Grand Island: Madigan, Kilmer, Digati win GOP line; Frentzel gets 3rd line in clerk race

By Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

Candidates who challenged the Republican-endorsed slate won upset victories in Tuesday’s primary election for the GOP line in Grand Island races in November.

Challenger Michael Madigan, a current councilmember, won the GOP primary for Grand Island town supervisor by 54.9% over Peter Marston, the endorsed candidate, who garnered 44.8% of the vote, in unofficial voting results tabulated Tuesday night.

Challenger Daniel Kilmer claimed victory with 37% of votes cast in the Republican race for one of two Town Council seats up for grabs in the general election.

The other GOP town council spot goes to incumbent Councilmember Thomas Digati, who captured 32.2% of the vote. Joseph Spinella came in third, winning 30.5% of the total votes cast and will run on the Conservative line in November.

Digati will carry both the GOP and Conservative lines in the general election.

Longtime incumbent Town Clerk Pattie Frentzel, as a write-in candidate, wrested the Working Families ballot spot from George Hauss, who will run on the Democratic line in the fall. Frentzel now has the Republican, Conservative and Working Families lines going into the general election. She won 11 votes, or 78.6%, to Hauss’ three, or 21.4%.

Mark Nemeth at this point is running unopposed as town justice. He has both the Republican and Conservative endorsements. He has the Working Families line, as well.

Read more in Friday’s Island Dispatch.