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Press release:

The Batavia Police Department is investigating a personal injury accident which occurred on today at approximately 9:15 a.m. The accident reportedly occurred at the traffic circle and involved a bicyclist being struck by a sports utility vehicle.

Anyone with information in reference to the case may contact Officer Kyle Krtanik at the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350, the confidential tip line at 585-345-6370 or online. 

UPDATE: Additional information:

A female in her early 20s was riding her bicycle in the roundabout when she was struck by a gold SUV operated by a male believed to be in his 30s with short blond hair. The female sustained only minor injuries and was treated at a local medical facility. The vehicle then left the scene.

Press release:

These are pictures from this morning of the ongoing work on the new Bethany Center Road Bridge over Route 20 in Bethany.

A foreman said the work is on schedule and they expect the bridge to be ready for traffic the first week of September.

Empire Access suffered a significant fiber network outage earlier tonight. Here is a statement from the company:

A truck struck and sheared off a pole at the interconnection point of two fiber networks providing service to our customers in the Western New York area. The damage to the fiber-optic cables is extensive, but crews are on site and will restore services as quickly as possible.

For status updates, please visit our website at:

https://status.empireaccess.com/

A car with no license plates was reported on fire on the Thruway side of the toll booth in Pembroke.

A toll taker reports the driver got out of the car and into a car driven by a female.

The car is a Nissan Altima.

Officers on scene suspect it's stolen and they are asking to see any Thruway video surveillance of the area.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments dispatched.

UPDATE 10:32 a.m.: Fire is out.

The eight men who met with GOP party leaders in Geneseo yesterday to discuss their interest in replacing Chris Collins as the Republican nominee in the 27th Congressional District were met by a group of reporters as they walked into the meeting, including two hopefuls from Batavia, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, and Iraq War veteran David Bellavia.

Both Hawley and Bellavia stuck to an upbeat message about serving the district and noting the voters in the 27th are perhaps a little tired of scandal from their representative in Washington.

"We got to bring dignity back," Bellavia said. "These people (in the NY-27) have been through a lot. I mean, it's our second time around."

Bellavia was referring to Rep. Chris Lee, who was accused of posting shirtless pictures of himself on Craigslist while looking for transexual dates, and Rep. Chris Collins, currently under indictment on charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, and lying to the FBI.

"We've got to put that behind us and get a candidate that the people can get behind," Bellavia said. "Vitality is important and the Republican Party needs to bring energy back. You start by registering more Republicans and get more people to join the committees. That's the kind of a model that I'm bringing to the table and that's what I'm proud to represent."

Collins has bowed out of the race for 2018 -- a critical mid-term election for the GOP to try and retain a majority in the House of Representatives -- and now the Republicans are scrambling to figure out a legal way to get Collins off the November ballot, pick a new candidate and get that candidate's campaign up and running. All under the assumption that after the Collins fiasco, the Democrats are coming hard after this seat, fully funding Nate McMurray's effort to switch the 27th from red to blue.

Under the circumstances, Hawley suggested, the voters of the NY-27 are ready for an experienced representative with the maturity to handle the job.

"They've had a long, long road over the past eight to 10 years," Hawley said. "This is about representing people and having a feel for what it is they need and I think what they need is a calm, steady, firm hand and the ability to be able to listen to what their needs, wants and desires."

With a short campaign window, Hawley said he can raise the funds needed for the campaign, and though he can't afford to self-fund, he can make a contribution.

"I am a prolific fundraiser and the vice chairman of the Republican Campaign Committee and I have a healthy amount in my Friends of Steve Hawley account," Hawley said. "Where we should be looking is for small donations and contributions from people who think you would be able to do the job for them. Whether it's 10 dollars, 25 dollars, 50 bucks, that's really what America is all about."

Fundraising will be a challenge, Bellavia said but he also said it's going to take a lot of hard work to win the race.

