Stephanie R. Cotton, 33, of 335 Bank St., C1, Batavia, was charged with a felony count of first-degree perjury Monday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Cotton is accused of making false statements while under oath during a county family court proceeding in April when she was facing a charge of fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. Cotton was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $5,000.

More than 2,000 Genesee County residents have registered to vote since September 26, and nearly half (850) will be first-time voters, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. Fischer spoke with the Democratic and Republican election commissioners for the county who attribute the surge in voter registration to the cult of personality: Barack Obama for the Dems and John Mc—oh, wait, no, not him—Sarah Palin for the GOP.

This Saturday will be the last chance to register for those have have not yet. Registration in Genesee County will be open from 1:00 to 9:00pm. Batavians can head down to the fire station on Evans Street or the Batavia Town Hall to register. Visit WBTA's Web site for a complete list of locations around the county.

Chris Lee, GOP nominee for the 26th Congressional District,  made a campaign appearance in Lockport and again knocked the bailout bill for being loaded with pork. He also said he'll push for the line-item veto if elected.

“The way things are now ... for the greater good we’re forced to accept the warts as well. A line-item veto is one of the first things I would fight for in Congress,” Lee said. “I hope most of these guys get voted out. If you saw me doing the same thing two years from now, I hope you’d vote me out, too.”

The problem with the line-item veto is it invests too much power in the executive branch, and in an age of imperial presidencies, that's going in the wrong direction. Congress needs to wrest some power back from the executive, not add to it. If Lee wants to portray himself as a conservative, he should give this position a little more consideration.

I wonder if Lee has a position on signing statements?

The Democrats paid for this attack ad on behalf of Alice Kryzan:

The Chris Lee campaign has this ad out now:

Shame on both camps.

This may be an indication how serious the Democrats are about winning the 61st Senate District: Candidate Joe Mesi has raised nearly $140,000 from outside-district sources, while getting only not even a fraction of that from within the district ($350).

This, according to the Buffalo News.

Mesi's campaign says the next finance filing, which will cover donations received after Sept. 29, will show a lot more in-district fund raising.

Mesi himself, incredibly and suspiciously, was not available for an interview, according to reporter Tom Precious

Meanwhile, they hit Ranzenhofer with this:

“We’re dismayed Mike Ranzenhofer continues to rely on cash from government contractors seeking subsidies and sweetheart deals,” said Emma Wolfe, a Mesi spokeswoman.

Is this where this once admirably issue-based campaign turns nasty?

When we've written about Mesi, our Democratic readers haven't shown much interest in him. When I talk with people around the district, they also note that Mesi isn't generating much interest in the area.  I wonder why that is? He's a credible candidate, whom state Democrats obviously want to win, with the kind of off-beat bio that can resonate with voters.  Why the big yawn so far?

Has Mesi made any public appearances in Genesee County yet.  My perception, though potentially unfair, is he's been pretty much a no-show around these parts so far.

If you've met Mesi, tell us what you think of him?

Meanwhile, the New York Times is reporting that Gov. David Paterson is on a mission to help Democrats win control of the Senate.

Mr. Mesi’s race in particular is considered a must-win for Democrats in their quest for a Senate majority.

“I think four or five months ago, David was not where he is today,” said Senator Eric T. Schneiderman, a Manhattan Democrat. “I think he’s concluded we’re going to win and that he has a better shot at mobilizing the state against the challenges we’re facing with a Democratic Senate.”

Do you think it's good for one party to control all levers of power in Albany? To me, as much as I distrust the two-party system, I'm even more leery of a one-party system.

Here's a new TV commercial from Ranzenhofer (nothing new from Mesi on YouTube):

Today, on my drive around Genesee County, I came across a few signs and flier for various church dinners or other community meals coming up this month.

It reminded me of a dinner at attended at Emmanuel Baptist Church on Oak Street a few weeks ago.  A woman at the event said, "Emmanuel has always put on the best dinners of any church in Genesee County."

Is that true?

If you could go to only one community dinner in October, which one would it be?  And if not in October, what church or civic group serves the best dinners?

