CARLTON – An article on Monday about the races for town offices in Orleans County neglected to mention the write-in effort by Lea Olles for Carlton town clerk.
Olles lost a Republican primary to incumbent Pam Rush.
To see the article from Monday, which has been updated, click here.
ALBION A Ridgeway resident could spend up to a year in jail after he pleaded guilty in Orleans County Court to possessing more than 2 ounces of marijuana.
Jacob J. Callara, 51, of 3643 Horan Rd., apartment 2, was charged last February after police seized more than 300 marijuana plants. Two other men were arrested in the raid.
Callara has a light criminal history, Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone said on Monday after Callara pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree charge of marijuana possession.
Callara will be sentenced on Jan. 6. He could spend up to a year in jail and could be on Probation for three years.
In another case on Monday, Orleans County Court Judge James Punch set $25,000 bail for Brandon Kirby, 26, of Albion. He faces numerous charges after a crash on Oct. 23 in Clarendon when he allegedly crossed Mansfield Road, onto private property and struck a building owned by Acme Powerwashing Inc., of Holley.
Kirby was charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation 2nd Degree, Operating a Vehicle Without an Ignition Inter-Lock Device, Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Incident, and Failure to Stop for a Stop Sign.
He was arraigned in county court on Monday for violating his probation. He will be represented by the public defender.
Photo by Tom Rivers
I voted at about noon today in Albion at the Elks Lodge on West State Street. I was told by the voting inspectors that turnout has been “steady” so far.
It is a warm day, which will make it easier for more people to get to the polls.
Not every one realizes there are six propositions on the back side of the ballot, so don’t forget about them. The one getting the most press is a proposal to allow seven casinos in the state that aren’t on Indian-owned land.
This might be the third year locally for the optical-scan machines. I miss the old manual-lever voting machines, but I’m getting used to the paper ballots.
By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian
ALBION – The Albion High School baseball team had its picture taken in 1933 in front of what was then the Albion High School on East Academy Street. (The building is now the Albion Academy and is used for senior citizen apartments, Nutri-Fair and the Arc of Orleans County.)
What is really great about this picture is that all the players are identified.
The team includes the bat boy in front named Richard Foster.
Second row, from left: Pat Monacelli, Anthony Glenn Peter “Coke” Ross, Philbrook Vick, Nellio DiGuilio, Amaday “Cal” Colonna, Edmond Biordi, Louis Hollenbeck, Clyde Furness and Robert Bloom.
Third row: Peter DeLuca, F. Craig Campbell, Sam Juliana, Sam Martillotta, Louis “Pooch” Massaro, John Russelli, Jack Newman, Ralph Tiffany, Robert Wood and Coach Spierdowis.
Back row: Angelo Bell (manager), Mike Christopher, Ted “Bear” DiLaura, Steve Adams, Bruce Farnsworth, Dominic DiLodovico, Frank “Pete” Morrow, George Dragon, Joe Christopher and Henry Dragon.
The unofficial results for the Orleans County Legislature elections are in, with 40 of the 40 polling places reporting.
At-Large, West – David Callard (R-I): 4408
At-Large, Central – Don Allport (R, I, C): 3419
At-Large, Central – Gary Kent (D, Nursing Home): 2917
At-Large, East – John DeFilipps (R, I): 3367
At-Large, East – Jack Gillman (D, Nursing Home): 2573
District 1 – Bill Eick (R, I): 833
District 1 – Emil Smith (C, Nursing Home): 518
District 2 – Lynne Johnson (R, I): 968
District 2 – Linda Rak (C, Nursing Home): 629
District 3 – Fred Miller (D, C): 900
District 3 – Henry Smith (R, I): 607
District 4 – Ken DeRoller (R, I): 1142
District 4 – David Schult (D, C): 683
County Treasurer Susan Heard (R, I): 5146
County Clerk Karen Lake-Maynard (R, I): 5287
ALBION – The mother of an inmate at the Orleans Correctional Facility appeared in court today for the first time and was sent to the county jail on $25,000 bail.