"It's an 80-day election cycle," Bellavia said. "Everyone's worried about funding. The D Triple C is going to put in a lot of money into this campaign and you've got a guy out there in Grand Island -- who ... he's going to need a real estate agent to be your congressman -- but he's working his tail off. He's a good guy who's out there working hard and it's going to take a lot of elbow grease to be able to defeat him."

Hawley and Bellavia were showing up for kind of a candidates forum with 17 party leaders from the NY-27. This wasn't the formal interview with the eight county chairs nor were any decisions made about who to support as the party's nominee.

Also attending were Erie County Legislator Ed Rath, Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw, Assemblyman Ray Walter, State Senator Robert Ortt, former gubernatorial candidate and former Buffalo school board member Carl Paladino, and State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer.

Bellavia said the party bosses should pick the right person for the job, not somebody who just wants the title of congressman.

"My whole life has been about service," Bellavia said. "I mean, we were electing a congressman. Why are we doing this? Are we doing this for ourselves? Are we doing this because we're bored? Or are we doing this because it's our time and you know we held the position before but this one's really super juicy? Are we doing this because we want to serve our country? I believe that this country is worthy of any sacrifice and if I'm called to duty I'm going answer that duty you know."

Hawley also said the short election time frame will mean he needs to work hard if he's selected to represent the party but, he said, that isn't any different than what he does every election cycle.

"I have campaigned door-to-door in this Assembly District and before that for the county legislature, door-to-door all of the time," Hawley said. "Last time I didn't have an opponent. I didn't like that. I think people deserve a choice. And even though I had no opponent I still went door-to-door. Some people would say, 'What the heck you're doing here?' And I said, 'I'm here to ask for your support and listen to those questions you might have.' So, whether we've got an opponent or not, whether they're well-financed, whether they're well known, it's all about the people."

Top composite photo: Steve Hawley on the left, and David Bellavia.

Audio and images provided by our news partner, 13WHAM. For their story about the event, click here.

UPDATE 8:30 p.m.: Tammy Taylor has been located. She is safe.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Police Department is asking for assistance in locating the individual pictured in the attached photo. Tammy L. Taylor, age 50, of the City of Batavia, is listed as a Missing Vulnerable Adult.

Tammy was last seen on Aug. 15 around 1:30 p.m. in the City of Batavia, she is believed to have been dropped off in the area of 625 Elmwood Ave. in the City of Rochester by a transportation service for a pre-arranged appointment. At this time her whereabouts are unknown, and we are asking for the public’s assistance.

Tammy is listed as biracial, approximately 5’03”, 120 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes last seen wearing a black and white shirt, jeans and flip-flops. Tammy suffers from bipolar disorder, PTSD and has a diminished mental capacity. She is missing from a residential facility in the City of Batavia and may be in need of medical attention.

Anyone with information regarding Tammy’s whereabouts or anyone who has seen Tammy is asked to contact the City of Batavia Police Department at (585) 345-6350, information may also be submitted via the confidential tip line at 345-6370 or via the City of Batavia Police Department website. 

A series of strong thunderstorms is passing through the area, reports the National Weather Service.

The storms may intensify and torrential rains are possible, which could cause localized flooding.

Winds in excess of 30 mph are expected.

As a matter of his employment contract, the just-hired new city manager for Batavia, Marty Moore, recognizes he answers to the city council but as a matter of accountability, he works for the City of Batavia residents.

"As a city manager, I am hired to represent the people who live, work, and play in the city in particular and I am accountable to them," Moore said during a 42-minute video press conference with members of the local media.

"I don't see myself as being shielded from them. I see myself as having a responsibility. I've learned in my career that it's important to show myself as a servant of the people not this guy who sits back in the office and lets everything come to him. It's not my style."

Moore promises to get out into the community, join organizations, talk with residents and business owners and get to know them and what's on their minds.

His first goal will be to get to know his staff and the members of the council.

Overall, he thinks the city is in sound shape financially and plans to support and champion the ongoing economic development projects, particularly the Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

The progress Batavia has shown, in fact, is what attracted Moore to the job.

