Republicans approve new elections commissioner | News, Sports, Vacancies

MAYVILLE — A new face will take over as GOP election supervisor for Chautauqua County.

At a special session of the Nuckole County Legislature, Ellis was appointed Republican Election Commissioner. Her appointment will take effect on January 1. Ellis will take over Brian Abram’s position. Abram served as Republican elections commissioner for 16 years.

Ellis was hired by Abram to serve on the Board of Elections six months after he himself was appointed to the position.

Ellis is also the current chairman of the Chautauqua County Republican Party.

Her appointment was unanimously approved by the Legislative Republican Caucus during the session. For technical reasons, the Democratic Party faction was not allowed to vote on this appointment.

Before the appointment was made, Assemblywoman Lisa Vanstrom, R-West Ellicott, expressed her support for Ellis.

“Tonight I will vote for her with pride. It has proven itself over the years,” she said.

Legislator Marty Proctor, R-Meena, agreed.

“There is no one more qualified than Nicole as she has served on the Board of Elections for many, many years and has done her job very well,” he said.

Legislator Jamie Gustafson, a Republican from Lakewood, had nothing but praise for Ellis, saying she has “great respect for her integrity and the hard work and dedication that she brings.”

Following the nomination, Ellis thanked the members for their nomination.

. “I really appreciate your support and promise to continue to do my best at the Electoral Commission,” she said.

Following Ellis’ appointment, Democratic Election Commissioner Luz Torres was reappointed to her position.

Torres was first appointed to the position in 2020 following the retirement of Norman P. Green.

Legislator Bob Bankoski, a Dunkirk Democrat, said Torres has done a great job.

“In the years since she took over from Norm Greene, she has done a phenomenal job and has essentially taken her office to the next level,” he said.

Torres’ position was approved unanimously.

Both Torres and Ellis said they respect each other and look forward to continuing to work for the benefit of the people of Chautauqua County.

After the meeting, Abram was approached and asked about his decision to resign.

“I just felt like now was the right time,” he said.

When asked about his retirement plans, he replied, “I’m actually going to go in a different direction, but I probably won’t say yet.”

When Abrams’ predecessor Terry Kniebel retired, Kniebel ran for and won a seat in the Chautauqua County Legislature, where he continues to serve.

Abram was asked about election changes during his tenure. He immediately laughed.

“Oh my God. When I first walked in the door, we were using a level. They gradually phased them out and this year we went completely to optical scanning and ballots in the system, which has been a continuous change for almost 16 years,” he said.