A petition effort, led by Ellicott Judge Marilyn Gerace, garnered 325 signatures to force a permissive referendum after the Ellicott Town Board voted unanimously on March 13 to eliminate a Town Justice position.

According to New York State Law Article 7, sections 90-94, the petition signature total needed to be at least 5% of the total votes cast in the last gubernatorial election, which took place in November 2022.

Gerace said she estimated that around 3,500 voted in Ellicott in that election which meant she needed between 100 and 175 signatures. According to the Chautauqua County Board of Elections posted results for 2022, 3,385 residents in Ellicott had voted in November. Either way, the 325 signatures exceeded the threshold required.

Gerace submitted the petitions to the Ellicott Town Clerk on April 5, which started the clock on when the special election would be held. If the town board takes no action, the special election must, by law, be held 60 to 75 days after the petitions were submitted. This places that election between June 5 and June 20.

Gerace did request at Monday’s town board meeting that the board not wait until their May 8 monthly meeting and instead hold a special meeting this month to decide whether to rescind the resolution.

The Ellicott Town Board sent a letter to the media Wednesday responding to comments made at the meeting and stories in recent days.

In it, the board apologized to Judge Marilyn Gerace and Judge Sally Jaroszynski for not giving notice about the resolution prior to it being voted on. The letter said, “The Board holds no animus towards either Judge Gerace or Judge Jaroszynski. The Board recognizes their dedication to the Court and the residents of the Town of Ellicott.”

The letter goes onto say the Town Board has been reviewing all town operations in an “effort to determine and ensure the services provided are being delivered in an efficient and cost-effective manner.” It also said communication between the town board and court has not always been open or effective.

The salary for the Town Justice position that was eliminated is $14,200. The 2023 budget for the town of Ellicott is $2.76 million.

The board did take issue with the accusation that they were in violation of open meetings law, citing that they voted on the resolution to eliminate the Justice position under new business and that it was done in open session.

The Town Board indicated they agree that another meeting needs to be held to discuss the issue of the elimination of a Town Justice position. The letter said while a meeting would be posted in the newspaper and on the town’s website, they also encouraged people who are unable to attend or not comfortable speaking out at a public meeting to forward correspondence to the Town Clerk.

The town’s website can be found at townofellicott.com

The Chautauqua County League of Women Voters held a “Meet The Candidates” debate for special election candidates for the 23rd Congressional District on August 18, 2022. Democrat Max Della Pia and Republican Joe Sempolinski participated in the event.

Democratic candidate Max Della Pia, League of Women Voters’ Marcia Merrins, and Republican candidate Joe Sempolinski

Democratic candidate Max Della Pia, League of Women Voters’ Marcia Merrins, and Republican candidate Joe Sempolinski

Around 50 people came out to hear what the men running in the special election for the 23rd Congressional District had to say at the Chautauqua County League of Women Voters‘ “Meet The Candidates” event Thursday night.

Democrat Max Della Pia and Republican Joe Sempolinski responded to a broad variety of questions submitted by the audience, with inflation being the first topic mentioned.

Sempolinski cited inflation being the most serious issue facing the district because it affects those with limited means the most, “People who are living paycheck to paycheck. People who are on fixed income. That’s the most important issue. And the way we deal with it is to stop the loose spending in Washington D.C. The so-called Inflation Reduction Act was just signed into law. It’ll do nothing of the sort. I would have been against that. My opponent would have been for it. I think it’s a clear distinction on the most important issue today.”

Della Pia, in support of the Inflation Reduction Act, said he believes it will reduce the United State’s dependence on foreign oil,reduce the country’s debt, and increase steps toward environmental protection.

Candidates were also asked if they’d support an assault weapons ban. Della Pia said what is considered an assault weapon needs to be defined given that virtually every deer rifle is semi-automatic. He said there are things that can be done, “Number one, universal background checks without exceptions for gun shows or exchanges between family members or friends; including a background check that includes if someone is on the no-fly list, if they’re domestic abusers, if they have mental issues. Number two, I think we need to have a national ban on large magazines, detachable magazines.”

Sempolinski said he would not support an assault weapons ban and said underlying causes for why mass shooting events happen need to be dealt with including mental health issues.

Early voting is currently underway for the special election with Tuesday, August 23 being the final special election and primary day for the 23rd Congressional District.

The full audio from the “Meet The Candidates” event is available here:

23rd Congressional District Republican Primary Candidate Nick Langworthy with State Assemblyman Andy Goodell and Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel (August 15, 2022)

23rd Congressional Republican Primary candidate Nick Langworthy received two endorsements at a stop in Jamestown Monday.

