By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 November 2019 at 10:26 pm
Chris Bourke
ALBION – Chris Bourke was elected sheriff of Orleans County today, receiving nearly 80 percent of the vote against a write-in campaign for Brett Sobieraski.
Bourke, the current undersheriff, won a narrow Republican primary against Sobieraski in June. Bourke seemed to be coasting to the election. He also was on the Conservative and Independence lines.
But in the past month, many of Sobieraski’s supporters pushed the write-in campaign. The Rochester Police Department sergeant lives in Carlton and heads a drug task force for the RPD.
Bourke received 5,693 votes today and with early voting for 78.4 percent of the total. There were 1,570 write-ins. Those ballots will be counted on Thursday.
There are also 398 absentees that went out, with 264 returned so far, Board of Elections officials said.
Bourke has worked 35 years in the Sheriff’s Office, starting as a part-time corrections officer and working his way up as a deputy sheriff, K9 officer and lieutenant.
He will succeed Randy Bower as sheriff. Bower didn’t seek re-election. Bourke said the current chief deputy, Michael Mele, will become the new undersheriff starting Jan. 1.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 November 2019 at 8:21 am
ALBION – There were 374 residents in Orleans County who cast ballots in early voting, in nine days prior to today’s election.
That is 1.6 percent of about 23,000 registered voters. The busiest day was Oct. 30 when 61 people voted at the early voting polling site at the Board of Elections. On Sunday, the last day for early voting, there were 54 voters.
The new option is part of a state mandate to allow greater access to the polls. The state is providing Orleans County with $27,251 towards the cost of implementing the reform.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 October 2019 at 11:00 am
‘I’m very concerned. This will forever change the landscape of our society.’ – District Attorney Joe Cardone
Photos by Tom Rivers: Joe Cardone has served as Orleans County’s district attorney since March 1992. He said recent state laws have empowered people accused of crimes.
ALBION – Jan. 1 will bring significant changes to the local criminal justice system as local judges will no longer be able to put people in jail on bail for many felony crimes.
The state is taking away discretion for judges in setting bail in non-violent felonies, and all misdemeanors and violations, said Joe Cardone, Orleans County district attorney.
Judges will be releasing most people facing felonies on their own recognizance, with an appearance ticket for an upcoming court date. Judges can hold people in jail if they are charged with murder, violating orders of protection, rape and child pornography.
Some felonies, such as second-degree manslaughter, illegal drug possession and sales, even second-degree robbery and second-degree burglary won’t have options for bail.
“We’re concerned about the safety of the people in our county and their safety being compromised,” Cardone told local officials last week during a meeting of the Orleans County Association of Municipalities. “Come Jan. 1, we will literally be opening the doors to our jail and releasing them. I don’t understand the rationale. People being victimized will see the perpetrators on the streets.”
Cardone said he expects to see the jail population cut in half on Jan. 1. The county jail currently has a capacity for 82 inmates.
Cardone said the state has swung the pendulum from protecting victims of crimes to the accused. Not only are there significant legislative changes, but the state is pouring millions of dollars into public defender’s offices, while offering no aid increases for the district attorney’s offices. The local Crime Victim’s Office is seeing its state funding cut from about $98,000 annually to $58,000.
Cardone, the county DA since March 1992, said the community will be alarmed next year to see people facing serious charges out in the community, outside of jail.
“This is not anything the local law enforcement or District Attorney’s Office is on favor of,” Cardone said. “But it’s something we have to deal with.”
The DA said some time in jail can sometimes diffuse situations, often in the cases of domestic violence or drug addiction.
The county jail staff will often work to connect people to treatment facilities, rather than just releasing them without help lined up.
“Unfortunately they may be sticking needles in their arms within minutes,” Cardone said. “I fully expect our opioid overdoses will go dramatically up. Jail can be a great vehicle to get people help.”
Joe Cardone speaks to local town, village and county officials last week during the Orleans County Association of Municipalities meeting at Tillman’s Village Inn.