The Daily News leads off today's edition with coverage -- and a family photo -- of the GOP open house Saturday. It's typical, work-in-every body's-name, newspaper coverage. No real news.  The Batavian covered the event Saturday and used it as an opportunity to get Chris Lee on the record regarding his position on the Wall Street bailout.

Monday's paper also features an interview with Beth Ryan, president of Genesee County Right to Life. Ryan says, "I want to end abortion. I want people to understand that abortion shouldn't just be illegal. It should be unthinkable."

Paul Mrozek writes about invasive plant, with honeysuckle being noted as a particular problem. He features Peter Smallidge, who demonstrated using a propane torch to burn the plants at Genesee County Park. Burning the plant at the base doesn't immediately kill it, but weakens it so it will die. Honeysuckles, which are non-native, can crowd out other shrubs and birds that nest in them have fewer successful hatches.

To subscribe to the Daily News, visit the paper's web site.

WBTA reports that you can get a free flu shot (with insurance card) today.

The Genesee County Health Department will offer the shots (along with Pneumonia shots) from 9 to 11 at County Building Two on West Main Street.

Also, the Batavia City School board meets at 7 p.m. tonight Robert Morris School

Shaun A. DiSalvo, 30, of Linwood Avenue in Batavia was apprehended Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m. for allegedly operating an ATV while intoxicated and unlawful possession of Marijuana.  Batavia officers report they spotted DiSalvo operating the ATV north on Route 98. When they attempted to stop ATV, he initially tried to flee, according to the report. After a brief pursuit, he stopped on South Jackson.  He also received citations for operating an ATV on a public highway.

Edwin L. Stancliff, 29, of Ocala, Fla., was arrested in Pembroke Thursday at 5:43 p.m. for allegedly operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Corfu police officers report they made the arrest after a traffic accident. According to the report, Stancliff was driving without a license and fled from the scene of the crash.

Melvin G. Draper, Jr., 27, of Walnut Street in Batavia, was arrested Saturday at 10:19 p.m. after reportedly operating a vehicle involved in a single-car accident that left a female passenger hospitalized with internal injuries. A 15-year-old passenger was uninjured. Draper was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, endangering the welfare of a child, driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and speed not reasonable.  The accident occurred with Draper was reportedly operating the vehicle eastbound on Batavia-Elba Townline Road at a high speed on a wet road. Police say Draper lost control of the vehicle and it slid into a ditch and became airborne after hitting a driveway.  The report says Draper then left the scene and went to a nearby friend's house. He later returned to the scene.

David W. King, Jr., 27, of Lockport Road, Elba, was arrested Friday at 11:28 p.m. for allegedly operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs. He was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, speeding and an unsafe lane change. Police report that they found King with a glass crack pipe and crack cocaine.

Gordon C. Gonyo, 54, of Byron Road in Byron, was arrested Saturday at 6:37 p.m. for allegedly driving while intoxicated. Gonyo was apprehended after a complaint about a vehicle being operated erratically on Byron Road.

LeRoy resident and Genesee County Farm Bureau president Dale Stein gets to talk politics in the Democrat & Chronicle this morning.

Spoiler alert: He says he is voting for John McCain. He says that's his personal decision, not an endorsement from the Farm Bureau.

Among his concerns are the high cost of energy and immigration.

"Too much of this country believes we have enough labor, and we don't," said Stein, who owns Stein Farms in LeRoy, Genesee County.

The labor shortage hasn't affected Stein's own farm but he said it has caused 25 percent less cabbage to be grown in western New York because farmers knew they wouldn't have the workers for harvest.

Congress won't talk about it because they won't get re-elected," said Stein, president of the Genesee County Farm Bureau.

On energy, he favors more drilling and nuclear power.

Stein's energy costs have increased 40 percent in two years, and now his electricity bill is $7,000 a month. Electricity powers the milking system and the fans that keep the cows cool.

Mike Ranzenhofer, GOP candidate for the 61st Senate District, wants to cut taxes for you and me.  He announced his plan at the Harvester Center last week.

