A look at Niagara County communities where there is less competition
This election season will be relatively tame in several towns across Niagara County, compared with Lewiston, Lockport, Pendleton and Wheatfield, where contested campaigns for supervisor and other offices have meant more political signs in neighborhoods and along major roads, and more door-to-door visits by candidates.
Voters in Cambria and Porter have a slate of candidates for Town Board, and voters in Royalton will have to pick a highway superintendent. Most other races in the towns are uncontested, however.
That doesn't mean there won't be some new elected officials in towns without competition, however. At least one new member will join the town boards in Newfane, Somerset and Wilson.
Below is a listing of races in communities where there is less competition.
The News Niagara staff has written stories about more-competitive races in recent days. Stories about countywide races and contests in Pendleton are on the front page of today's Niagara Weekend section.
A new candidate is challenging a pair of incumbents in a hotly contested Cambria Town Board race for two seats.
Newcomer Randy M. Roberts has locked up one of two slots on the Republican line, and he will face incumbents Robert E. Blackman and Debra L. Kroening. Blackman is backed by the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties, while Kroening has the nod of the Independence and Conservative parties for another four-year term on the board.
Roberts, 51, has worked at Pfeiffer Foods in Wilson for 22 years — the past 16 as a foreman. Pfeiffer announced in September it was closing the Wilson plant, and Roberts said he is committed to the company until at least Dec. 10. He has lived in Cambria 27 years.
"I've been talking to a lot of people, and aside from taxes — which are always an issue — one of the main concerns is that this is a rural community, and a lot of people have stayed here or moved here because they wanted to live in a rural community, but they don't want too much growth, too fast," Roberts said.
"What can we do? We should have slow growth, because we still have to maintain our tax base. The other thing people are talking about is the new town park," he said. "It's under way — now, how will we pay for it? I'd like to move it along as fast as we can without raising taxes, and the Town Board needs to find creative ways to do that."
Blackman, 65, a fifth-generation farmer, is seeking his fifth term on the board. He operates Blackman Homestead Farms, a fruit and cattle farm.
"We need to keep taxes in line, which is difficult with the reductions in state revenues and federal assistance to smaller municipalities," he said. "I'd also like to see the town park progress in an affordable way, without creating a great deal of debt for the town.
"And development will happen, but it needs to be organized development," Blackman said. "We need to make sure our town ordinances are updated to accommodate any expansion. We're always looking for small businesses or industries to help with our tax base."
Kroening, 50, is seeking her second term on the board. A stay-at-home mother, Kroening won a seat in the 2005 election after the death of her father, Robert L. McCollum, who served 32 years as town clerk, followed by two terms on the board.
According to Kroening, the three things on voters' minds are "taxes, the town park and roads."
"We haven't had a town tax in a long time, and we're trying to keep it that way," Kroening said. "And the younger people want the town park finished before their children are too old to play there, but when the town decided to build it, it was to be built in phases because we couldn't afford it all at once. I see it both ways. And I'd like to work on the roads and keep the infrastructure up, because when they get bad, it's hard to play catch-up."
Also in Cambria, incumbents are running unopposed for re-election to their four-year posts: Town Clerk Lou Ann Murawski and Tax Collector Debra A. Littere. Both have the nod from the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties.
W. Ross Annable is seeking his first full, four-year term on the Town Board, while Joseph A. Reed is looking at his fifth term, as the two incumbents run unchallenged.
Annable, 52, was encouraged to join the Town Board after the death of Councilman Gary Nichols last year, the timing of which forced an election rather than an appointment, according to state law. Annable won the special election for a one-year term. He is the son of longtime Hartland Supervisor William A. Annable. He is retired from the Niagara County Sheriff's Office and currently serves as police chief in Barker.
Reed, 56, works at a machine shop in Tonawanda.
Both candidates are backed by the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties, as is Town Justice Brian L. Fitts, running unopposed for re-election to another four-year term.
Two uncontested candidates are seeking two open seats on the Town Board.
Incumbent Robert A. Pettit, 71, is seeking a third four-year term. The semi-retired, former longtime owner of Pettit's Appliance Store has the backing of the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties.
