Photo by Dennis Phillips The Chautauqua County Legislature is pictured being sworn in during the organizational meeting. The legislature has three new members — Thomas Harmon, R-Silver Creek, Bill Ward, R-Mayville, and Robert Whitney, D-Jamestown.

MAYVILLE — There are three new members of the Chautauqua County Legislature.

The legislature last week held its annual organization meeting, with each member of the elected body being sworn into office. Three new members were included in the ceremony – Thomas Harmon, R-Silver Creek, Bill Ward, R-Mayville, and Robert Whitney, D-Jamestown.

In November, Ward ran on both the Republican and Democratic party lines, along with also receiving endorsements from Independence, Libertarian and Working Families parties, in District 18. Ward said he is a registered Republican, who will caucus with the Republicans as a member of the legislature. Ward told The Post-Journal that he discussed his decision to caucus with the Republicans with the Democratic members of the legislature and received their “blessing” to do so.

Ward defeated both Martin Proctor of the Cornerstone Party and Richard Syper of the Conservative Party for the seat in District 18. Ward received 896 votes to defeat Proctor, who received 451 votes, and Syper, who received 220.

Harmon, R-Silver Creek, defeated incumbent Kevin O’Connell, D-Silver Creek, for the District 6 seat.

Harmon, who ran on the Republican and Conservative party lines, received 879 votes while O’Connell, who was endorsed by the Democratic, Independence and Working Families party, tallied 827 votes.

Whitney won the District 11 seat by running unopposed in the November election. The former District 11 representative was David Wilfong, who was defeated in the race to be the next mayor of Jamestown. Whitney is no stranger to Mayville, having served on the legislature for two years in 2012 and 2013.

The Republican Party will continue to have the majority in the 19-member legislature with 14 representatives while the Democratic party has five.

Republican incumbents that were re-elected in November included Kevin Muldowney, R-Dunkirk, in District 1; Bob Scudder, R-Fredonia, in District 3; Terry Niebel, R-Sheridan, in District 5; Mark Odell, R-Brocton, in District 7; Pierre Chagnon, R-Bemus Point in District 8; PJ Wendel, R-Lakewood, in District 10; Elisabeth Rankin, R-Jamestown, in District 12; Daniel Pavlock, R-Sinclairville, in District 14; Lisa Vanstrom, R-Jamestown; in District 15; John Davis, R-Frewsburg, in District 16; Frank J. Gould, R-Ashville; in District 17; and John Hemmer, R-Westfield, in District 19.

Democratic incumbents that were re-elected included Robert Bankoski, D-Dunkirk, in District 2; Christine Starks, D-Fredonia, in District 4; Charles Nazzaro, D-Jamestown, in District 9; and Paul Whitford, D-Jamestown, in District 13.

On Thursday, Wendel was sworn in as the next county executive. Last month, Wendel said that Republican officials in District 10, which covers parts of Jamestown, Busti, Kiantone and Lakewood, are searching for a possible candidate to replace Wendel in the legislature.