Most Lockport Republicans fend off primary challengers

Benjamin Joe, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·2 min read

Jun. 27—Establishment Republicans in the city and town of Lockport fared well against challengers, overall, in the Tuesday primary elections.

In the city, 3rd Ward Alderman Mark Devine faced off with newcomer Scott Greig, a carpenter who didn't like Devine's vote to allow Lockport Fire Department to control ambulance service for the city.

Devine defeated Greig, 25-16, for the GOP ballot line. Greig will be on the November ballot as the Conservative candidate for 3rd Ward alderman. Tara Clayton has the Democratic and Working Families lines.

Greig and Devine both were surprised by the low turnout among Republican primary voters Tuesday.

"I put out 100 fliers and there's a total of 141 Republican primary voters," Greig said. "They all knew. Maybe they didn't think it was important."

Devine said when he voted, at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday — "eight hours into the voting" — he was only voter No. 10 for the day at his polling place.

In the 5th Ward, appointed alderman Margaret Lupo lost the GOP line to business owner Somers Sherman, who snagged 92 votes to Lupo's 29. Lupo, a registered Republican, has the Democratic and Working Families lines on the November ballot.

In the town of Lockport, incumbent supervisor Mark Crocker scored 561 votes to Dave Mongielo's 284 in their GOP line fight.

"Bad politicians are elected by good people that don't vote in the primaries," Mongielo said in reaction to the news. "Primary elections are very important and people need to understand that. By November, there won't be a choice."

Mongielo's fellow challengers Derek Howe and Rick Zimmerman, who pursued the GOP line in a pair of town board races, also fell short. The primary vote count was: Howe, 285; Zimmerman, 314; incumbent Paul Siejak, 534; and incumbent Tom Keough, 509.

Siejak and Keough also ran together.

"It's a team effort like anything else we do for the town," Keough said. "The team has worked hard and it's time to take a moment and realize what we accomplished."

None of the challengers in the town races secured other ballot lines. Crocker will stand for re-election unopposed. Siejak and Keough will run against Democratic candidates Paul Patterson and Barbara McGaffin in the fall.

In greater Lockport, minor party line winners are:

—Kevin Kirchberger, Working Families Party line in the alderman at large contest. Kirchberger received 30 votes and incumbent Lisa Swanson-Gellerson received 8 votes.

—Incumbent 13th district county legislator Rick Abbott, Working Families Party line. Abbott received 24 votes to Democratic challenger Bernadette Smith's 12 votes.

—Lockport Town Justice Bradley Marble, Working Families Party line. Marble, a Republican, received 9 votes, and Alice Patterson, the Democratic candidate for town justice, received 2 votes.