Democrat Eddie Sundquist addresses his supporters on Election Night 2019 after learning he will be the next mayor of Jamestown.

JAMESTOWN – Jamestown’s next mayor will be Democrat and local attorney Eddie Sundquist. Sundquist was announced the winner of the 2019 mayoral election Tuesday night, defeating both Republican and Chautauqua County legislator David Wilfong and Libertarian and current Jamestown City Councilman Andy Liuzzo.

Sundquist took 49.8% of the unofficial vote total, bringing in 2519 votes, while Wilfong came in second with 1959 votes, which was 38.7% of the vote. Meanwhile, Liuzzo came in a distant third with 11.4% of the vote (574 votes). Approximately 204 absentee ballots remain to be counted.

Following the victory announcement at Democratic Headquarters inside the Jamestown Brewing Company, Sundquist thanked those who helped to make him mayor elect.

“We fought long and hard, starting way back in the winter months. I can tell you that I am probably the proudest that I have ever been to see all of you here gathered to support what we are going to do for the future of the city of Jamestown,” Sundquist said. “I just want to say from the bottom of my heart ‘thank you’ to each and every single one of you who made this happen. Family, friends, volunteers, countless hours on the phone, knocking on doors, on social media – we could not have brought the city of Jamestown into the future without each and everyone of you. So for that, I thank you.”

Sundquist also said that in the coming weeks he will be working to prepare for the transition into the mayors office when he replaces current Mayor Sam Teresi, who decided not to run for a sixth consecutive term, on January 1, 2020.

“We have a long road ahead but we are going to do this and hopefully, we get through these four years and then work four more,” Sundquist said.

It was Sundquist’s second run for office in as many years. In 2018 he made an unsuccessful bid for Congress, failing to get the Democratic Party’s endorsement in that year’s primary.

CONTROL OF CITY COUNCIL TO BE DECIDED BY ABSENTEE BALLOT COUNT

While Sundquist was able to win the Mayor’s office, it’s not yet known if he will be working with a Democratic or Republican-controlled Jamestown City Council. That’s because the council is split with four Republicans winning and four Democrats also winning, with the ninth and deciding race still too close to call.

Brent Sheldon (left) and Tim smeal

In Ward 1, Republican incumbent Brent Sheldon (355 votes) leads Democratic Challenger Tim Smeal (348 votes) by just 7 votes. The outcome of that race won’t be known until absentee ballots are counted and according to the Board of Elections, 70 absentee ballots are left to be counted on Monday, Nov. 18.

City Democratic Chairman Jim Walton said he and the rest of the party are anxiously awaiting the results for the Ward 1 race.

“It looks like the fight for control of the council will come down to absentee ballots because we’re within several votes there. That Ward has always lived and died by the absentees that have come out of the Aldren Avenue area,” Walton said. “We’ll look forward to counting those and hopefully Tim Smeal did his work there and we’ll come out victorious. That will be the difference in who controls the city council.”

OLSON, RUSSELL WIN FIRST TERM ON CITY COUNCIL

Meanwhile, one of the ward races featured a challenger defeating an incumbent. In Ward 5, Republican Grant Olson (495 votes) was able to defeat Democratic incumbent Maria Jones (397 votes). Jones was first elected to the city council in 2011 and since then she’s served as chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee and has also served on the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities.

In the only other contested ward race, Democrat and current City Council president Marie Carrubba (630 votes) defeated Republican challenger Brittnay Spry (576 votes).

In the race for the council’s three at large seats, it was newcomer Republican Jeffrey Russell (2483 votes) joining fellow Republican and incumbent Kim Ecklund (2721 votes), along with Democratic incumbent Tamu Graham-Reinhardt (2173 votes) winning.

Those failing to get enough votes to be elected to the at large seats were Democrats Greg Rabb (2026 votes) and Taylor Scott (1985 votes) along with libertarian Raven Mason Thompson (293 votes).  Republican Greg Lindquist, who withdrew from the race earlier this year, also appeared on the ballot and was able to garner 1966 votes.

