politics

Press release:

There will be a FREE “Meet the Candidates” Day in Genesee County to enable Western New Yorkers with disabilities -- or anyone from the community -- to hear and discuss issues with some on the ballot in the November General Election.

WNY Independent Living Inc. will host those running for certain county, city and town offices. Whatever your political views, this is your year to get involved!

The Genesee County event will take place on Tues. Oct. 24^th, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR), 113 Main St., Suite 5, near Center Street.

Invitees include candidates for Genesee County District Attorney and Legislature, Batavia City Common Council (At-Large), and various other County and Town positions.

For those who wish to be familiar with the “hot” disability issues, sheets of suggested questions will be provided, but participants are encouraged to ask about public concerns that are close to them.  The location is fully disability accessible.

WNYIL Advocacy and Public Policy Director Todd Vaarwerk notes that those who achieve local positions now may be the State and National leaders of tomorrow. Get additional information at (716) 836-0822, ext. 101.

WNY Independent Living Inc. is Western New York's largest cross-disability, consumer-directed, non-residential organization for persons with disabilities. At WNYIL, individuals of all ages and all types of disabilities learn to exercise their freedom of choice to take control of their own lives in order to live more productively in, and contribute to, the community.

Press release:

Interested in being an officer of the Genesee County Women's Republican Club?

Currently two members of the Genesee County Women's Republican Club will finish their terms this fall. We are looking for interested members of the club who would like to join the executive committee.

Open positions are:

• President
• 2nd Vice President

Interested candidates, please see positions' descriptions in the by-laws by clicking here.

Send resume and letter of interest via email to Melissa Gaebler, chairwoman of nominating committee, at:  mgaebler83@gmail.com

All materials due to nominating committee by Oct. 16th.

Press release:

The Genesee County Democratic Committee is proud to announce a fall fundraiser featuring Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, NYS Democrats Executive Director Basil Smile Jr. and several of the potential candidates interested in challenging Congressman Chris Collins in 2018.

The Committee will be honoring Lorie Longhany for all of her contributions to the community.

The fundraiser will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10, at RCW (Rochester Club West) @ Bohn's, located at 5256 Clinton Street Road, Batavia.

Cost/suggested donations: $30 per person or $50 per couple.

To reserve your seat please email geneseenydemocrats@gmail.com. Please include your full name and physical address in the email.

Note: political donations are not tax deductible.

A statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia):

“Gov. Cuomo is proposing that New York state provide prisons $7 million so convicts can take college courses. I believe that there are more efficient ways to spend this amount of money.

"Our infrastructure throughout the state is in desperate need of attention along with many hardworking taxpayers who are struggling to provide college tuition for themselves and members of their family.

“Unfortunately, I feel that when the governor announces such misguided ideas and proposals that he is solely attempting to bring national media attention upon himself and to position himself for an upcoming presidential run.

"I call on the governor to relieve some of the burden that he placed on taxpayers to pay for his 'free' tuition plan and use this proposed $7 million for education at SUNY schools for law-abiding citizens.

“I can’t believe the governor puts the future of convicted felons ahead of the young men and women of our state who are working day in and day out to provide for their families and to become pillars of their communities. The people of New York state deserve better.”

Press release:

The City of Batavia Republican Committee currently has three vacancies that represent the south side of the City and are seeking City residents who would be interested in serving.

The requirements include being a registered Republican and residing in the City of Batavia.

If you are interested in getting involved in making the City of Batavia a better place to live and work we want to hear from you!

Anyone who is interested can e-mail City Republican Chairman David Saleh at salehdavej@gmail.com.

Press release from Dave Olsen, GCLP chairman:

The Genesee County Libertarian Party will hold its 2017 convention on Monday June 5, beginning 6:30 p.m. at T.F. Brown's Restaurant in Batavia.

Organizers expect to introduce three candidates for the Batavia City Council At Large positions.

Each will have a few remarks to make, along with Dr. Mark Glogowski, LPNY State chairman, Larry Sharpe, LP candidate for NY Governor next year, and possibly Austin Petersen, 2016 Presidential contender via video chat.

The public is cordially invited to attend and ask questions.

T.F. Brown's is located at 214 E. Main St. in Downtown Batavia.