Tracey Stratton, 51, of Vermont allegedly mailed her son drugs. County Court Judge James Punch set her bail at $25,000. He also assigned her the public defender’s office. She will be arraigned on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. once she has an attorney assigned to her case.
Stratton has been charged with promoting prison contraband in the first degree and criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fourth degree.
She allegedly mailed the drugs to her son, Jason Seifert, 28. He has been at the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion since April 23, 2010. He was sent to prison after being convicted of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Legislature Chairman David Callard is unopposed for another two-year term as legislator. There are races for the six other legislator seats.
Tomorrow is decision day for Orleans County residents. They will go to the polls to decide the leaders of town and county governments. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
In recent years, most of the candidates for county offices have been unopposed. But this year many of the races are contested, especially for county Legislature, where six of the seven legislator seats have two candidates.
The Legislature in February voted to transfer the nursing home to a local development corporation. The LDC was given the mission of finding a buyer for the site.
The move to sell the 120-bed nursing home stirred the passions of many community members, including candidates who want to stop the sale. Four candidates are running under an independent “Save Our Nursing Home” line.
Republicans have been dominant in recent years. Every elected county position is currently filled by a Republican. A Democrat has not held an elected county position since Gary Kent of Albion served on the Legislature in 2008 and 2009.
Republicans have a nearly 2 to 1 enrollment edge over Democrats, 10,397 to 5,573. There are 4,730 “blanks” or unaffiliated voters, plus 1,058 members of the Independence Party. Other party enrollment figures include 518 Conservatives, 160 members of the Working Families Party, 46 in the Green Party and 23 Libertarians. There are 22,505 registered voters in the county.
Here is a list of candidates for the county offices:
There are three county-wide legislator positions, with each requiring a legislator to live in the east end, central and west end of the county, respectively. George Bower of Holley has served in one of the spots for about two decades. But he is retiring.
Republicans endorsed Clarendon Town Councilman John DeFilipps for the two-year position. Democrats backed former Kendall Town Supervisor Jonathan “Jack” Gillman for the spot. He also has the “Save Our Nursing Home” line.
DeFilipps and all of the Republican candidates for Legislature have the Independence Party line.
In the countywide legislator position, central, the race again pits incumbent Republican Don Allport versus Kent. This is the fourth time they are facing each other. Allport has won the last two elections after Kent defeated him in November 2007.
Kent has been a loud advocate for keeping the nursing home in county ownership. Allport is the only Republican for Legislature that secured the Conservative Party endorsement.
Like Gillman and two other candidates – Linda Rak and Emil Smith – Kent has the independent Nursing Home line.
In the other county-wide position, this one on the western end, Legislature Chairman David Callard in unopposed.
In the district seats, there are races for every position.
Republican Bill Eick currently represents District 1, which includes the towns of Barre, Clarendon and most of Shelby. He is being challenged by Emil Smith, who has the Nursing Home line and Conservative Party support.
In District 2, Republican incumbent Lynne Johnson is challenged by Linda Rak, who is backed by the Conservative Party and also has the Nursing Home line. The district includes the towns of Ridgeway and Yates and a portion of Shelby.
District 3 includes the towns of Albion and Gaines. Republican Henry Smith is challenged by Fred Miller, who is backed by the Democrats and Conservatives. Miller is a current trustee on the Albion Village Board.
District 4 will have a new legislator because Ken Rush is retiring as the representative for the towns of Carlton, Kendall and Murray. Republicans endorsed Ken DeRoller for the position. He is vying against David Schult, who is endorsed by the Democrats and Conservatives.
County Treasurer Susan Heard and County Clerk Karen Lake-Maynard are unopposed in their re-election bids for four-year terms.
Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday to elect town officials in an election that promises to change the makeup of some local Town Boards.
Two towns, Albion and Kendall, have town supervisors that aren’t seeking election, which means those towns will have a new chief executive officer. In Barre, incumbent Mark Chamberlain, R, also faces a challenge for town supervisor from Cyndy Van Lie Shout, D.
