Candidates submit petitions to force 6 Republican primaries in Orleans County

Contested races include district attorney, county coroner, Carlton councilman, and GOP committees in Shelby, Yates

ALBION – There will be six Republican primaries in Orleans County in June, with races for the district attorney and county coroner highlighting the lineup.

There also will be primaries for Carlton councilman, and committee positions for Shelby District 3 and District 4, and in Yates with District 2.

The Republican primary is scheduled for June 25 with early voting from June 15 to 23.

For district attorney, John Sansone was endorsed by the Republican Party committee on Feb. 3 but Susan Howard submitted petitions during the April 1-4 deadline to force a vote among registered Republicans.

Howard and Sansone are both assistant DAs who want to succeed Joe Cardone, who is retiring after 32 years as the county’s top prosecutor.

The Republican Committee on Feb. 3 endorsed three candidates for coroner: incumbent Rocco Sidari of Albion, Kevin Dann of Holley and Dr. Julie Woodworth of Lyndonville.

Scott Schmidt, the county’s chief coroner, did not get enough backing for the endorsement, but he has submitted petitions signed by 838 registered Republicans, which he said is above the threshold of 597 needed signatures.

Schmidt of Medina has been a county coroner for 34 years, and has been the chief coroner since 1997. For the past 18 years he also has been president of the NYS Association of County Coroners and Medical Examiners.

“It was a wonderful experience to get out and meet voters,” Schmidt said about circulating petitions. “I went on the country roads where people don’t normally go. Some people said I was the first person running for office to ever knock on their door.”

Charlie Smith of Ridgeway isn’t seeking re-election for another term as coroner.

In Carlton, the primary pits Jeff Gifaldi, the incumbent, against John Olles for a councilman’s seat on the Town Board.

The primaries to the Republican Committee at the town level include two districts in Shelby and one in Yates. Each district can have two representatives.

In Shelby for District 3, the primary includes Alana Koneski, Bruce Schmidt and Stephen Seitz Sr. For District 4, the candidates include Benjamin Flansburg, John Pratt III and Thomas Winans.

In Yates, there are four candidates for the two spots on District 4, including Terry Chaffee Jr., Steven Colon, Lynne Johnson and William Jurinich.

Officials at the Board of Elections in Orleans County will go through the petitions to determine if there are any valid objections to the signatures. The petitions are expected to be certified on May 2.