His opponent, Joe Mesi, tells the Buffalo News his proposal is reckless and vague.

“It’s basically a lot of fluff,” said Joe Mesi, the former professional boxer. “We agree on the need to cut state spending. The difference is, I can tell you where and how. I’m not sure he can.”

Ranzenhofer does offer the means to pay for his tax cut. He wants a mandatory 15 percent across-the-board cut in state spending and says $19 billion in savings would flow from those changes.

...

His bold proposal prompts the question: Is it credible enough to be taken seriously in Albany?

And how does one lawmaker, especially a freshman who may or may not be in the Senate majority, convince the rest of the State Legislature to cut spending at all state agencies by 15 percent?

“One legislator makes it happen by having the backbone to stand up,” he said. “I also believe my vote will be very important.”

It’s no secret the Ranzenhofer- Mesi race is one of the most pivotal in the state this year. The GOP is eager to maintain control of the Senate — it currently holds a one-seat majority — and Ranzenhofer is running for a seat that historically has been Republican.

At the GOP HQ open house yesterday, the message was Republicans would need to work hard to get Ranzenhofer elected. With a Democrat as governor and the Dems controlling the Assembly, the GOP can't afford to lose this only open Senate seat.  Among other things, the next round of redistricting is at stake.

It could be a tight race.

LoHud.com reported this week the campaign filings for each candidate:

—61st District: Joe Mesi, Democratic candidate, raised $140,250, spent $97,044 and had $52,042 on hand. Republican candidate Mike Ranzenhofer raised $67,743, spent $106,299 and had $146,746 on hand.

Top picture is Ranzenhofer, lower is Mesi.

Batavia-based Graham Corp. hasn't been immune to the recent tumble in stock prices.

The company, which traded at a 52-week high of $109.82 in mid-August, closed Friday at $40.18, only 18 cents above it's 52-week low of $40, achieved in early January.

The stock lost 32 percent of its value in the past week, falling $18.68 per share.

On August 31, the Democrat and Chronicle ran a story noting that Graham was the region's best performing stock for the previous 12 months.

You can read company press releases and see it remains a strong financial performer.

In July, GHM announced a dividend increase and a 2-for-1 stock split to take effect tomorrow.

Paul M. Rossiter, 19, of Woodstock Gardens, Batavia, was arrested Saturday evening on Route 237 in Byron for alleging possessing marijuana. Rossiter was reportedly the passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over in a traffic stop by a sheriff's deputy.

William Stephans, Jr., 41, of Lake Street in LeRoy, was arrested for allegedly driving while under the influence. He was stopped by a deputy on Route 5 in Stafford.

Both of these incidents were reported in press releases from the Genesee County Sheriff's Department.

 After losing games to Oakfield-Alabama, Pembroke and Attica, the Alexander football team has found the right equation to win in the Genesee Region League.

The Trojans play a physical style of football that involves pounding away with the ball on offense, are attempting to force turnovers on defense and - most importantly - making all the right moves on special teams.

Alexander won for the second consecutive week and are now 2-3 after beating Elba/Byron-Bergen 28-13 Saturday night in the first game ever played under the lights in Elba.

The Trojans spoiled Elba/Byron-Bergen's homecoming, but it didn't take away from the cool atmosphere of seeing a game in Elba played under lights, which did an excellent job of lighting the middle part of the field.

It almost wasn't spoiled as the two teams played a pretty close first half.

The two squads exchanged punts on their first possessions and a special teams mistake by Elba/Byron-Bergen on the team's second possession proved costly.

The snap sailed over the punters head and the Lancers picked it up and ran to their own 30-yard line.

Alexander had a couple of decent running plays before Jay Schaefer ran one in from six yards out. The extra point was missed.

Elba/Byron-Bergen's Zach Green then returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown. Again, the kick failed and the score was tied at 6 after the first quarter.

Alexander coach Dave Radley wanted to make sure I mentioned kicker/punter Lucas Czechowski in my preview this week and for good reason - he came up big. 

