Rate jumped from 7.7% in September to 8.5% in October

Orleans County’s unemployment rate jumped in October, following a month when JP Morgan Chase closed its center in Albion and cut about 400 jobs.

The county’s unemployment rate for October is the fourth-highest rate in the state, according to the state Department of Labor. The county rate went from 7.7 percent in September to 8.5 percent in October. About 200 more people were added to the county’s ranks of the unemployed.

Bronx County, 12.2 percent, has the highest unemployment rate, followed by Kings County at 9.6 percent. Both of those are in New York City. In upstate, only Jefferson County in the North County, at 8.7 percent, topped Orleans.

Other nearby rural counties have lower unemployment rates. Genesee is at 6.1 percent, while Wyoming is at 6.5 percent and Livingston, 6.7 percent.

Orleans, despite the current high rate, is actually is better shape for jobs than in October 2012, when it had a 10.0 percent for unemployment.

There were 1,600 unemployed people in the county last month, according to the DOL. In October 2012, there were 1,900.

State-wide the unemployment rate went up from 7.6 percent in September to 7.7 percent for October. However, 9,000 jobs were added in the state in October, followed by a 24,800 increase in September. The current job count in the state, 7,490,100, is an all-time high, the DOL reported.

Jeffrey Paul also pleads guilty and will be sentenced Jan. 27

ALBION – David Paul, a construction company owner who was jailed for a year after stealing equipment from another company, needs to pay restitution or he could face another year in jail, Orleans County Court Judge James Punch said on Monday.

David Paul, 69, of 3823 Monroe-Orleans Countyline Rd., owes more than $100,000 in restitution, and only has paid an “insignificant amount,” said District Attorney Joe Cardone.

Paul said he is only earning about $150 a week. He lost about 80 percent of his business due to his time in jail, he told Judge Punch.

Paul also said he has few assets. The judge assigned the public defender to work with Paul. Punch said he wants a restitution plan the next time Paul appears in court, 2 p.m. on Dec. 9.

Paul and his son Jeffrey were accused of stealing two backhoes, a box truck and a car from a Wayne County business. They buried some of it on David Paul’s property on the Monroe-Orleans Countyline Road.

David Paul already served a jail sentence for the crime. His son’s case was delayed in court after Jeffrey claimed he had difficulty concentrating and couldn’t help with his defense. Judge Punch declared Jeffrey Paul, 40, mentally incompetent to stand trial in August.

Paul was sent to a psychiatric facility. He was there until October. During a Nov. 4 court date, Paul announced he was changing attorneys, which Punch saw as a stalling tactic. Punch set Nov. 13 for the start of a trial.

A day before that Paul pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree. He will be sentenced Jan. 27 and faces a maximum of one to three years in state prison.

Three teams from Orleans program make Lego robots to conquer obstacles

Photos by Tom Rivers – Two of the teams through the 4-H program in Orleans County compete in the robot challenge today at Churchville-Chili Middle School. The KOWZ (Kids Only Work Zone) team in back (with the cow hats and shirts) won a Core Values Award for their enthusiasm and sportsmanship. The team with the tie-dyed shirts (Prehistoric Robots) was one of four teams of the 13 to advance to the championships Dec. 8 at the University of Rochester.

CHURCHVILLE – Three First Lego League teams from Orleans County all left a regional competition in Churchville today with awards. One of the teams advanced to the championships for Finger Lakes area teams on Dec. 8 at the University of Rochester.

The Orleans County 4-H program joined the Lego League last year with one team. The program has proved popular with local 8- to 14-year-olds and expanded to three teams and 26 kids this year.

The teams all designed and built a robot out of Legos. The teams used a computer to program the robot to perform tasks.

Jack Finley from Albion and a member of the Stormtroopers team positions a robot his team programmed and built to complete missions on the course. The Stormtroopers won the Judge’s Award, which is given to a team that performed well in all aspects of the competition but didn’t advance to the championships on Dec. 8.

This year all of the FLL teams are competing in a “Nature’s Fury” theme that explores natural disasters. One of the missions requires the robot to remove a tree branch without taking down power lines.

There are 13 missions on the obstacle course. One of the Orleans County teams, the Stormtroopers, tallied the second most points of the 13 teams in today’s robot challenge.

The competition includes two other elements, including a project and a public presentation where teams had to research a disaster and discuss a part of the world that is vulnerable to a “Nature’s Fury.” Some of the teams designed safety kits, a water sifting device and a sparker that created fire without electricity or matches.

