In April, George Borrello announced his entrance into the county executive race. Borrello is a county legislator who represents residents in Hanover and Silver Creek. He recently ended his private business career to focus on the needs of county residents full-time. P-J photo by Jimmy McCarthy

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of profiles on candidates who are running for elected county positions in the November election.

Republican county executive candidate George Borrello believes Chautauqua County has the components to thrive and succeed.

Borrello, a county legislator and local businessman, is vying to succeed outgoing County Executive Vince Horrigan come January 2018. Representing Hanover and Silver Creek residents as a legislator, Borrello kicked off his campaign for county executive in April.

Born and raised in Silver Creek and Fredonia, he’s a 1985 graduate of Fredonia High School and a 1989 graduate of Purdue University. He lives in Sunset Bay with his wife, Kelly.

Borrello has spent most of his life in business as he founded Top-Shelf Marketing, which sold barware products, in his 20s. He merged his company with Progressive Specialty Glass, a supplier of drinkware items for the hospitality industry, where he served as vice president of marketing. Borrello has since left his career as a businessman to focus on the campaign in a bid to become the next county executive. Borrello has also been involved with beachfront hospitality and tourism business in Sunset Bay.

It was 2010 when Borrello first took office as a county legislator. During his years as legislator, Borrello has been an advocate for improvements to Lake Erie through dredging and area waterways through various water quality improvement projects. He’s also been a proponent of government reduction through his vote to downsize county government from 25 to 19 legislators and his work on the Regional Solutions Commission.

Borrello has taken a stern stance publicly against the development of wind turbine projects, including one being developed in his district.

The Post-Journal recently posed the following questions to Borrello as he continues his campaign.

P-J: What’s one thing you want people to know about you?

Borrello: That I am not a career politician. I gladly sacrificed my time with my family and my career and became a county legislator because I wanted to make things better for the people of this county. I have built successful businesses and I understand what it means to make a payroll, to fight to keep your business afloat and not just throw your hands up and walk away when things get tough. Also, I know what it’s like to deal with the challenges of burdensome government.

P-J: What’s one thing you want to see Chautauqua County improve on?

Borrello: We need to improve our collective self-confidence. That is the key to elevating Chautauqua County. We have the talents, we have the resources, both natural and man-made, to be prosperous and thrive. But there are some among us who want to inflict damage to serve their own self-interest or for partisan political gain. We need to stand up against those who try to drag us down. We will prosper in spite of them.

P-J: What’s a message that you’d like to send to the people of Chautauqua County?

Borrello: While I realize New York state is a difficult place to live and do business, do not give up hope. We can be the “diamond in the rough” of upstate New York. We have already started. We have the tools to bring back prosperity and I believe I have skills, knowledge and experience to help guide us on that path. Good things are happening, despite what the naysayers may tell you. I humbly ask for your support and give me the opportunity to take us to the next level and “Elevate Chautauqua County.”

Borrello has been endorsed by the county Republican Party as well as the Conservative and Independence parties. Borrello has released his “Elevating Chautauqua County Plan” and his economic development strategy. They can be viewed by visiting www.voteborrello.com.