The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Here is a list of the local town races:
Albion – Town Supervisor Dennis Stirk, D, is not seeking re-election for another two-year term. He is the only Democrat who currently serves as a town supervisor in Orleans County.
Stirk is backing the Deputy Town Supervisor Jake Olles, who is endorsed by the Democratic Party. He also is running under the independent “No Bull” party. He is running against Town Councilman Matt Passarell, who has the Republican and Conservative party lines for town supervisor.
The Town Board will have two new councilmen because neither incumbent, Tim Neilans or Passarell, is seeking re-election for that position. Todd Sargent has the Democratic and Republican lines. Richard Remley has the Republican line while Justin Sheehan has the Democratic line. Voters will elect two of the three to four-year terms.
In Barre, Chamberlain versus Van Lie Shout tops the races. Residents also will pick among three candidates for town justice. Alan Jones is retiring. The following want to succeed him: Rick Root, a Democrat; Richard DeCarlo Jr., Republican and Independence parties; and Sean Pogue, a Conservative.
Three candidates – Joe Grabowski, a Democrat, and Republicans Tom McCabe and Lynn Hll – are also running for two Town Council positions.
In Carlton, four candidates are vying for two Town Board seats, including Bilal Huzair, D, C; Douglas Hart, D; and incumbents Joyce Harris, R; and James Shoemaker, R.
In a rematch of the Republican primary for highway superintendent, incumbent David Krull is running under the Independence Party. He lost a close GOP primary to Paul Snook Sr., who has the Republican and Conservative Party lines.
Town Clerk Pam Rush also appears to be unopposed, but Lea Olles is mounting a write-in campaign. Olles lost to Rush in the Republican Primary in September.
Town Justice Kevin Hurley, a Republican, is unopposed.
It’s a quiet election for town offices in Clarendon. The Republican team is unopposed. Dick Moy is seeking re-election to town supervisor while Paul Nicosia and Marc Major are running for four-year terms on the Town Board.
In Gaines, a there is a three-way race for two Town Board seats. Republican incumbents Jim Kirby and Sue Smith face a challenge from John Leggat, who is endorsed by the Democratic Party. Smith also has the Conservative line.
Town Supervisor Carol Culhane is unopposed for re-election. She has the GOP and Conservative lines.
Town Clerk Jean Klatt, R, is unopposed for re-election and Bruce Schmidt, the town justice, is unopposed. He has the Republican, Democratic and Conservative lines.
In Kendall, two candidates are running for a town justice race that pits Stephen Cliff, a Democrat, against Debra Drennan, a Republican.
The other positions on the Town Board appear to be unopposed. Town Supervisor Dan Gaesser isn’t seeking re-election. The Republican Committeee endorsed Anthony Cammarata for town supervisor. Gaesser is helping to lead a write-in campaign to have Councilman Bart Joseph elected town supervisor.
Two other Republicans for Town Board, Bruce Newell and Patrick Snook, Jr., also appear to be unopposed, but two write-in candidates, David Balka and David Gaudioso, are mounting an effort to be elected.
Town Clerk Amy Richardson, R, and Highway Superintendent Warren Kruger, R, are both unopposed.
The Republican team of incumbents is unopposed in Murray. The slate includes John Morris for town supervisor, Kathleen Case and Paul Hendel for Town Board, Cynthia Oliver for town clerk, Ed Morgan for highway superintendent and Gary Passarell for town justice.
In Ridgeway there is a rematch of the GOP primary for highway superintendent. Incumbent Mark Goheen, Republican and Independence, held off challenger Raymond Wendling in the primary. But Wendling is back as a candidate for the Conservative Party and the independent Ridgeway Peoples Party.
The other Republican candidates are unopposed including David Stalker and Jeffrey Toussaint for Town Board, Barbara Klatt for town clerk, and Lawrence Sanderson for town justice.
In Shelby, three Republican candidates are unopposed, including Merle “Skip” Draper for town supervisor and Steve Seitz Jr. and William Bacon for the Town Board.