As part of the criminal justice reform, law enforcement officers also need to get the contact information for those charged with crimes, and guarantee they will be contacted with reminders about upcoming court dates wither by text, email, a phone call or through registered mail. If the person doesn’t show up for court, a judge needs assurance the person was contacted before issuing a warrant for an arrest.
Those charged with crimes also have a right to return to the alleged crime scene, where a house may have been broken into or a person sexually assaulted.
The State Legislature and Gov. Cuomo approved the changes as part of the state budget adoption. Cardone said there weren’t any hearings about the criminal justice changes, and the state didn’t provide more funding for law enforcement, district attorney’s offices or probation..
“I’m very concerned,” Cardone said about the impending changes. “This will forever change the landscape of our society.”
The county estimates it will cost the DA’s Office and Probation each an additional $180,000 annually to meet the new requirements, and that will be paid for by local taxpayers.
Cardone’s office faces changes in the discovery statutes. DA’s currently have 45 days to turn over all documents and body cam video. That will be reduced to 15 days. That includes lab results.
The DA’s Office also needs to provide the defense a list of witnesses and confidential informants, including their addresses. Cardone said that will discourage people from coming forward as witnesses or informants. The DA said he will seek orders of protection for people who are informants or witnesses.
He said he worries if all the information isn’t provided to the defense by 15 days from an arrest, the defense attorneys will seek to dismiss the cases. Some of the information, such as lab results, are outside the DA’s and law enforcement’s control.
The new laws also allow a bail hearing every 30 days, for those who are in jail.
If people aren’t in jail, then may head out of state, or to Canada or Mexico. The county typically pays to have three to five people extradited from outside to the area to appear in court in Orleans County.
Cardone expects that number will rise now that fewer people will be held in jail.
“We can’t absorb that cost,” he said about extraditions.
The county also will need to create a pretrial agency “to make sure we’re not keeping people in jail who shouldn’t be in jail.” Cardone said the state hasn’t provided any standards for the pretrial agency.
“You add all this together and we have a great amount of concern over this,” Cardone said.
District attorneys and law enforcement officials from throughout the state have expressed their concerns to public safety over the new regulations. But Cardone said the state isn’t backing off.
“It’s a train that’s not going to get stopped in my opinion,” Cardone said. “There is not much chance of stopping this before Jan. 1.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 October 2019 at 2:15 pm
ALBION — About 100 people went to the polls the first three days early voting has been offered in Orleans County.
The Board of Elections reports there were 32 voters on Saturday, 26 on Sunday and 41 on Monday.
The county has an early voting polling place at the Board of Elections office in the County Administration Building in Albion. This is the first time early voting has been an option at a polling location in the county.
The county will continue to accept ballots at the Board of Elections until Sunday, Nov. 3. The county will have election inspectors on site and residents can vote as in any other election.
The option is part of a state mandate to allow greater access to the polls. The state is providing Orleans County with $27,251 towards the cost of implementing the reform.
The Board of Elections moved in July from a suite in the Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Facility to the new addition on the County Administration Building, located behind the nursing home at 14016 Route 31.
The hours the polls for early voting include:
• Oct. 29-30 (Tuesday and Wednesday) from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Oct. 31-Nov. 1 (Thursday and Friday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Nov. 2-3 (Saturday and Sunday) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The general election is Nov. 5 with polls in the 10 towns in Orleans County open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“Upstream Journey” by Ellen Riccobono was among the top-rated photos in the 2018 Orleans County Tourism Photo Contest.
Press Release, Orleans County Tourism Department
ALBION – The 2019 Orleans County Tourism Photo Contest is underway. This is the fourth year that the Tourism Department has had the contest and we are overwhelmed by the wonderful and creative photographs that showcase the unique and inviting character of Orleans County.
Last year the winning photograph was taken in Point Breeze by Sharon Gavenda.
Click here to download the official contest rules and entry forms.
The contest is open to any amateur or professional photographer with the exception of employees of the Orleans County Tourism Department. We will accept up to 5 photographs from an individual photographer. All photographs must be taken within Orleans County with a “tourism-draw” subject matter such as recreation, heritage, nature, annual event or tourist attractions.