Press release:

On Saturday, April 1, Sister District for Western New York (SDWNY) will bring the national Knock Every Door (KED) campaign to Batavia. According to Tom White, SDWNY captain, “we want to have real conversations, listen to voters and non-voters alike, and learn how people feel about the past and upcoming election."

The Knock Every Door organization believes that both political parties, along with the media, need to hear what voters all across the country are saying about the challenges they face, understand whether policies meant to help people are truly improving their daily lives and what people want from their elected leaders.

The Batavia organizers emphasize that they are not collecting information on any political party’s behalf, and they hope public-spirited Batavians will be willing to have a talk when their doorbell rings next Saturday.

You can learn more on the KED website https//knockeverydoor.org, or the SDWNY event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1776864832641664/

Press release:

The Democratic chairs from the eight counties which comprise New York's 27th Congressional District announce their new initiative "Turn 27 Blue": a joint effort with grassroots groups to identify and prepare candidates interested in running for Congress.

All people interested in becoming candidates for the Democratic nomination for this congressional seat in 2018 are invited to get in touch with them to learn more about the process and what is involved in running for Congress.

"There is just so much energy on the ground right now," said Genesee County Democratic Chair Michael Plitt, "so we want to make sure we can help people navigate all that's involved."

Because of unprecedented interest in next year's congressional election, the leaders of the Democratic party in the 27th District have decided to approach this election cycle differently from previous years.

"We are just getting inundated with people saying they want to run against Chris Collins," said Jeremy Zellner, the Erie County Democratic chair, who added, "We also want to work closely with the many different grassroots organizations that want to be involved in the 27th District."

Judith Hunter, the chair of the Livingston County Democratic Committee said, "We decided a systematic approach will help to make the process more accessible to all who might be interested and give our eventual nominee the greatest chance for success. Getting started now helps, too."

The county committees wish to include new groups that have sprung up organically since the November election, angered by Chris Collins' pattern of ignoring his constituents. Those groups have done a great deal of work already to educate voters about how little Collins has done to actually represent the people of NY 27, as opposed to his own bottom line or the interests of his party.

"From weekly rallies to protests to letter-writing efforts to billboard campaigns, ordinary people in this district are standing up and rejecting what Chris Collins has offered us. We're ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work to help those who are willing to stand up and become candidates. It's great to be part of this effort," said Michelle Johnston Schoeneman, of Citizens Against Collins.

Interested candidates are urged to send a resume and cover letter to Chair@livingstondemocrats.org, as Hunter will coordinate this effort on behalf of the larger group.

"I will take care of sharing all the materials with everyone, and we will decide, based on how many inquiries we get, whether it makes the most sense to meet with potential candidates individually or to hold larger workshops," she said. "Rep. Collins has just been so unresponsive to his constituents that everyone is eager to get started."

• Judith Hunter, Livingston County Democratic Chair
• Jeremy Zellner, Eric County Democratic Chair
• Michael Plitt, Genesee County Democratic Chair
• Jamie Romeo, Monroe County Democratic Chair
• Cindy Appleton, Wyoming County Democratic Chair
• Jeanne Crane, Orleans County Democratic Chair
• John Hurley, Ontario County Democratic Chair
• Nick Forster, Niagara County Democratic Chair
• Michelle Johnston Schoeneman, Citizens Against Collins
• Amber Hainey, GLOW Progressives
• Renee Sutton, Indivisible NY 27th
• Thomas White, Sister District for Western New York

Press release from David Olsen, chairman:

“Just because you do not take an interest in politics...does not mean that politics won't take an interest in you.” This quote from Pericles -- who lived in Athens, Greece 2,500 years ago -- was true then and is true today in Genesee County. The 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama said in his farewell speech: “If you're disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures and run for office yourself. Show up. Dive in. Stay at it. Sometimes you'll win. Sometimes you'll lose."

Many have lost interest and faith in our political system. I won’t argue that it is perfect, nor will I say it’s fair. It’s far from either, but it is what we have and we all have access to it. It is possible for virtually anyone to run for and win a seat in our county legislature, Batavia’s city council or a town board in our county.

