Photo by Howard Owens.
The Genesee County Republican Committee, led by Scott German, officially opened its campaign headquarters for 2024 on Saturday in the former Time Buyers dealership location across from CVS on West Main Street, Batavia.
On hand were candidates Claudia Tenney (Congress), George Borrello (State Senate), Steve Hawley (State Assembly), Joesph Graff (Sheriff) and Keven Andrews (County Treasurer).
German opened the event by thanking Time Buyers for donations of use of the building and Steve Hawley for finding the location.
"I'm very happy to have such a great building that is spacious and super location," German said.
Each candidate then made a brief statement.
"Thank you to everyone who's serving, everyone who's here, everyone who's part of this process," Tenney said. "We are only going to win if we get people to understand that their right to vote is the most profound expression of our self-governance, what our founders envisioned for us. It's the opposite of authoritarianism and communism, which, by the way, is on the ballot this year, especially on the presidential side."
Borrello, who is running unopposed, thanks Tenney and Hawley for their service, noted the difficulty of representing such a large district as the 57th
He also raised alarms about a proposition on the November ballot, the Equal Rights Amendment, which has been controversial for its language and the process used to place it on the ballot. The amendment to the state Constitution was introduced as an attempt to secure abortion rights in the state. Republicans object that it goes too far by classifying several identity groups as new classes protected from discrimination. In his statement, Borrello made several unsubstantiated claims about the measure's potential impact. Still, the non-partisan Albany-based think tank Empire Center faults the measure for its vagueness, sanctioning government discrimination, and potential to unleash legal chaos in the state.
Borrello's statement, with unsubstantiated claims, included: "I want to take this moment to once again reiterate the importance of voting against Prop 1. It is perhaps the most evil and damaging piece of legislation ever proposed in the state of New York, and that's saying something. If you want illegal immigrants voting in our elections, support Proposition 1. If you want parents to lose their control over their children's health decisions, vote for Proposition 1. Okay, if you want to ensure that a man can walk into a lady's locker room at will, vote for Proposition 1. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Proposition 1 needs to go down. And the scary part is right now, most uninformed New Yorkers will vote yes, so we need to spread the word. It is the single most important mission in this election."
Hawley noted that he and the other candidates represent one of the best parts of Genesee County: teamwork.
"We've got two new folks who are running for office here locally, and we're seeing a changing of the guard and new people coming in with new ideas and also concentrating on teamwork," Hawley said. "We have Joe Graff, who's been with the Genesee County Sheriff's Department for many, many years. He's stepping forward as Sheriff (Bill) Sharon retires. We have Kevin Andrews, who serves as my campaign treasurer, which he will probably have to give up because he's running to replace my friend Scott German as Genesee County Treasurer. So, working all together is what it's all about. And it's town level as well city. We need to continue to work for the things that make not only America great but part of one of the 50 states, hopefully bringing New York back to be a friendly place for businesses and neighborhoods in terms of public safety."
Graff said it was goal to keep in place the teamwork that currently exists among Genesee County's various law enforcement agencies.
"I've been with the Sheriff's office for over 20 years. There are some former Batavia City police officers in here, and I've worked with them throughout the years. And I think what we have in Genesee County is a great coalition of law enforcement that works together throughout all the agencies. I think we truly need to support the men and women who work in law enforcement so they can effectively do their jobs so we can live in the safe community that we do enjoy. As Sheriff, I look to continue the mission of the Sheriff's Office and the standard of service that has been afforded to this county by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office."
Andrews, who has worked in the county's treasurer's office for a decade, thanked German for his leadership and mentorship.
"I want to thank you for allowing me to work with you as deputy for these past almost ten years and giving me that chance to prove myself and to gain that experience I hope to carry forward," Andrews said.