Michael Reese of Medina, right, and the Prehistoric Robots team compete in Churchville today.

The Prehistoric Robots team from Orleans received an award as one of four teams to advance to the championship at the U of R. The Stormtroopers received the lone Judge’s Award for a team that excelled at all the challenges but didn’t advance to the championships.

The KOWZ team (Kids Only Work Zone) received the Core Values Award for their enthusiasm and sportsmanship.

Jac Dorris, a member of the Prehistoric Robots team, also received a “Hero Award” after he found some money and turned it in.

(Editor’s note: My son Reuben is on the Stormtroopers team and a did a good job positioning the robot on the obstacle course.)

The Prehistoric Robots team advanced to the First Lego League championships on Dec. 8 at the University of Rochester.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – One of three First Lego League teams goes through a final run-through with its robot on Thursday. The teams head to a regional qualifier on Saturday at Churchville.

The 4-H program in Orleans County started FLL a year ago with one team. The program has grown to 26 children and three teams. Participants are ages 8 to 14.

Some of the members of the KOWZ (Kids Only Work Zone) get ready for a demonstration with their robot on Thursday. The robot is programmed to conquer different obstacles on the table.

The pictured team members include, from left: Jayden Neal, Ben Williams, Deegan Bragg, Zachary Neal and Zach Moore.

Marlene and Erik Seielstad are the mentors for the program. Panek Farms lets the teams use space in an onion packing facility on Route 98. That site, the former Remley Printing Company, is one of several donations that help the teams.

Besides making a robot from Legos, the teams researched a natural disaster and made a product that could be used in an emergency crisis. The children all need to speak to the judges during Saturday’s competition.

Kellie Spychalski

ALBION – The leader of an agency that serves 1,100 people with disabilities in Orleans County is leaving to take a job with Opportunities Unlimited in Niagara County.

“It’s been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Kellie Spychalski said about leaving the Arc of Orleans.

She had led the agency in Orleans for the past two years. She has worked for the Arc for 21 years, starting as a direct care aide at the Stork Street residence in Medina. Spychalski has served in many roles for the agency, including community relations director and assistant executive director before being promoted to the top job.

“I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities here,” she said. “It’s been a really beautiful opportunity to work here.”

Spychalski will work with the Arc until Dec. 29 before joining the Arc’s sister agency in Niagara County. Opportunities Unlimited has a $27 million annual budget, compared to $12 million for the Arc of Orleans.

Many of the ARC agencies in New York are struggling with shrinking state reimbursements and other funding challenges. Spychalski said she has a skill set that can help the Niagara agency with those challenges.

She will continue to live in Holley and serve on the Board of Education. She will have a longer commute, working out of offices in Lockport and Niagara Falls.

“While we regretfully accept her resignation, we want to congratulate Kellie on her new assignment as Executive Director for Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara and wish her well as she begins the next phase of her Human Services Career,” Ken Barchet, president of the Arc Board of Directors, wrote in a letter to families and supporters of the Arc.

The Board of Directors has already begun the search for Spychalski’s successor, Barchet said.

The agency has 340 employees, who Spychalski said are all dedicated to their jobs and the people they serve.

“We have a fantastic management team and staff who always put the people we support at the forefront of all decisions,” Spychalski said. “I am fully confident in their abilities and know the agency will be in excellent hands. It is a privilege to work with such a fantastically talented and dedicated group of people.”

Spychalski, back when she was a college student, took the job as an aide at the Stork Street residence. She said she never dreamed she would one day be the executive director of the agency.

“I feel so privileged and honored to do this work,” she said. “You learn so much about people and not looking at what a person can’t do but at what they can do.”

Hawley will host 3 town hall meetings on Saturday in Orleans

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley will travel to three town halls in Orleans County on Saturday, looking to hear from local residents.

The assemblyman from Batavia has his district office at 121 North Main St. in Albion. He also has regular office hours in Genesee and Monroe counties on a weekly basis.

Hawley said he will travel to the three locations Saturday to hear the needs, ideas and concerns of different neighborhoods and regions within the 139th Assembly District.

The schedule for Saturday includes:

Barre Town Hall, 14317 West Barre Rd., from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.

Clarendon Town Hall, 16385 Church St., from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m.

Gaines Town Hall, 14087 Ridge Rd., from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

“The best way to build a truly representative government is for elected officials to directly connect with local residents,” Hawley said. “These town halls provide a great opportunity for members of the community to make their voices heard so I can fight for our needs and concerns in state government. I look forward to a series of productive events and discussing our local priorities with friends both old and new.”

