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Grand Island elections too close to call Swanick prevails in 10th District race by Amanda Glowish
and Lisa Ariganello The race for the Grand Island Town Board is proving to be extremely close, bringing victory to the Republicans. As of press time, all 15 of the districts had been tallied, however some absentee ballots were yet to be accounted for. According to Town Clerk Nancy Samrany, the numbers are too close to announce any final results. It is assured that Republican Councilman Richard Crawford Jr., receiving 29 percent of the votes, is guaranteed a seat on the Town Board for a third four-year term. Crawford is also the chair of the Grand Island Planning Board and hopes to assist in the development of a local community center to provide Island residents with additional recreational and athletic services. "The members of the Town Board are all very committed to providing necessary services to the residents of Grand Island, while remaining within a reasonable budget, and a good conservative financial plan," Crawford said. When asked if Grand Island residents will notice a major change in taxes over the next four years he replied, "there will not be any major changes. Each year the board is able to adapt well to shrinking dollars from the federal and the state, but we've always been able to overcome the financial hurdles and consolidate our spending." Real Nail Biter Republican candidate Gary Roesch is following close behind with 26 percent of the vote. With this being his first endeavor in seeking political office, Roesch has experienced many ups and downs. "When I went to bed on the night of the election I was down 38 votes, when I woke up in the morning, I was suddenly ahead of Rustowicz by one vote," Roesch said. "Now I have to wait until Nov. 14 for the final results. Let me just put it this way, I have my finger nails down to my knuckles." If elected, Roesch plans to bring his 36 years of experience in the private sector to the town board. "My involvement in civic activities will allow me to understand the various issues of the town board," he said. Democratic Incumbent Kevin Rustowicz, with 25 percent of the vote, and Democrat Michael Heftka, with 20 percent still have a chance for recovery once the absentee ballots are calculated. Rustowicz is following Roesch by only one vote. Town Clerk's Office Republican Patricia A. Frentzel won her seat on the board as Grand Island Town Clerk with 3,145 votes, replacing Nancy Samrany, who is retiring. Democrat Robin A. Swedish came up short with 2,632 votes. Frentzel’s years of experience include regional director for the American Heart Association, executive director for Grand Island Chamber of Commerce and financial resource director for Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce. Some of her goals for town clerk include: collaboration with state, county and local officials in the areas of: cash control, licensing, public relations, records management and e- commerce. Peter McMahon will return for a four-year term as town supervisor and Sybil Kennedy will serve an additional four year term as town justice. The following is an overview of the voting numbers for Grand Island town offices, as well as news on Erie County and New York state offices of interest as of press time:
Erie County Results Going into Tuesday's election, it appeared that Erie County Legislature Charles Swanick was up for a tough race after being defeated by Republican Kevin Hardwick in the September GOP primary. Victory sufficed for the incumbent, however, as he defeated Hardwick and Democrat Patricia Ryan Dudek. Swanick received 41 percent of the vote, Hardwick 35 percent, and Dudek with 24 percent. Swanick will be able to add two more years to his 23-year tenure and he also achieved a historic first; he is the first legislator to win a seat with minor party endorsements. Another race that received much attention is the Erie County Executive. Incumbent Joel Giambra will serve four more years as Erie County Executive, winning his second term. Giambra enjoyed strong success in the suburbs giving him 56 percent of the vote against Democrat Daniel Ward with 44 percent. Judicial Races Sharon S. Townsend was elected to her first 14-year seat as a New York State Supreme Court Justice. Townsend’s 18 years of experience as a judge gained her 271,016 votes. Republican Erin M. Peradotto and Democrat Paula L. Feroleto fought for their seat until the bitter end. Peradotto came up strong with 135,428 votes while Feroleto trailed with 129,666. Incumbent Robert Whelan, who only produced 78,427 votes, was trying to gain his second term on three minor party lines. Rosalie S. Bailey, former state court referee, and Paul G. Buchanan were elected to 10 year terms in the Erie County Family Court. Running on five party lines, Bailey received 45 percent of the vote while Buchanan received 25 percent as the Democrat and Conservative candidate. They defeated incumbent Margaret O. Szczur, who only received 8 percent, and John L. Michalski with 21 percent. The race for Erie County Surrogate Judge was a landslide victory for State Supreme Court Justice Barbara Howe. Howe won 96 percent of the vote with five parties in her corner, while former prosecutor Nicholas Costantino received only four percent. Howe will succeed Joseph M. Mattina, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. The following are the voting results for Erie County offices of interest, as of press time:
Look for more election
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next week's issue
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