For the first time in his life, Brooks Hawley, son of a state assemblyman and grandson of a retired state assemblyman, ran for office, and he won a convincing victory.
Hawley, who was appointed to a council-at-large seat at the beginning of the year, was part of a three-way race for two seats on the Batavia City Council and, according to unofficial numbers, received 3,559 votes.
Jim Russell and Laura Russell-Ricci are only 40 votes apart with between 1,300 and 1,800 absentee ballots yet to count.
"I’m very honored that the residents of Batavia have chosen me to stay on city council," Hawley said. "I was appointed and now I’m reelected and I want to thank the Republican, Conservative and Independent parties, but mostly my beautiful wife for supporting me through the campaign."
For her part, Russell-Ricci was pleased to make such a strong showing in a city where Democrats are generally at a disadvantage.
"I love it that not everybody decided they had to vote party line, but that it was about the better candidate," Russell-Ricci said. "I’m proud to be a part of that, that even with a D after my name, I could still put up some good numbers."
Jim Russell left the GOP party at Terry Hills while only partial results were tabulated so wasn't available for comment tonight.
Earlier: Genesee County election results.
What a shame. If anyone
What a shame.
If anyone deserved to be re-elected it's Kathy Hochul. ANY independent observer would say that. She worked extremely hard representing our district - whatever the number, but once again, the republicans gerrymandered the district to make it impossible for her to beat the republican lemmings that go to the polls. What a shame.
We'll see if Collins spends as much time in the district as she did representing the interests of it's constituents. Hochul reached across the aisle on many occasions and was prepared to do so again. What can we expect from Collins? I think his stance is well known....we can look forward to more gridlock from him and his ilk. They care more about their "principles" and winning than they do about governing.
I hope all the lemmings are happy.
Dont worry Dave, perhaps
Dont worry Dave, perhaps Collins will screw up and give in to his proclivities and go the way Lee did, then Kathy can step in again. We were lucky to have her as long as we did and I think she will be back to try for this again.
Dave, Let's be a bit more
Dave,
Let's be a bit more accurate. Both parties gerrymandered the district lines. Look at the two adjoining Congressional districts, the 25th and 26th. They make it almost impossible for a Republican to win.
Your dismay over her loss is understandable, but I agree with Collins. The flap about Buffalo China was the deal breaker for just enough of us who voted for her last time to change.
Still beating that dead horse
Still beating that dead horse John? Lets remind ourselves of the "good character" of Chris Collins shall we?
"From asking for lap dances in the State Capitol to comparing the Jewish Speaker of the Assembly to Hitler and the Anti-Christ, we know Mr. Collins does not think before he speaks. From cutting in the parade line to march before veterans to parking in handicapped spots, we know he has an outsized sense of entitlement. And considering he held private business meetings in his County office, accepted illegal campaign contributions, and forced the firing of a mother of four who supported David, we know he has blurred vision when it comes to the boundaries of law.
Some people just aren’t fit for public office – like Chris Collins."
All very well documented character references for Chris..... For verification just Google...."Chris Collins Behavior"
Your judgement of Kathy's character is as perfect example of being a hypocrite that there is.
Well, I am Republican, and
Well, I am Republican, and had a hard time deciding this one. I did not make up my mind until I had the ballot in hand and sat down to color in the dots. I reluctantly headed in Collins Direction. The difference was Hochul's vote for Obma Care, which I can not stand. I hope Collins does well, but I am skeptical...
Kyle, Good try. The point is
Kyle,
Good try. The point is that until she told the lie about Collins laying off people, she was doing good. Then the media showed that was flat out not true. She should have dropped that line, but continued. Her margin in the loss was due, in my opinion, due to that. Her lie about Buffalo China was the turning point.
Collins is just another one
Collins is just another one in a long line of republican empty suit dweebs of the likes of Bill Paxon, that smarmy Tom Reynolds and the aforementioned Mr. Lee. Those guys and people like them are what's wrong with the republican party.
The republicans need more statesmen like our beloved Barber Conable (who's probably spinning at about 10000 rpm right now).
I saw republican strategist Mike Murphy interviewed last night at about 11:30. His comment? "I've looked at our model and it's a loser". Ya think???
Unless and until the republicans become more inclusive and more sensitive to women's issues, this is the way things are going to go. Collins says, "I'm going to have a 100% pro life voting record". Need I say more?
I'm sad that Mrs. Hochul lost....she deserved better for her efforts in our district, but I'm overjoyed that President Obama will be able to appoint the next few Supreme Court justices. That's where the rubber meets the road.
John I do believe that facts
John I do believe that facts were twisted and Hochul was in fact telling the truth as she and most unbiased people see it. Looking at the source you like to reference in the Buffalo News...
Claim: “When Chris Collins took over the place, he fired 115 people as soon as he walked in.” The ad from national Democrats said Collins “laid off more than 100 workers.”