"I really did a lot of research into all of the places I applied and Batavia really impressed me with things like revitalization and bringing new businesses in, the financial structures that are set up, the good things that your previous people at the city have done, has created, I think, a good atmosphere," Moore said.

"It's a really progressive, want-to-move-forward, can-do, all-in type of attitude and that's the type of attitude that I have. It just really felt good. It felt right."

Moore and his wife, Joanne, just celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary. She's from Buffalo and grew up in Tonawanda and still has brothers and sisters in the area. They met while Joanne's father had a job in Hawaii and Moore was studying there at the Brigham Young University campus there. 

They have seven children and five grandchildren: Jessica, 32, has two children and lives with her family in St. John's, Mich., just six hours from Batavia; Spencer lives in the Albuquerque, N.M., area, works at Sandia National Laboratories, and has three children; Aubrey, 20, is single, working on her master's degree and lives in Provo, Utah; Melissa, 24, lives in New Mexico and is engaged; Amanda, 23, just got married to a young man from Alaska and they live in Idaho where they're attending college; Christopher, 22, is also recently married and lives in Las Cruces, N.M., where he is going to college; and 17-year-old Martin Moore Jr. is near the end of his Eagle Scout project, and will be a senior in high school this year.

Moore says he enjoys the outdoors. He and his son have climbed 22 of the highest peaks in New Mexico and intend to climb the rest. He also enjoys fly-fishing and looks forward to trying out the creeks in Western New York.

For the past six years, he's been the voice of the Eunice Cardinals on a Eunice, N.M., radio station.

As for his view on what the city is doing right and where it can improve, from what he's observed so far, he said economic development is definitely heading in the right direction. The city's finances are in good shape. There is work to be done on infrastructure and he thinks grants can be pursued more aggressively. He's taken notice of property crime issues but believes Chief Shawn Heubusch is working to address that.

A big area for improvement, he said, is transparency.

"I sense there is the need for more of a feeling of openness and transparency with the employees and with the citizens," Moore said, adding a bit later, "I think when you don't have clear communication all kinds of rumors and feelings and challenges and difficulties arise."

One of the first things he wants to look into once he starts his job Oct. 15 is the housing situation in Batavia. He wants to better understand the housing needs of the city and whether they are being adequately addressed.

Related to crime, he said one of the first things he did when he became city manager in Eunice seven years ago was hire a new police chief. Together, they tackled the serious drug problem -- mostly methamphetamine -- they felt was growing in Eunice.

The days of drug dealers openly selling meth from their front porches are over in Eunice.

"(We) made it clear that drugs are not something that we will be known for in the City of Eunice," Moore said. "I'm not going to say it's perfect. Drug deals still do go on but the drug dealers have gone underground."

Out in the middle of the desert, water is a big issue for Eunice, but so are roads and sewer lines, just like Batavia.

The budget for Eunice is typical $8 million to $10 million but is currently more than $15 million because of some bonds for capital projects. There are 50 full-time employees, along with 22 volunteer firefighters, and 10 different department heads.

The economy cycles up and down with the flow of oil from the thousands of wells dominating the skyline.

"We probably have as many oil pump jacks as Batavia has trees," Moore said.

It's not clear how a utility pole on Jackson Street broke -- there is no indication it was struck -- but sparks flew according to a witness when it did break.

There isn't even much of a breeze tonight.

The call originally came in as a blown transformer but there is no transformer on the pole.

With wires down and a broken pole, Jackson is being closed between Ellicott Street and Central Avenue.

The Kwik Fill is closed after losing power.

National Grid is responding.

Officer Pete Flanagan, Batavia PD, pictured at right, presents $600 in Tops gift cards to Caryn Dilandro, director of the PTSD Clinic at the VA Hospital in Batavia, and Michael Swartz, director of the VA for Western New York.

Dilandro said the gift cards will be used by residents of the PTSD clinic to make one of their regular family meals -- where they all cook together and dine together, sometimes as a picnic or a BBQ.

