In Yates, town supervisor race will go to absentees

Some candidates who forced primaries today were able to pull off upsets, defeating the endorsed Republicans.

In Albion, highway department employee Michael Neidert won the primary over incumbent Highway Superintendent Jed Standish and another challenger, Chris Kinter. Neidert received 256 votes, to 168 for Standish and 94 for Kinter.

In Barre, the Republican Committee endorsed Bert Mathes for highway superintendent to succeed the retiring Dale Ostroski. But Dale Brooks, the current DPW superintendent for the Village of Albion, won the primary with 118 votes compared to 74 for Mathes.

Two other incumbent highway superintendents claimed victories today.

Mike Fuller won in Shelby over Ed Houseknecht, the former Medina DPW superintendent and Orleans County highway chief. Fuller was backed by 243 voters, compared to 172 for Houseknecht.

In Clarendon, incumbent Larry Swanger faced three challengers. He received 153 votes, compared to 88 for Tracy Bruce Chalker, 46 for Craig Nicosia, and 39 for Frederick Seeman III.

In Yates, the race for town supervisor will go to the absentee ballots, which will be counted on Tuesday at 9 a.m. Incumbent John Belson holds a slim lead over challenger Jim Simon, 145-139.

In a three-person battle for two Yates Town Board seats, incumbent Wes Bradley received the most votes with 177 while another endorsed candidate, John Riggi, received 163. Political newcomer Valerie Pratt, who forced a primary, came in third with 122 votes.

Simon, Riggi and Pratt campaigned together in opposition to a proposed wind turbine project in Yates and Somerset.

The other primary race included three people running for two spots on the Carlton Town Board. John Fitzak and incumbent Dana Woolston were the winners. Fitzak had the most votes, 192, followed by Woolston with 165 and Frank Lauta with 118.

File photos by Tom Rivers  – This 9-11 flag was raised outside the Elks Lodge on West State Street after a memorial service this morning in Albion.

ALBION – Friday will mark 14 years since terrorists attacked the United States, claiming nearly 3,000 lives when they crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in rural Pennsylvania.

Larry Montello, a leader in the American Legion locally, has been planning Sept. 11 memorial services in Orleans County since 2005.

“Everybody is getting relaxed and forgetting about what happened that day,” Montello said. “It’s part of history.”

He will lead a service at 10 a.m. Friday at the Elks Club on West State Street in Albion. Congressman Chris Collins, State Sen. Robert Ortt, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and County Legislator Don Allport are expected to attend and speak at the event.

Orleans County Legislator Don Allport, left, teams with State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Larry Montello, a leader with the American Legion, in raising the 9-11 flag.

Police officers, firefighters and paramedics also will attend and light candles in memory of 343 firefighters and 60 police officers who were killed in the attacks.

There also will be a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. Friday by the courthouse. The ladder trucks from the Albion and Medina fire departments will hold a giant American flag as part of the vigil.

Montello and supporters of the event had a spaghetti dinner about a month ago to raise money for wreaths for the ceremony, and small flags to be handed out at the vigil.

Montello said the community is welcome to attend the memorial service and vigil.

Photo by Tom Rivers – An Albion school bus turns from Platt Street onto East Park Street this morning on the first day of the 2015-16 school year for Albion Central School.

Press Release
Sheriff Scott Hess

Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess wants to remind everyone that all area schools are back in session following the summer recess. School buses are back on our roadways, and students will be walking along streets and highways and/or waiting for their buses.

“This is the time of year when we ask motorists to be especially watchful in residential areas, along school bus routes, and in school zones,” Hess said. “Children and traffic are often a deadly combination because kids often make impulsive decisions that can result in grave consequences. Drivers must never assume that children walking to or from school will make responsible, mature decisions.”

The NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee recommends the following:

Please watch carefully for children near school buildings, in areas where school buses are traveling, or where there are signs for school zones or bus stops.

Motorists please remember that if you are approaching a school bus from either direction, and its yellow lights are flashing, the bus is preparing to stop.

If the red lights are flashing on the school bus YOU MUST STOP! It’s the law and the penalty for violating it is severe.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office wishes everyone a safe return to school and continued safety throughout the school year!

Some of the Republican candidates for town offices have won the backing of the Democratic Party during recent caucuses.

Two of those candidates, Michael Neidert and Dale Brooks, have both forced Republican primaries on Thursday for town highway superintendent positions.

Neidert has challenged incumbent Jed Standish for Albion highway superintendent. Neidert has worked as a motor equipment operator the past 18 years for the Highway Department. The Primary on Thursday in Albion also includes Chris Kinter, who has 18 years experience with construction and runs his own business.

Standish has been highway superintendent for the past 16 years.

Regardless of the results on Thursday, Neidert will be on Nov. 3 ballot under the Democratic Party line.

Dale Brooks, the current superintendent for the Department of Public Works in the Village of Albion, also has the Democratic line for Barre town highway superintendent. He forced a Republican Primary against Bert Mathes, an employee with the Orleans County Highway Department. They are both seeking to succeed Dale Ostroski, who is retiring Dec. 31.