Gordon H. Fletcher III, who has the nod from the Republican, Independence, Conservative and Working Families parties, is a new candidate for Town Board. He is an employee of TheGeneral Motors Co.
Supervisor Timothy R. Horanburg, 60, is running unopposed for his third consecutive two-year term with the backing of the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties.
A lifelong resident, Horanburg previously served as Newfane supervisor for 14 years, beginning in 1984. He resigned as a fire technician to take the town's top post again in January 2006.
Additionally, newcomer Scott R. Boudeman is seeking election as town justice with the backing of the Democrat, Republican, Independence and Conservative parties.
Councilmen Marc M. Carpenter and Charles F. Teixeira are seeking re-election to their seats on the Town Board unopposed.
Carpenter, 59, of Wildwood Drive, is a training, planning and administration systems administrator for General Motors.
Teixeira, 44, is the owner of the Avenue Opticians.
Four candidates are vying for two open seats on the Town Board.
Thomas A. Baia, J. Anthony Collard, Joseph G. Fleckenstein and Beverly A. Van Deusen are running for the posts, which carry four-year terms.
Baia's current term is up, and Councilwoman Nancy J. Orsi is not running for re-election.
Van Deusen, who works as a secretary in the guidance office in Lewiston-Porter Middle School, is making her first bid for public office.
"One of my main goals is to establish a better line of communication between the residents and the Town of Porter," Van Deusen said, when asked about what she hopes to accomplish if elected.
Much of the public's voice, especially on the issues surrounding CWM Chemical Services hazardous waste landfill, isn't reflected by board members, said Van Deusen, 57.
She has worked at Lew-Port for 19 years and decided to run for the board, she said, after learning the current Town Board consisted of members of only one party, the GOP.
She said she has no "ax to grind" against Republicans, only that having only one party representation is "just not healthy for a board."
Van Deusen also has held office in the Lewiston-Porter United Educational Employees union. She is a past member of the Ladies Auxiliary of Youngstown Volunteer Fire Company. She is running on the Democratic and Positive Change lines.
Fleckenstein owns J.F. Machining Co. and Me "T" Farms, both in Ransomville, and is a member of the town's Zoning Board of Appeals.
He said he likes the existing way of life in the town and wants to focus on taxes.
"Our taxes are low, and I want to make sure they stay there," said Fleckenstein, 50.
He said he also wants to attract the development of senior housing in Youngstown and Ransomville, and thinks incentives should be offered for developers of such projects.
Fleckenstein is the vice president of the Ransomville Business Association, a board member of the Lower Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce and is also chairman of the board of commissioners for the Ransomville Fire District.
He will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot on the Republican and Conservative lines.
Collard, a member of the town Planning Board and former Village of Youngstown trustee, is retired from the Youngstown Department of Public Works.
Collard outlined a series of goals that he said he plans to implement, if elected.
The goals include increasing the police presence in Ransomville, exploring term limits for elected town officials and completing an update of the town's zoning maps, said Collard, 68.
He also said the issue of consolidating services between the village and town should be researched and discussed, with the option up to residents, not politicians.
"I believe firmly that [the issue of consolidating or merging] has to be in the hands of the villagers," he said.
Collard, the former head of the town Republican Committee, served as a Youngstown trustee for two years from June 2005 through May 2007. He has the Democratic, Independence and Positive Change lines. He was a member of the Coast Guard Reserve for 29 years.
Baia, an incumbent, has served two terms on the board and has been deputy supervisor for his entire tenure. He served on the Zoning Board prior to being elected to the Town Board.
A former automobile wholesaler, Baia also served two terms on the Lew-Port School Board in the 1990s. He said the town's biggest challenge is keeping taxes low.
He's running for another term because he enjoys the work.
"I enjoy serving the community, and I love the Town of Porter," said Baia, 73.
Baia has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Lewiston for 41 years, is a past president and a past Peach Festival chairman. He has the Republican, Independence and Conservative lines.
In uncontested races, Supervisor Merton K. Wiepert is seeking his fourth term; Tax Collector Sally A. Hogan, who has held the office since 1988, also is running for re-election; and Town Justice David J. Truesdale, who has been in office since 1982, is seeking his eighth term on the bench.
