PJ Wendel

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel easily won re-election to his first full term over Democratic challenger Norm Green by a vote of 17,455 to 5,516.

Wendel had first been appointed to replace George Borrello as County Executive in January 2020 after Borrello vacated the seat due to being elected to the State Senate. He defeated Democrat Richard Morrisroe in a special election last year to fill out Borrello’s term.

Wendell said he was humbled by the results, “My team has been very focused and, you know, we’ve been leading by example, moving the county forward and we’re going to continue to do that for the next four years.”

Republican County Clerk Larry Barmore won a third term over Democratic Challenger David Salley by a vote of 16,505 to 6,192.

Republicans will retain a super majority on County Legislature with 15 Republicans being elected to 4 Democrats. District 11 Democratic Incumbent Bob Whitney lost to former legislator David Wilfong by a vote of 328 to 534.

In County Legislative District 12, Republican Incumbent Elisabeth Rankin won re-election by a vote of 614 to 307 over Democrat Heather Fagan.

Republicans also will have a super majority on Jamestown City Council even with the Ward 3 race too close to call.

Council President Tony Dolce called it a “statement election,” “The public spoke loud and clear. They wanted a check and balance on the Mayor and his administration. And they came out in droves and voted for all three At-Large candidates. There was a change in Ward 6 with Andrew Faulkner – a huge win, that was a huge upset. And even Grant Olson who didn’t run or actively campaign won that seat.”

Republican Incumbents Kim Ecklund and Jeff Russell came first and second for the At-Large race with Republican newcomer Randy Daversa coming in third with 16% of the vote.

In other ward races, Ward 4 Democratic councilmember Marie Carrubba held onto her seat against Republican Rick Elardo.

And the Ward 3 race between Democratic Incumbent Regina Brackman and Republican Robert Reedy will come down to absentee ballots with Brackman currently leading by 11 votes.

For the 8th Judicial State Supreme Court Justice race, Grace Hanlon, John Licata, Frank Caruso and Raymond Walter all were elected.

Voters statewide voted no on ballot propositions 1, 3, and 4 which all dealt with elections and redistricting.

However, Proposition 2 was passed which adds the right to clean water, clean air, and a healthful environment to the New York Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

Proposition 5 also passed which allows the New York City Civil Court to hear and decide lawsuits involving claims of $50,000, rather than the current threshold of $25,000.

For full local election results, visit VoteChautauqua.com

In County races, incumbent Republican County Executive Paul “PJ” Wendel is facing Democratic challenger Norm Green. Wendel is running for full 4-year term after being appointed to replace George Borrello in January 2020 when Borrello was elected to the State Senate. Green formerly worked in the Chautauqua County Board of Elections as its Democratic Commissioner for over 20 years.

The County Clerk race will feature incumbent Republican Larry Barmore against Fredonia Democrat David Salley.

All 19 County Legislature seats are on the ballot. In Jamestown, the contested races are in District 11 between incumbent Democrat Bob Whitney and Republican Dave Wilfong; and in District 12 between incumbent Republican Elisabeth Rankin and Democrat Heather Fagan.

In the City of Jamestown, all City Council seats are on the ballot.

In Ward 3, incumbent Democrat Regina Brackman faces Republican Robert Reedy. Brackman was appointed in April to fill the seat after the untimely death of Vickye James. In Ward 4, incumbent Democrat Marie Carrubba is running against Republican Rick Elardo.

In Ward 5, Republican Grant Olson is facing Democrat Doug Lawson, however Olson announced in mid-September that he was no longer seeking re-election. As it was too late to remove his name from the ballot, should Olson win and decline to accept his seat again, Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist would be charged with appointing a Republican from Ward 5 to replace him in January.

And in Ward 6, incumbent Democrat Tom Nelson is going up against Republican Andrew Faulkner.
There are six candidates running for 3 At-Large seats. Incumbent Republicans Kim Ecklund and Jeff Russell are running for re-election as well as Republican Randy Daversa. Running on the Democrat line are Christina Cardinale, Ellen Ditonto, and Alyssa Porter. Democrat Tamu Graham-Reinhardt is not seeking re-election for her At-Large seat.

There are two seats open for the 8th Judicial State Supreme Court Justices. Running on all four lines of Democrat, Republican, Conservative and Working Families are Grace Hanlon and John Licata. Frank Caruso and Raymond Walter are running on the Democrat, Republican, and Conservative lines.

There are also 5 propositions located on the back of the ballot.

Proposal 1 deals with redistricting and, if passed, includes capping the number of State Senate seats at 63, require that incarcerated persons be counted at the place of their last residence for redistricting, and require the state to count residents, including people who are residents but not citizens, should the federal census fail to do so.

Proposal 3 removes the requirement that persons must register to vote at least ten days before an election. This would allow people to register to vote the same day as elections.

Proposal 4 would allow no-excuse absentee voting. Currently, in order to qualify for an absentee ballot, a voter must be absent from their county of residence, ill, or physically disabled.

Proposal 2 would add a right to clean water, clean air, and a healthful environment to the New York Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

And proposal 5 would allow the New York City Civil Court to hear and decide lawsuits involving claims of $50,000, rather than the current threshold of $25,000.

Polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. in Chautauqua County.

For all of WRFA’s Election coverage, visit wrfalp.com/election-2021

For voting information, including sample ballots and voting locations, visit VoteChautauqua.com

We’ll have Election Night coverage starting at 8pm tonight on 107.9 WRFA-LP.