Luz Torres
The Chautauqua County Legislature unanimously approved the appointment of Luz Torres as the Democratic Election Commissioner. Torres was the original name submitted by the County Democratic Committee back in October 2020, but was never acted on by the Legislature. In April, the State Supreme Court invalidated the appointment of Loren Kent as Election Commissioner as he did not have the backing of the County Democratic Committee.
Jamestown Democrat and Legislature Minority Leader Chuck Nazzaro said while the Democratic caucus doesn’t agree with Judge Keane‘s decision, they decided not to appeal, “We decided it is in the best interest of the Democratic Party to move forward and start the healing process. The caucus still believes that the process used by Democratic County Committee to recommend an Election Commissioner was flawed and they did not use proper procedures.”
Fredonia Legislator Christine Starks said she received countless calls, emails and visits from people on this issue. She said as a legislator, she takes her role very seriously, “Each vote reflects what I think is best for the county as a whole. And it is a difficult task to bring a divided group together. My sincere hope is that we can move forward with integrity. I’ve always supported women in leadership and I hope you’ll join me in supporting Luz Torres.”
The Republican caucus voiced support for the Democratic caucus in moving forward while also praising Torres’ experience and expertise. Luz Torres has been serving as acting Democratic Election Commissioner since March when Norm Green retired.
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