Christine Cruz Keefe and LeeAnn Lazarony are Fredonia’s newest village trustees.

Cruz Keefe and Lazarony, both Democrats, defeated Republican David Bird in a three-way race for two Board of Trustees seats. Lazarony had 1,149 votes, Cruz Keefe 1,040, and Bird 541, according to preliminary figures posted Tuesday night on the Chautauqua County Board of Elections website.

Cruz Keefe and Lazarony will replace Republican Nicole Siracuse, who did not seek re-election, and Michelle Twichell on the Board of Trustees. Twichell won her seat as a Democrat in the previous election — but local Democrats declined to nominate her again this year, choosing Cruz Keefe and Lazarony as the party’s endorsed candidates. Twichell challenged them in a primary, but lost.

Bird was a Fredonia trustee in 2022-23, but lost in the 2023 election.

Lazarony was a village of Cassadaga trustee and mayor before relocating to Fredonia in 2017. “I am committed to addressing several issues within the Village, including budget shortfalls and their causes and our village’s long-standing water quality concerns,” she said when announcing her candidacy. “I want to bring the lessons I learned as the one-time mayor of Cassadaga and as a trustee to help manage these and other Village matters effectively.”

Cruz Keefe is well-known in Fredonia as a longtime Spanish teacher in the Fredonia Central School District. Here’s some of what she said when announcing her candidacy:

“As preparation for this position, I have been meeting with community members to ask serious questions about our current financial situation and possible solutions to our water issues.

“How did we get into this financial crisis, and how do we get out of it? It is easy to understand why we are in this financial situation, and with a simple vote and restructuring the way we operate village government, I believe we can resolve the problem. This does not mean the solution will be easy; it will be difficult and painful, but doable with the right vision on the board. Resolving the water issues will be much more difficult and expensive. I have read the original LaBella Report and have more questions than answers concerning the three options. I feel that we lack a clear understanding as to why the board made their decision.”