The Libertarian Party is the fastest growing political party in the United States. Have you had enough of the continued partisan bickering and the constant growth of government, both in cost and intrusiveness? Have you decided, as have many others that the Republicans and Democrats are not for you? Do you want to make a difference? Then contact us, we would love to hear from you and discuss any and all potential candidacies.

Please feel free to contact me or Vice Chairman Mark Potwora at gclp.ny@gmail.com. You can also message us through our Facebook page www.facebook.com/GCLP.NY/

A resident at 21 Main St. in the Village of Elba reports the larceny of political signs from his front lawn. Sheriff's deputies are responding to the complaint.

Press release:

Diana Kastenbaum, the Democratic Congressional Candidate for NY-27, has called upon Rep. Chris Collins to step forward and declaratively disavow Trump’s recent statements that the election is rigged. As a an elected official himself, Mr. Collins should persuade Mr. Trump that he should accept the outcome of the election if Secretary Clinton wins. That is what we know in this country as a peaceful transfer of power. That “peaceful” transfer of power is the very essence of what a democracy is all about.

“There used to be civility amongst opponents running for public office. However, the tone the Trump campaign and all of its surrogates have set forth, including Mr. Collins, is anything but civil. The time has come for all patriotic Republicans to speak out against this unprecedented attack on our core beliefs and our fair election process.”

Press release:

There will be a “Meet the Candidates” event in Batavia on Tuesday, Oct. 25, enabling Western New Yorkers with disabilities, or anyone from the community, to hear and discuss issues with some on the ballot in the November General Election.

The gathering will host those running for Federal, State, County and some local offices. Whatever your political views, this is your year to get involved!

Time is 1 to 4 p.m. at Independent Living of the Genesee Region, 113 Main St., Suite 5, near Center Street.

Invitees from Genesee County included candidates for the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, State Senate, State Assembly, Genesee County Court and Sheriff, City of Batavia Councilmen and Town Justice.

For those who wish to be familiar with the “hot” disability issues, sheets of suggested questions will be provided, but participants are encouraged to ask about public concerns that are close to them. The location is fully disability accessible.

Additional information is available from Todd Vaarwerk at (716) 836-0822, ext. 101.

WNY Independent Living, Inc. is Western New York's largest cross-disability, consumer-directed, non-residential organization for persons with disabilities. At WNYIL, individuals of all ages and all types of disabilities learn to exercise their freedom of choice to take control of their own lives in order to live more productively in, and contribute to, the community.

Press release:

Diana Kastenbaum, the Democratic candidate for NY-27, received a major endorsement this week by New York State’s 2.5-million member AFL-CIO. The endorsement came at the State Federation’s 33rd Constitutional Convention in New York City.

Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, said, “The decisions made in Washington DC impact the lives and economic well-being of all working men and women which is why the Labor Movement will do everything within our power to elect candidates committed to putting the interests of working people first.”

Kastenbaum said, “I am deeply honored and grateful for the endorsement of New York State’s AFL-CIO. My husband and I have been proud members of two unions in the AFL-CIO family. American workers are the backbone of our country and I intend to fight for working families to see that we achieve our goals of growing our economy with more jobs, a livable wage, healthcare and education.”

Press release:

After being interviewed by the Western New York Council of the Communications Workers (WNY CWA), Diana Kastenbaum was endorsed by the union on Wednesday, Aug. 17th. She is the Democratic candidate in the NY-27 Congressional District race.

Kastenbaum is an avid supporter of the CWA and marched in solidarity with Local 1133 in a rally at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo earlier this month.

“I am honored to be endorsed by a union that does so much to help working families throughout my district," Kastenbaum says. "I stand with the WNY CWA in their fight for fair contracts, wages, and for bringing jobs back home.”

This is the third union to have endorsed Kastenbaum. She has also been endorsed by NYSUT and the UFCW Local One.

Press release:

The National Federation of Republican Women are about to embark on a voter registration drive in swing states and the bus tour will stop in Batavia today.

Federation President Carrie Almond is expected at the stop along with federation officers, local elected officials and members of the Genesee County Women's Republican Club.

The purpose of the tour is to convince women in 11 swing states to register Republican and support the Republican's nominee for president, Donald Trump.

The event is at the Old Courthouse from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and the public is invited.