This year’s election features races for several local offices, including County Executive, County Clerk, and all 19 seats in the Chautauqua County Legislature.

Already announced candidates include Republican George Borrello (Irving) and Democrat Mike Ferguson (Fredonia) running for the open seat of County Executive after Vince Horrigan announce at the start of this year he would not seek another term in office. Running for county clerk will be Republican incumbent Larry Barmore of Gerry, being challenged by Democrat LeeAnn Lazarony of Cassadaga.

10 out of 19 Legislature Seats Uncontested

A map of the legislative districts for Chautauqua County.

In addition to the two county-wide races, there will be nine contested races for in the 19-seat Chautauqua County Legislature, including two open seat races.

Contested races include:

• District 1 (Dunkirk) – Democrat Tommy Roque is facing Republican incumbent Kevin Muldowney;
• District 3 (Fredonia) – Democrat Robert Dando is facing Republican incumbent Bob Scudder;
• District 6 (Hanover) – Democrat Kevin O’Connell of Silver Creek is facing Republican Gary Cerne of Irving. The two are vying for the seat currently held by Borrello, who is running for County Executive;
• District 8 (Ellery and North Harmony) – Democrat Jeri Ann Simora of Stow is challenging Republican incumbent Pierre Chagnon of Bemus Point;
• District 11 (Jamestown) – Democrat Frank Besse is challenging Republican incumbent and County Republican Party Chair Dave Wilfong;
• District 12 (Jamestown) – Democrat Dave Reinhardt is challenging Republican incumbent Elisabeth Rankin;
• District 16 (Kiantone, Carrol, Poland) – Democrat and Poland Town Councilman Terry Walker of Kennedy is facing Republican John Davis of Frewsburg. The two are vying for the seat currently held by Republican Ron Lemon (Frewsburg) who has announced he will not seek reelection;
• District 18 (Chautauqua, Sherman, and Mina) – Independence Party member Ella Ames of Mayville is running on the Democratic ticket and is challenging Republican incumbent and Legislature Chairman David Himelein of Findley Lake;
• District 19 (Westfield and Ripley) – Democrat Laurel Adams of Ripley is challenging Republican incumbent John Hemmer of Westfield.

It appears 10 races will be uncontested this year.

The four incumbent Democratic legislators are all seeking re-election and are apparently not being opposed by Republicans. They include Minority Leader Chuck Nazzaro (District 9 – Jamestown) Assistant Minority Leader Bob Bankoski (District 2 – Dunkirk); Christine Starks (District 4 – Fredonia) and Paul Whitford (District 13 – Jamestown).

Six Republicans, including five incumbents, are also running unopposed. They are Terry Niebel (District 5 – Dunkirk), Mark O’Dell (District 7 – Brocton), Paul “PJ” Wendel (District 10- Lakewood), Lisa Vanstrom (District 15 – West Ellicott), and Frank “Jay” Gould (District 17 – Ashville).

Republican Dan Pavlock of Charlotte will be running unopposed in the open District 14 seat, which is being vacated by Republican Mark Tarbrake (Jamestown), who is vacating the seat due to moving out of the district. District 14 covers the Town of Ellicott north of I-86, along with the towns of Gerry, Ellington, and Charlotte.

Republicans currently hold at 15 to 4 majority in the legislature.

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Chautauqua County Legislature during the May 24, 2017 meeting.

MAYVILLE – The Chautauqua County Legislature Wednesday night voted in favor of a plan that would assist with any future government reduction initiatives taken place between two or more municipalities in the county.

By a vote of 17 to 1, the legislature approved its Government Reduction Initiative (GRI) plan, which outlines the parameters for how the county would assist other municipalities in the county to accomplish the consolidation and dissolution of local government entities. Proponents of consolidation say it would result in reduced property taxes, improved business climate, and spur economic development.

The plan comes forward as a result of the county being a finalist in the state’s Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Competition for local governments, which involves a competition for $20 million in grant awards, where counties in the state were encouraged to submit government reduction proposals. Chautauqua County is one of six counties in the state to be a finalist for the money.

Bonnie Peters

During the earlier public comment portion of the meeting, Cassadaga resident Bonnie Peters, who also serves as president of CSEA Local 807, said that any consolidation effort put forward as a result of the plan wouldn’t necessarily save taxpayers money, citing the recent dissolution of the village of Seneca Falls, which resulted in residents taxes going up, not going down. She said that in early every dissolution that has taken place across the state, the actual tax savings have been significantly lower compared to what was promised before a vote took place.

