A rare Republican primary is taking shape for this year's Erie County sheriff contest, and with it the potential for a November ballot packed with as many as five candidates.
The convoluted scenario began unfolding Wednesday morning when retired Buffalo Detective John C. Garcia said he will challenge endorsed Republican Karen Healy-Case in the June primary. Though Garcia has lined up several influential Republicans and built a substantial campaign treasury, GOP leaders remain committed to electing Healy-Case as the county's first woman sheriff.
Nevertheless, Garcia said he is prepared to buck party leaders and mount a Republican primary that is also expected to include Steve Felano, a gun rights activist.
"After a 25-year career with the Buffalo Police Department, now is the right time to seek this office," Garcia said this morning. "I was not the endorsed candidate, but I'll let the Republican voters decide who is the best candidate.
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"I was disappointed," he said of failing to win the party nod, "but I respect the process."
Garcia also said he will ask Erie County Conservative Chairman Ralph C. Lorigo to reconsider after his party also backed Healy-Case earlier this month.
"I will reach out to the Conservative Party chairman and respectfully request he allow me to run a primary on the Conservative side," he said.
Lorigo rejected Garcia's request, and criticized him for recently joining the GOP, seeking its endorsement, and then running against it.
"If you want to be part of a political machine you need to work within the framework of that political machine," he said. "This is the exact opposite."
Nevertheless, Garcia said he has about $170,000 in his campaign fund now and expects to have $250,000 for the June primary.
Garcia's decision now opens a host of ballot possibilities that could diffuse the vote. They include:
• If Garcia wins the GOP contest, Healy-Case would remain as the Conservative candidate. That could split the normally united Republican-Conservative vote against the Democrat.
• Democrats are expected to endorse Cheektowaga Assistant Police Chief Brian Gould when they meet on Saturday.
• The Working Families Party postponed its sheriff endorsement that been slated for Tuesday evening after some party members hoped to coax back into the race former Buffalo Deputy Commissioner Kimberly L. Beaty, who withdrew last week.
Beaty, the current director of public safety at Canisius College, said Wednesday she had been asked to rejoin the contest by many supporters but will not because of family considerations.
"I need the Democratic Party line to win this race," she said. "And when I make a commitment, I stick to it and will not go back on my word."
Now, the Working Families committee is expected to choose between Gould and activist Myles L. Carter. If Carter gets the endorsement, that could further diffuse the vote against Republican or Conservative candidates.
• Amherst Police Detective Lt. Ted DiNoto, is hoping to take advantage of possible split votes on an independent line.
Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy J. Zellner said his party is poised to back Gould on Saturday.
"Our one candidate who has gone through the process is Brian Gould, and I expect him to be endorsed Saturday morning," he said.
Still, Zellner noted the possibility for myriad candidates and reiterated his disapproval of the "fusion voting" process that allows major party contenders to run on minor party ballot lines.
"That's the way it should be," he said, adding he hopes Working Families will not adopt a "spoiler" role by endorsing Carter.
Zellner's Republican counterpart, Karl J. Simmeth Jr., said he also recognizes the possibility of a crowded ballot, and continued an apparent "anti-team" theme aimed at Garcia.
"Sure I'm concerned about that, but sometimes a person's ambition gets in the way of the team," he said. "Our mission statement from Erie County headquarters is that we will have a law and order candidate for the law and order taxpayers of Erie County."
