Jamestown Mayoral Race

[Linda_D]

The Jamestown mayoral race will be verrrryy interesting this time around. Incumbent mayor Democrat Sam Teresi is being challenged by Shirley SanFilippo, who is now the Republican candidate for mayor. SanFilippo ran against Teresi in the Democratic primary last month (September) with Republican endorsement, and lost badly (Teresi got some 65 -75% of the votes).

The thing that sticks out for me was that San Filippo complained on the local news before the September primary that some Teresi supporters were calling her a Republican because she had the GOP endorsement in the primary. She claimed to be a life-long Democrat and implied that these people were questioning her loyalty. Now, less than a month later she's the Republican candidate for mayor???

Hmmm ... I think that somebody has not been quite as truthful as she could have been about her party affiliation/political leanings. This just smacks of opportunism and the end justifies any means, and San Filippo has made it very easy for me to decide who I'm not going to vote for for mayor in November.

Besides, one of my best friends was a hs friend of Sam's at JHS, so ...

[cc_ny]

I came across this message board just the other day, and I wanted to post since I read this message...

Obviously this person is not "up" on the issues in Jamestown, the 25% drop in population since 1990 (when Teresi was Director of Development for over 10 years - these were the 10 years when the most damage was done to Jamestown with many businesses and people leaving the city en mass due to the lack of family-sustaining jobs and the extremely high property taxes). Not to mention the dilapidated housing blight, which again Teresi is the MOST to blame for (as mayor and as director of development - his leadership now for over 18 years).

Anyway, a friend of mine posted on the www.JamestownFINDit.com forums, and his remarks are excellent:

"Anyone who has seen Shirley's first Newsletter (i.e., delivered to every resident in Jamestown, but if you don't have one call the campaign to get one), anyway - Anyone who reads this Newsletter will know that Shirley has some great ideas. If you then go to her website at www.ShirleyForMayor.com you can receive even more information about "The Plan".

I am impressed by this, as I don't remember ever seeing so many lists of action steps - actual detailed Plans, as I see Shirley Sanfilippo releasing. Granted only two are listed so far, but they are really good (one for "Assisting Existing Small Businesses" and one for "Improving The Dilapidated Housing Stock in Jamestown"). And she is releasing many more (as shown on her website - http://www.shirleyformayor.com/shirl...ctid=16&lang=1).

Anyway, check out what Shirley has on her website - it is extensive. Especially clicking the "News" column title (or the link "All news Articles"), as she has over a dozen News articles. The one on dilapidated housing is very good. (And please note, Teresi is stating that they are doing these same things, which is hog wash, but the evidence is "why are there over 500 homes in this condition if something consistent has been done?!" Teresi is the most to blame, as he has been Mayor for 8 years and Director of Development for over 10 years before this - and these are the two city positions responsible for the housing issue.)

Just thought I'd chime in about this... check her website - www.ShirleyForMayor.com"

[taken from http://forums.jamestownfindit.com/viewtopic.php?t=278]

After reading this on this forum, I had to jump in...

Thanks for listening...

-CC

[Linda_D]

CC,

I don't really care if she's a Democrat or a Republican, but she ran in the Democratic primary endorsed by the Republicans and called the people who questioned her party loyalty liars. Well, it seems to me that she's the liar since less than a month after the primary she was running as a Republican.

Sorry, but a politician who lies so brazenly and boldly before he or she gets into office, isn't getting my vote. She claims to have great ideas. Big deal. She also claimed to be a Democrat.

[cc_ny]

Linda,

I appreciate your commenting on the situation as it provides me an opportunity to explain why Shirley is the better candidate. And reading your post I see that you do not have the "whole" story.

First, Shirley is a registered Democrat. But, she is a "fiscally conservative" Democrat. Anyway, in the spring she was approached by both the Republican Party and a group of Democrats. The Democrats wanted Shirley to run a Primary against Sam Teresi so that she would be the Democrat candidate. But, Sam is the incumbent and it is rare to win a Primary against an incumbent, but Shirley wanted to allow the Democrats who approached her the opportunity to poll.

