David Wilfong during a 2017 Meet the Candidates Forum when running for reelection for District 11 of the Chautauqua County Legislature
JAMESTOWN – It appears there will be a Republican primary for Mayor of Jamestown.
The Jamestown Republican Committee Tuesday night endorsed current District 11 Chautauqua County Legislator and County GOP Committee Chairman David Wilfong as its mayoral candidate for the 2019 election.
Wilfong is a lifelong resident of Jamestown who was first elected to public office in 2013 when he was voted into the Chautauqua County Legislature. He’s won reelection in both 2015 and 2017 and currently serves on the Human Services and Public Safety committees. In addition, Wilfong was selected as the chair of the County Republican Committee in September 2016.
Wilfong is currently the director of maintenance at the Rehabilitation Center in Olean. He is also a New York state certified building inspector and he has previously served in the U.S. Army for five years.
The committee selected Wilfong over current Jamestown City Councilman Andy Liuzzo – who announced his intention to run for mayor at the start of this month. Despite Wilfong getting the endorsement, Liuzzo said on his Facebook page Tuesday night that he will continue his campaign for mayor, forcing a party primary in June if both he and Wilfong can obtain enough signatures from city Republicans to appear on the ballot. Circulation of petitions will begin next week on Feb. 26 with a deadline of April 1.
Meanwhile, the Jamestown Democratic Committee will announce its endorsement for candidate for mayor on Thursday night. The pending endorsement comes after long-time current mayor Sam Teresi announced earlier this month he would not be seeking a sixth term in office.
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