to elect a successor to Sen. Patricia McGee of Franklinville, who died in office. She also ran for the Senate in 2002 and 2004 against McGee, and in 2010 lost a bid for the State Assembly against current Assemblyman Andy Goodell.

In 2015, Bargar was named Chautauqua County’s Democrat of the Year.

On Thursday Sen. Young announced she is stepping down to take the job of director of Cornell’s AgriTech Center of Excellence.

Under state law, the governor will have to make a proclamation for a special election and then the committee chairs for each party within the 57th Senate District will meet to select their respective candidates for the election via weighted vote.

The 57th Senate district includes Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties and part of Livingston County.

Catherine Young

(Updated March 1 at 10:25 a.m.)

ALBANY – Long time state senator and representative of Chautauqua County Catherine Young (R-Olean) is resigning from her office to take a job at Cornell University.

The unexpected announcement came Thursday, catching many off guard – including her colleagues as well as other elected officials in Chautauqua County.

Young announced she has accepted a position as director of the New York State Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech and begin her new role on March 11.

Since May 2005, Young has represented New York State’s 57th Senate district, which includes all of Chautauqua County, Cattaraugus County and Allegany County, as well as the lower half of Livingston County.

Young won a special election in 2005 following the death of former Sen. and Republican Patricia “Pat” McGee. Prior to serving in the Senate Young was a member of the State Assembly, representing the 149th Assembly district.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon (printed below in its entirety), Young said, “Leaving my job in the Senate – a job that I love – has not been an easy decision and it is bittersweet. I have put my energy, heart and soul into working hard for my district and getting results, and as I travel throughout the region from Ripley to Livonia and everywhere in between, the progress we have made is visible…. Now, there’s a new and exciting opportunity to carry on my public service, by not only continuing to work hard for Western New York, but to advance economic growth and prosperity statewide.”

Young’s announcement comes just two months after her Republican party lost power in the State Senate and just four months after she won reelection to a new term, running unopposed.

It also comes after she lost an internal Republican leadership battle with current leader John Flannigan. After the GOP lost control of the Senate in November, Young led an unsuccessful leadership challenge and following the vote, she was stripped of her leadership role on the chamber’s finance committee and lost control of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.

According to other media reports, news of the resignation caught the Capitol by surprise on Thursday, with Flanagan being blindsided with news reports of Young’s decision during a live radio interview – when he said that he was not aware of anything and that the GOP certainly wanted Young to stay in Albany.

Young leaves public life with more than half a million dollars left in her campaign account, which is also owed $100,000 by the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.

It’s not known how soon it will be before a replacement is found to serve the remainder of the current term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2020. Governor Andrew Cuomo has the sole power to call a special election through a proclamation. That could come prior to the November General Election, or the seat could remain vacant until that time.

Thursday afternoon she provided the following statement.

Serving the people of our region for the past 23 years truly has been the deepest honor of my life, first as a Cattaraugus County legislator, then as a New York State Assemblywoman and Senator.  I often have reflected about that sunburned and freckled-faced kid with pigtails who spent so much time working and playing on our farm, always having big hopes and dreams but never realizing that I would someday have the opportunity to find my passion of helping others as a Senator.

Reaching out a hand to people and communities, growing the economy, nurturing agriculture and being a champion for upstate New York always have been at the top of my priorities.  That calling has inspired, driven and fulfilled me, and there have been countless successes over these many years.  

More than anything, people need good-paying jobs to support themselves and their families.  Upstate New York needs thriving businesses to provide those jobs and to revitalize our communities.  And our farmers need innovative ways to boost profitability.  

Now, there’s a new and exciting opportunity to carry on my public service, by not only continuing to work hard for Western New York, but to advance economic growth and prosperity statewide by leading the Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech.  

Farming and food manufacturing always have been the bread and butter of our region.  To grow New York’s food, beverage and agriculture economy by linking them with the incredible innovation, expertise and resources at Cornell AgriTech so they can expand and flourish is a natural extension of my work that I have done as a Senator.  We have many outstanding food manufacturers in our region that I have helped grow over the years, and I will continue to work hard to expand all of New York State agriculture economy.

Cornell University holds special and personal significance to my family and to me.  My grandparents toiled and struggled during the great Depression, raising four children on the farm in the hardest of times.  In spite of tremendous adversity, they made sure that each of their children focused on getting a good education so that they would have better lives.  In 1949, my father went off to Cornell University, and he and his siblings were the first generation in our family to graduate from college.

My Dad not only showed through his example the vital importance of tenacity and hard work, but he also instilled in me a deep admiration for Cornell.  

Leaving my job in the Senate – a job that I love – has not been an easy decision and it is bittersweet.

I have put my energy, heart and soul into working hard for my district and getting results, and as I travel throughout the region from Ripley to Livonia and everywhere in between, the progress we have made is visible.

There is no greater privilege than to help others, whether it is comforting and finding aid for those whose homes and businesses were ravaged by flood waters, ensuring that a toddler with a brain tumor received the medical expertise and treatment that she needed, or pinning a long overdue medal on a veteran’s chest – these are the experiences that have given me so much and enriched my life.