At this same time the Republicans, knowing Shirley from her 12 years as City Clerk that she is not a "party" person (as in the party affiliation does not dictate what is right and wrong to Shirley, as she is impartial). They also knew of her very "conservative" views on many issues, such as the City budget. Shirley believes that she Can and Will find areas of cost savings by empowering the department heads and employees (using a Bottom-Up approach as opposed to Sam Teresi's Top-Down approach of micro-managing). So the Republicans, during the same time frame mind you, sought to endorse Shirley Sanfilippo for Mayor.

So, the two things happened together. And for one of the first times in Jamestown's history a registered Democrat has been endorsed by the Republicans due to her fiscally-conservative views. And for the first time in Jamestown's history a group of people from all political parties and a bunch who are non-affiliated are all working together on a single campaign. Inclusivity is one of the themes. This truly is amazing.

So, if you had been reading Shirley's Newsletter or her Website (www.ShirleyForMayor.com), then you'd know what I am writing here (well, most of it).

I know all this because I am involved in Shirley's Campaign.

Thanks for reading and for posting!

CC

[Smartguy2523]

Sounds like a campaign manager posting on the board.
I don't know if I'd go so far as to say Shirley's plans are detailed - they're nice outlines, but pretty small on meat.
Much of what is in them are things being done already, and it relies a lot on grant funding. I'd like to see a candidate who says something more than "I'll do what the other guy is doing, but I'll do it better."
And, the true battle in the city of Jamestown is over the upcoming union contracts. I haven't heard Shirley say how she will get some relief for taxpayers in the negotiations, other than "empowering employees." There will be no major tax savings in Jamestown without union concessions - and the only person to actively take on the unions has been Sam Teresi. Shirley's son in law is a Jamestown cop, which makes one wonder how she'll handle that contract. And, frankly, I don't want someone who wants to be "inclusive" and empowering handling negotiations where taxpayers need a tough guy handling tough business.
Lastly, I love someone who says they'll save money by empowering department heads, because she saw waste when she was a department head. But, she didn't bring this up to anyone. What makes anyone think her plan will work when she's mayor, then?
And, since when does an election have to be polarized? Population loss is hitting the region as a whole, not Jamestown alone, which would say perhaps the economy, companies moving to other countries, better jobs in the Carolinas as reasons for the drop. Yes, taxes have increased, but what are the reasons? The bulk of the increase was to make up for a deficit early in the decade, with increases much closer to, if not less than, the cost of living since then. Do you think government costs will increases less than everyone else's?
There are issues with Sam Teresi, but the man isn't the devil.

[Linda_D]

Sounds like a campaign manager posting on the board.
I don't know if I'd go so far as to say Shirley's plans are detailed - they're nice outlines, but pretty small on meat.
Much of what is in them are things being done already, and it relies a lot on grant funding. I'd like to see a candidate who says something more than "I'll do what the other guy is doing, but I'll do it better."
And, the true battle in the city of Jamestown is over the upcoming union contracts. I haven't heard Shirley say how she will get some relief for taxpayers in the negotiations, other than "empowering employees." There will be no major tax savings in Jamestown without union concessions - and the only person to actively take on the unions has been Sam Teresi. Shirley's son in law is a Jamestown cop, which makes one wonder how she'll handle that contract. And, frankly, I don't want someone who wants to be "inclusive" and empowering handling negotiations where taxpayers need a tough guy handling tough business.
Lastly, I love someone who says they'll save money by empowering department heads, because she saw waste when she was a department head. But, she didn't bring this up to anyone. What makes anyone think her plan will work when she's mayor, then?
And, since when does an election have to be polarized? Population loss is hitting the region as a whole, not Jamestown alone, which would say perhaps the economy, companies moving to other countries, better jobs in the Carolinas as reasons for the drop. Yes, taxes have increased, but what are the reasons? The bulk of the increase was to make up for a deficit early in the decade, with increases much closer to, if not less than, the cost of living since then. Do you think government costs will increases less than everyone else's?
There are issues with Sam Teresi, but the man isn't the devil.