All entries must be submitted by midnight, Nov. 3, via email or postmarked no later than Nov. 2. Winners will be notified by Nov. 15.
A panel of 8-10 judges will rate the photos on the basis of “Tourism Attraction” relevance, subject matter, creativity and quality as well as those which capture the unique quality and beauty of our region. Photographer’s names will not be revealed to the judges.
Once again, we’re looking for the “wow factor” or “magazine cover worthy” image. New this year: sunrise and sunset images will be rated more favorably when it includes either an icon specific to Orleans County, wildlife specific to our region or activity. We want to insure the photograph is specific to Orleans County and wouldn’t pass for another locale.
The first-place photographer will have first choice on 2 complimentary tickets to any one of the following performances. The second and third place winners will choose from the remaining tickets in that order. Only one prize will be awarded per photographer.
• Wayne Brady at the Seneca Niagara Events Center at Seneca Niagara Resort in Niagara Falls, NY, Saturday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. (Attendees must be over 18 y/o)
• Celine Dion at the Key Bank Center, Buffalo, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
• The Lion King at the Rochester Auditorium Theatre in Rochester on Dec. 31 at 1 p.m..
We look forward to your submissions! Questions can be directed to Lynne Menz at lynne@orleanscountytourism.com or 585-589-3103.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 October 2019 at 7:58 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The legislative chambers for the Orleans County Legislature added a new feature last week: a wall with 61 photos of past elected leaders of the board overseeing county government. The County Legislature moved into the new space in July. It is part of a 23,000-square-foot addition to the County Administration Building.
Takeform in Medina made the display, which starts with the Board of Supervisors in 1889-90 and includes the current County Legislature. The terms for the former Board of Supervisors and the current county legislators are for two years. Every term a new group photo was taken, except during World War II.
The seven-member Legislature replaced the Board of Supervisors about 40 years ago. Before the Legislature, the county government was led by the 10 town supervisors. Some counties, such as nearby Wyoming, continue with the Board of Supervisors.
The display begins with the Board of Supervisors from 130 years ago.
This photo shows the 2018-19 County Legislature, county attorney and the clerk of Legislature. County Attorney David Schubel has since retired and Kathy Bogan is now in that role.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Horan Road canal bridge is pictured Friday in Medina.
Posted 27 October 2019 at 9:21 pm
Press Release, Orleans County Department of Planning
ALBION – The first community meeting to gather public input on the Orleans County Canal Corridor Waterfront Revitalization Plan will be held 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Hoag Library, 134 S. Main St., Albion.
Those in attendance will be provided with information on the Canal Corridor Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan process followed by a hands-on, interactive public workshop. The purpose of the workshop is to identify potential transformative revitalization strategies that will provide long-term community and economic benefits for the communities along the Canal Corridor including the Town and Village of Albion, Village of Holley, and the Towns of Murray, Gaines, Ridgeway and Shelby.
This is an opportunity for residents and businesses in the community to provide feedback and help plan the future of the Canal Corridor. The Orleans Local Waterfront Advisory Committee would like to know what you love about the Canal Corridor – what draws you to it and what amenities would bring you to it more often.
The workshop is the first in a series of three public participation meetings that will be held over the next six months. Future public meeting will focus on a review of potential revitalization projects and the final recommendations for the Plan.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 October 2019 at 6:58 pm
Chief administrative officer has led Orleans through major construction projects
Chuck Nesbitt has served as the chief administrative officer in Orleans County for 14 ½ years.
ALBION – The chief administrative officer for the Orleans County government has announced he is leaving the job by the end of the year to take a job in the private sector.
Chuck Nesbitt has served as CAO for the county for 14 ½ years, leading the county through several major building projects, including the recent $11 million addition to the County Administration Building.
The county also is doing the second major upgrade to its emergency communications system in Nesbitt’s tenure.
He is taking a job with Wendel, an architectural and engineering firm. He will help Wendel expand its customer base in the Rochester and Syracuse area. Nesbitt will be a resource for local and state governments tackling building projects and infrastructure upgrades.