His first big kick was a 22-yard field goal early in the second quarter that put the Trojans up 9-6.

Elba/Byron-Bergen missed a field goal later in the half and that was the score at intermission 

Alexander had a long drive to open the second half - aided by some costly Elba/B-B penalties - that led to another Schaefer touchdown, this time from two yards out. The kick made the score 16-6.

The Lancers scored on another big play as Green rumbled 61 yards for a TD. The extra point brought Elba/Byron-Bergen to within three points.

Alexander marched down the field, going 68 yards down to the Elba/B-B 1 with a long kickoff return and a key pass from Zach Burke to Czechowski. But the Trojans fumbled the ball away and the Lancers took over deep in their own territory near the end of the third quarter.

Green broke off a 15-yarder, but the drive stalled and the Lancers had to punt again.

For the second time in the game, the snap sailed over the punter's head. This time it went through the end zone for a safety.

Alexander got the ball back and was moved into field goal territory because of an Elba/B-B facemask call.

Czechowski hit the 22-yard kick to make the score 21-13.

Ryan Piechocki had a key sack and forced Elba/B-B into a passing situation where Jordan Leitten took advantage, intercepting a pass at the 20-yard line.

Mike Woodrow had a 4-yard run a few plays later to make it a two touchdown game.

Leitten capped off the victory with another interception in the closing seconds, allowing the Trojans to take a knee and run out the clock.

Elba/Byron-Bergen falls to 1-4 and the biggest crowd to attend a game in the town of Elba in years was treated to a cool homecoming experience. But the team will have to work on limiting penalties and making huge mistakes on special teams if it is going to beat Notre Dame or Bishop Walsh in the final two weeks of the season.

Alexander is now 2-3 and will wrap up its regular season with a home game against Barker next Saturday. The Trojans were the No. 4 seed in the Section 5 Class D playoffs before the win and should move up to No. 3 with Avon's loss to Le Roy last night combined with the victory.

Republican congressional candidate Chris Lee told me this afternoon that Congress should have passed the "stabilization package" (he doesn't like the word "bailout") on Monday.

He said what Congress passed Friday, with it's millions of dollars in pork spending, demonstrated that some members are "more concerned with saving their seats than with doing the right thing for the country."

When I asked him about how Democrats blame deregulation, and Republicans say there are still too many regulations -- such as Sarbanes-Oxley, which did nothing to help matters -- Lee said, "We have all of these new exotic financial instruments, so we need updated regulations to ensure we have control."

"There have mistakes made, and I don't like to point fingers," said Lee, adding again that both Republicans and Democrats share the blame. "I don't care about any of that. I care about getting to a solution and protecting taxpayers."

In the middle of our talk, Lee changed subjects to the Democrats attacking him for sending jobs to China.

"We run a business today that employs people from more than 300 families in Western New York," he said. "The comment that we export jobs to China is as far from the truth as possible."

He added that his company exports parts to China, made in Western New York, and those pieces are then assembled in China to build products that are sold to Chinese.

The reason to do that, he said, is so the competition does not create those products in China for export to the United States to compete with his company. "It's very smart," he said.

So, here I am, in our Batavia office on a Saturday afternoon. My wife isn't too happy with me because I should be home cutting the lawn and now rain clouds are gathering. But this morning when I heard that Lee was in Batavia today, I wanted to talk with him about the bailout issue.  It's been hard for anybody to get much of an answer out of him on the topic.

I brought my video camera and wanted to get his answer on video. This is an important issue, and I thought it would be a fairer bit of journalism to let Lee answer it in as an unfiltered way as possible. To me, it's for Lee's own good to speak right to the voters  and say what he wants to say.

Lee's campaign manager Nick Longworthy did not want me video taping the interview. I pushed the issue a little bit with Lee, but he wanted to go along with his campaign manager's advice, and I'm not here to be a jerk and insist on having my way.  I'm not Mike Wallace playing "gotcha journalism." Also, I get Nick's concern. It would be very easy for the opposition to take a quote out of context and use it in a negative ad.

