Fred Miller

ALBION – The Orleans County Republican Party Committee didn’t endorse a candidate to run against Fred Miller, the lone Democrat on the seven-member County Legislature.

Miller won an upset election in November 2013, defeating incumbent Henry Smith for a district that includes the towns of Albion and Gaines.

No candidates were nominated this evening to run against Miller, owner of Family Hardware in downtown Albion since 1986.

“I hear nothing bad about him from the other legislators,” said Ed Morgan, the Republican Party chairman. “He asks the right questions.”

Morgan said it isn’t unprecedented for the Republican Party not to run a candidate against an incumbent Democrat. For many years, Richard Bennett of Barre was unopposed as a Democrat on the Legislature.

Prior to being elected to the County Legislature, Miller served five years on the Village Board. Miller is the first resident from the village of Albion to serve on the Legislature in 30 years, despite Albion being the county seat.

Miller was endorsed by the Conservative Party in the 2013 election, but that party isn’t endorsing any of the incumbents this time. It has backed Paul Lauricella to run for legislator against Lynne Johnson.

The other six Republican legislators were all backed by the Republican Party for new two-terms. That team includes Legislature Chairman David Callard of Medina, John DeFilipps of Clarendon and Don Allport of Gaines for county-wide legislator positions; Ken DeRoller of Kendall for a district that includes the towns of Carlton, Murray and Kendall; Bill Eick of Shelby for a district that includes Clarendon, Barre and most of Shelby; and Lynne Johnson of Lyndonville for a district that includes Yates, Ridgeway and a small portion of Shelby.

The Republican Committee also endorsed Rocky Sidari, a former Albion fire chief, to serve as county coroner. He was appointed to the position in January, filling a vacancy created by Joe Fuller when he was elected Albion town justice.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Tom Drennan, left, and Randy Bower shake hands after the Orleans County Republican Party Committee made its endorsement tonight.

GAINES – Tom Drennan has the Orleans County Republican Party endorsement to be the county’s next sheriff.

Drennan, the chief deputy the past nine years, has worked for the Sheriff’s Department for 23 years, starting as a deputy. The Kendall resident secured just over 60 percent of the GOP Committee’s vote this evening, getting 6,151 votes to 3,951 for Randy Bower, a long-time dispatcher for the county.

There were weighted votes for the 75 committee members who cast ballots this evening. (Two committee members abstained.)

Ed Morgan, the GOP chairman, praised both Drennan and Bower for working hard the past three months, meeting with Republican committee members throughout the county.

“They’re both good people,” Morgan said after the committee meeting at Tillman’s Village Inn. “They’ve both been above-board.”

Bower already has the Conservative Party line for the November election. He said he wanted to take a few days before deciding whether or not he would force a Republican Primary.

He thanked the committee members for their support.

Bower has the endorsement from the Deputy Sheriff’s Association. Drennan had many letters submitted on his behalf, from the current sheriff, Scott Hess, to former sheriffs, undersheriffs and the current District Attorney Joe Cardone. (Hess is retiring after Dec. 31.)

Drennan said he stressed his experience as a law enforcement officer. He also has worked nearly a decade as a supervisor.

“Experience is a big factor,” he said. “I’m not a politician. I’m a cop.”

Bower won over many committee members with his long-term plan for the department. He also is an impassioned speaker.

“He is dynamic with a great personality,” Drennan said about Bower.

Morgan said it was one of the most contested races for a GOP endorsement in a long time. The committee met for more than two hours, picking candidates for county offices.

“Never in the 10 years that I’ve been doing this have we done a secret ballot like this,” Morgan said. “You didn’t know the outcome coming in.”

Orleans County is a tough place for children to break out of the cycle of poverty, according to a study that looks at upward mobility of kids in counties throughout the United States.

“Orleans County is pretty bad for income mobility for children in poor families,” states a May 4 article in the New York Times. (Click here to see “The Best and Worst Places to Grow Up: How Your Area Compares.”

Orleans County is in the 35th percentile, 871 out of 2,478, for best places to grow up for income mobility for poor children. About 65 percent of other counties have higher income mobility for the poor.

Orleans and several other Western New York counties are difficult places for poor children to change that economic outcome when they are adults.