I have met so many wonderful people along the way and have developed friendships that I treasure.  Our brave firefighters and first responders who save property and lives, veterans who have given their all to protect our freedom, outstanding law enforcement who put our safety ahead of theirs, senior citizens who have life experiences that provide lessons for us all, health care workers who provide excellent care, teachers who make sure our children have the best learning opportunities, captains of industry who invest in our economy, small business owners and farmers who are the backbone of our region, citizens who work hard every day, volunteers who are committed to helping others, elected officials who are making their communities the best they can be – the people in my district are phenomenal and they make me very proud.

It has been a tremendous honor that they have shared their joys and sorrows, tribulations and successes, and hopes and dreams with me, and I am eternally grateful to have had their faith and trust.

I also have been blessed with outstanding staff who have tremendous accomplishments in helping our constituents, and I am thankful for their service to the people in our region.

And finally, I need to give my heartfelt thanks and love to my family – my husband, Dick, and my children – Maureen and Jerry, Patrick and Sydney, and Rich and Kait and grandson Rowan – who have been very supportive and have made sacrifices along the way.  

Being a Senator has been a labor of love.  Thank you to everyone for allowing me to have the most rewarding experience of a lifetime.

• Senator Catherine Young
  Feb. 28, 2019

Lee Hyson

SOUTH VALLEY, NY -A resident of Cattaraugus County has announced his intention to run for State Senate.

33 year-old Lee Hyson will be a candidate for the Democratic Party in the race for the 57th New York State Senate District that encompasses Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany and the lower portion of Livingston County.

Hyson grew up and attended school in Salamanca. In 2005, he earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.  In a media release sent out by the Hyson campaign Friday morning, Hyson is described as an expert in geotechnical operations, with a broad background in business and the private sector.

“I fully appreciate the opportunity to represent this important district and will work hard to promote its interests,” Hyson said.  “I stand with the people of the Southern Tier in the 57^th district, who deserve someone who is hard-working, intelligent, loyal, and knows and cares about the people.”

When not working as an engineer, Hyson considers himself an avid outdoorsman and proponent of strengthening this region’s tourist economy.

“I will bring a fresh perspective to state politics,” He  said. “All sides need to collaborate to solve problems in ways that are affordable but do not sacrifice the quality of services government delivers to create strong communities. Our people – especially the younger generations – need to be empowered, and made to feel that they have a voice in what happens in this area. I will work enthusiastically with all our communities to ensure the voice of the Southern Tier is heard in Albany.  I will focus on our local issues, including finding ways to undertake the heroin epidemic ravaging our communities. I will focus on these issues until they are resolved.”

The 57th senate seat is currently held by incumbent Cathy Young (R – Olean), who’s served in the senate since 2005, when she filled the seat that was left open upon the death of former state senator Patricia McGee. Prior to that she had served in the state assembly. Senator Young, currently the Senate Finance Committee chair and a ranking member in majority leadership, ran unopposed in both the 2012 and 2014 election.

Andy Goodell

MAYVILLE – New York State Assemblyman Andy Goodell (R-Jamestown) will be heading back to Albany in January to represent the 150^th Assembly district. The incumbent easily defeated democratic challenger Dr. Rudy Mueller (D-Lakewood) by 10,000 votes. According to votechautauqua.com, Goodell unofficially received 28,810 votes – or 61 percent of the electorate. The total does not reflect absentee ballots.

Senator Cathy Young (R-Olean) will also be returning to Albany. She won a fourth consecutive full term in Albany, running unopposed. Young was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 2005 following the death of Pat McGee. She was elected to her first, full term in office in 2006.

In the Race for Chautauqua County Judge, incumbent Republican John Ward easily won reelection to a third consecutive term, defeating Democratic challenger William Coughlin. Ward received nearly 30,000 votes to Coughlin’s 17,000 – giving him a margin of victory of over 25 percent.

The only two other contested local races took place in to nearby towns. In the race for Carroll Town Council, Democrat Patty Ekstrom defeated republican Harold Whitford.  In the race for Busti Town Council, Todd Hanson ( R) defeated Bill Burk (D).

Investigators say a semi driving by 41 year-old Mario Estrada-Solis of Ontario, Canada was operating a tractor trailer Eastbound on Route 20. As he approached the intersection with South Roberts Rd., 73 year-old John Dillenburg pulled into the path of the oncoming tractor-trailer, failing to yield the right of way. Estrada-Solis was unable to avoid the collision and the front corners of the vehicles collided.  Dillenburg was pronounced dead at the scene by the Coroner.

According to the Jamestown Post-Journal, Dillenburg – a democrat – served on the county legislature from 1980 to 1987. During his tenure he served as Public Works Committee chairman and  was also majority leader for two years and assistant minority leader for two years.

He began his political career in 1973 as a village trustee in Forestville; he was elected mayor four years later. In 1990, following his service on the legislature, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for the state assembly’s 149th district against Patricia McGee.