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There are heavy hearts in the town of Charlotte.
That's because the supervisor, Allen Chase, died last week in a logging accident. He was 47 years old.
Chase was first elected in November, 2017. It was first time in the political arena and was re-elected in 2021.
"He jumped in with both feet. He was amazing. He was so good for the town. He did wonderful things, he really did," Town Clerk Susan Peacock said.
She became emotional, talking about Chase, during his time as supervisor. "He ran a wonderful meeting. He ran it light but very business-like, but still we always had a chuckle," Peacock said.
She added he was a proud Marine veteran. "He was such a real guy. He would shake your hand and look you in the eye. He was just genuinely really wonderful," Peacock said.
Councilman Mark Abbey is the deputy supervisor. Technically Abbey and Chase are related, as both of their fathers are cousins, although they didn't interact while growing up.
Abbey came into office as the same time as Chase. "He was very good about trying his best to keep everything by the book. We tried to make sure that all our meetings were posted, and public, and above board. … I was always really impressed by the way he handled himself," he said.
Abbey will be taking over temporarily as town supervisor, but he won't be there for long. He said he's in the process of moving, so he was planning on resigning before Chase's untimely death.
Election Commissioner Brian Abram said an appointment will need to be made by the Town Board and then that office will be up for election in November.
On Wednesday, state police responded to an address on Rood Road in Charlotte for a logging accident where Chase died.
"I think it took all of us by surprise. He's been logging for a long time. I'm not sure of what happened," Abbey said.
Councilman Harold North called the incident tragic. "There's no words that can express the sorrow for our loss for him and his family. Our prayers and thoughts wholeheartedly go out to his family and that's our biggest concern at this point," he said.
North noted that Chase meant a lot to the town as a whole. "He was a gracious man. He was thoughtful at how he presented things to people," he said.
Councilman Mark Jaquith appreciated Chase's eye on taxes. He noted that during his tenure Chase was able to lower the tax rate, due to fiscal restraints. "He was always on the lookout for town, financial wise. He wasn't frivolous with the money," he said.
Chase was also known to address constituents' needs. "When someone reached out to him about a problem, he seemed to try to take care of it. … He didn't try to push it way, he did try to solve what ever the issue was," Jaquith said.
Councilman Francis Lauricella has only been part of the town board for the last nine months, but he's known the late supervisor and the rest of the Chase family for several years. "He was a very nice man, very very nice. I have nothing but positive things to say about Allen. As town supervisor, he was very committed to his constituents and the residents of the town of Charlotte. He always tried to do the best he could to make sure that the town board ran very efficiently for the people of the town of Charlotte," he said.
According to Chase's obituary, visitation will take place Wednesday at the Larson-Timko Funeral home in Fredonia. A memorial service will take place Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Fredonia First United Methodist Church with full military honors by the Dunkirk Joint Veterans Council.
Allen Chase is survived by: his wife, Amanda "Mandie" Grey Chase, of Cherry Creek; and his six children: Aaron W. Chase, of Cherry Creek, Garett R. Johnson, of Camden, Tenn., Kayla R. Chase-Thompson (Garland), of Morehead City, N.C., Gilianna M. Johnson, Gabriel C. Chase, and Gemma K. Chase, all of Cherry Creek; his grandson, Garland Thompson, Jr. Also his parents, Morris and Barbara Chase; his siblings: Loretta Peters, of Tucson, AZ, Waylon (Riza) Chase, of Gerry, Nelson Chase and Lynette Chase, both of Jamestown; his father-in-law, Richard Grey and mother-in-law, Lorrie Grey, of Castalian Springs, Tenn.; his brother-in-law, Carl (Michelle) Grey, of Castalian Springs, Tenn.; nieces and nephews: Richard Thomas, Ruby Bell, Reiden, Bria and Eliana.
Memorials may be made to the Chase College Fund to established for Gabriel and Gemma.