Other Democratic endorsements include:

Albion: Sarah Basinait for town clerk, Jake Olles for Town Councilman, and Darlene Benton for Town Councilwoman. Basinait and Olles both have been endorsed by the Republican Party.

Republicans also backed Paul Fulcomer for the Town Board, which sets up a three-way battle for two positions on Nov. 3.

Barre: Besides Brooks, Democrats backed Cyndy Van Lieshout for town supervisor, Maureen Beach for town clerk, and Joe Grabowski and Richard V. Bennett for Town Board.

Beach has the Republican endorsement for town clerk. The Republican Party also backed Mark Chamberlain for town supervisor, and Sean Pogue and Larry Gaylard for Town Board. Mathes has the GOP endorsement but faces the Primary challenge from Brooks on Thursday.

Kendall: Democrats endorsed Margaret Lynn Szozda for Town Board. She already has the GOP line.

The other Republican candidates are unopposed including Anthony Cammarata for town supervisor, Barbara Flow for Town Council, and Warren Kruger for highway superintendent.

In Shelby, Democrats are backing Darlene Rich for town clerk. Republicans aren’t running a candidate against her.

The other Republican candidates include Merle “Skip” for town supervisor, Kenneth Schaal, Jr. and Dale Stalker for Town Council, and Dawn Keppler for town justice. Mike Fuller and Ed Houseknecht are battling for the GOP line in a Primary on Thursday for highway superintendent.

Democrats have until Sept. 17 to file their nominations for candidates. The Gaines Democratic Party Caucus is scheduled for Sept. 14, The Board of Elections Office said no other town caucuses are scheduled before the Sept. 17 deadline.

Orleans Hub had one of our biggest months for traffic in August with 648,264 page views, an average of 20,912 each day of the month.

We also averaged 6,684 daily unique visitors. Both stats are up from July, when we had 6,569 daily unique visitors and 617,809 page views.

The top five stories (the ones with the most clicks) for August include:

1. Man drowns after jumping off Kenyonville bridge

Photo by Tom Rivers – Firefighters and law enforcement agencies search for a man who jumped off the Kenyonville Road bridge in Carlton on Aug. 6. A man, 67, from Ohio drowned after jumping into the water. He was visiting the area on a fishing trip.

2. Sheriff identifies 4 injured in Albion accident

3. 4 injured in Albion accident

4. Extreme makeover at Kendall Jr./Sr. High School

5. 2 from Orleans die in Bergen car accident

Mike and Cheryl Wertman also have stayed busy this summer covering local sports. The top sports story for the month was coverage of the season openers in the youth football leagues. Click here to see “Albion Varsity Eagles, Medina Broncos win youth football season openers”.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Mehkyron Drisdom picks up big yardage on a pass reception during the Albion Varsity Eagles season opening win on Aug. 15 over Akron.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Paul Fulcomer accepts a check for $6,000 from the Albion Rotary Club last week. Becky Karls, right, helped plan the Rotary Golf Tournament that raised the money to go towards a van to transport veterans to medical appointments.

ALBION – The director of the Veterans Service Agency in Orleans County will retire on Nov. 28 after 13 years of helping veterans and their families receive benefits through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Paul Fulcomer works to bring money to veterans from the VA, but also is active in planning services to honor veterans and also leads a volunteer-run van transportation service that takes vets to medical appointments.

Fulcomer is proud of the van transportation service that operates with five used vans. He thinks Orleans County is the only county offering such a volunteer-run service.

Last year, volunteers took 1,743 veterans to medical appointments with the vans. There are 33 volunteers in the van service, either driving or helping to arrange appointments.

“The people of Orleans County step up and help the veterans out,” Fulcomer told the County Legislature last week.

Donations help pay for the vans. Last week the Albion Rotary Club presented a check for $6,000 to go towards replacing one of the five vans. The Rotary Club also donated $5,000 in 2014 for the van service. This year’s golf tournament was able to raise more for the van service.

Fulcomer and his office helped return $20.3 million to the veteran community in Orleans County last year, he told county legislators in a report last week. That includes $11,467,000 for compensation and pension, $7,961,000 for medical care, $755,000 for rehabilitation and vocational services, and $178,000 for insurance and indemnities.

In addition, Fulcomer acts as the veterans’ burial officer in the county and was responsible for nine veterans’ burials last year.

The county cost for the Veterans Service Agency is $87,592. Fulcomer said his office returns $232.45 to the community for every $1 spent by the county for the Veterans Service Agency.

There are 3,239 veterans in the county and about 2,500 widows. Fulcomer’s office made 13,825 contacts last year with veterans, widows and children of veterans.

ALBION – A Medina woman was sentenced today to six months in jail and five years probation for fourth-degree grand larceny.

Carly S. Wells, 25, allegedly racked up $28,000 in fraudulent purchases and/or cash withdrawals on someone else’s credit card.

Special prosecutor Kevin McKain, Orleans County Court Judge James Punch and the victim in the crime agreed to $26,091 in restitution. Wells paid a $2,500 down payment by sentencing today.

“This has been a tremendous ordeal, not only financially,” McKain said about the impact on the victim from the crime. “She has been affected emotionally by this scheme.”