In Yates, three candidates are running for two positions as town councilmen. Paul Lauricella Jr., a member of the Conservative Party, is running against Republicans James Whipple and Bradley Bentley.
Two other Republicans – Town Supervisor John Belson and Town Justice Donald Grabowski – are both unopposed.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Kendall Town Supervisor Dan Gaesser, left, is pictured with Town Councilman Bart Joseph. Gaesser is backing Joseph for town supervisor in a write-in campaign.
KENDALL – As Dan Gaesser wraps up four years as town supervisor and seven years on the Town Board, he has been thinking about the transition for the town to a new supervisor and new majority on the board.
Gaesser says he has worried in recent months about a trio of candidates backed by the Republican Committee to serve on the board. The candidates, including the GOP-picked candidate for town supervisor, haven’t served on the Town Board before.
As the election neared in recent weeks, Gaesser admits he grew more worried about the new team that seemed destined to take office.
Gaesser said other people in town voiced some misgivings about the Republican candidates. Gaesser said he saw an ideal candidate already on the board in Town Councilman Bart Joseph, who has six years on the board.
Joseph didn’t pursue the Republican endorsement in the spring. He assumed Gaesser would seek re-election.
“I thought Dan was running,” Joseph said.
Gaesser opted against another two-year term, saying he wanted to devote more time to his family and business.
Gaesser last week convinced Joseph and two other residents, David Balka and David Gaudioso, to mount write-in campaigns for the Town Board. Joseph agreed to be a candidate for town supervisor.
“With his experience, it would be very beneficial moving forward,” Gaesser said. “People are concerned with a board that is 60 percent new.”
The Republican Committee picked Tony Cammarata as its candidate for town supervisor. The committee also endorsed Bruce Newell and Patrick Snook, Jr. for the Town Board.
Cammarata ran for the Town Board with the Democratic Party’s endorsement in 2009 and 2011. A former independent, he is now a registered Republican. He also retired last year after a 34-year career in sales with Georgia Pacific, a paper products and plywood company.
Cammarata said his career in sales and management gives him “a vast background working with people.”
He serves on the town Zoning Boards of Appeals and is a member of the Kendall Lions Club.
He didn’t fault Joseph and the other write-in candidates for making a run for office.
“That’s what free elections are all about,” Cammarata said. “That’s what America stands for and it’s what I believe in.”
Cammarata said he has the time to devote to the position now that he’s retired.
“I’m totally available,” he said.
Cammarata said he wants to extend waterlines in town. He thinks Kendall can draw more residents. It has close proximity to the lake, a respected school district and beautiful rural landscapes.
“I want to work with the people and identify their needs,” he said. “I know working with people accomplishes a lot.”
Gaesser said the trio of Republican-endorsed candidates may not quickly grasp town budgeting, the process of forming new water districts, and working on business projects, including the 400-unit development at the former Salvation Army Camp. The Wegman Group has begun construction of “The Cottages at Troutburg,” a development projected to take about a decade to complete.
Joseph has been heavily involved in town projects the past six years, Gaesser said. Joseph said he also knows how to advance projects through the layers of local, state and federal governments.
He has worked the past 32 years as a paramedic with the Rochester Fire Department. He is the department’s line safety officer. He also has been a volunteer firefighter in Morton for 39 years.
“This town has invested a lot in me over the years,” Joseph said. “I have experience working in the city government, the fire community and the Town Board.”
Winning as a write-in requires voters to write the names of the candidates on the ballot. It’s unusual for a candidate to pull off a write-in victory.
Three years ago Lisa Murkowski became the first U.S. senator in more than 50 years to win an election with a write-in campaign. She received more than 100,000 votes in Alaska to win as a write-in. Both Joseph and Cammarata mentioned Murkowski’s victory as an example that it can be done.
If Cammarata wins on Tuesday and becomes town supervisor, Joseph would still be on the board as a councilman. Cammarata said he would welcome Joseph’s input and contributions.
Cammarata said he sees his role as assembling a team that can work on projects for the town.
“If you’re the town supervisor, you’re the manager,” he said. “You’re the leader and you have to have people skills. I bring that and I’m highly motivated.”