Flanagan said the donation is the result of his desire to grow a beard. A year ago, he asked Chief Shawn Heubusch if he ran the GLOW Cup in full uniform if he could grow a beard for a year. Heubusch said he would think about it. This year, Flanagan asked again. This time, Heubusch told him he needed to turn it into a fundraiser and told him to pick the charity.

Flanagan picked the PTSD Clinic because last year he and some other officers weren't able to compete in The Murph through Batavia Cross Training, which was a fundraiser for the clinic, because of injuries.

Each of the participating officers ran in uniform in the GLOW cup and contributed $100 each to the cause. Besides Flanagan, they are Asst. Chief Todd Crossett, Officer Chad Richards, Det. Matt Wojtaszczyk, Det. Eric Hill, and Officer Marc Lawrence.

Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, a Democrat from the Bronx, joined Assemblyman Steve Hawley on a tour of Hawley's 139th District, which included a stop late in the afternoon yesterday at Chapin Manufacturing International Inc, in Batavia.

The tour started in Lyndonville and included a couple of farms in the area, continued through Medina, and then stopped at LandPro Equipment in Oakfield, Genesee Community College, and then Chapin before a visit to Batavia Downs Gamiong & Hotel before dinner at Alex's Place.

Hawley has been conducting these tours for Downstate colleagues now for a few years and they are reciprocal. Hawley will visit Benedetto's district. It's a chance, Hawley said, for representatives from two halves of the state to get to know the whole state better and the unique issues faced in different parts of the state.

At Chapin, Benedetto was given a presentation on the company by CEO Jim Campbell before a tour of the factory.

Chapin employees 300 people at its U.S. locations, which now includes a plant in Ohio. It makes sprayers and spreaders, primarily, but also has a line of bird feed made in Michigan.

Campbell described its bird feed as tasty and nutritious to help birds in the Northeast store energy to make it through winter.

One of the biggest challenges for the company right now is finding qualified workers, Campbell said.

"If you want a job in our area today, you can work, absolutely," Campbell said.

The tight labor market is requiring Chapin to change its approach to recruiting employees.

"We used to use the temp-to-permanent model but the people you have out there in temps today are not the people you’re after," Campbell said. "The people you’re after are now working for somebody else. They’re not going to leave a full-time job without a good opportunity to work for us."

Benedetto said he often hears on the floor of the Assembly that New York is not a business-friendly state. He asked Campbell if that was his experience in dealing with New York.

Campbell said if his company were to look at building a 100,000-square-foot addition to its facility it would cost in New York $7 million.

"I can build it in Ohio for $1 million," Campbell said. "It's a huge difference."

Campbell's other concern is the skyrocketing costs of New York's workers' compensation insurance, which is now the highest in the United States.

In photos below, William Kegler, director of operations, is conducting the tour.

Work crews today are changing the traffic signal configuration at Main and Ellicott for eastbound traffic, which is creating traffic jams in both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Route 5 and Route 63. Traffic is backing up for blocks at a time.

A worker said two sets of lights over Main Street's eastbound lane are being reconfigured, a new light pole with a set of lights on it has been set up for eastbound/southbound traffic turning onto Ellicott Street, and a new traffic control box is being installed.

Press release:

The Democratic Committee Chairs of the eight counties that make up NY-27 conferred together last night by conference call as their GOP counterparts met and failed to concoct a way to get Chris Collins off the November ballot.

After their conversation, the Democrats of the district reaffirmed that there was no legitimate way to change candidates now. Any attempt to do so would be a fraud against the voters of this district.

"Just like Chris Collins believed that rules against insider trading did not apply to him, local Republican bosses seem to think that election law doesn't apply to them when it suddenly becomes inconvenient," said Cindy Appleton, the Democratic chair of Wyoming County. "They don't get to do a do-over months after the deadline for changing the congressional ballot has passed, even if the man they insisted on being their candidate inconveniently got arrested and faces up to 150 years in jail."

The Ontario County Democratic Committee Chair John Hurley pointed out that the GOP bosses were all in for Chris Collins until a week ago, despite the fact that Collins was already under a congressional ethics investigation because of his questionable financial dealings. They ignored pointed critiques of his conduct, such as those launched by the late Rep. Louise Slaughter (NY 25), and did everything possible to smooth the path for Collins' reelection campaign.