The 26th District is close, but a reasonably safe GOP district. I'm sure Lee's advisers are continually counseling him to be cautious and not do or say anything that could turn the district against him.  I get that. But I also believe that it is during an open-seat election that voters have their best chance to get inside the head of the man or women who might represent them for many years.  Once the winner is safely in office, they often retreat behind press releases and sound bites.  Now is the time to get as much unvarnished information from them as possible.

I did use my little Flip camera to get a bit of quick video from the GOP open house, just to capture the scene a bit.  I'll post that shortly.

BTW: If Chris Lee, Nick Longworthy or anybody else from the Lee campaign wishes to clarify or amplify on anything I wrote, you're welcome to post in the comments, or in a new blog post.  Nick is also welcome to post the audio tape that he captured of the interview.

Here's the quick video.  NOTE: Flip batteries went dead just as Lee started to speak (after Tom Reynolds).  I did hear what Lee said, because I immediately ran to my car to get my other video camera, but Lee's statement had to be pretty short. My car wasn't far away at all. (Disappointing, too, because it wasn't that long ago that I put new batteries in the flip).

UPDATE: Here's a short Buffalo News story on the GOP HQ grand opening.

WHY CAN’T CHRIS LEE TELL THE TRUTH?
Lee hides behind lies and attack ads, won’t talk about issues

October 3, 2008                                                                                               

Amherst, NY – Unable to explain why he supports failed policies that have led to the worse financial crisis in a generation, Chris Lee is now hiding behind lying attack ads. He has refused to explain his positions, is hiding from debates with his opponent, and now, in an act of desperation, is refusing to even tell the truth.

Realizing that he can’t win on the issues, Lee is using the millions he made from creating jobs in China instead of Western New York to distort Alice’s support of middle class tax cuts. The last thing the people of Western New York want is another Bush Republican giving more tax cuts to millionaires and more profits to Wall Street CEOs, insurance companies and Big Oil.

“Chris Lee said he was going to talk about the issues, not that he was going to lie about them,” said spokesperson Anne Wadsworth. “Lee is hiding from the press, hiding from the voters, and hiding from the truth. People want someone they can trust, not someone who will spend millions of dollars to lie to their face.”

While Lee keeps trying the same tired old attack politics, Alice is out in the district talking with voters and explaining how she’ll help our struggling middle class. Alice will bring good paying alternative energy jobs to the district, support tax cuts for our hardworking families, provide affordable health care to all, and end the War in Iraq safely and securely.

Chris Lee, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to want to talk about the issues. He refuses to say where he stands on the financial crisis, on job creation, on outsourcing or on healthcare.

Maybe Lee thinks those issues aren’t important, but voters in the 26^th district are tired of millionaires who think they can buy an election while ignoring the real life concerns of the people of Western New York. Lee just doesn’t get it. He needs to stop distorting Alice’s position on tax cuts, and start focusing on explaining his own stand on the issues.

“I’m very disappointed by my opponent’s shameful actions,” said Alice. “He owes the voters of this district an apology for avoiding their questions and then lying to them. We don’t need this kind of attack style politics in our part of New York. Lee’s lies won’t create one new job, fix our broken health care system, or change our energy policy. The voters of this district deserve a representative they can be proud of, and Chris Lee has shown he clearly isn’t it.”

Will Chris Lee continue to hide behind false political ads or finally make himself available to the voters?

###

Paid for and Authorized by Kryzan for Congress

www.kryzanforcongress.com

GOP candidate for the 26th Congressional District has been surprisingly silent on the Wall Street financial crisis and the bailout plan.

I just came across this comment on WROC, which remains the only statement I've seen from him so far.

... "we need to stop the finger pointing and work together to restore taxpayer trust and confidence in the economy. We need a bipartisan solution that will bring liquidity and stability to our financial markets now."

I now see the D&C quotes a shorter version of the same statement. Evan Dawson at WHAM has more.

Does that offer enough specifics for you? Does it tell you anything about the sort of fisical policies he will pursue?

Meanwhile, I just spotted this comment from Brian Hartz on a previous post. It sort of puts a human face on how the financial crisis is effecting Western New Yorkers.