Good points.

Most cities in WNY and all around the Great Lakes face the same problems: static or falling populations, increasing personnel costs, and limited tax bases. I have friends who live in Warren, where taxes are much lower than in Jamestown, but they're constantly complaining about the taxes they pay, too.

One of the things to keep in mind about Jamestown taxes is that the biggest part of the annual tax bill is the school tax, and the mayor has no control over that.

[Linda_D]

Mayor Earns Third Term With 60 Percent Of Vote

By Patrick Fanelli

11/7/2007 - The word ‘‘mandate’’ wasn’t far from the minds of city Democrats on Tuesday as Mayor Sam Teresi won a third term in office while helping his party win at least a 6-3 majority on the City Council.

After a long election campaign during which Teresi faced off against former city clerk Shirley Sanfilippo, a registered Democrat endorsed by the Republican Party, Teresi won with 60 percent of the vote, but with a smaller voter turnout than the previous two times his name has appeared on the ballot.

Teresi — a self-described fiscal conservative — believes he won with such a large margin of victory because most Jamestown residents seem to have understood the work he has put in over the past eight years trying to streamline city services and improve the city’s once dismal fiscal position, he said Tuesday.

‘‘I think, if I can be so bold as to say it, that there was a greater level of understanding on the part of the public and an appreciation for what we’ve been trying to do over the past several years, trying to get the city on the right track again,’’ he said at the Holiday Inn on West Fourth Street, where city Democrats had gathered to tabulate election results and celebrate.

Eight years ago, shortly after the polls closed on Election Day, Teresi stood side by side with his father, longtime County Legislator Anthony Teresi. Both of them were celebrating their own respective victories — the younger Teresi over former mayor Richard Kimball, and the elder Teresi over Republican Harold Whitford Jr., who challenged him for his legislative seat.

The elder Teresi died Oct. 9 of this year, and most of the younger Teresi’s brief election speech Tuesday was dedicated to his father’s memory.

‘‘He had a Ph.D. summa cum laude in life, and he spoke volumes — not necessarily in words all the time, but through actions,’’ Teresi said, his voice cracking as he clutched the cane his father used later in life. ‘‘Dad, we stayed true to your principles tonight — not only your son, but everyone on your son’s team tonight. We did it the right way. We stood for something.’’

Teresi won Tuesday with a vote of 3,387 to 2,217, defeating Mrs. Sanfilippo by a 20 percent margin, but voter turnout was substantially lower Tuesday than it has been in the past.

When Teresi, then the city development director, challenged Kimball for the city’s top post in 1999, a total of 8,406 people cast a vote on Election Day, or 48 percent of registered voters. When Kimball challenged Teresi to a rematch in 2003, voter turnout only dropped to 46 percent with 7,860 people voting.

But only 5,604, or 36 percent of registered voters in Jamestown, cast a vote Tuesday, which may have been one of the factors in Mrs. Sanfilippo’s defeat since she previously said that she expected a high voter turnout to be in her favor.

Some have blamed the lake effect snow showers that dumped several inches of snow on Jamestown for the low turnout, but Teresi said it may have had something to do with the absence of debates between him and Mrs. Sanfilippo.

‘‘I think that more dialogue — more direct dialogue — between the candidates spurs more interest on both sides. I think there was an absence of that,’’ Teresi said.

Voter turnout was also substantially down during the Democratic primary as well. When former City Council member Tony Raffa challenged Teresi for the Democratic nomination in 1999, 34 percent of registered Democrats voted. But when Mrs. Sanfilippo challenged Teresi for the nomination on Sept. 18, only 24 percent voted, handing Teresi the Democratic line with a 1179 to 459 win.

Though more people voted the last two times Teresi’s name has appeared on a ballot, Tuesday’s win represented his biggest margin of victory. Teresi won with an 18 percent margin of victory the first time he faced off against Kimball, though that dropped to 10 percent during the 2003 rematch.

Teresi/SanFilippo