The study says poor children in Orleans County can expect to earn $120 less at age 26, compared to working in the average county. Wyoming County offers the best economic prospects for poor kids in Western New York. In that county, poor children will make $3,320 more annually at age 26, compared to being in the average county.

(Monroe County fares the worst of 11 WNY counties. Poor children who grow up in Monroe earn $2,380 less annually at age 26 compared to the average county.)

The study reported in The New York Times was compiled by Harvard economists Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren.

The say location is a big factor in a child’s economic prospects. Chetty, Hendren and other researchers identify five factors with strong upward mobility: less segregation by income and race, lower levels of income inequality, better schools, lower rates of violent crime, and a larger share of two-parent households, according to The New York Times.

“The broader lesson of our analysis,” Chetty and Hendren say in their report, “is that social mobility should be tackled at a local level.”

ALBION – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce has added two new members to its board of directors and the organization is planning to raffle off a new 4-wheeler this year.

The Chamber had its annual meeting this morning. Brooke Pontillo, a senior account executive for Toshiba Business Solutions, remains president.

Linda Kludt from Kludt Farms in Kendall is the new vice president. Greg Piedmonte from Precision Packaging Products in Holley is the Chamber’s new treasurer.

Other new board members include Albion Town Councilman Jake Olles and Patrick Pollard from Hinspergers Poly Industries in Medina.

The Chamber will be selling tickets for the 4-wheeler at its office, 102 N. Main St., and also during the Orleans County 4-H Fair in July, the Metro 10 race in Albion on Aug. 22 and during the Chamber’s annual awards dinner on Sept. 18. The 4-wheeler is a 2015 Polaris Sportsman ETX ATV.

ALBION – Randy Bower has received another key endorsement in his campaign to be Orleans County’s next sheriff.

Bower today was endorsed by the Orleans County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. The 23-member group “overwhelmingly supported” Bower to succeed Scott Hess as sheriff, said Erin Fuller, the association president. Hess is retiring Dec. 31.

Bower, a dispatcher for the county for more than 20 years, is vying with Chief Deputy Tom Drennan to be sheriff. The Orleans County Conservative Party endorsed Bower on Monday to be sheriff.

“The membership feels Randy would do a superior job,” said Deputy Fuller. “He has a plan for how he wants the department to progress.”

Bower works closely with deputies and other emergency services personnel in his job as dispatcher, Fuller said.

“Certainly Tom Drennan as chief deputy is qualified enough,” Fuller said. “But the membership endorsed Randy for a multitude of reasons. Randy being who he is we know he will do a great job.”

Both Drennan and Bower have spent months courting Republican leaders. The Republican Party Committee meets 7 p.m. Thursday at Tillman’s Village Inn to make its endorsement.

ALBION – The Orleans County Conservative Party has endorsed a long-time dispatcher to replace Scott Hess as sheriff. Hess is retiring after Dec. 31 and isn’t seeking re-election.

The Conservative Party endorsed Bower on Monday, choosing him over Tom Drennan, the chief deputy at the Sheriff’s Department.

Al Lofthouse, Conservative Party chairman, said Bower impressed party leaders during an interview. He wants to run a lean department with its budget and also step up efforts to pursue welfare fraud, Lofthouse said.

“He came across a little better in the interview,” Lofthouse said about Bower, a Holley resident. “People felt Randy was more attuned to Conservative values.”

The Orleans County Republican Party Committee meets on Thursday to make its endorsements, and the sheriff choice may be the most anticipated selection.

The nine-member Conservative Party Committee did not endorse any incumbent county legislators for re-election. Lofthouse said the county leaders haven’t done enough to bring down property taxes in the community.

The Conservatives did endorse Paul Lauricella Jr. of Lyndonville to run against incumbent Lynne Johnson. Lauricella is vice chairman of the Conservative Party. He recused himself from the legislator endorsement discussions, Lofthouse said.

“The county is not headed in the right direction,” Lofthouse said this morning. “We have the highest taxes for home assessments in the country. The legislators don’t seem to be willing to take the bull by the horns and cut expenses.”