"There were all sorts of red flags being raised about Collins, but GOP bosses didn't care," Hurley said. "They had a choice, remember. Frank Smierciak II submitted petition signatures to run in a Republican primary, and they succeeded in getting him thrown off the primary ballot to benefit Collins. They also tried to run an obvious fake Green Party candidate to split the anti-Collins vote, a move they didn't get away with."

Hurley added, "they won't get away with this move, either. They don't just get to change the ballot that was set under the rules because it now suits them. It's blatantly clear that they only care about Chris Collins' ethical issues this week because he got caught last week."

Jeremy Zellner, the Erie County Democratic chair, said that there were good reasons that the GOP hadn't yet been able to announce any way of removing Collins from the ballot.

"They're flailing," Zellner said. "There isn't a legitimate path to do what they want to do, so they keep telling us they're going to get him taken off, but they haven't been able to tell us how yet."

Zellner went on to say that there is case law that states that candidates can't simply move out of state and get off the ballot.

"It didn't work for Tom DeLay after he was indicted in 2006, and it won't work for Chris Collins when he was indicted in 2018," Zellner said.

He also noted that the town of Clarence where Collins resides has no local offices up for election this year, so that Republican bosses would have to force a current town officeholder to retire just to create a vacancy for an accused criminal -- who would be unlikely to have any real interest in serving in that smaller office -- to run for.

"And they can't just put him up for some office somewhere else," Zellner said. "He's under multiple indictments He has no interest in these other positions. It's dishonest and disgraceful."

Judith Hunter, the Livingston County chair, declared, "Nate McMurray played by the rules and will be our candidate in November. The Republicans are trying all kinds of backroom maneuvers to ditch a suddenly vulnerable candidate who has become embarrassing for them. That doesn't change the fact that he is the candidate they chose and cleared the way for.

"And it doesn't change the fact that election law is clear that the deadline for changing the federal ballot has passed. They can parade people they might desperately prefer to accused criminal Chris Collins in front of the press, but they can't ignore the law."

Kevin Feary with his painting "Distance From Transit Rd.," was the winner Tuesday night at the opening of the Summer Art Show for the Batavia Society of Artists.

The show runs on the second floor of GO ART! through Oct. 5.

Kate Engle's "Badge #2," a pencil and felt pen drawing, took third place in the show. The drawing is of her great-grandfather, who was a Batavia police officer and wore Badge #2.

JL Wenrich, who could not attend the opening, placed second with "Back Yard Chickens," a pen and pencil drawing.

A pen and ink drawing by Rick Ellingham of the Swartz Hotel (the Stumblin' Inn) in Elba.

Republicans are confident they can ensure the name of Rep. Chris Collins is not on the November general election ballot, Erie County Chairman Nick Langworthy said Tuesday night after a closed-door meeting of the eight GOP chairs in the NY-27 at Batavia Downs.

He didn't say, however, how the might get the task done. He went no further than promising that Collins, in the midst of fighting federal allegations that he engaged in insider stock trading, will cooperate with whatever method the party tries to implement. 

"We have communicated back and forth through his team but I have not directly personally spoken to him," Langworthy said. "We are confident there are mechanisms in place where his name can be removed from the ballot and we can nominate a new candidate."

Collins didn't face a challenger in the June 26 primary for the NY-27 but he committed to the race at an even earlier date. Once petitions were gathered, he had until April 16 to decline the nomination and the party had until April 24 to fill the vacancy.

Three Methods to Remove Name from Ballot

That leaves three methods to remove his name from the November ballot: Disqualification by means of accepting another office, moving out of state, or death.

Collins reportedly has residential property in Florida he could declare his legal domicile and there are potentially town-level offices in Erie County with a vacancy he could fill.

Either move will almost certainly be challenged in court by the Democrats.