“Hopefully you see that passing a resolution which predicts all dissolutions and mergers to be beneficial to the county is premature at best,” Peters said. “The last thing we need is the county legislature here in Mayville telling the residents of Silver Creek, Fredonia, and Lakewood – just to name a few – what’s best for them.”

Peters also said that if saving money for residents was the top priority, the legislature should instead focus its attention on the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, which recently cancelled a $1 million loan for the failed Jamestown MVP Plastics.

“As a taxpayer, I wholly applaud the county’s attempt to save tax dollars. However, I would encourage the county to look at all the waste in the IDA, before you encourage towns to strip away the vital services their residents have come to depend on,” Peters said, adding, “The Chautauqua County IDA uniform tax exemption policy and guidelines number F addresses the recapture of benefits. Has the IDA ever utilized this clawback of funds? Did we get any of the money back from the aforementioned Jamestown MVP plastics?”

The only legislator who voted against he plan was Dunkirk Democrat Robert Bankoski, who said that while he appreciated the work put into the plan by fellow legislator Terry Niebel, he agreed with Peters.

In response to Peters’ statements, legislator George Borrello, a Republican from Hanover who chairs the county’s Regional Solutions Commission and is running for County Executive in the 2017 election, said that consolidations and dissolutions have been successful in Chautauqua County and have also resulted in saving taxpayer money. Borrello, who is also a member of the county IDA, didn’t respond to Peters’ criticism of the IDA.

Democratic Party Chairman Norman Green says the County Democratic Committee met Saturday morning in Mayville and unanimously endorsed Mike Ferguson (D-Fredonia) as county executive candidate.

Ferguson announced on Thursday his intention to run for the office in the Nov. 7 general election.

Party members also endorsed the four incumbent members of the Chautauqua County Legislature (Chuck Nazzaro – District 9, Jamestown; Paul Whitford, District 13, Jamestown; Robert Bankoski, District 2 – Dunkirk, Christine Starks, District 4 – Fredonia) and candidates for county legislature in five other legislature districts. The names of the five other legislators wont be immediately released by the committee, which will instead give each candidate an opportunity to announce their own candidacy.

In addition to the nine legislature endorsements, here are ten other districts in the county legislature currently held by Republicans that still don’t have a challenger from the Democratic Party. In addition, the party is also still trying to find a candidate to run for Chautauqua County Clerk, an office currently held by Republican Larry Barmore.

Green said there are a total of 182 offices up for election in November, so anyone interested in running at any level should contact the county party at chqdem@gmail.com

Jamestown legislators David Wilfong (left) and Elisabeth Rankin both won reelection in their respective legislature seats. The two join 13 other Republicans who won legislature races on Election Day 2015.

MAYVILLE – With only eight of 19 contested races in the Chautauqua County Legislature, there wasn’t expected to be much of a change, and that sentiment held true following the 2015 Elections, with only a handful of new faces joining the ranks of the legislature.

FOUR NEW NAMES ADDED TO 19 MEMBER LEGISLATURE

The legislature will have just four new members starting in January, with only one incumbent being unseated in a contested race on Election Day.

In District 2, challenger Robert Bankoski (D-Dunkirk) defeated incumbent Shaun Heenan (R-Dunkirk) 679 to 365.

Two other newcomers were also elected after winning their respective contested races. In District 1, Kevin Muldowney (R-Dunkirk) defeated Democrat William Rivera (D-Dunkirk) 693 to 385. Muldowney will take the seat currently held by long-time legislator Keith Ahlstrom (D-Dunkirk), who did not seek reelection.

And in District 7, Mark Odell (R-Portland) defeated David Wilkinson (D-Cassadaga) 653 to 289. Odell will take the seat vacated by outgoing legislator John Runkle (R-Stockton), who is not seeking reelection.

The final newcomer is District 4‘s Christine Starks (D-Fredonia), who ran unopposed and will take over the seat held by legislator Janet Keefe (D-Fredonia), who also did not seek reelection.

REPUBLICANS SWEEP REMAINING CONTESTED RACES

There were two contested legislature races in the Jamestown area, and both Republican incumbents won reelection. In District 11 David Wilfong (R-Jamestown) defeated Robert Whitney (D-Jamestown) 347 to 305. In District 12, it was incumbent Elisabeth Rankin (R-Jamestown) defeating challenger Beth Kresge (D-Jamestown) 430 to 399. Both races were rematches from the 2013 election.