“He has committed a lot to Orleans County,” said Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature. “He gave it 110 percent. We were lucky to have Chuck Nesbitt for as long as we did. It was only a matter of time before a great offer came along. He was a gift to Orleans County.”
Nesbitt, an Albion resident, said he will continue to live locally. He and his wife, Elissa, have two young children. She is a member of the Albion Board of Education.
“I’m grateful to the legislators, the department heads and the people of Orleans County for the opportunity,” Nesbitt said today about the CAO job.
Nesbitt is well regarded in the county government circles. He just finished his tenure as president of the New York State Association of Counties. He served as president of the NYS Association of County Administrators and Managers from 2008 to 2018.
He has worked to reimagine the county government in Orleans County. That includes a merged health department with Genesee County, the only two-county public health department in the state.
Another recent hire for the county, John Papponetti, was recruited by Nesbitt to work as the county’s highway superintendent and also as an in-house engineer. Papponetti was working as an engineer for Labella and Associates. Papponetti was with Labella when he helped the county do an inventory of the conditions of county bridges and culverts.
He also worked with the department last year when it poured the concrete slabs and constructed a culvert on Culvert Road in Ridgeway. That was the first time the highway department did that kind of project by itself. It reduced the construction costs by an estimated $180,000.
The work of the highway department, and the partnership with Genesee County for public health is the kind of “outside the box” thinking Nesbitt brought to the county – a push to reduce costs while providing excellent service to the local residents.
Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson on May 22 presents Chuck Nesbitt with a “Special Recognition Award” from the County Legislature after he received a Public Service Excellence Award from the NYS Academy for Public Administration.
Nesbitt informed legislators and department heads on Friday that he will be leaving by the end of the year. He has the 2020 county budget nearly complete and the addition project is done.
“He’s left us in very good shape,” Johnson said. “But it’s going to be incredibly difficult to find another Chuck Nesbitt.”
Johnson praised Nesbitt for building a strong team of department heads. Nesbitt said he will exit the job knowing the county is in good hands with so many capable and dedicated county department heads.
Johnson said Nesbitt set a high standard for the department heads and county employees.
“He is a very hard leader, and he is also a very kind leader,” she said. “He balances that very well. He sits and he listens. He has great leadership skills.”
Nesbitt said he looks forward to the new job, which will keep him in contact with government leaders in the region.
“I’ve invested so much of myself in that position,” he said about serving as the CAO. “I’ve done everything I can do to help the county change course and with the professionalism. I’m really excited for the future and the great people I’ll work with. I’m looking forward to a new mountain to climb.”
Photos by Tom Rivers: David Bellavia, a Medal of Honor recipient, speaks during the Orleans County Republican Fall Rally on Thursday at Tillman’s Village Inn. About 225 people attended the dinner.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 October 2019 at 9:53 am
Medal of Honor winner addresses Orleans County GOP
David Bellavia is pictured with Ed Morgan, who served as chairman of the Orleans County Republican Party for 12 years. Thursday’s dinner was dedicated to Morgan.
GAINES – A few years before he was deployed to Iraq, David Bellavia played for the Lyndonville varsity soccer and basketball teams. They faced tough local opponents from Holley and Kendall.
Bellavia, in a speech to the Orleans County Republican Party on Thursday, joked those sporting contests prepared him for the U.S. Army.
“The sports programs from Holley and Kendall got me ready for combat,” Bellavia told about 225 people during the fall rally for the Orleans County GOP.
Bellavia, 44, addressed the group, and passed on a chance to be in Tampa, Fla., during the annual convention of Medal of Honor recipients. Bellavia said he stayed in Orleans for the fall rally to help honor Ed Morgan, he served the local Republican Party for 12 years as chairman before retiring in February.
Thursday’s dinner was dedicated to Morgan, who is also the Murray highway superintendent. He is active with the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Company, Orleans County Soil & Water and other community organizations.
Bellavia said Morgan has been a mentor. Bellavia wanted him at the White House on June 25 when Bellavia was presented the Medal of Honor by President Donald Trump. Bellavia also invited Charlie Nesbitt, the former state assemblyman and a decorated pilot during the Vietnam War.
