Published: November 05, 2008 03:24 am      

ELECTION 2008: GOP rules in town council contests

BY BILL WOLCOTT AND JOYCE MILES

wolcottb@gnnewspaper.com

Republicans ruled in the contests for open council seats in the towns of Royalton, Hartland and Pendleton on Tuesday.

In Royalton, Daniel R. Bragg defeated Mary Cedeno with 59 percent of the vote, 1,541 to 1,078. Bragg, who is also a member of the Royalton-Hartland School Board, will complete the term, which was vacated by Supervisor Richard Lang.

“I’ll start by working with council members to get the financial picture in line. That’s my priority,” Bragg said. “I want to start creating a vision and a plan for the infrastructure and how we’re going to finance it.”

There will be two slots open next year, and Bragg expects Cedeno will run again in 2009. “She’s a good opponent and worked hard,” he said. “She’ll be a voice in this community.”

Cedeno, a member of the Planning Board, noted that Bragg has better name recognition in the town. “He’s been entrenched for a long time. I think I did okay. As people get to know me, they’ll feel more comfortable. Next year will be a different story.”

They were bidding for the final year of Lang’s four-year council term which had been handed over to Lee Criswell.

• Terms for the town clerk, highway supervisor and tax collector were extended from two to four years in close votes. The supervisor’s term will remain two years. Voters rejected the four-year term for supervisor 825-734.

• In Hartland, W. Ross Annable turned back newcomer Joseph T. Derda for a one-year term. Ross Annable, the son of Supervisor William Annable, got 66 percent of the votes.

“I got out and saw the people and got a good response,” Ross Annable said. William Annable had been hospitalized with back surgery, but will soon be back in business, his son said.

Ross Annable is retired from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department and is police chief of Barker. He was endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties.

“He’s a good man. He’ll do a good job,” Derda said of Annable.

Derda feels that there may be two openings next November and said, “Oh yeah, I’ll be back next year.”

Derda said he was a 3-1 underdog and got more votes many expected. “I’m happy with the turnout,” the Democratic candidate said. “I learned a lot and appreciated the opportunity. I will be back. I’ll be keeping a closer eye on what’s going on in town.”

• In Pendleton, Ronald C. Morrison defeated Edward P. Harman 1,568 to 1,182 for council in a match of first-time candidates. Morrison will replace Republican Gerald Farnham Jr., who resigned 11 months ago. The remainder of the term is three years.

Morrison, who was endorsed by the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties, is a retired small-business owner who campaigned partly on a desire to see the town do more to recruit businesses into it. He could not be reached for comment about the race results.

Harman, a Democrat and a familiar face in local government through his work on the recreation and master plan committees, plus faithful attendance to town meetings the past couple of years, said he’s “disappointed” in the results.

“I went into it knowing this is a Republican town. The vast majority of residents are Republicans and they have a vast organization,” he said. “And I know some voters just didn’t bother with the local race. They voted in the presidential (election) and just said, ‘forget this town stuff.’”