Winners of the 2019 contested Jamestown City Council races on election night (from left to right): Marie Carrubba (D-Ward 4), Grant Olson (R-Ward 5), Kim Ecklund (R-At Large), Jeffrey Russell (R-At Large), and Tamu Graham Reinhardt (D-At Large)

Candidates running unopposed this year were Tom Nelson (D) in Ward 6, Vickye James (D) in Ward 3, and Tony Dolce (R) in Ward 2 – although another person, Democrat Thomas Vitale, also appeared on the ballot for that office. However, Vitale had announced his withdrawal from the race earlier in the year.

Locally there are plenty of contested races on the ballot that will likely result in a better-than-average voters turnout for a local election year.

Highlighting the election this year is the race to fill the vacant 57th district state senate seat that opened up after former long-time Senator Cathy Young resigned from her post in March in order to take a job with Cornell University. Running to fill the remaining year of the Senate term is Republican and current Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello and Democrat and recent Cornell graduate Austin Morgan of Cattaraugus county.

• LISTEN: LOWV MEET THE SENATE CANDIDATES FORUM

In Jamestown three individuals are running to fill the open mayoral seat after current mayor Sam Teresi announced in February he would not be seeking a sixth term in office. Candidates in this year’s mayoral race Libertarian and Current City Councilman Andrew Liuzzo, Democrat and local attorney Eddie Sundquist, and Republican and current county legislator David Wilfong.

• WATCH: WRFA, WJTN, WNY NEWS NOW MAYORAL DEBATE

In addition to the mayor’s race, there’s also contested races for the Jamestown City Council’s three at large seats as well as for Wards 1, 4, and 5. Candidates include:

CITY COUNCIL WARD 1
– Brent Sheldon (R, C, I)
– Tim Smeal (D, WF, Libertarian)
CITY COUNCIL WARD 4
– Marie Carrubba (D, I, WF)
– Brittnay Spry (R, C, Libertarian)
CITY COUNCIL WARD 5
– Maria Jones (D)
– Grant Olson (R)
CITY COUNCIL AT LARGE (3 Seats)
– Kimberly Ecklund (R, C, I)
– Tamu Graham-Reinhardt (D, I, WF)
– Raven Mason Thompson (Libertarian)
– Gregory Rabb (D, I, WF)
– Jeffrey Russell (R, C)
– Taylor Scott (D, WF)

• WATCH/LISTEN: WRFA MEET THE COUNCIL CANDIDATES FORUM

Other races of interest include the race for Busti Town Supervisor, where Republican Jesse Robbins is being challenged by Democrat Rudy Mueller. Over in the Chautauqua County Legislature, only 7 of the panel’s 19 seats feature contested races.

EARLY VOTING YIELDS 5% VOTER TURNOUT IN COUNTY

According to the Chautauqua county Board of Elections, there is a total of 76,762 active registered voters in the county this year. Early voting was underway from Oct. 26 through Nov. 3 and according to election officials, nearly 5% of all active voters cast ballots during that name. That made Chautauqua county the third highest per-capita early voting county in the state, with only Ulster and Columbia counties seeing a higher percentage.

Commissioners Norm Green and Brian Abram are attributing the heavy turnout to the mayors races in Jamestown, Dunkirk and Fredonia, the town supervisors races in Pomfret and Busti, and the special election for New York State Senate.

As for the regular voting hours for on Tuesday, Polls will be open 6 .m. to 9 p.m. All county poll sites will be open.  Any New York State citizen at least age 18 at the date of the General Election who previously registered is eligible to vote.

For more information on where to vote, to view a sample ballot, or to see the results after 9 tonight, visit VoteChautauqua.com.

JAMESTOWN – Jamestown voters had the opportunity to hear from a dozen different Jamestown City Council candidates during a special Meet the Candidates Forum, presented by WRFA Radio and taking place on Thursday night, Oct. 24 at Reg Lenna Center for the Arts’ Media Arts Studio.

