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Cliffe is GOP choice for Wheatfield supervisor

by Susan Mikula Campbell
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, June 11, 2009

The Town of Wheatfield Republican Committee on Saturday voted to endorse Town Justice Robert B. Cliffe for election as supervisor this fall and revoked its previous endorsement of current Supervisor Timothy E. Demler.

Cliffe resigned as town justice on Monday morning to accept the nomination.

He has been a Wheatfield town justice since 1996, and is very familiar with town government and the town's staff.

Cliffe is operations manager at Helmel Engineering in the Town of Niagara.

"It's certainly a challenge, but it's something I think I can do very well," said Cliffe of the supervisor's position. "It's basically the same thing I've been doing since the mid-1970s (as a career)."

Demler did not return calls asking for comment, but said prior to Saturday's meeting that he had weathered primary elections before in his seven terms as supervisor and still intended to run.

Republican Committee Chairman James D. Heuer has declined to give specific reasons why the committee decided to discontinue its support of Demler, but said the reasons did not include the recent accusation by one committeeman that Demler was having an affair with the man's wife.

    


Robert B. Cliffe

 

"I think the majority of the committee just felt we needed to change the direction in this town and get back to more honest government," Heuer said. "The Town Board has done a lot of good things while he (Demler) was supervisor, but different things he's done, we've felt were not legal. We just felt we had to change the course of leadership in the town."

Cliffe said he has worked with Demler for years, and campaigned with him when they ran on the same ballot for supervisor and town justice.

"I'm not happy with all this dirt getting in the newspapers. I hope I can stay above that fray, and certainly don't intend to be any part of it," Cliffe said.

The town Republican Committee consists of 22 committee members, representing 11 districts. Nineteen members voted at Saturday's meeting, including Demler. Heuer said voting was by secret ballot - "We felt it was best for everyone concerned that the result (of the vote to end Demler's endorsement) not be made public." Approval of Cliffe's nomination was done by a show of hands.

Previously, a subcommittee of seven members interviewed possible candidates for the supervisor's position. In addition to Cliffe, those interviewed included Richard Pepperday, a local business owner and certified public accountant, teacher MaryLou Piper and commercial photographer Alan Zamorski.

A special executive committee meeting is expected to be called by the county Republican Committee to confirm Cliffe's selection as the official Republican nominee. Committee members will be passing petitions only for Cliffe as supervisor, not Demler, Heuer said.

Cliffe, Heuer said, "is probably the best one we could find as far as being honest, having integrity and being well known in the community."

The town committee also endorsed longtime Town Prosecutor Erin DeLabio to replace Cliffe as town justice. The town committee already has endorsed and the county GOP approved the endorsements of Kenneth Retzlaff and Arthur Gerbec for Wheatfield Town Council, Joseph Mantione for coroner, and William Ross and Danny Sklarski for the Niagara County Legislature.