In addition to Bower and Lauricella, the Conservative Party endorsed the following candidates:

Rocco L. Sidari for county coroner, Joseph R. Kujawa for Ridgeway town justice, Ronald Mannella for Gaines highway superintendent, Edward Houseknecht for Shelby highway superintendent, Tracy Bruce Chalker for Clarendon highway superintendent, Carol Culhane for Gaines town supervisor, Mary R. Neilans for Gaines town councilwoman, and Matthew Passarell for Albion town supervisor.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans Hub posted many stories on the 200-plus Santas in Albion from April 16-19 for the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference. The group gathered for a photo on the courthouse steps on April 18.

April proved a photo-friendly month for Orleans Hub with 200-plus Santas in Albion for a Santa Claus conference, a Civil War Encampment in Medina and arrival of spring following a brutal winter.

It was also a controversial month with parents and students “opting out” of standardized tests, residents fighting against a wind energy project in Yates and Somerset, and local villages wrestling with budgets that raised taxes.

Orleans Hub continued a strong 2015 with our fourth straight month with over 600,000 pageviews. We had 636,842 in April, an average of 21,228 each day. We set a new record in April for pageviews for obituaries with 113,722.

We also averaged 6,552 unique daily visitors for the month, our fourth straight month topping 6,000.

Here are the top five most viewed stories for April:

1. Truck driver from Medina killed in Wyoming County accident

2. Albion grad gets football coaching position at the U. of Findlay

3. Albion again named top music school district in US

4. Superintendents urge students, parents not to refuse state tests

5. Cobblestone house badly damaged in fire

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Shane Freeman slides into home as Lyndonville catcher James Ianni tries to dig out the ball during the Mustangs 10-4 win over the visiting Tigers on April 3 at Vets Park in Medina.

Mike and Cheryl Wertman have also been busy covering spring sports, offering a complete daily report on high school baseball, softball, tennis, track and field, and lacrosse.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – About 150 motorcyclists joined at the Orleans County Courthouse today for a safety and awareness rally. After speeches from the Courthouse steps, the bikers rode about 50 miles throughout the county, ending at the Vets Club in Medina.

The rally began with the pledge of allegiance. Pictured, from left, include Matt Tracy, vice president of the Orleans County chapter of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education; Chuck Persons, president of the local ABATE; and Stefan Worthington, a member of the Barnabas Bikers, a Christian motorcycle group in Genesee County. Worthington shared a prayer, asking for a safe riding season for the motorcyclists.

Fran Abrams listens to Orleans County Legislator Fred Miller read a proclamation, declaring May to be “Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month.”

The First Presbyterian Church of Albion can be seen in this reflection on one of the motorcycles.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said the recently approved state budget keeps $438 million in CHIPS funding for local road work. The budget also added $10 million to help municipalities pay for extra work with potholes and road deterioration from the harsh winter.

Hawley said he wants to see state resources directed to help keep roads safe for motorists, cyclists, runners and motorcyclists.

Tim Seibert and his son Pom, 9, of Albion attended the rally and then went on the 50-mile ride.

The Presbyterian Church can be seen in this mirror.

Tim Lindsay, left, listens at the rally. He is pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion.

Dale Graff, front, gets ready to lead the group of motorcyclists on a ride through the county. They are pictured on East State Street in front of the courthouse.

These bikers get ready to ride.

The local ABATE chapter uses the rally and ride through the county to remind the public bikers are back on the roads with the return of warmer weather.

Motorcycles are some of the smallest vehicles on the road so drivers in other vehicles should take extra care to look out for them and to safely ‘Share the Road,’ ABATE officials said.

The slates are set for the May 19 elections for the Board of Education at five local school districts.In addition to voting on proposed school budgets and propositions, residents will elect volunteer members of the Board of Education.

Medina is the only district with a surplus of candidates for the Board of Education. The district has five candidates seeking three terms that are three years each.

Ann Bunch, Carol Heiligenthaler and Renee Paser-Paull all have terms up for election. Bunch and Paser-Paull are seeking re-election while Heiligenthaler, a former board president, has decided against another term.

Three other candidates – Danielle Class, Brian Koch and former board member Virginia Nicholson – will be on the ballot.

Albion, Kendall and Lyndonville all have as many candidates as they have positions on the ballot. Holley has three spots open, but only two candidates.

