A look at candidate petitions filed with the Chautauqua County Board of Elections reveals plenty of familiar faces looking to get back into the political game in Fredonia.

The village has four seats up for election in November on its Board of Trustees, and in addition to incumbents EvaDawn Bashaw and Roger Britz, three other Democrat petition filers are no strangers to politics.

Gregory Krauza was mayor of Dunkirk in the early 1990s but later moved to Fredonia. He has stayed active in the community but mostly kept in the background on politics — until now.

Joining him as petitioners are two former village trustees. Michael Barris left the board at the end of 2019 after he decided not to seek re-election, although he was considered to fill two vacancies earlier this year. Michelle Twichell was a trustee in the late 2000s.

As for the Republicans, their Fredonia trustee candidates did not appear on the Board of Elections list as of Thursday. However, Fredonia Mayor Doug Essek recently posted on Facebook a photo of himself with what he called “the future of the Fredonia Village Board,” the four apparent Republican nominees. They are David Bird, Jon Espersen, William Weatherlow and Nicole Siracuse.

According to Luz Torres, Chautauqua County Board of Elections Democratic commissioner, candidates can get on their list not only through petitions, but through caucuses, which the Republicans and Democrats have held. The Republicans had not submitted their caucus winners as of Thursday morning, but they have until July 22 to do so.

The recent history of Fredonia Board of Trustees seats is convoluted. Bashaw was appointed to take Essek’s place after he was elected mayor in 2019. When Barris didn’t run for re-election that year, Roger Pacos won his seat. Sadly, Pacos died in 2020. Scott Johnston, appointed on Jan. 26 to fill his spot, won’t be running again.

Besides the seats now held by Johnston and Bashaw, Britz is up for re-election to another four year term.

A position now held by Heidi Powell will also be filled. Powell, who like Johnston did not file any petitions to run this year, was appointed to the board in February to fill the seat of Kara Christina, who resigned.

The Powell seat is a two-year term as Christina was elected in 2019. The Johnston seat is also a two-year term. Bashaw’s seat will have a four year term with it, however, as Essek, whom she replaced, was originally elected trustee in 2017.

Barris and Twichell are seeking four-year terms. Bashaw could have been on the Working Families Party line for the four year term, but declined, and Britz was substituted.

However, Bashaw appears on the Democrat ballot for the two-year terms, along with Krauza.

In the city of Dunkirk, the Republican nominee for Councilman-at-Large is David Damico, a longtime member of the Dunkirk Board of Education and its president since 2017. He’ll face Democrat Nick Weiser, a SUNY Fredonia professor. The incumbent, Republican Paul VanDenVouver, is not running again.

Another notable Common Council race will be a rematch of Don Williams and Natalie Luczkowiak. Although Williams lost a primary in June for the Democratic First Ward Common Council nomination to Luczkowiak, the incumbent will be on the November ballot on his own People Over Politics line.

The three other city council races will see Democratic incumbent Martin Bamonto facing a challenge from Linda Stolinski in the Second Ward; Republican incumbent James Stoyle taking on Democrat Phillip Collier in the Third Ward; and Nancy Nichols, the Republican currently representing the Fourth Ward, going against Democrat Nanette White.

Longtime City Treasurer Mark Woods — who recently saw criticism in a state audit over his bill collection policies — is the only petitioner for his position.

In Pomfret, all the incumbents for open seats are seeking office again, and all are unopposed. Town Supervisor Dan Pacos, Clerk Allison Vento, Highway Superintendent Jude Gardner, and Councilpersons Brett Christy and Christopher Schaeffer have all filed petitions to run again.

Dunkirk Town Supervisor Richard Purol is the only person to file a petition for that municipality’s top post. Shari Miller is joining incumbent town council members Juan Pagan and Robert Penharlow in seeking seats on that panel. Two spots there are up for election in November.