ALBION – Local history buff and nursing home supporter Al Capurso believes the county’s push to sell the nursing home is contrary to a law approved in 1830 – by county officials back then.

Capurso has presented copies of a resolution from 1830 to county legislators and the county attorney. They say they will look into the issue.

Capurso is a member of the Concerned Citizens of Orleans County, a group that has fought the Legislature on its push to privatize The Villages of Orleans, 120-bed facility of Route 31 in Albion.

Before it had a Legislature, the county had a Board of Supervisors that governed county affairs. That body in a series of resolutions in 1829 and 1830 created the precursor to the nursing home with the Alms House.

Capurso believes the county is still responsible for the care of the infirm, according to the resolutions from 183 years ago.

Capurso found references to the alms house and a resolution on June 22, 1830, where it was stated: “Resolved, That the distinction between the town and the county poor be and the same is hereby abolished, and that the expense of maintaining all the poor shall be a county charge.”

Capurso cited a book from more than a century ago, which included the resolution and background on the alms house. Isaac Signor wrote that book, Landmarks of Orleans County 1894.

County officials want to see the original documents, and that could take some digging. The resolutions from 1829 and 1830 are in storage in the mental health building.

Capurso raised the issue at last week’s Legislature meeting. Two senior citizens, Dee Smith and Adolf Genter, both voiced their support for keeping the nursing home under county ownership.

The Legislature has transferred the property to a local development corporation, and the three-man board for the LDC may vote next month to sell the site. Two qualified bidders have submitted proposals for the nurisng home.

The Legislature last week voted to keep William Gillick and Gillick Advisors as the administrator of the facility. The firm is paid $132,000 annually.

Gary Kent, a legislator candidate in the recent election, questioned why Gillick is being retained when The Villages had a 92 percent occupancy in 2012 and 93.5 percent this year. If the site was at 98 percent occupancy, an achievable industry benchmark, Kent said that would improve the financial picture by $500,000 a year.

Legislator George Bower said the occupancy level lags due to the 12-bed rehab clinic which includes many short-term residents and open beds. Bower praised Gillick for managing the staff.

Some Orleans County residents are without power this morning after a storm roared through the region last night.

National Grid is reporting 117 homes are without power in southern Orleans County and northern Genesee near the wildlife refuge. That area includes the town of Shelby near East Shelby Road.

National Grid reports that 16 customers in the village of Albion are also without electricity this morning. In both outages, the power company says it is assessing conditions.

The company reported there were 279 power outages in the region, affecting nearly 6,000 customers.

Wayne Litchfield enjoyed working with first responders

Photos by Tom Rivers – Wayne Litchfield looks over a set of instructions for Emergency Medical Dispatch, a reference guide for when callers are facing a medical crisis.

ALBION – Wayne Litchfield has given frantic residents instructions over the phone for performing CPR.

He has advised people suffering a heart attack to take an aspirin, the medical recommendation for a first course of action. He tried to calm down people in duress, telling them help was on the way.

One time he kept a man sought by the police on the phone for 45 minutes, enough time for state troopers to surround the man and take him into custody.

For 27 years and eight months Litchfield worked as a dispatcher for Orleans County. He had his last day on Oct. 31. Today the Sheriff’s Department held a party in his honor. Sheriff Scott Hess presented Litchfield with a plaque for his dedication.

Wayne Litchfield was honored with a party today at the Sheriff’s Department in Albion.

“There’s an old saying that if you love your job, it’s not work,” Litchfield said. “That’s what this was for me. I was paid to help people.”

Litchfield was a volunteer Holley firefighter and EMT when he was hired as a county dispatcher. He enjoyed working with the firefighters, police and ambulance squads, giving them instructions about emergencies and their locations.

He also fielded calls from the public, people often reeling from anxiety because of an emergency.

“He was dedicated to it,” said Steve Smith, the county’s undersheriff. “It was his chosen profession. He never looked at it as a stepping stone to do something else.”

Litchfield was part of a team of nine full-time dispatchers and five part-timers that handle about 33,000 calls a year. Litchfield personified the main qualities needed to excel at the job: patience and “the ability to stay calm when people call in a frantic mood,” said Allen Turner, the communications coordinator at the dispatch.

ALBION – The Orleans Economic Development Agency did something unusual this week. It put out a press release.