The forum is part of WRFA’s new Community Matters LIVE public affairs programming series. It will feature the 12 city council candidates who are involved in contested races. They include the six candidates for City Council At Large – Kimberly Ecklund (R, C, I), Tamu Graham-Reinhardt (D, I, WF), Raven Mason Thompson (Libertarian), Gregory Rabb (D, I, WF), Jeffrey Russell (R, C), and Taylor Scott (D, WF); And the two candidates for each of the contested Ward 1, Ward 4 and Ward 5 races – Brent Sheldon (R, C, I) and Tim Smeal (D, WF, Libertarian); Marie Carrubba (D, I, WF) and Brittnay Spry (R, C, Libertarian); and Maria Jones (D) and Grant Olson (R).

AT LARGE CANDIDATES

The former Dahlstrom building at the corner of E. Second and Buffalo Streets in Jamestown (submitted photo)

JAMESTOWN – The Libertarian Party candidates for Jamestown mayor and Jamestown city council at large are announcing a discussion on repurposing manufacturing space in Jamestown for innovative employment opportunities.

The discussion – hosted by mayoral candidate and current at large city councilman Andrew Liuzzo and along with at large city council candidate Raven Mason Thomspon – will be held on Friday, August 9 at the Dahlstrom Building from 6 to 7 p.m.

Organizers say it is the first in a series of similar events that will be held throughout the city over the coming months. It is open to the public.

Vitale sent a signed letter to election officials on Monday stating:

It is with great regret that I am forced to notify you that I will not be an active candidate in the 2019 General Election race for Ward 2 Jamestown City Councilman. As you know, I previously filed paperwork to be the Democratic and Working Families parties candidate for this office. Now, due to unforeseen personal circumstances, I must announce that I withdraw my name as an active candidate for this office.

Vitale was going to challenge long-time Ward 2 incumbent and Republican Tony Dolce in the November General Election. With Vitale no longer being a candidate, Dolce will run unopposed in November. He has already been endorsed by the Conservative, Independence and Libertarian Parties.

In June Dolce ran a primary against Raven Mason Thompson for the Republican nomination and defeated her by 119 to 34 votes. Mason Thompson has since been tapped by the Libertarians to run for one of the three city council at large seats.

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.

David Wilfong

JAMESTOWN – David Wilfong is the winner of Tuesday’s Republican Primary for mayor of Jamestown, defeating opponent Andrew Liuzzo with an election night final of 480 to 271. An addition 61 absentee ballots were left to be counted.

Wilfong currently is in his third term in the Chautauqua County Legislature, representing Jamestown out of District 11. He is also the chairman of the Chautauqua County Republican Committee. He was the endorsed candidate for mayor by the Jamestown Republican Party Committee.  But Liuzzo – a first term City Councilman at large – secured enough signatures on a petition to force the Primary on Tuesday.

“Thank all of you who supported my campaign. America is great because we get to choose. Now the residents will decide in November who will lead the city the next four years. This process has been an honor and I look forward to finishing my term as your councilman at large,” Liuzzo said in a statement on his Facebook page following the announced results.

Of the roughly 3800 registered Republican who were eligible to vote, 751 turned out for the election. In addition to those voters, 61 absentee ballots are also left to be counted. That makes the voter turnout for the GOP mayoral primary at 21% – about double what a local primary typically sees, according to Board of Elections commissioner Norm Green.

Wilfong will go on to face the endorsed Democratic candidate Eddie Sundquist in the November General Election to be the city’s next mayor. The race for the open seat comes after Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi announced in February he was not going to run for a fifth consecutive term in office.

Sundquist has also received the endorsements from the Independence and Working Families parties. Wilfong is also the endorsed candidate for the Conservative Party.

he General Election will be held on November 5th.

Meanwhile in the city’s only other Republican primary race, Jamestown Ward 2 City Councilman Tony Dolce defeated challenger Raven Mason Thompson, 119 to 34.

