Genesee County’s Conservative Committee pulled its endorsement for Dr. George Vito in his bid for the county Legislature’s District 5 spot, secretary John Roach says.
“The Conservative Party endorsed Vito and then found out he had some legal issues and thought he should have told us ahead of time,” Roach said Thursday. “The fact that he had issues and didn’t tell us … we were disappointed not to know ahead of time.”
Vito is a first-time political candidate and contender for the District 5 seat, giving a potential challenge to incumbent Shelley Stein. Neither candidate has received an endorsement from the county Republican or Conservative committees from official votes, and Stein did not get an endorsement from the Le Roy Republican Committee.
Vito said Thursday that he was meeting with the Le Roy Republican Committee about his impending campaign and future decision to run for the seat. He wanted to have that discussion first before an interview with The Batavian.
Stein said she is “motivated to first understand the reasons behind not receiving the endorsement for re-election this year.” County Republican Committee Chairman Scott German had said he was aware that people in Le Roy were not happy with her performance, and Stein believes it relates to the sales tax cap initiated in 2021.
“That action was taken after several months of conversations and discussions with all municipalities,” she said. “The driver for the sales tax cap was the debt service for the new jail. The role of a legislator is to run the county with the perspective of the district, yet putting the county first.”
As for why her constituents may be disgruntled, she suspects it could stem “from the extra layer of responsibility I have as chairwoman.”
“There is much legislature discussion around issues, and once a decision is made, the chair must support it. These decisions may not be popular with towns and villages,” she said. “I will continue to work hard and advocate for all citizens of Genesee County and faithfully execute the fiduciary duties of the position.”
Candidates will find out from the New York State Board of Elections in a week how many signatures they must obtain to get onto the ballot.