I don’t recall the agency ever doing that. The EDA wanted to share some good news. A Canadian firm was working to turn a vacant warehouse on McKinistry Street in Albion into an electronics recycling operation. BoMET Holding Inc. plans to hire 30 people at the Albion site.

The company is working on renovations at the 60,000-square-foot warehouse. It will likely start operations in Albion in the spring.

This project has been covered in the local news since April. I wondered why the push to highlight it now.

Jim Whipple, chief executive officer for the Orleans EDA, wanted to get the word out that the EDA has now worked with five companies based in Canada to grow in Orleans County. (Associated Brands in Medina, Brunner in Medina, Freeze-Dry Foods in Albion and Hinspergers Poly Industries in Medina are the others.)

“We’re using this to market our success with Canadian companies,” Whipple said about the BoMET project.

Several media outlets in Western New York reported on BoMET’s Albion project this week. It seems the press release did the job.

The Orleans EDA hired Mindful Media Groupto help put together the press release and promote it with news outlets. Mindful Media works with CRFS in Albion and Medina.

Orleans is an attractive community for Canadian companies because of the county’s close proximity to the Canadian border, as well as our location near Buffalo and Rochester, and the major markets in the northeast.

Whipple also wanted to show that the EDA can craft a deal that makes it appealing to do business in Orleans County.

The press release quotes BoMET CEO Zhan Bo Zhang, praising his assistance with the EDA.

“It was my dealings with the OEDA that cemented my decision to locate in Orleans County,” he said. “From start to finish, their knowledge, expertise and guidance gave me the confidence that BoMET Recovery would be successful there.”

Whipple said another Canadian company may soon commit to a project in Orleans.

ALBION – Orleans County officials have put together a $79.8 million budget for 2014, a spending plan that would raise taxes by 5.0 percent and increase the tax rate by 40 cents to $10.11 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The document isn’t final and could be adjusted before its final adoption, Chairman David Callard said after the Legislature’s meeting today.

The county will have a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. on Dec. 2 at the county courthouse.

The county stayed under the state imposed property tax cap in 2012 and 2013, but the proposed budget for 2014 would surpass the 2 percent cap. (The cap makes some exceptions. The county’s cap for next year is actually 3.08 percent.)

The Legislature voted to override the tax cap in a 5-1 vote today. Legislator Don Allport cast the lone no vote.

County officials say the budget will sustain core services. It also includes the first payment of $475,000 on an upgrade to the county’s emergency communications system.

The county’s welfare costs are projected to increase by $558,000 due the state shifting Family Assistance and Safety Net costs to the local and federal governments, Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, said in a budget message.

There is some good budget news. The county’s share for Medicaid is budgeted to drop $170,292. The county’s pension costs will go down $169,376 – from $4,440,393 to $4,271,017.

The county’s health insurance costs also are projected to drop by $157,340, partly due to employee cost sharing and less expensive health insurance plans. The worker’s compensation costs also are budgeted to drop by $100,376.

The county’s sales tax revenue has helped offset increases in the past, especially during years with gas prices on the rise. Sales tax is running under budget so far this year with gas prices dropping.

The county has budgeted for a modest $25,000 increase in sales tax. Callard said it’s smart to be prudent in forecasting sales tax, which generates about $15 million a year for the county, with a small portion shared with the towns and villages.

Although gas prices are down, resulting in slowing sales tax, if it’s a really cold winter, and residents go through heating oil, the sales tax number could jump, Callard said.

“It’s really difficult to predict because many factors can make a difference,” he said.

The budget also raises the fee for annual garbage collection by $5 to $190 per household.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County elections officials at right begin a three-hour process this morning in counting absentee ballots in four close races in Albion, Barre, Carlton and Ridgeway. Many of the candidates crowded into a room next to the Board of Elections office to observe the count.

Orleans County Election Commissioners Janice Grabowski, left, and Dennis Piedimonte count an absentee ballot earlier today in one of four tight races. Ed Morgan, the Orleans County GOP chairman, is in the foreground.

ALBION – Long-time political observers in Orleans County called it unprecedented, the four local elections that came down to the absentee ballots today.

In some elections, there might be one race like that. Four years ago, Dan Gaesser had a 16-vote lead over Jack Gillman for Kendall town supervisor on election night. After the absentees were counted, Gaesser won by seven votes, 413-406.

That’s the closest race I can remember during a November election. The all-time closest, in my memory, came during a village election in March 2006. Mike Hadick beat incumbent Ed Salvatore, 440-438, for Albion mayor.

