Amherst
Amherst: Weinstein leads GOP sweep
Newcomers capture 3 open board seats
Republican Amherst Council Member and physician Barry A. Weinstein won the Amherst supervisor's seat Tuesday, leading a Republican sweep in the town.
Of six Town Board candidates vying for three open seats, Republican newcomers overtook all of their Democratic rivals, including veteran Democratic Council Member Daniel J. Ward, the only incumbent running.
"I'm ecstatic," Weinstein said. "We all ran together, and now we'll all be able to serve together. I'm going to predict that the bickering is over."
Weinstein won the supervisor's seat with 56 percent of all votes cast as of late Tuesday night, with 39 percent of the vote for Democratic challenger Alice J. Kryzan. Conservative Party candidate William L. Kindel received 5 percent.
Winning the three open Town Board seats were Barbara S. Nuchereno, with 22 percent of the vote; and Steven D. Sanders and Richard "Jay" Anderson, who each received 18 percent of the vote, with more than 80 percent of districts reporting.
The Republican takeover of what has been a history of independent politics and swing voting under Supervisor Satish B. Mohan shows that the decision by Republican candidates to champion the issues of board downsizing and tax relief was effective strategy.
"I'm really pleased that the people of Amherst have given me a Town Board that I can work with," Weinstein said.
Weinstein, who has kept a foot in the political realm since 1982 when he first served as a member of the Williamsville School Board, won the supervisor's seat despite claiming only the Republican line on the ballot.
His name recognition, scandal-free reputation and his ability to avoid the label of "career politician" as a practicing doctor helped him overcome the challenge by Kryzan, an environmental lawyer who last year lost to Chris Lee of Clarence in a race for Congress.
As a board member, Weinstein has been a consistent supporter of allowing voters to decide through referendum on the issue of downsizing the Town Board from seven members to five.
But Weinstein, a former Erie County legislator, said Tuesday he believes that it was the overall Republican message to not raise taxes and to reduce the size and cost of government that really caught voter attention.
Early polling showed him with a clear lead in the race back in April. Though Kryzan was expected to mount a serious challenge to his campaign, the vote tally shows her unable to gain traction against her opponent, who has enjoyed a long history of relatively uncontested support in Amherst.
While the political realm is old hat to Weinstein, Tuesday's voting outcome has ushered into office three Republican newcomers, leaving only one Democrat on the board as of January:
È Nuchereno, 48, easily secured spot on the board after running an smart and well-financed campaign for the seat after a failed bid last year for Erie County Family Court judge. She placed first among the six candidates.
She is a law clerk for Sharon S. Townsend, vice dean of the state's Judicial Institute for Family and Matrimonial Matters. She previously served for 13 years as an attorney in private practice, concentrating on family, real estate, contracts and estate law.
È Sanders, 39, showed appeal as a certified public accountant with a master's degree in business administration. He was endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties.
È Anderson, 32, a military veteran, worked at a local medical equipment sales position before spending nearly 14 months of active duty, including nine months in the Middle East.
Trailing the Republican pack were the three Democratic candidates, including Ward, who was unseated Tuesday after serving for 14 years as an elected Amherst official, including one term as supervisor.
Despite endorsements by the Democratic, Independence, Conservative and Working Families parties and considerable union support, Ward was a casualty of the strong slate of Republican candidates.
He came in fifth, with 14 percent of the vote.
In fourth place was Ramona D. Popowich, the Williamsville Board of Education member, with 16 percent of the vote. Candidate Toni L. Vasquez received 13 percent of the vote.
In addition, Amherst voters defeated two propositions, both of which would have diminished the power of individual Town Board members.
Proposition 1 would have made it harder for board members to change or remove deed restrictions tied to land rezoning. The proposition, which was narrowly defeated, would have allowed the Town Board to change or remove rezoning-related deed restrictions only through unanimous vote.
The second proposition dealt with how the Town Board fills the vacant seats of elected officials. It would have given political parties more control over filling vacant seats, instead of leaving vacancy appointments up to a simple majority vote of the entire board.
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