Who's on the ballot in Penfield for the 2023 election?

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Updated ·3 min read

On election day, Penfield residents will cast their ballots for four town positions and other local offices. Polls close at 9 p.m. and we will post the election results for Penfield and the rest of Monroe County as they become available.

Early voting is available to all voters in Monroe County from Saturday, Oct. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 5. Polls are open for regular voting from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7. You can look up where you can vote on Election Day at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov.

We sent questionnaires through the party chairpersons to all candidates. Those with expanded information and photos responded to the questionnaire.

The previous employment and political background have been edited for consistency.

Penfield Supervisor

Tiffany Rice (Democrat)

  • Email: Engage@penfieldtogether.org

  • Previous employment: Tiffany Rice is a versatile professional with a background in program development, project management, small business ownership and community development. As a Program Facilitator at Venture Jobs Foundation, she guided entrepreneurs towards sustainable success. During her tenure at the City and County of Denver, she developed anti-idling standards, contributing to improved air quality and environmental impact. Political background: Democratic party

Jeff N. Leenhouts (Republican, Conservative)

  • Email: VotePenfield@gmail.com

  • Previous employment: Business owner and project manager

  • Political background:  Served at the helm of several boards of directors for local charities and organizations, including the Rochester Police Foundation (immediate past chairman), Penfield Little League, Boys and Girls Club, Rochester Regional Health Foundation, and Rochester Rotary Club.

Penfield Town Justice

Paula Casey Metzler (Republican, Conservative)

Penfield Town Council (2)

Kevin Berry (Democrat)

  • Email: berryforpenfield@gmail.com

  • Previous employment: Vice President of Programs and Services at The Arc Wayne.

  • Political background: From 2001 to 2023 I served as the President of the Greater Rochester LGBTQ+ Political Caucus. This is my first run for public office.

Linda Teglash (Democrat)

  • Email: TeglashforPenfield@gmail.com

  • Previous employment: I possess over two decades of professional experience, beginning my career in Information Technology with General Motors and its subsidiary. I ascended from entry-level positions to leadership roles, which included managing multi-million-dollar budgets and supervising teams of varying sizes. Currently, I work as a consultant with a local small business. I served on the board of the Penfield Strikers soccer club in various capacities and currently sit on the board of the Max Velocity Track & Field Academy, overseeing registrar duties and website management.

  • Political background: I have volunteered with local nonprofits, served on boards, and actively engaged with residents to address their concerns.

David Bast (Republican, Conservative)

  • Email: VotePenfield@gmail.com

  • Previous employment: New York State Trooper; United States Armed Forces Veteran

  • Political background: Presidential Security Specialist for the President Reagan administration; Protective Service Trooper for Governor Pataki administration; Penfield Republican Committee

Allyn E (AJ) Hetzke, Jr (Republican, Conservative)

  • Email: VotePenfield@gmail.com

  • Previous employment:  Owner of IlluminFx, a lighting company in Rochester.

  • Political background: Chairman of the Penfield Planning Board for 26 years, the last nine as chairman.

Other offices on the ballot in Penfield

Find information here on other Monroe County races including Monroe County Legislator seats, District Attorney and several judgeships.

Who is on the ballot in Monroe County towns and villages?

Monroe County | Brighton | Chili | Clarkson | East Rochester | Fairport | Gates | Greece | Hamlin | Henrietta | Irondequoit | Mendon | Ogden | Parma | Penfield | Perinton | Pittsford | Riga | Rochester | Rush | Sweden | Webster | Wheatland

What questions will NY voters answer on November ballots?

New York voters will decide on two proposed tweaks to the state constitution in November, each dealing with the amount of debt that local governments and school districts can accrue.

One proposal would remove a relic from the 1950s that set lower borrowing limits for small-city school districts like White Plains and Utica than for all other school systems. Approval by voters would end that disparity and give 57 districts more spending leeway for construction projects.

The other referendum would extend for 10 years a key exception to the debt limits for counties and municipalities. If approved, their limits would continue to exclude bond debt taken on for costly sewer projects.

Learn more about the proposals here.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Who's on the ballot in Penfield NY? 2023 election candidates