Only one of six races in Royalton is contested this year — the race for superintendent of highways, which pits Republican incumbent Terry W. Nieman against Carson J. Kelley, who is backed by the Democratic, Independence, Conservative and Working Families parties. The job carries a two-year term.
Nieman, 58, has served the town in this capacity since 2000.
Kelley, 54, owns C and C Trucking and Excavating Co.
Kelley defeated Nieman in the September primary on the Conservative and Independence lines. The same two ran for the post in 2007.
This year's election also carries the positions of supervisor, town clerk, town justice, Town Board and tax collector on the ballot. None of these positions is contested.
Supervisor Richard J. Lang, 68, is running unopposed for his second two-year term. A retired officer with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, he is backed by the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties.
Town Clerk Marie L. Little is seeking re-election to her four-year post with the backing of the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties.
Two incumbent town justices are looking to be re-elected: Gregory H. Bass and Margaret M. Raduns. They are both endorsed by the Democratic, Republican, Independence, Conservative and Working Families parties. The job carries a four-year term.
Two current councilmen are seeking re-election to two open seats. James G. Budde is backed by the Democratic, Independence, Conservative and Working Families parties. Daniel R. Bragg is endorsed by the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties. They each had been elected to fill unexpired terms and are now seeking election to their first full four-year terms.
Bragg, 54, took office Jan. 1 to fill the final year of Supervisor Lang's board term. He manages Standish-Jones Building Supply Co. in Gasport.
Budde, 54, took office Jan. 1, 2008. A retired General Motors employee, he currently serves as coordinator of buildings and grounds for St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Lockport.
Tax Collector Jo Anne K. Swick is looking for re-election to a four-year term, with the nod from the Republicans, Independents and Conservatives.
Two political newcomers will take office on the Town Board in January, unopposed in this election. They are Gary R. Alt and Robin R. Jansen.
Alt, 45, operates a dairy farm in partnership with his family.
He has served on the town's Planning Board for the past three years.
Jansen, 52, is a consultant in the implementation of computer systems for physicians' offices and hospitals.
Both candidates are endorsed by the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties. They will fill positions of longtime board members April Gow and Dudley Chaffee, who did not seek re-election.
Supervisor Richard J. Meyers, 45, is running unchallenged for his second two-year term and is backed by the Republicans, Independents and Conservatives.
Meyers pulled off a highly unusual, 10-vote victory over John E. Sweeney Jr. on two minor party lines in November 2007 to retain the post after serving a one-year term in 2007 following his victory over incumbent Sweeney in November 2006.
"We need to start bringing business here to Somerset," Meyers said. "We have a lot of property that is zoned for it and is sitting vacant, and we need to pursue this. We already have a government efficiency committee in place, and these two things will be my focus the next two years."
Three other races also feature unchallenged incumbents. Town Clerk Rebecca A. Connolly, Highway Superintendent Kenneth J. Bigelow and Tax Collector Ruth H. Wendler are seeking re-election to their posts. They are all running on the Republican, Independence and Conservative lines.
The Town of Wilson also will have a new councilman, along with a seasoned incumbent, in yet another uncontested race to fill two open spots on the Town Board.
Jon L. Munnikhuysen, 54, is a lifelong Wilson resident and political neophyte. A retired tool-and-dye maker at Delphi, he currently works for Heinrich Chevrolet.
Brad Clark is seeking a fourth term. Clark, 59, is a retired senior mechanic at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and has lived in Wilson for more than 50 years.
Both candidates are backed by the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties for seats that carry four-year terms.
Supervisor Joseph A. Jastrzemski, 54, is running for his third two-year term without any competition. He has the support of the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties.
He is coordinator of the Niagara County Sheriff's Office prisoner release program. He also referees high school football and high school, college and professional lacrosse.
"We are struggling to maintain taxes," Jastrzemski said. "We're looking at the state mandates. We're looking at state cuts and hoping they don't push back down onto the towns, because we don't know what the state will do in the future.
"But I'm proud to be supervisor and working with the people that I have worked with the past four years, and I look forward to the next two years," he added.
Also, Town Justice George R. Berger seeks re-election to his post, and Tax Collector Julie E. Godfrey is running for re-election to her job. Both are unopposed and are backed by the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties.
News Niagara Reporter Denise Jewell Gee contributed to this report.
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