Hoffer
ALBION – The girlfriend of a bank robber has been offered a deal that could result in up to 25 years in state prison.
Elyse A. Hoffer, 22, of Rochester allegedly drove the getaway car when her boyfriend Jeremy J. Rothmund robbed the Bank of America in Albion on July 2. Rothmund went into the bank with a false bomb. He robbed the bank of $18,000.
Hoffer had the getaway car behind Freeze-Dry Foods near the railroad tracks. The couple was spotted by an Albion resident who gave the vehicle ID to police. The two were stopped and arrested in Holley.
Rothmund confessed to the crime during an Oct. 21 court appearance at the Orleans County Courthouse. Both he and Hoffer have been charged with first-degree robbery. They also face charges for two bank robberies in the town of Greece.
Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone has offered a plea deal to Hoffer that she face one sentence, rather than three sentences of up to 25 years each. If she was prosecuted for all three, with the sentences added up, she could face up to 75 in state prison.
Cardone has offered that she be sentenced to a maximum of 25 years for the three robberies. Hoffer, who appeared in county court today, wants to talk over the deal with her attorney. Cardone will also confer with the District Attorney’s Office in Monroe County about the case.
Cardone told Orleans County Court Judge James Punch that as part of the plea deal, Hoffer’s cooperation would be needed as the DA prosecutes Rothmund.
“We’re just asking for the truth, your honor,” Cardone told Judge Punch.
By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian
SHELBY – In this picture taken in 1889, we see the log cabin built by Alexander Coon in 1811. He was the first settler in the town of Shelby.
The woman in the photo is identified as Betsy Boyce Benson. These first homes in our region were usually about 16 feet square, consisting of one room and perhaps a loft.
By the end of the 19th Century most of these early dwellings had been removed and replaced with much better housing.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Singers from Episcopal parishes in three rural counties joined together for an “All Saints Sunday” service today at Christ Church in Albion. The multi-church choir was part of an annual memorial service for patients that were served by Hospice of Orleans.
The agency remembered 110 patients that died between Sept. 16, 2012 and Sept. 16, 2013. The Genesee Deanery Episcopal Choir includes members from Episcopal congregations in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties.
About 50 people attended the service today.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Albion Free Methodist Church, which is undergoing a remodeling project in its sanctuary, held its service inside the main meeting room at the Hoag Library this morning.
The church will be back at the library next Sunday at 9 a.m. before returning to the church building at the corner of the Platt and East State streets for Nov. 17. The church is removing its pews and adding cushioned seats, which will increase the seating capacity at the site. New carpeting, paint and other changes are part of the project.
Kevin Eccles, one of the church pastors, delivers the sermon today. A portrait of Emma Swan, one of the founders of Albion public library more than a century ago, is on the wall to the right.
ALBION – About 40 years ago, Albion’s downtown had a grocery store, clothing and jewelry shops, as well as lots of other independent merchants.
Albion resident Gar Trusselle found these photos and sent them to The Orleans Hub.
The top photo was taken from near the canal looking south. The Waterman building, which is next to the Briggs building, was standing in the early 1970s. A fire about a decade later would remove that structure from the collection of historic structures in the downtown.
The photo below shows East Bank Street. You can see projecting signs and awnings on some of the buildings back then.
“I remember doing a lot of our shopping there when I was growing up,” Trusselle said. “So many stores were downtown at that time. Clothing, jewelry, groceries and several of each. Oh well, I guess that’s progress.”
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – No need to take a ride out in the country to see the fall foliage in its glory. I stopped by the Courthouse Square in Albion this afternoon and took these photos.
The top photo is on the Courthouse lawn with the First Baptist Church in back in the center. The Episcopal Church is at right and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church is at left.
The top of the Orleans County Courthouse dome shows while some leaves cling to one of the trees on the lawn.
The County Clerk’s Building is framed by a mostly barren branch in this photo. The Courthouse Square and the seven churches nearby are part of a district named to the National Register of Historic Places.