In that election, a paperwork snafu kept Salvatore off the Republican line. Hadick was at the top of the ballot as a Democrat while Salvatore was listed far below on an independent line. Hadick’s victory may be the most shocking upset I’ll ever see. To Hadick’s credit, he was a tenacious campaigner and got out the vote.

Most of our local elections don’t have opposition. If a Republican has a challenger, the Republican generally wins 2 to 1.

This time was different. Two of the four super-close races involved highway superintendents. Both Dave Krull of Carlton and Mark Goheen of Ridgeway are finishing their first terms. With about four years on the job, their names are not yet ingrained in the public from multiple terms in the position.

They both faced challengers from their own party. Paul Snook managed to capture the GOP line from Krull in the Republican primary. Goheen held off Ray Wendling in the primary, but Wendling kept campaigning on two other lines, Conservative and the Ridgeway Peoples Party.

Both Snook and Wendling have jobs with highway departments, which gave them credibility in their campaigns. In the end, both Krull and Goheen held on to their jobs.

I think they will be even harder to beat four years from now if they run again. Both will be much more established in their jobs.

The only time I’ve seen a challenger unseat a veteran highway superintendent was four years ago when Krull defeated Steve Jones, who had been the highway superintendent in Carlton for 12 years. Krull was able to win the general election this time with only the Independence Party line. The man has proven he can overcome long odds in an election.

Albion had a close race for town supervisor. Neither of the candidates was the incumbent in the position. That presented an opportunity for a close race because generally the incumbents are so difficult to beat.

Both Jake Olles and Matt Passarell had a major party line and a secondary line. The second line proved critical in this race and in the highway battles. (If Krull didn’t have the Independence line, the race would have been over at the primary.)

Passarell ultimately defeated Olles on the strength of the Republican Party’s big advantage in enrolled voters. But without the Conservative line for Passarell, Olles would have taken the election, which is hard to do running as a Democrat.

Potential candidates should take notice: get a second line, and if you’re going to run against an incumbent, you should strike before the candidate has more than a term in office.

I recall another close election six years ago for county legislator. Gary Kent defeated Don Allport that election after Allport had been in office one term or two years.

Allport won the following election in 2009 and has now beat Kent the last three elections for a county-wide legislator position. It’s difficult for a Democrat to win a town race in Orleans County. I think it’s a major challenge for a Democrat to pull it off across the county. Kent has been close, but Allport won the latest election by about 500 votes, 3,419 to 2,917.

Now that Allport is established in the position, I’m not sure he can be beat, even if John F. Kennedy or Daniel Patrick Moynihan was living here and in his prime. Kent deserves a lot of credit for keeping the race so close.

The town justice race in Barre was interesting, and we don’t get to see too many races like this one. A long-time sitting judge, Al Jones, is retiring. That opened the door for a new candidate. Three people wanted the job, including Republican Richard DeCarlo, Democrat Rick Root and Conservative Sean Pogue.

Normally, the Republican would win big. But Pogue siphoned off some of the DeCarlo’s votes. Root is from a well-known family in Barre, plus Root had been on the Town Board. DeCarlo, a former Gaines resident, also is new to Barre. He moved to the town about 1 ½ years ago.

If I were a betting man I would have guessed the dynamics were in Root’s favor and the Democrat would have won in the Republican town. (However, Barre has a recent history, more than any other Orleans town, of electing Democrats.)

DeCarlo was unrelenting in going door to door and that may have been the difference in his 213-207 victory. (Pogue got 122 votes.)

So that’s another lesson for local candidates: don’t forget to get out there and press flesh and meet people. The personal touch is often the deciding factor.

One week after a very close election in four town races, we will find out who won this morning.

The Board of Elections will open absentee ballots, beginning at 9 a.m. at the elections office.

Of the four races, the Albion town supervisor contest is the closest. Jake Olles is ahead of Matt Passarell by 1 vote, 476-475. Both candidates are town councilmen vying to replace Dennis Stirk, who didn’t seek re-election.

In Barre, it was also close in the race to succeed Alan Jones as town justice. Richard DeCarlo Jr. has a nine-vote lead over Rick Root, 205 to 196.

Two races for highway superintendent are very close. In Carlton, incumbent David Krull is ahead of Paul Snook, 403 to 394.

In Ridgeway, Ray Wendling has an eight-vote lead, 570 to 562, over incumbent Mark Goheen.

Orleans Hub will post the results later this morning.