George Borrello (left) and Curt Crandall

The Chautauqua County Board of Elections says a total of 25,500 Republican voters are eligible to vote in today’s Primary for the 57th NYS Senate District – with candidates George Borrello, the current Chautauqua County executive, and Curt Crandall, the chair of the Allegany County Legislature, squaring off.

The Senate district includes Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany and part of Livingston Counties. There are 64,000 active Republican voters eligible to vote across the district.

Borrello was elected Chautauqua County executive in 2017 after spending eight years in the Chautauqua County Legislature, representing his home area of Hanover. Crandall is a long-time member member of the Allegany County Legislature and has served as its chair for the past 14 years.

Sen. Cathy Young was reelected to office in November 2018, but when she announced she was resigning from her seat in late February of this year, it meant that a special election would have to take place to fill that seat. As a result, the Republican party chairs for each of the four counties that comprise the 57th district (Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Livingston) met in early March to select their candidate and it was Borrello, with only the Republican Party chair from Allegany County selecting Crandall.

When Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not set a special election date to fill the vacated seat, the special election date was set for this coming November’s general election. That gave Crandall an opportunity to challenge Borrello’s endorsement and force a primary.

Borrello is also the endorsed candidate for the Conservative Party.

• LISTEN: WRFA INTERVIEWS GEORGE BORELLO AND CURT CRANDALL

Andrew Liuzzo (left) and David Wilfong

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR JAMESTOWN MAYOR

An estimated 3800 Republicans will be choosing their candidate for mayor to appear on the ballot for the November general election.

The two candidates who will appear on today’s republican party ballot are City Councilman at Large Andrew Liuzzo and Chautauqua County Legislator David Wilfong. Liuzzo was first elected to the Jamestown City Council in the 2017 election, while Wilfong was first elected to the County Legislature in 2013. He’s also the current chair of the Chautauqua County Republican Committee.

In February, Wilfong became the endorsed candidate of the Jamestown Republican Committee. But Liuzzo was able to force a primary by collecting an overwhelming number of petition signatures from registered Republicans living within the city.

Wilfong is also the endorsed candidate for the Conservative Party.

• LISTEN: WRFA INTERVIEWS ANDREW LIUZZO AND DAVID WILFONG

Tony Dolce and Raven Mason Thompson

CANDIDATES FOR CITY COUNCIL – WARD 2

There’s also a Republican primary for Jamestown City Council Ward 2 – with incumbent Tony Dolce being challenged by newcomer Raven Mason Thompson.

Dolce is the city Republican committee’s endorsed candidate, having served on the city council since 1999. This is Mason Thompson’s first attempt at running for public office.

• LISTEN: WRFA INTERVIEWS TONY DOLCE AND RAVEN MASON THOMPSON

OTHER LOCAL PRIMARIES

Other local primaries for the Republican Party include Carroll Town Supervisor and Town Clerk, Charlotte Town Council (Vote for 2), and Kiantone Town Supervisor. Also, Republicans have County Legislature primaries in Legislative District 1 in Dunkirk and Legislative District 18, covering the Mayville area, along with the towns of Mina and Findley Lake.

There are no primaries scheduled for the Democrats in Chautauqua County. However, a few third party primaries will be taking place in other areas of the county outside of Jamestown.

Polls are open Noon to 9 p.m.

Election officials say the busiest times to avoid will be Noon to 1 p.m. and in the evening during the dinner hour. All county poll sites will be open.

Results for all races will be posted online tonight at the website VoteChautauqua.com for local races and at Elections.NY.gov for 57th Senate district-wide results.

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN HERE

Originally airing Thursday, May 30, 2019

WRFA’s Jason Sample talks with Jamestown City Council – Ward 2 Candidates Tony Dolce and Raven Mason Thompson. Dolce is the long-time incumbent for Ward 2 and Mason Thompson is running for office for the first time. Both candidates are seeking the Republican Party’s endorsement for the November General election and will square off in a primary on Tuesday, June 25, 2019.

The two talk about why they are running for office and also talk about some of the issues facing the city of Jamestown, including housing, public safety, and economic development.