Robert E. Dando

Robert E. Dando Jr. is running for the Chautauqua County Legislature, District 3 which is the south-west side of the Village of Fredonia plus the Town of Pomfret. He has been endorsed by both the Democratic and Working Families Parties and is running on their ballot lines. He has also received the endorsement of CSEA, CWA, IUPAT, UAW, and both the Dunkirk and Jamestown Area Labor Councils.

He has lived in the town of Pomfret for the past 29 years and in the area around Fredonia since attending SUNY Fredonia in 1967 where he graduated in 1971. With his late wife, Edith, a Dunkirk High (1971) and JCC (1973) graduate, they have four children and six grandchildren who are or were students of the Fredonia School system.

He worked at Red Wing (later Carriage House) from 1973 until his retirement in 2011. While there, he was an active member of NCFO Local 266 SEIU including serving as Financial Secretary and President. He serves on the executive boards of both the Dunkirk and Jamestown Labor Councils. He was a General Vice-President of the Western New York Area Labor Federation Board for several years. He has been the Secretary/Treasurer of the Chautauqua County Workers’ Memorial since 2005. He is serving as a member of the Town of Pomfret Planning Board and as a member of the Chautauqua County Parks Commission. A member of the Elks Lodge 922 Dunkirk, he currently serves as Exalted Ruler.

An Eagle Scout, he was active for many years as an adult leader in Boy Scouting, this included serving at various times as a Cubmaster in Fredonia (Pack 216), Forestville (Pack 218), Brocton (Pack 217) and Dunkirk (Pack 208) and as Scoutmaster of Troop 256. He also was a unit commissioner, Roundtable commissioner, and District Commissioner in the northern end of Chautauqua County. He served on The Northern Chautauqua United Way Board for nine years and for three years on the New York State United Way Board. He and his wife were active with High School Section 6 wrestling, especially with the Fredonia program where he was and now his children are youth coaches, he even represented Western New York as wrestler in the Empire State Games.

“As a longtime labor activist, I have worked to save and create good paying jobs in our county. We must bring businesses into this county that pay a living wage,” Dando said. “We need to create an environment that allows our children and grandchildren to stay here in Chautauqua County and raise families. I’ve decided to run for this office to bring positive change to our community. and bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to our county government. We believed that there should be a reduction of the County Sales tax and a more equitable distribution of it to the Fredonia-Pomfret community and indeed all municipalities in the county. Remember, Your vote shapes the future of Chautauqua County.”