John Glenzer, Andy Goodell, Mark Thomas, Greg Edwards, Vince Horrigan, George Borrello and PJ Wendel all attended a luncheon at the Robert H. Jackson Center to share their memories of being in office.

Joseph Gerace, who was the first elected county executive, was unable to be in attendance in person, but recorded a 10-minute video, sharing his time. In the video, he highlighted how the county Industrial Development Agency was formed 50 years ago and was able to bring Cummins to the county. he said.

Gerace also talked about how they were able to create the county landfill. Before it was established, there were 45 open dumps in the county. he said.

Another accomplishment Gerace highlighted was the construction of the bridge over Chautauqua Lake and the creation of the sewer district around the lake.

OBSERVER Photo by Gregory Bacon Pictured are the different executives Chautauqua County has had. Standing from left: Greg Edwards, Vince Horrigan, George Borrello and PJ Wendel. Sitting from left: Jack Glenzer, Andy Goodell and Mark Thomas. In the photograph is Joe Gerace.

After Gerace’s video presentation, Glenzer was asked to speak about his time in office.

Gerace was a Democrat and Glenzer was a Republican, but it was evident Glenzer highly respects Gerace. He highlighted how popular Gerace was during his time in office and added that he wouldn’t have run if Gerace hadn’t left to take a state position made by former Gov. Mario Cuomo.

Glenzer noted how during his time the average homecare visit was $77, but the Jamestown Visiting Nurses Association did the same work for $27. It was then Glenzer decided for the county to leave the home healthcare business, a decision that upset many.

he said.

That first year, the county saved $350,000 alone.

Glenzer served from November 1983 to Dec. 31, 1989. When he decided not to run again, he encouraged his county attorney, who was Andy Goodell, to run for his seat.

Goodell, who is now the state assemblyman for the 150th district, reflected on his time as county executive. He compared it to riding a wild stallion. he said with a smile.

At one point during his tenure the county made $3 million on investments when the county’s tax levy was $32 million. Another time the state cut the county’s funding by 9-10% but they were still able to end the year in the black. The New York State Association of Counties had Goodell write a memo for all the association on how to handle budget challenges.

After two terms, Goodell lost to Thomas, a Democrat. He served from 1998 to 2005. During Thomas’ tenure the Jamestown Ice Arena was opened and the two industrial parks were put in place. He also worked with Gov. George Pataki to reopen Empire Steel under a new owner.

Thomas put a lot of effort in workforce training and development with Jamestown Community College and others. he said.

After two terms, Thomas lost to Edwards. A Republican, Edwards was not a county employee or former politician, but was recruited by Glenzer to run for office. Edwards said.

Edwards faced multiple challenges during his two terms. There was the Great Recession, the H1N1 pandemic, and a major flood that destroyed 37 homes and damaged 200 others in Silver Creek and in the south county.

He also noted how the state lowered the county’s sales tax rate against his wishes, which lowered the county revenue by $90 million.

After Edwards’ second term, he chose not to seek re-election and Horrigan, a Republican legislator from Bemus Point, was elected to the office. He noted that he was able to complete some of the items Edwards wanted to get done, including selling the county home and getting the sales tax raised so property taxes could be lowered.

Horrigan was also able to establish the North County Water District. His only disappointment was not getting Fredonia to join.

But Horrigan didn’t stick around long in the office. he said.

Borrello, who was a Republican legislator from Irving, was the next elected county executive. He shared that when he was a high school student, he worked on Glenzer’s campaign for office and later ended up in the same elected position. said Borrello, who is today a state senator.

Borrello noted that in his first 100 days as county executive, he visited over 100 businesses and saw a plethora of job openings. he said.

Borrello focused his tenure on workforce development and supported skilled trades.

Borrello also worked hard to bring together the different groups around Chautauqua Lake, noting that he was able to get 15 of 16 stakeholders to sign a memorandum of agreement. he said.

After two years, Borrello was elected as the state senator for the 57th Distract. Following his departure, Wendel was first appointed and later elected as county executive.

He noted that his tenure has been focused on COVID-19 and working with the state with all the restrictions that were sent out. he said.

Today, he’s working on getting the right people in place as some department heads have left and continuing to move the county forward economically. he said.

Glenzer thanked the county Legislature for how it has partnered with the executive branch during the last five decades. Glenzer said.