Other incumbents being reelected despite having opposition on the ballet were Legislature Chairman and Jay Gould (R-Ashville, District 17), Bob Scudder (R-Fredonia, District 3) and Terry Niebel (R-Dunkirk, District 5).

As a result of the elections, the GOP gained a seat in the legislature, strengthening its super-majority. Of the 19 members, 15 will be Republicans, 4 will be Democrats.

WINNERS OF 2015 CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY LEGISLATURE ELECTIONS

D1: Kevin J. Muldowney (R-Dunkirk) (Won Contested Race)
D2: Robert Bankoski (D-Dunkirk) (Won Contested Race)
D3: Bob Scudder* (R-Fredonia) (Won Contested Race)
D4: Christine Starks (D-Fredonia)
D5: Terry Niebel* (R-Dunkirk) (Won Contested Race)
D6: George Borrello* (R-Irving)
D7: Mark Odell (R-Portland) (Won Contested Race)
D8: Pierre Chagnon* (R-Bemus Point)
D9: Charles Nazzaro* (D-Jamestown)
D10: Paul Wendell* (R-Lakewood)
D11: David Wilfong* (R-Jamestown) (Won Contested Race)
D12: Elisabeth Rankin* (R-Jamestown) (Won Contested Race)
D13: Paul Whitford* (D-Jamestown)
D14: Mark Tarbrake* (R-Jamestown)
D15: Lisa Vanstrom* (R-Jamestown)
D16: Ronald Lemon* (R-Frewsburg)
D17: Jay Gould* (R-Ashville) (Won Contested Race)
D18: David Himelein* (R-Findley Lake)
D19: John Hemmer* (R-Westfield)

* – Incumbent

A map of the legislative districts for Chautauqua County.

A map of the legislative districts for Chautauqua County.

MAYVILLE – 2015 is a local election year in Chautauqua County with several races shaping up for the 19-member Chautauqua County Legislature.

Currently, the Republicans hold a super-majority in Mayville, with 14 of the 19 seats held by the GOP.  And with six GOP incumbents running unopposed, the odds are pretty slim that Republicans risk losing their majority status.

Still, county Democrats are hoping to regain a few seats by challenging six of the seats currently held by the GOP. A seventh contested race will feature two registered Democrats vying for the same seat, with the incumbent Democrat being endorsed by the GOP and Conservative parties. And an eighth contested race will feature an independent taking on the current legislature chairman.

The legislature will have at least three new members. That’s because current legislators Keith Ahlstrom (D-Dunkirk, District 1), Janet Keefe (D-Fredonia, District 4) and John Runkle (R-Stockton, District 7) will not seek reelection.

The legislature elections, which involve two-year terms for each seat, will be the only county government race in 2015. The county executive and county clerk each have two years remaining on their four-year terms.

For a complete listing of all local elections, visit www.VoteChautauqua.com.

Election day 2015 is Tuesday, November 3.

CONTESTED LEGISLATURE RACES

• District 1 (OPEN SEAT): Kevin Muldowney, R-Dunkirk; William Rivera, D-Dunkirk
• District 2: Shaun Heenan, D-Dunkirk (incumbent, running on Republican line); Robert Bankoski, D-Dunkirk
• District 3: Bob Scudder, R-Fredonia (incumbent); Wayne Dorler, D-Fredonia
• District 5: Terry Niebel, R-Dunkirk (incumbent); Martin Anderson, D-Forestville
• District 7 (OPEN SEAT): Mark Odell, R-Brocton; David Wilkinson, D-Cassadaga
• District 11: David Wilfong, R-Jamestown (incumbent); Robert Whitney, D-Jamestown
• District 12: Elisabeth Rankin, R-Jamestown (incumbent); Beth Kresge, D-Jamestown
• District 17: Jay Gould, R-Ashville (incumbent, chairman); John Suroviec, i-Clymer

UNCONTESTED LEGISLATURE RACES

• District 4: Christine Starks, D-Fredonia
• District 6: George Borrello, R-Irving
• District 8: Pierre Chagnon, R-Bemus Point
• District 9: Charles “Chuck” Nazzaro, D-Jamestown
• District 10: Paul “PJ” Wendel, R-Lakewood
• District 13: Paul Whitford, D-Jamestown
• District 14: Mark Tarbrake, R-Jamestown
• District 15: Lisa Vanstrom, R-Ellicott
• District 16: Ron Lemon, R-Frewsburg