Fact: These claims are false. According to Robert Lupica, who was a senior vice president with Oneida and was part of a management team that recruited Collins to invest in a new company at the Buffalo China plant after Oneida had announced plans to close it, Collins did not fire anyone.
“It’s false from the standpoint that Oneida Ltd. in 2003 said that they would get out of manufacturing facilities,” said Lupica, who is now president and CEO of Niagara Ceramics. “The old factory and its connection to Oneida Ltd. closed, and we hired people.”
While Buffalo China employed about 325 people, or more, that company laid workers off, not Niagara Ceramics, Lupica said.
Several news stories from October and November 2003 detailed Oneida’s plans to shutter the plant. Collins and his team did not purchase the plant until March 2004.
Boyce said he had “no knowledge” of whether the plant was going to be shut down by Oneida, but that the plant was full until Collins bought it.
Buffalo China had at least 325 workers, Lupica said, when Oneida closed the plant in
March 2004. When it reopened under a new name, Niagara Ceramics, the company hired 240 new workers and even held job fairs, he said.
“If Chris hadn’t backed the management team for the buyout, there are no jobs there,” he said.
So we have Lupica, a senior vp with Oenida saying that when Oenida announced it was closing the plant in 2003 to get out of manufacturing, He was part of a management team that recruited Collins. Oenida then made announcements in the news in Oct and Nov of 2003 that they were going to close the plant. Obviously since Collins was recruited prior to this he was part of the management team that recruited him to continue. Lupica who is now President of Niagara Ceramics then says that in the month of March in 2004, Oenida closed the plant and terminated 325 employees, in that same month of March 2004 Collins bought the plant as Niagara Ceramics and rehired 240 of those workers. Seeing as how Lupica and Collins were part of the same management team and Lupica was handling both Oenida and Niagara versions of the plant in March of 2004 it seems that Collins was aware what was going on. Because things like this dont happen in a vaccum. I'm sure @ the end of Feb all the employees that were gonna be rehired knew that they were gonna be hired.
Sounds like a smoke and mirrors way for Collins to not look like the bad guy and be able to call Hochul's claim false in principal because the legal paperwork would support it. But in reality .....well any semi intelligent person can make the connection. So Hochul sticking to her guns saying that he fired these employees isnt entirely false, and is keeping with the integrity of her character that she served the public in her duties as our rep.
So again John nice try at spinning facts but your hypocritical character judgement of Hochul has really no merit except as a sly underhanded trap to make her look bad politically.
If you can come up with facts that counter this......lets see them.
Kyle, Hochul repeatedly said
Kyle,
Hochul repeatedly said Collins laid off about 150 people. Did not happen. She knew it and kept at it. That was one big factor, if not the factor in her narrow loss. Last night around 6 pm, Channel 2 again pointed out that of all the negative things in this race, that was one of the biggest falsehoods. I still think if she had dropped it after the Buffalo News and Channel 2 pointed out her claim was false, she would have won.
You called this an inconsistency and believe it. I call it a lie and believe it. Neither is going to convince the other.
Kyle, you are beating a dead
Kyle, you are beating a dead horse.
Rex said it best in another thread, http://thebatavian.com/howard-owens/statement-kathy-hochul-2012-electio…
John, Fact. Collins lied
John,
Fact. Collins lied about Hochul's voting record repeatedly, tying her to Pelosi and Obama, when in reality she pulled away from the party more than any other Congress Person.
Hochul lost this because she went negative. Period. Collins offered NOTHING up at all except what was the party mantra. Now that he is there and Romney isn't and the Republican party is a shattered mess, I wonder what he'll do now?
I love listening to you defend him tough. You just ignore all his fabrications because it suits you. That's just sad.
I know facts hurt, but here's her actual record: http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/129238/kathy-hochul#.UJqKclTZe…
None of this matters now. Collins won, and he's the guy. All I can say is that I don't approve and I'll be watching intently. Don't let me down.
Phil, I am not defending
Phil,
I am not defending Collins. They both ran very negative campaigns and their PAC's were maybe worse. He lied about her voting record and she lied about his sending jobs to China.
My only point was the lie about Buffalo China.
Beating a dead horse or not
Beating a dead horse or not John said Collins had the better character of the two candidates because she lied about Buffalo China. Yet Collins consistently lied and has lied to the public. Lap dance remarks, cutting in parade ahead of veterans, using handicapped parking spots, using his county offices for private business meetings and so on. Just yesterday he was telling people Hochul had no character therefore was not suited to be in office because of one lie. A hypocritical statement at best.
Kyle-then he will make a
Kyle-then he will make a great vice president?
Kyle Collins won, I am not so
Kyle Collins won, I am not so sure that is what John is saying. It appears that one point is what sealed his vote is all.
Regardless, it really doesn't matter at this point. She lost, he won and we go forward and hope for the best.