KENMORE
Spurned candidate raises objections to Kenmore village caucuses
The Erie County Board of Elections received objections Monday connected to last week’s Democratic and Independence party caucuses in the Village of Kenmore.
One objection reportedly relates to participants at the Democratic caucus, while the other alleges the Independence caucus commenced earlier than scheduled, barring more people from participating.
Both were filed by Kevin T. Stocker, a candidate for village justice, who reported Monday that he is also preparing a court challenge.
“I don’t know when we will be meeting on that,” Dennis Ward, an elections commissioner, said Monday afternoon.
On Sept. 15, members of the Democratic, Republican, Conservative and Independence parties met to nominate candidates for village justice and trustee.
Timothy F. Weisbeck, who presided over the Independence caucus, denied that gathering started early.
Both meetings were held, an hour apart, at the same Military Road bar. Ninety-six of the village’s 4,956 registered Democrats attended the first gathering, compared to just seven of 342 Independence Party members.
The caucus results, as they stand, have narrowed the race for village justice to two. There’s no opposition for a seat on the Village Board.
Both posts carry one-year terms, to complete those of predecessors who were elected to other offices.
Scott F. Riordan, a private practice attorney currently serving as village prosecutor, won the Democratic and Independence caucuses. He is up against Stocker, also a private practice attorney and a former village prosecutor, who won the Republican and Conservative lines; Stocker also will appear on the Tax Payer 1st line, which he created.
Left out of the race is Frank J. Longo, a registered Republican who was the first to throw his hat into the ring for the village justice’s job.
Incumbent Village Trustee Paul P. Catalano will be unopposed in his bid for election. He won the Democratic, Independence and Conservative caucuses; Republicans didn’t choose a candidate for that office.
Catalano was appointed to the Village Board after Patrick Mang was elected mayor last November. The justice seat, filled by appointment of Michael J. Kanaley Jr., was vacated when J. Mark Gruber was elected to Tonawanda Town Court.
The Republican gathering attracted 50 of 3,261 registrants; and nine of 196 Conservatives attended that caucus.