Wells did not speak during sentencing. Her attorney Kirk Okay said she has taken responsibility for the crime. He asked that she not be sentenced to jail.

“The sooner Carly can get back to work, the sooner restitution can commence and all concerned can move on from this episode,” the attorney said at sentencing.

Punch said Wells used “a series of deceptions” in obtaining the trust of the victim and then defrauding her of her money.

The judge said some jail time was necessary.

“You are completely self-centered and a user of people and a breacher of trust from people who have put their faith in you,” Punch said.

Wells will be required to pay back the money in 48 installments once she is out of jail.

In other cases in court today:

A Medina resident was given a conditional discharge and sentenced to time served in jail, a $200 surcharge and 6-month suspension of his driver’s license.

Jason Fidanza, 41, of Slade Road allegedly sold hydrocodone and another prescription narcotic in Ridgeway on June 18.

Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone said he was dismissing charges of third-degree welfare fraud and first-degree offering a false instrument against a Ridgeway woman.

Kathy Mungenast allegedly accepted $5,267 in welfare benefits she was not entitled to from July 1, 2012 to Nov. 30, 2013. She allegedly filed false paperwork to access those benefits, according to the District Attorney’s office.

However, the case proved difficult to establish how often Mungenast wasn’t home and visiting a boyfriend, Cardone said.

The judge arraigned an Albion man on third-degree grand larceny. Reilly D. Climenhaga, 28, of Gaines-Waterport Road allegedly stole $6,000 worth of jewelry and money from a house on Allen Road. The judge kept bail at $500.

The judge assigned Wesley Askew, formerly of Orleans County, as a level 3 sex offender, the highest possible risk for re-offending.

Askew, 47, has been in prison since May 2009 for second-degree rape. He is currently an inmate at Great Meadow Correctional Facility. He could be released as soon as Oct. 24.

Provided photos

ELBA – A historical marker on Route 98 about the Elba Mucklands was reinstalled with a fresh coat of paint on Thursday.

The muck is turning 100 years old this year. It started in 1915 when the Oak Orchard and Tonawanda swamps were drained. The muck continues to be highly productive agriculture soil.

Melissa Ierlan, the Clarendon town historian, has cleaned up many of the local markers in need of fresh paint.

This marker is located by a big drainage ditch for the muck, just south of the Barre town line.

The marker was installed in 2002 as part of the 200th anniversary celebration for Genesee County. Here is how the marker looked before it was repainted.

Ierlan also repainted a marker for a cobblestone house on Ridge Road near the Cobblestone Museum.

Orleans County Historian Matt Ballard is pictured with the marker by the cobblestone house on Thursday.

Ierlan said residents are welcome to donate painting supplies or money for the marker facelifts.

She estimated it costs up to $30 to prime, paint and clear coat the markers. People could donate to the Clarendon Historical Society at the Clarendon Town Hall, 16385 Church St. or to the Cobblestone Museum on Ridge Road in Gaines.

People could also drop off Rustoleum #7727 royal blue quart or pint, #7747 sunburst yellow quart or pint, and a spray can of Rustoleum metal primer gray or white for the post. Ierlan also uses Rustoleum glossy black and a spray can of clear glossy.

Ierlan also painted this sign in the Brockville hamlet in Murray. It was reinstalled earlier this month.

ALBION – Orleans County residents will soon have three drop-off sites for televisions and other “e-waste.”

Garbage crews stopped picking up the televisions on Jan. 1, and residents instead have been discarding many of the TVs into ditches and along country roads.

Legislature Chairman David Callard said about 500 have been picked up by highway crews this year.

The Legislature on Wednesday approved a deal with Sunnking Incorporated of Brockport to pick up and dispose of cathode ray tube televisions, monitors, computers, peripheral devices and other household electronics.

The company will be paid $14,782 annually for the service, effective Aug. 26.

“This is a plan in the interim while the state gets its act together,” said Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer.

Residents will be able to drop the household electronics at the Murray Town Hall, Orleans County Highway Department in Albion, and Shelby Town Hall.

The state on Jan. 1 began banning curbside disposal of older TVs with cathode-ray technology. Many residents have upgraded from those televisions, switching to popular flat screens. Many of the older TVs have been dumped in ditches along rural roads.

Manufacturers were supposed to take back older TVs, but the state capped the amount of discarded material companies have to accept each year. Manufacturers have been hitting that cap midway through the year.

“The issue is exacerbated by the fact that electronics currently sold today are much lighter than the obsolete CRT devices that make up about 70 percent of the weight of e-scrap generated, which are cost intensive to responsibly manage,” according to a resolution passed by the County Legislature and other local municipalities.

“As a result, many local governments across the state have grappled with the burden to fund or cease e-scrap collection, which has been particularly difficult in rural communities that do not benefit from retail collectors or economies of scale,” according to the resolution.

The County Legislature and other local municipalities are asking Gov. Cuomo, the State Legislature and State Department of Environmental Conservation to work towards a long-term solution for electronic waste recycling for both urban and rural areas.

“We’re excited to get this under control,” Callard said on Wednesday, when the county announced the plan. “It’s a commendable program.”