“The GOP chairs are in a very bad position," said Todd Aldinger, an Albany-based attorney who has researched the relevant law and served as chairman of the Erie County Charter Revision Commission and was Senator Patrick Gallivan’s legislative director.

"They will either have to rely on constitutionally dubious means to remove Collins from the ballot or will have to utilize provisions of the election law to circumvent the normal nomination procedure by nominating Collins for a manufactured vacancy, which a court may find to be void against public policy.”

In favor of the GOP effort to remove Collins is a 2008 case in the NY-26 race, which at the time included Genesee County. In the Matter of Kryzan v New York State Bd. of Elections, Jon Powers had won the Working Families Party line and Alice Kryzan was the Democratic nominee. Powers then moved out of state and after the ballot certification deadline Powers sought to have his name removed from the ballot and the WFP wanted to replace his name with Kryzan. A court ruled Power's name could be removed from the ballot and replaced by Kryzan.

That decision was later overturned because absentee voting had already started.A federal court ruled those voters who already received their ballots would be disenfranchised if Kryzan's name replaced Powers on the ballot.

The November ballot won't be certified until Sept. 13. Military ballots will go out in the mail Sept. 21. The GOP will, presumably, have until then to win any legal battle with the Democrats or they lose the fight and potentially the war.

To counter any GOP maneuver -- declaring Collins a resident of another state or appointing him to a dog catcher position in Erie County -- the Democrats might be able to counter that such a move has been made in bad faith or to circumvent the normal nomination process.

The relevant case law, however, isn't on point with this set of circumstances and has apparently not been tested before.

"We are very confident, consulting with what are some of the best election lawyers in the State of New York, that there are mechanisms in place to remove Congressman Collins from the ballot," Langworthy said.

Even before Langworthy met with the press outside of Batavia Downs, Michael Plitt, chairman of the Genesee County Democratic Committee, was texting The Batavian to decry the GOP chairman's efforts to remove Collins from the ballot.

"The GOP already picked their candidate, Chris Collins," Plitt said. "There are no do-overs. Petitions are in. Collins will be on the ballot. The GOP knew Collins had an ethics investigation."

That's a similar line of attack the Democratic nominee, Nate McMurray, is taking in tweets and news interviews.

Democrats Call for Accountability

"I think these guys should be held accountable," McMurray told The Hill. "They shouldn't be able to hit reset or take a mulligan. If they try to get him to run for another office, I will call it out for what it is: a fraud upon the United States."

While the statutory feathers fly, the eight GOP chairs of the NY-27 are moving ahead with the process of handpicking a new candidate. At one point, at least 15 people had expressed an interest in the seat but Tuesday night, Langworthy indicated the winnowing process has already begun. He said he expects there will be some more informal interviews to help determine who gets a chance to sit down with all eight county chairs and lobby for the nomination.

Those interviews will take place next week.

"We were handed the extraordinary situation that you know we're not happy to find ourselves in, but we have to work through it," Langworthy said. "We have to work together. We have to work collaboratively and we need to nominate a candidate that can succeed in all eight counties to deliver a victory in November."

The public won't be part of the committee process and voting will be weighted, which means Langworthy, representing Erie County, will have the biggest say in who potentially could appear on the R line in November.

It's a momentous selection.

Michael Caputo, a GOP political consultant, and nationally known Trump ally, told The Batavian just before news broke that Collins was withdrawing from the race, that the very future of the presidency may hinge on what happens in the NY-27.

"It may boil down to one or two seats," Caputo said. "If we lose control of the house, there will be impeachment proceedings, no doubt about it."

Erie County GOP's Questionable Candidates

Erie County, however, doesn't have a strong track record when it comes to picking representatives for the GLOW region.

Rep. Bill Paxon's career ended after he helped lead a failed attempt to oust Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House. Rep. Tom Reynolds didn't run for reelection after his name was linked to a couple of scandals in the House. Rep. Chris Lee posted a bare-chested picture of himself on Craigslist. Assemblywoman Jane Corwin lost a race generally thought to be hers to lose.

