The county-wide vote totals for Randy Bower and Tom Drennan were nearly the same out of 3,149 votes, with Bower holding a slight 27-vote edge in the race to be the next Orleans County sheriff.

However, some towns strongly favored Drennan while Bower collected an overwhelming majority in others. Some towns were almost a 50-50 split in the Republican vote.

Here is the voter breakdown in each of the 10 towns:

Source: Orleans County Board of Elections

Bower is a public safety dispatcher who lives just outside the Village of Holley in Murray. His 146-vote lead in Murray was the biggest difference in any of the 10 towns.

However, Drennan was the most dominant in any town with his showing in Kendall, his hometown. Drennan, the chief deputy in the Sheriff’s Office, won 74.3 percent or 168 of the 226 votes in Kendall.

In Murray, Bower won 70.5 percent of the vote. Bower had his second strongest showing in Clarendon, where he won 62.8 percent of the vote.

Both Bower and Drennan are from the eastern end of Orleans County. Drennan dominated Kendall, and Bower had big leads in Murray and Clarendon.

The central towns of Albion, Barre, Gaines and Carlton were all close.

Drennan was stronger than Bower in the west end, mainly due to a big showing in Shelby, where he got 60 percent of the vote. Yates and Ridgeway were almost evenly split.

The county Board of Elections has 233 absentee ballots out in the race and had received 157 by Thursday. The ballots will be counted Tuesday at 9 a.m., although more could come in by a Thursday deadline. The final results need to be certified on Friday, Sept. 18.

If you’re wondering about voter turnout for the Primary, it was 31.4 percent or 3,157 votes out of the 10,037 registered Republicans. That vote total includes eight write-ins.

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Jodi Genno, a member of the Albion Fire Department, salutes the American flag during a memorial ceremony today outside the Elks Lodge on the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when nearly 3,000 people were killed.

About 100 people attended a 10 a.m. memorial service today at the Elks. There will also be a 6 p.m. candlelight vigil by the Orleans County Courthouse.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley carries the American flag during the ceremony at the Elks. State Sen. Robert Ortt, back right, also attended and spoke at the service.

Hawley said the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks would unite Americans in grief and also in resolve. He praised the many first responders who heeded the call when the buildings were struck and the hijacked airplanes crashed.

Soldiers and their families continue to sacrifice as the war on terror continues, now longer than World War I, World War II and the Korean War, combined, Hawley said.

Albion firefighter Tim Irwin placed this helmet and lighted this candle during today’s service.

State Sen. Robert Ortt said he was 22 and a senior at Canisius College when the U.S. was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.

Ortt would join the National Guard and would be deployed to Afghanistan. He said the terrorists may have knocked down two skyscrapers but they haven’t dented the courage and character of the country.

“We have a generation of Americans who are willing to raise their hand and charge into a burning building and wear the uniform,” Ortt said.

County Legislator Lynne Johnson speaks about the response from Americans following the Sept. 11 attacks, when first responders rushed to the scene of the attacks and other Americans throughout the country lined up to give blood. (Larry Montello, the memorial service organizer, is in back of Johnson.)

“The lessons of this event is not the mystery of evil, but about our need for each other and a never-ending reminder to our future generations who must stand firm against terrorism,” Johnson said.

She recalled the many American flags hanging from nearly every house.

“A tragedy like this could have torn our country apart but instead it has made us stronger,” she said.

Larry Montello addressed the crowd at the Elks. Today’s service honored firefighters, police officers, paramedics, soldiers, K-9s and citizens who died in the attacks.

Montello organizes the event to honor the memory of those lost, and to also recognize the service of first responders.

The service today included raising a memorial flag in honor of the victims in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Legislator Don Allport helped raise the flag. He said the country needs to stay strong in fighting terrorists.

“We need the patriotism shown after 9-11,” Allport said. “We need to put aside our petty differences.”

Allport also read a proclamation from Gov. Cuomo, who declared today “A Day of Remembrance and Reflection.” Cuomo, in the proclamation, said Americans rushed the need to New York City after Trade Center towers were taken down.

“All New Yorkers remain indebted to our fellow citizens and people worldwide who exemplified the limitless capacity of the human heart to give through extraordinary displays of comfort and support, and through countless acts of compassion and kindness during one of the most trying times in our state and nation’s history,” the governor wrote in the proclamation.

Several firefighters and police officers attended the service today in Albion.

State responds to Orleans Hub article about county reaching deal to collect TV’s and other e-waste

Statement from NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

ALBANY – The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation would like to provide information and address the inaccuracies regarding the NYS Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act (Act) which appeared in the Orleans Hub article entitled “County approves deal to collect TV’s and other e-waste” dated August 27, 2015. (Click here to see that article.)

Since the Act was implemented in 2011, NYS consumers have the opportunity to recycle a wide variety of electronic waste (e-waste), such as computers, computer peripherals, televisions, small scale servers and other small electronic equipment in an environmentally responsible manner, through the use of manufacturers’ e-waste acceptance programs.

In fact, from 2011 through 2014 over 350,000 pounds of e-waste has been collected across the state for recycling/reuse.

Under the Act, manufacturers of covered electronic equipment (CEE) are required to provide free and convenient recycling of e-waste to consumers across the state. The Act allows manufacturers to utilize a variety of methods to accept e-waste from consumers (i.e. collection sites, events, mail back programs, etc.), which means there may not be a physical e-waste drop-off location available to all consumers.

In accordance with the Act, manufacturers are required to run a year-round, continuous e-waste acceptance program and are required to collect a minimum weight of e-waste based upon their market share. There is no limit to the amount of e-waste a manufacturer or their affiliated recycling partners may accept. The state has not “capped the amount of discarded material companies have to accept each year” as stated in the article.

Consumers wanting further information on how to properly recycle their e-waste should visit DEC’s webpage for consumers by clicking here.

Also available on DEC’s website is a listing of registered electronic waste collection site locations sorted by county. Click here to see the list.

Illegal dumping of e-waste should be reported to local authorities. The Department will pursue enforcement action when necessary. Any questions regarding the Act or how to properly recycle e-waste should be directed to DEC’s E-waste Team at: ewaste@dec.ny.gov or 518-402-8706.

Bower has slight lead; Absentees will be counted Tuesday

Too close to call. After more than 3,000 Republicans voted in a primary today for sheriff, neither Randy Bower or Tom Drennan can claim victory.

Bower received 1,588 votes for a slight lead over Drennan with 1,561.

The Board of Elections reported it sent out 233 absentee ballots, with 157 returned. Election Commissioner Dennis Piedimonte said he expects some more will come in the next few days. The absentees will be opened at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

Regardless who wins the primary, both candidates will be on the Nov. 3 ballot. Bower, a dispatcher the past 29 years, has been endorsed by the Conservative Party. Drennan, the chief deputy in the Sheriff’s Office, has the Independence and Reform Party lines.

Former Medina police investigator Don Organisciak has the Democratic Party backing, making it a three-man race to succeed Scott Hess, who is retiring as sheriff on Dec. 31.