David Bellavia signs a copy of his book, House to House: An Epic Memoir of War. The book detailed his experiences as a staff sergeant in Fallujah and describes the efforts of front line forces in urban combat against insurgents. In back from left are Bill Basinait, Pat Eick and Bill Eick.
During his speech to the local Republicans, Bellavia said the county looks out for each other. He is grateful to Nesbitt. When Bellavia came home from war in 2005, Nesbitt was one of the first to meet with him. They have remained close friends.
David Bellavia lets Aedan Bunch, 16, of Medina hold Bellavia’s Medal of Honor.
Bellavia said the love for one’s community is what inspires many soldiers to risk their lives in fight in war zones.
He thanked the local officials for working to better Orleans, and push for jobs and opportunities so younger families can come back and stay in their hometowns.
Bellavia not only played sports at Lyndonville, but was involved in the music program and performed in the school musicals. The small-school atmosphere means students get lots of attention from teachers and administrators.
“Lyndonville offered me the opportunity to play music, play sports and take by studies seriously,” Bellavia said. “We have well-rounded people here.”
He mixed in many jokes during his speech, including when he saw Russ Martino in the crowd. Martino is a retired principal at Lyndonville who would later serve as the Yates town supervisor.
“I feared him more than Al-Qaeda,” Bellavia said.
Martino cared for the students and Bellavia said, “I didn’t want to disappoint him.”
He shared about how many people have thanked him for his military service. One veteran told him to respond to that by saying, “You’re worth it.”
Now, Bellavia often gives that reply.
“Orleans County is so worth it,” he said.
More than 200 people attended the dinner for Bellavia’s speech at Tillman’s Village Inn.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 October 2019 at 4:04 pm
ALBION – Some Barre residents, who have voiced concerns to the Barre Town Board over a proposed wind turbine project, took their pleas to the Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday.
But the County Legislature won’t be weighing in on the project, said Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Barre resident Sue Webster asks the Orleans County Legislature to take a stand against the proposed Heritage Wind project in Barre, where Apex Clean Energy wants to build 33 wind turbines. Webster said the turbines will reduce property values for many residents.
“Our 10 towns are run by home rule,” Johnson responded after three residents addressed the Legislature on Wednesday. “That is why we have town government. This is not a county matter. It is not up to the County Legislature to tell the town supervisors and town boards how to run their towns.”
Barre resident Sue Webster asked the Legislature to advocate for Barre residents, who Webster said will see property values fall from large turbines on the landscape. Apex Clean Energy wants to build 33 turbines that could top 650 feet in height.
“While some people will make thousands of dollars from their leases, others will have their property values decimated,” Webster said.
The county has advocated for lakeshore residents whose property has been damaged from flooding by Lake Ontario. Webster urged the Legislature to take up the cause of Barre residents who she said face a different threat to property values.
John Metzler, another Barre resident, said the turbines could affect the community’s health, and will consume lots of good agricultural land. He said the turbines also need precious resources for their construction.
Kerri Richardson, president of Clear Skies Above Barre, said seven town officials have conflicts of interest with the project, yet continue to speak on its behalf at town meetings, or with their official votes.
Metzler has asked the County Board of Ethics to look at those conflicts. Kathy Bogan, the county attorney, said the Ethics Board would be meeting “in the next few months” to consider the complaint, whether town officials have accepted money from Apex and then voted or acted in an official role in favor of the project.
The county stands to receive some money from the project in a PILOT, payment of lieu of taxes. That is currently being negotiated with representatives from the town, county and school districts.
The Legislature has passed officials resolutions about wind energy projects. It formally opposed the state’s new process of having a Siting Board review the projects and have the final say in whether they are approved. The Legislature said that takes away home rule from communities in determining whether a large-scale energy project should be permitted in a town.
Most recently on June 26, the Legislature passed a resolution urging the governor to direct the new Article 10 Siting Board “to require wind turbine projects to include all standard environmental and comprehensive health impact and environmental studies including consideration of the added potential for sleep disturbances from pulsating night noise dominated by low frequency and infrasound, especially under stable atmospheric conditions.”