And now Chris Collins, federally indicted on counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, and lying to the FBI. Collins was allegedly the tip of a tipping tree where he provided the crucial tidbit of bad news that caused his son, and eight other associates, to dump millions of shares of Innate Immunotherapeutics Limited before the Australia-based company publicly announced its only product, a drug to treat secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, had failed its critical medical trial.

Collins said he's not guilty.

Langworthy said none of the GOP chairs have expressed any dissatisfaction with the process that has led to this string of questionable GOP candidates being foisted on GLOW.

"I think it's a matter of the party rules," Langworthy said. "I think we work collaboratively. We're working together. Many of the candidates now hail from the GLOW region, so I didn't hear any sort of problems from any of the chairs here tonight about them."

Whoever gets the pick will instantly become the front-runner in a district that tilts +22 for Republicans, and barring the winner getting caught with his shirt off or making ill-advised stock trades, he is likely being appointed to the seat for life. The Batavian asked Langworthy if a process of eight men in a room, denying both candidates and voters the normal primary process to fill a vacancy, is the right process to follow.

"I'm going to ask you, do you think we want to be in the situation right now?" Langworthy said.

The Batavian asked, "is it fair?"

"I think it's a bush league question you asked," Langworthy said.

"So you don't want to answer it."

Langworthy: 'We Don't Want to Be Here.'

Langworthy responded, "I've already addressed this. We find ourselves in an extraordinary situation. We don't want to be here. This is a sad and unfortunate time for us. We are doing the best we can with the election law as it exists at this late date."

The choice for the chairs includes inexperienced candidates, candidates who have run a race but not won, or a slate of current office holders who would be forced to vacate a ballot line creating a new legal challenge for the party.

"I'll let you all decide who you think the front-runners are," Langworthy told the gaggle of assembled reporters from throughout the region. "We have a process to maintain. We have to continue to work together.

"You know there are candidates from throughout this district that represent different portions of this district. We're all dedicated the same thing, which is finding a conservative Republican candidate that can win this district and help President Trump achieve his agenda.

A bit later Langworthy said: "We need we need a candidate that we can all get behind in eight counties (who) can be out there meeting the voters, talking about the important issues. I mean it's a very geographically diverse district.

"I mean, you have cities, you have suburban towns, you also have a lot of rural and agricultural areas, so you have a lot of different types of people who (need to) get up to speed on federal issues. Even if they're a state official, they might not understand the federal ramifications. Those are things that we have to hit the ground running on very, very quickly."

It will be such a difficult race in such a compressed time frame that Langworthy doesn't think it's the place for novices to enter.

"I personally think that this is probably not the time for a completely new candidate, someone that doesn't understand the political process or maybe hasn't been a part of an election before in a big league level," Langworthy said. "I don't think there's a lot of time for a learning curve for a first-timer that hasn't been through the process."

White House Weighs in on Selection 

Langworthy also revealed that the White House is weighing in on the selection process.

"We're in consultation," Langworthy said. "Yesterday I had a meeting with the White House political director to discuss this race. We have been in discussions with the executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee. They are very concerned about the future of the seat. They want to make sure it stays in Republican hands."

Whoever gets the nod from the eight chairs, Langworthy said he hopes to attract Trump to WNY to campaign for the candidate.

"I came from Utica yesterday where I saw President Trump come in for a Congresswoman Tenny," Langworthy said. "It's a very hot seat and I know they raised an awful lot of funds in a short window. It was only a one week lead-up to the event and there were hundreds and hundreds of people there showing their support and writing checks to support the congresswoman. I would love to see that sort of enthusiasm with a presidential visit."

Ty Acquard, from Alexander, selects a flower to add to an arrangement he's building with the help of instructor Jan Goodenbery during a free flower arranging class at Richmond Memorial Library on Monday evening.

Goodenbery is a master gardener and owner of Rooted in Joy Farm in Oakfield.

Ty is proprietor of Ty's Worm's, a stand he runs at Mooch's Auto Glass in Alexander. He plans to expand his business to include flower bouquets.