Taylor Scott of Jamestown voting in the primary at the Jamestown Gateway Train Station Thursday. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Another party line has been captured by the challenger for county sheriff.

On Thursday, challenger James Quattrone defeated incumbent Joseph Gerace in the county Conservative Party primary by a vote of 217-104. On Election Day, Nov. 6, Quattrone will be endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties. Gerace will be endorsed by the Democratic, Independence and Working Family parties.

Quattrone has 30 years of experience with the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, serving 15 years in a supervisory position. He began his career in 1987 on the navigation patrol and, for a brief period, worked at the county jail prior to attending the Sheriff’s Academy. In 1988, he was appointed to road patrol with the county Sheriff’s Office and later was assigned to the STOP DWI patrol.

Quattrone said it is very exciting to win the Conservative Party primary and that voters listened to his message.

“I want to focus on keeping the community safe and secure,” he said. “The way to do that is by cooperating with all police agencies and community providers.”

Quattrone said while he has been campaigning for office he has been receiving positive feedback about his message.

“I know we have to keep working hard. I have a great team and great group of people supporting me. They are helping us move forward,” he said. “I hope the rest of the county voters, other than Conservative party voters, will see the need for a change in the sheriff’s office.”

This is the seventh time Gerace, a 39-year veteran of the county Sheriff’s Office, has run for county sheriff, winning six consecutive terms to the office. He was first elected in 1994 and holds a master’s degree in administration from Alfred University, a bachelor’s degree in police science from Mercyhurst College and an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Jamestown Community College.

Gerace, who was running in his first primary, said it is obviously disappointing that he didn’t win the Conservative Party primary.

“It is a difficult task for a registered Democrat to run on the Conservative ticket,” Gerace said. “I was pleased with the number of people who did cast a vote for me. Now we are focused on November.”

In addition to the county sheriff Conservative Party primary, there was also a Busti Election District 3 Chautauqua County Republican Committee primary with three candidates vying for two positions. Both incumbents Randall Holcomb and Susan Drago received more votes than challenger Douglas Schutte by a vote of 85, 80 and 74, respectively.

In the town of Ripley, there was a Conservative and Independence primary for the town justice position between candidates Lawrence Freligh and John Hamels, with both candidates leading a primary. Freligh led the Conservative Party primary by a 6-2 vote while Hamels received one more vote in the Independence Party primary, 5-4.

In the town of Portland, there were three candidates — Thomas DeJoe, Michelle Patterson and Daniel Thompson — for one town justice position. DeJoe received 15 votes, with Thompson and Patterson receiving 9 and 7, respectively.

The results in Chautauqua County for the statewide Democratic Party governor’s race had Andrew Cuomo receiving 3,030 votes and Cynthia Nixon gaining 1,674.

For the state lieutenant governor Democratic Party primary, Kathy Hochul received 3,610 votes and Jumaane Williams gained 1,024 in Chautauqua County.

In the Democratic Party primary for state attorney general, Sean Patrick Maloney received 2,309, Zephyr Teachout gained 1,289, Letitia James tallied 709 and Leecia Eve totaled 269 in Chautauqua County

In the Reform Party primary for state attorney general, Nancy Sliwa received 56, Mike Diederich gained 37 and Christopher Garvey tallied 15 in Chautauqua County.

To view results, visit votechautauqua.com