To The Reader’s Forum;

As the Westfield Republican Committee Chairman, it was so nice to see the municipal parking lot on Elm Street full of cars on Election Day Tuesday with people streaming into Eason Hall to vote.

Turnout was high, beginning first thing in the morning and continuing right through the evening. At the end of the day voters in Westfield and Chautauqua County re-elected our Republican United States Congressman Tom Reed, our Republican New York State Senator Cathy Young, and our Republican New York State Assemblyman Andy Goodell. Whether it is securing record education aid this year for Westfield Academy and Central School, a middle-class income tax cut, property tax relief, much needed funding to dredge our harbor in Barcelona, or grant money to fund our downtown revitalization efforts, Tom, Cathy, and Andy have always been there for Westfield and are highly deserving of another term in office.

The biggest upset in recent election history also occurred on Election Day Tuesday. The Republican candidate for Sheriff defeated the incumbent Sheriff despite his lack of name recognition and having to overcome not receiving the endorsement from either of the county’s two largest newspapers. Westfield was one of Jim Quattrone’s first campaign stops back in the spring when he spoke at our annual fundraiser/meet the candidate’s event at Noble Winery. It was readily apparent that night that Jim would prove to be a formidable candidate for Sheriff. As a result of his hard work on the campaign trail, coupled with a distinguished career in law enforcement, Jim was able to gain the endorsements of key law enforcement associations and ultimately defeat Sheriff Gerace.

We extend our thanks to Sheriff Gerace for his decades of service to our community, and we look forward to Jim taking the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office to the next level. On behalf of the Westfield Republican Committee, I want to thank the residents of Westfield for supporting our candidates as we all work collaboratively to continue moving Westfield forward.

Tom Tarpley,

Westfield