Local uncontested seats mostly held by Republicans
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When it comes to running for local office in Chautauqua County, odds of a candidate running unopposed are pretty good. It's even better if that person is running as a Republican.
For the November elections, there are 37 local races among cities, towns and villages. A total of 17 towns, seven villages and one city have at least one elected position up this year.
Of the 37 offices, 33 are uncontested, or about 10.8%. The only contested races are in Silver Creek for two trustee seats, Kiantone town clerk, and a vacancy for Jamestown city council.
Of the 33 uncontested races, 27 of the candidates running are Republican, while four uncontested candidates are Democrats. In Celoron, there are two candidates running for two trustee seats, with both running on the Citizen line.
The roughly 11% of contested races for this year is even lower than 2025, when about 32% of all local races were contested.
By comparison, county races are much more competitive. There are a total of 21 county offices up in Chautauqua County - 19 legislative districts, sheriff and family court judge Of that total, 14 have contested races, or about 67%.
The full list of candidates running for local office are as follows:
CITIES
JAMESTOWN - Jason Sample and Bryan Bigelow are both running for City Council Ward 2 vacancy. Sample is running on the Democratic line, while Bigelow is running on the Republican and Conservative lines.
TOWNS
BUSTI - Lyle Hajdu and Ryan Roush are both running for two town justice seats. Both are running on the Republican line and Hajdu is also running on the Conservative line.
CARROLL - Timothy Burkett is running unopposed for town supervisor. He is running on the Republican and Conservative lines.
CHERRY CREEK - James Abbey is running unopposed for town supervisor. He is running on the Republican line.
CLYMER - Lori Carutis is running unopposed for town tax collector. She is running on the Republican line.
DUNKIRK TOWN - Scott Pagano is running unopposed for town council vacancy. He is running on the Democratic line.
ELLERY - Lawrence Anderson is running unopposed for town supervisor. He is running on the Republican line.
ELLICOTT - James Rensel is running unopposed for town council member Municipal Ward I on the Republican and Conservative lines. Robert White is running unopposed for town council Municipal Ward 2 on the Republican and Conservative lines. Katy Whitmore is running unopposed for town council Municipal Ward 3 on the Republican line. Kenneth Swan is running unopposed for town council Municipal Ward 4 on the Republican and Conservative lines.
ELLINGTON - Loren Kent is running unopposed for town justice on the Democratic line.
HARMONY - Jeffrey Jordan is running unopposed for town council vacancy on the Republican line.
KIANTONE - Mary Cook and Jennifer Schmitt are both running for town clerk. Cook is running on the Democratic line and Schmitt is running on the Republican line. Joshua Ostrander is running unopposed for town supervisor on the Republican and Conservative lines. Robert Carlson is running unopposed for town highway superintendent on the Republican and Conservative lines.
MINA - Jeffrey Tornstrom is running unopposed for town council vacancy on the Republican line.
POLAND - Robert Smith is running unopposed for town supervisor on the Republican and Conservative lines.
POMFRET - EvaDawn Bashaw is running unopposed for town council vacancy on the Democratic and Working Families lines.
PORTLAND - Daniel Thompson and Daniel Larish are both running for two town justice seats. Both are running on the Republican and Conservative lines.
SHERMAN - Michael Courtney is running unopposed for town highway superintendent on the Republican line.
VILLENOVA - Michael Emke Walker is running unopposed for town highway superintendent on the Republican line. Ronald Lucas is running unopposed for town justice on the Republican line.
WESTFIELD - Rob Wilson is running unopposed for town justice on the Republican line.
VILLAGES
BEMUS POINT - David Lipsey and Theodore Farnham are both running for two trustee seats. Both are running on the Republican line.
CASSADAGA - David Rowley is running unopposed for village trustee vacancy on the Republican line.
CELORON - Valerie R. Murphy and Kate Burnett are both running for two trustee seats. Both are running on the Citizen line.
FREDONIA - Timothy Mulholland Jr. is running unopposed for village trustee vacancy on the Democratic line.
MAYVILLE - Richard Syper is running unopposed for mayor, while Fairlee Fischer and Michael Testa are both running for two seats for trustee. All three candidates are running on the Republican line.
PANAMA - William Schneider is running unopposed for mayor, while Todd Eddy is running unopposed for trustee. Both are running on the Republican line.
SILVER CREEK - There are four candidates running for two trustee seats. Natasha Souter and Amanda Austin are running on the Democratic line, while Dwayne Haskins and Mary Poissant are running on the Republican line.