Manna, Marlette, Weinstein elected to board
Kindel voted out of office
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

Amherst Republican Committee Chairman Marshall Wood, left, announces Michael Ranzenhofer's re-election to the Erie County Legislature's 4th District. Behind them, committee members tally the votes as they became available at Republican headquarters on Nov. 6 in the North Forest/Maple Plaza. The Republicans had two council members, the town clerk and two legislators elected. The highway contest is being led by the party's candidate, Bob Anderson.

The Amherst Town Board will change members for the first time in two years.

The three elected board members, Mark Manna, Guy Marlette, and Dr. Barry Weinstein, have each said one of their main goals is to make changes to the dysfunctional Town Board.

"What needs to be addressed is having a better functioning Town Board," said Weinstein, who received 21 percent of the votes, or 17,451.

He added that having a functioning Town Board will lead to better decision making.

A former Williamsville School Board member for 14 years and a current Erie County legislator, Weinstein said he plans to bring his experience with budgets and member communication to the Town Board.

Joining him is Marlette, who ran an unsuccessful campaign two years ago. In the Nov. 6 election, Marlette received the second highest number of votes with 15,988, or 19 percent.

"This time I had a clear message and more name recognition, he said about his 2007 campaign.

He stressed that better communication and discussion of resolutions needs to be done before public board meetings.

"We need to truly understand the resolution and the fiscal impact before voting on it," he added.

After the Amherst Republican Committee named him a winner last Tuesday, he addressed the attendees, saying he looked forward to a functional Town Board, with shorter meetings.

In another section of town, Democratic candidate Manna watched the results from home.

"I was at my house looking at the results, (and) when 99 percent came in, I started to become happy," he said about his victory.

Manna added that in town history first-time candidates, especially Democrats, never win.

"We need to work together to solve problems," he said, adding that the board shouldn't be divided by party lines.

"You vote on the issue, not the individual person who introduced the issue," he said. "It's about the message, not the messenger."

Manna's victory spoiled the Republican slate, which also included Roy Wixson, who finished fourth.

The three will oversee their first meeting on Monday, Jan. 7.

That will be the first meeting in 22 years in which Council Member Bill Kindel will not be a member of the board. He was the only incumbent among the seven candidates.

"I want to congratulate the winners and also thank the Amherst voters for the many years they allowed me to serve them," Kindel said. "Also, I intend to stay involved."

Effective in January, Kindel's party affiliation will change from Republican to Conservative, and he plans to be active with that party.

In his final two months as a council member, Kindel said he has a few projects he wants to see move closer to completion, including the dog park and the installation of handicapped accessible restrooms at a recreation facility on Wehrle Drive.

The other three candidates unsuccessful in their bid for a Town Board seat were Town of Amherst Deputy Supervisor Wixson, 12,389 votes; Jerry Schad, 11,567; and Robert Foladare, 9,141.

Town Justice Geoffrey Klein was not challenged for his seat. He was re-elected with 26,650 votes.

Town Clerk and Tax Receiver Susan Jaros, who has 18 years of experience with the town, has been re-elected. Receiving 63 percent of the votes, Jaros had a commanding lead early in the night over Jeffrey Marion. The final vote was 17,830 to 10,339.

A winner in the race for highway superintendent has not yet been declared. (See page one of The Amherst Bee for details.)

Amherst Republican Committee Chairman Marshall Wood said, "I'm very proud of the race the candidates ran and the committee's help. I am also grateful to the voters for electing them."

Wood added that he believes the candidates elected have the best ideas that will be the best solution for the town's future.

The race for Erie County executive may have appeared close during the campaign season, but the voters spoke for themselves: Chris Collins.

The Republican was the clear winner over Democrat James Keane by a vote of 134,284 to 73,505. Collins was declared the winner Tuesday shortly after the polls closed.

Outgoing West Seneca Supervisor Paul Clark, who was listed on the Independence line but withdrew from the race, had 4,077 votes.

Although Keane carried more lines, including Conservative and Working Families, Collins took the lead in early results, also running on the Taxpayers First line.

The other major county race was also a landslide as incumbent Kathy C. Hochul reclaimed her seat as county clerk. Running on the Democratic, Independence, Conservative and Working Families lines, Hochul's 128,486 votes (67 percent) easily put her in front of challenger Bill O'Loughlin who had 63,791 votes.

There is a new face for the Erie County Legislature's District 15. Edward Rath III was named the winner shortly after the polls closed, defeating Cheryl Whitehead 9,815 to 5,211. Rath will take the seat which has been held by Weinstein since 1998.

Rath's mother, Sen. Mary Lou Rath, was elected to the same seat in 1979.

Rath was one of only three Republicans elected to the Legislature. Another was District 4, incumbent Michael Ranzenhofer, who defeated Alan Bedenko, 11,665 to 4,522.

John J. Mills, an incumbent for the 13th District, was the third Republican elected, defeating Suzann Cushman.

In District 14, Democratic incumbent Tom Loughran defeated Bradley Rowles, 8,767 to 5,373.