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel and State Assemblyman Andy Goodell both offered their support to the Chautauqua County native who is facing Carl Paladino in a bid to win the chance to appear on the Republican line in November.

Langworthy was born in Jamestown and graduated from Pine Valley High School. He has been the State GOP Chairman for the last three years.

Langworthy said if elected, he wants to fight for energy independence, “It’s a speculative market, energy is. And when the President comes in on day one and says, ‘We’re shutting down the Keystone pipeline. We’re making it harder to drill, and we’re tightening on leases,’ that tells the energy sector, ‘We’re closed for business.’ While the other parts of the Southern Tier have the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. And our state government stands in the way of us drilling for that gas safely, just like they do in the state of Pennsylvania. And it’s cost us job after job, opportunity after opportunity, meanwhile Pennsylvania booms by comparison.”

Langworthy also wants to see the wall on the southern U.S. border get completed and to get the country out of some of the free trade agreements in order to encourage more products to be made in the United States. He added he would be an advocate for agriculture and that he believes the United States can be another bread basket for the world.

Langworthy added that while he and Paladino probably would have similar voting records, there are differences, “I’m not going to embarrass this community. And I can’t say that for my opponent. He’s got a track record. When people have counted on him, many of us counted on him to carry the ball when he ran for governor and he blew it. And he blew it in historic fashion. And when you had the same thing for the school board. He was supposed to fix the school board and he blew it. And the Buffalo City Schools suffered even more because of his behavior. That won’t happen with me.”

Early voting for the Republican Primary and the special election for the 23rd Congressional District continues until Sunday, August 21st. The last day to vote will be the primary day of Tuesday, August 23rd. Visit votechautauqua.com for more information.

Chautauqua County Board of Elections Commissioners Brian Abram and Luz Torres explain how voting will work for a special election and primary for the 23rd Congressional District.

Map Created by Irena Raia

Early voting for the special election for the 23rd Congressional District and the Republican Primary for the 23rd District begins Saturday.

Chautauqua County Board of Elections Commissioner Brian Abram said everyone who is a registered voter in Chautauqua County is eligible to vote in the special election, “So the door is wide open for everybody to walk in and decide on the special election between Max Della Pia and Joe Sempolinski on who they want to serve out the rest of Tom Reed‘s 23rd Congressional District until the end of the year. The next phase is, every Republican walking in the door will be entitled to two ballots. Because not only will they be able to participate in the special, but there is a primary going on between Nick Langworthy and Carl Paladino.”

Abram said that primary will determine which Republican will be on the ballot in November against Democratic candidate Max Della Pia.

He added that once the special election results are certified, the winning candidate will be sworn in to serve out the remainder of Tom Reed’s term in Congress.

Early voting will continue through Sunday, August 21 and will take place at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds, the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, the Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood, and at the Board of Elections offices in Mayville. Hours for early voting, sample ballots and more can be found at votechautauqua.com

The official primary and special election day is Tuesday, August 23 with polls open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. that day.

Tom Reed

Congressman Tom Reed has announced his resignation, effective immediately.

Reed made a statement on the House of Representatives floor Tuesday, saying, “After almost 12 years in Congress, today is my last day. It has been an honor to serve with you all from both parties. I love this institution as it still exemplifies what is best about our government, we are the People’s house. While I am proud that we put people before politics, there is much more to do. I am leaving to continue that work and hope to have a greater impact on our Country.”

Reed is taking a lobbying job at Prime Policy Group.

Under a state law that was enacted in 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul is now obligated to call special elections whenever a member of Congress leaves office before July 1 in an election year. She have 10 days to issue a proclamation calling a contest to be held 70 to 80 days later.

If Hochul receives formal notification of Reed’s departure on Wednesday, that would place the date for a special for his seat somewhere between July 20 and August 8. New York is currently slated to hold some of its primaries on June 28, and others – including those for 26 the yet-to-redrawn congressional seats — on August 23.

State Senator George Borrello confirmed he is exploring options on whether to run for the special election. Borrello was just one 25 Republican legislators in the nation just named part of the “2022 Class of Emerging Leaders” by the United States GOPAC.

Reed’s former staffer, Joe Sempolinski of Canisteo, has already put his name forward as a candidate for the special election.

Sempolinski is the current Chairman of the Steuben County Republican Committee. He also currently lives in the district unlike Representative Claudia Tenney who has submitted petitions to run for the Congressional seat. She currently lives in Utica. The Buffalo News reports Tenney and her aides have not commented about whether she would want to run in the special election in the 23rd district.