I am one of those that can't get financial aid because my grades were not real great. Last year I got an alternative loan to pay for school, but this year the bank I went through stopped offering the loans. I had to borrow money from my grandparents to pay for tuition.

I don't mean overly harsh on Mr. Lee; after all, my politics are probably closer to his than Alice Kryzan's. I just don't get why he's avoiding talking about, in detail, the most significant domestic policy issue of my and his lifetime.

UPDATE: In case you missed it: Of course, after I posted this, I went to an event that I knew Chris Lee would be at and asked him to clarify his position.  That post is here.

Submission from Jay Grasso:

All are welcome to attend the grand opening of the Genesee County Republican Headquarters.  The new headquarters will open today at noon and is located at the corner of Rt.5 and Lewiston Road (former Georgie Porgies).

Meet Congressional candidate Chris Lee, State Senate candidate Mike Ranzenhofer, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Assemblyman Dan Burling, and State Supreme Court Candidate Jeff Voelkl.

 The Oakfield-Alabama football team didn't start a lot of the usual names because of a flu that kept several players out of practice this week.

They also didn't do a very good job of keeping the ball from hitting the ground.

But the Hornets did just enough to beat host Attica 35-20 Friday night.

It was senior night for the Blue Devils and a couple of seniors gave the squad a very quick lead. Andy Ruddock busted off a 21-yard run and Nate Berry hauled in an 18-yard touchdown pass from junior Brandon Rollins to get things going, just 1 1/2 minutes into the contest.

O-A blocked the extra point.

The Hornets didn't take very long to answer as Tim Smith returned the kickoff 34 yards and Josh Athoe made his mark.

Athoe hasn't played in any high school game since getting injured at the start of last baseball season, but got the start at fullback in this game.

The 6-foot-2, 185 pound junior busted off an 11-yard run that set up his 12-yard touchdown run, with the Jon Fisher giving Oakfield-Alabama a lead that would never go away.

Ruddock ripped off a 30-yarder on Attica's next drive, but Chris Williams sacked Rollins to kill a drive and force a punt.

The Blue Devil defense did its job by stopping the Hornets on a fourth-and-2, but the offense fumbled the ball away on the first play of the next drive.

Athoe kicked off the second quarter with a 9-yard TD run, giving O-A a 14-6 advantage.

The Hornets got the ball back after an Attica punt and moved the ball through the air, with A.J. Kehlenbeck hooking up with Noah Seward and Tyler Tamblin on passes before finding Brad Riner with a 4-yard touchdown pass with just 17 seconds left in the half.

Tim Smith - who finished with 162 rushing yards on 20 carries - started the second half scoring with a 20-yard TD run.

Attica then started making a comeback.

Rollins hooked up with Shawn Dupuis on a 44-yard pass that moved the ball all the way down to the O-A 1, where Rollins scored on a keeper. The conversion pass failed and Oakfield-Alabama led 28-12.

Just seconds ticked off the clock before Kyler Dabolt popped the ball out of an O-A runners hands and Berry picked it up, scampering 62 yards for a score. Rollins ran in the conversion and Attica had cut O-A's lead to 28-20 near the end of the third period.

And then Smith stepped up again. Last week he earned Class C Offensive Player of the Week in a win over Notre Dame, and he stepped up with the big play this week.

The senior busted through the line and busted off a 52-yard run. He scored a couple of plays later from eight yards out.

As Attica tried to drive, Kehlenbeck had a big interception to kill a much-needed opportunity. 

The Hornets fumbled the ball away again, and had a couple of penalties that put the Blue Devils into great position to score.

On a third-and-goal from the Oakfield-Alabama 11, Seward picked off a pass to wrap up the victory.

Athoe rushed for 83 yards on 16 attempts and Riner gained 110 yards on 24 carries. Kehlenbeck completed 5-of-6 pass attempts for 50 yards.

 Attica falls to 3-2 while O-A improves to 5-0 and will be hosting currently unbeaten Pembroke next Friday night.