Absentee votes lift Buchanan to county legislator seat in city

Marcus Buchanan
A longtime Republican county legislator from Dunkirk has lost his seat following absentee ballot counting.
On Monday, the Chautauqua County Board of Elections counted the absentee ballots and reviewed races that were within a 20-vote margin.
Among the races reviewed was county Legislative District 1. On Election night, incumbent Kevin Muldowney had a 10-vote lead over challenger Marcus Buchanan, 721-711. Muldowney ran on the Republican and Dunkirk First lines, while Buchanan ran on the Democratic, Conservative, and Working Families lines. However after reviewing votes cast and counting the absentee ballots, Buchanan won by 80 votes, 809-729.
Even with Buchanan’s victory, Republicans will still hold a super-majority on the county legislature. Come Jan. 1, there will be 14 Republicans and five Democrats. The current make-up of the legislature is 15-4. In Chautauqua County, a party must have at least 13 members to have a two-thirds majority. While most legislation requires a majority to pass, some legislation does require a minimum of 13 votes.
None of the other votes changed as a result of reviewing close races and counting absentee ballots.
In the city of Dunkirk, Kate Wdowiasz’s victory for mayor was confirmed. Wdowiasz, who ran on the Democratic and Working Families lines, received 1,289 votes, while David Damico, who ran on the Republican and Conservative lines, received 1,213 votes.