Here is the breakdown of candidates for the school districts:

ALBION – There are two five-year positions up for election in Albion. Marie Snyder is seeking re-election while John King is not. Chantelle Sacco is seeking the other position and is unopposed.

HOLLEY – In Holley, three positions are open that have three-year terms and two incumbents, Anne Winkley and Mark Porter, are seeking re-election. The other incumbent, Jack Welch, isn’t running again. No one submitted petitions to fill that position. That spot will be filled by the person with the most write-in votes.

KENDALL – Nadine Hanlon, the president of the Board of Education, is unopposed in seeking another five-year on the board.

LYNDONVILLE – The district has three positions open that are three-year terms. Incumbents Michelle Dillenbeck and Theodore Lewis, the current president, are both seeking re-election. Richard Mufford has decided against re-election. Kelly Cousins will be the other candidate on the ballot.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, left, is pictured with Jeanne Crane on Thursday evening at dinner in Hochul’s honor at Tillman’s Village Inn.

GAINES – Kathy Hochul was a long-shot candidate in 2011 when she ran for Congress in a overwhelmingly Republican district. She pulled off the upset win versus Jane Corwin in that special election.

Hochul said Democrats in rural areas such as Orleans County were essential in that victory.

“Representing you was one of the highest honors of my life,” said Thursday during a dinner at Tillman’s Village Inn.

The Orleans County Democratic Party put on the dinner for Hochul. She was knocked out of Congress in November 2012 by Chris Collins. The district was redrawn through redistricting, stacking more Republicans in the 27th District.

Hochul, after working as vice president of governmental relations for M&T Bank Corp., was picked as lieutenant governor by Andrew Cuomo. That team was elected state-wide this past November. Hochul said she is thankful for the chance to return to public service.

Hochul addresses about 100 people at the dinner on Thursday, including Helen Zelazny, left, and Jesse Green, right.

Thursday was Hochul’s second time in Orleans County since the election. She also was in Albion on Feb. 18 to discuss the governor’s “Opportunity Agenda” and to meet with local officials, including the County Legislature.

“I know we have some challenges here,” Hochul told about 100 people at Thursday’s dinner.

She said the governor is devoting state resources to rural communities, particularly with $500 million in a broadband initiative to bring high-speed Internet throughout the state by 2018, including the rural pockets of New York.

“That will be a game changer for Orleans County,” Hochul said. “It is coming. It will be ready in New York as we compete with other states.”

The governor also wants to work with local governments to improve roads and bridges, and continue support for the state’s agricultural industry, Hochul said.

Hochul has also been busy around the state pushing a policy to combat sexual assaults on college campuses. She and Gov. Cuomo also have been advocating for equal pay for equal work, an effort to boost the pay for women who do the same jobs as men.

Local Democrats turned out for the dinner with Kathy Hochul.

Orleans County is solid Republican territory, with Republicans holding a 2 to 1 advantage in enrollment over Democrats.

In the governor’s election, Orleans County voters gave Rob Astorino the strongest support for governor of any county in the state except for one. The 73.4 percent support for Astorino among Orleans County voters was only topped by Wyoming County, which gave him 76.0 percent of the vote for governor.

Jeanne Crane, the Orleans County Democratic Party chairwoman, admitted it is difficult for a Democrat to win in Orleans County. Hochul has proven a Democrat can enjoy success in the rural county.

“It’s important that we as Democrats have to reach out to all of Orleans County, including the Republicans and Conservatives, because we need everyone if we are going to win,” Crane said.

Hochul is a “personable person” with a work ethic, Crane said.

Hochul said she enjoys being away from the state capital and connecting with people outside of Albany.

The lieutenant governor’s presence in Orleans, and other rural counties, shows Democratic Party leaders care about those communities, Crane said.

“We don’t have the finances or the big number of voters, but they are showing that someone does care,” Crane said. “Usually people don’t come out to see the rural counties.”

Hochul said she enjoys meeting with people. When she was campaigning, it was often at diners and community events.

“I know what is in their hearts and minds because they told me,” she said.

Hochul said she intends to be an advocate for Orleans and she won’t be a stranger.

“I will always treasure our friendships,” Hochul told the group of Democrats.