Local slate set for June 23 Republican primaries

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 April 2020 at 8:57 am

That day also includes special election and primary for NY-27th, with presidential primary also scheduled

June 23 will be a busy day at the polls in Orleans County with a presidential primary, a long-awaited special election to fill the vacant Congressional seat in the 27th district, and a primary for county clerk.

The 27th Congressional seat has been vacant since Chris Collins resigned on Sept. 30. Collins was sentenced on Jan. 17 to 26 months in federal prison for participating in a scheme to commit insider trading and for making false statements to federal law enforcement agents when interviewed about his conduct. He also was fined $200,000.

The special election was set for April 28 but was pushed back about two months due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

So June 23 is currently scheduled for the election to fill a vacancy for the 27th Congressional District. The winner will fill about five months of the remainder of the term.

The special election on June 23 will include the following candidates:

• Nathan D. McMurray – Democratic, Working Families

• Chris Jacobs – Republican, Independence

• Michael J. Gammariello – Green

• Duane Whitmer – Libertarian

There will also be a Republican primary on June 23 to see who gets the Republican line in the November election for a full two-year term. Jacobs, Beth Parlato and Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw are among those expected to be pursuing the Republican line. The candidates for that primary won’t be announced by the Board of Elections until April 29.

April 28 also was supposed to be the presidential primary. But both major parties have settled on their candidates: Donald Trump for Republicans and Joe Biden for the Democrats. The presidential primary is still scheduled to go forward on June 23.

Absentee ballots

The local Board of Elections reminds registered voters they can use absentee ballots to vote. Voters can request an absentee ballot by calling (585) 589-3274. Click here for more information on how to reach the Board of Elections.

Local primaries include County Clerk, Republican Committees in Ridgeway and Murray

There are two Republican candidates are running for Orleans County Clerk. Diane Shampine is the current acting clerk. She assumed the post after Karen Lake-Maynard retired. Shampine was Lake-Maynard’s deputy clerk for 14 years. Nadine Hanlon, current clerk of the County Legislature, also submitted petitions to be on the ballot of the primary. Hanlon is also a former Kendall town clerk. She is a current member of the Kendall Board of Education.

Normally candidates running in primaries need signatures from 5 percent of registered voters in the party to be on the ballot for a primary. Gov. Andrew Cuomo reduced that threshold to 1.25 percent of registered voters. He didn’t want people out going door-to-door to get signatures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are also primaries to pick members for Republican Committees in Murray and Ridgeway.

In Murray, there are primaries for three of the districts, with three candidates seeking two positions in District 3, District 5 and District 6.

In District 3, the candidates include Kathleen Case, Anthony Peone and Kerri Neale.

In District 5, the candidates include Lynn Wood, Cynthia Oliver and Ronald Vendetti.

In District 6, the candidates include Kellie Gregoire, Robert Miller and Adam R. Moore.

In Ridgeway, there are three candidates for two positions with District 2 on the Ridgeway Republican Committee. The candidates include Virginia Nicholson, David Stalker and Ayesha Kreutz.

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