County GOP chairmen tap Joe Errigo to replace Bill Nojay
Republican Party county chairmen from Monroe, Livingston and Steuben counties selected former state Assemblyman Joe Errigo to replace the late Bill Nojay on the Nov. 8 ballot in the 133rd Assembly District.
Monroe County Republican Party Chairman Bill Reilich said Errigo, who served in the state Assembly from 2000-10, was the best pick to replace Nojay.
"I served with Joe in the Assembly," Reilich said, "and I'm familiar with his voting record. He votes in a manner that's consistent with this district."
Conservative Party leaders on Wednesday picked their Livingston County party chairman, the Rev. Jason McGuire, to replace Nojay on the ballot.
"Bottom line is I would like to make sure we maintain an upstate voice," said the Rev. Jason McGuire, adding that voters sent the message they wanted that voice to be a conservative one. "I certainly fit that bill."
The Republican Party chairmen in Monroe, Livingston and Steuben counties met in Geneseo to make their selection for who should run in Nojay's place in the 133rd Assembly District. A list of eight possible candidates had dwindled to six over the past 24 hours.
The Reform Party, which also had backed Nojay, continued a Wednesday meeting to Thursday, when they expect to decide between four potential candidates. Officials with the Independence Party, the fourth party line Nojay had secured, did not respond to messages left Wednesday.
"We're not working together, but we are trying to find the best candidate for that position," said Bill Merrell, New York state Reform Party chairman. "We are not a rubber stamp of any one party."
Nojay shocked colleagues last Friday when he shot and killed himself at his family plot in Riverside Cemetery. He was expected to appear in court that day to answer to fraud-related charges connected to a trust fund he handled as an attorney. In Tuesday's GOP primary, he beat Rick Milne, the mayor of Honeoye Falls, by 16 points, according to unofficial tallies.
Milne announced Wednesday that he did not wish to be chosen to replace Nojay on the November ballot.
"It is important for me to state that while I do not believe I would have been given real consideration as the approved candidate moving forward, if I were offered that appointment under these current circumstances I would not accept," he wrote in a faxed statement Wednesday afternoon, explaining he would not participate in an "unethical" process.
"I hold my honor, integrity, my respect of people and my ethical beliefs paramount. To be elected to the (Assembly) under the current process is something I will not do."
County GOP chairmen tap Joe Errigo to replace Bill Nojay
Milne's name likely was not on the short list, however. Livingston County GOP chairman Lowell Conrad said it would be "offensive to voters" to select Milne, as voters did not choose him when given the chance.
Milne showed his support for Errigo on Twitter, offering, "Joe Errigo is a class act and served well prior. He's a great choice and will improve representation for the 133rd."
Reilich has similarly said voters sent a message that they wanted a conservative Republican representative in Albany who would be as outspoken on their Second Amendment rights. Reached Wednesday, Reilich said he had not spoken with McGuire before the chairmen met but that the Conservative Party decision "certainly is a factor" in the GOP decision.
Reilich added that Errigo, a Livingston County resident, is a strong proponent of Second Amendment rights and is pro-life.
"We wanted to make sure we had a candidate who represents the values of this district," Reilich said.
McGuire said he was the only candidate considered by state Conservative Party leaders meeting in Brooklyn, as others dropped out. He said he has had conversations with Republican leaders but would not speculate further.
A vocal leader in the pro-life and pro-family movements, McGuire is executive director of New Yorkers Family Research Foundation and its affiliate New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. The Spencerport-based groups are self-described evangelical Christian organizations that work across the state to empower citizens to get involved in government and to lobby state lawmakers. McGuire has been with NYFRF since 2007.
He has a bachelor of theology degree from Andersonville Theological Seminary in Camilla, Georgia, and previously served as pastor of Ingleside Christian Church in Naples, Ontario County. McGuire and his wife, Lorenne, married in 1996 and have four children.
Bill Nojay, deceased, wins Assembly primary election
The 133rd District spans Pittsford, Wheatland, Rush and Mendon in Monroe County, as well as part of Steuben County and all of Livingston County. Party leaders in those three counties have 10 days, starting from the day Nojay died, to name a new candidate.
BDSHARP@Gannett.com
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