BY MIKE PETTINELLA
For Video News Service
Cathy Worthington’s announcement that she is running for a Stafford Town Board seat adds to the list of contested races in Genesee County for the Nov. 4 General Election.
Worthington, who has the Conservative Party endorsement, will be up against Republican incumbent board members Ronald Panek and James Duyssen, whose terms expired in 2025.
The Town of Stafford also has two people running for the highway superintendent position – incumbent Steven Boldt (R) and Nathan Merritt (C), while Town Clerk Barbara Radley (R, C) is running unopposed.
Other races in the county, according to information from the Genesee County Board of Elections website, are as follows:
GENESEE COUNTY
County District Attorney – Kevin Finnell (R), uncontested.
County Coroner, Unexpired Term — Sandra Owen (R).
County Legislator, District 1 Alabama/Oakfield – Chad Klotzbach (R), uncontested.
County Legislator, District 3 Darien/Pembroke — Gordon Dibble (R, C) vs. Michael Plitt (D).
County Legislator, District 5 Le Roy — Ninja-Aileen (Nikki) Calhoun (D) vs. Laurie Mancuso (R, C).
County Legislator, District 7 Batavia Wards 1 & 6 – John Deleo (R, C), uncontested.
County Legislator, District 9 Batavia Wards 4 & 5 — John Borrelli (D), F. Robert Bialkowski (R), Kathleen Briggs (C), three-way race.
CITY OF BATAVIA
City Council At Large (Vote for 3) — Samuel DiSalvo (D, Future of Batavia), Eugene Jankowski Jr. (R, C), Richard Richmond II (R, C), Nicholas Lord (R, C).
TOWN OF ALABAMA
Town Councilperson (Vote for 2) — Heather Schultz (R), Travis Warner (R).
TOWN OF ALEXANDER
Town Clerk – Unexpired Term — Colette Guarino vs. Shannon Bartholomew (R).
Town Council (Vote for 2) – Sarah Kohl (D), Brenda Post (D), Eric Wagner (R), Laura Schmieder (R).
TOWN OF BATAVIA
Town Supervisor – Gregory Post (R, C), uncontested.
Town Clerk – Amy DiSalvo (R, C), uncontested.
Town Justice — Andrew Young (R), uncontested.
Town Council (Vote for 2) – Daniel Underhill (R), Patti Michalak (R, C).
Town Highway Superintendent — Raymond Tourt Jr. (R), uncontested.
TOWN OF BERGEN
Town Supervisor – Ernest Haywood (R), uncontested.
Town Council (Vote for 2) – Karen Ely (R), Cynthia Anderson (R).
TOWN OF BETHANY
Town Justice – Jeffrey Wolak (R, C), uncontested.
Town Council (Vote for 2) – Diane Fowler (R), Steven Wells (R).
TOWN OF BYRON
Town Supervisor – Candace Hensel (D) vs. Jeffrey Thompson (R, C).
Town Clerk – Kristy Murphy (R, C), uncontested.
Town Council (Vote for 2) – Sara Stockwell (D), Joshua Kent (D, Byron Forward), Martin Dilcher (R), Steven Hohn (R).
Town Council, Unexpired Term – Brandon Mason (R), uncontested.
Highway Superintendent – David Leaton Jr. (R) vs. Gerald Heins (Byron Forward).
TOWN OF DARIEN
Town Clerk – Alice Calmes (D), uncontested.
Town Council (Vote for 2) – Michael Fix (R), David Krzemien (R).
TOWN OF ELBA
Town Supervisor – Daniel Coughlin Jr. (R), uncontested.
Town Council (Vote for 2) – Michael Augello (R), Charles Norton (R).
TOWN OF LE ROY
Town Justice – Earl Funderburk (D, American Independent) vs. Emily McNamara (R, C).
Town Council (Vote for 2) – William Lambert Jr. (D, American Independent), William Fox Sr. (R, C), David Paddock (R, C).
TOWN OF OAKFIELD
Town Supervisor — Dustin Reding (R), uncontested.
Town Justice – Thomas Graham (R), uncontested.
Town Council (Vote for 2) – Matthew Lamb (R), Peter Hilchey (R).
TOWN OF PAVILION
Town Council (Vote for 2) – Lee Brooks (R), Scott Savidge (R).
TOWN OF PEMBROKE
Town Justice – Edwin Mileham Jr., uncontested.
Town Council (Vote for 2) – Helen Trowbridge Hanes (D), Edward Arnold Jr. (R), Deborah Conti (R).
Cathy Worthington is likely to find little to no support among residents who know her and her antics as it relates to the Town Board Meetings. Her continual negativity on her Social Media posts outline a clear disregard for the existing board members and the unwillingness of the board to put up with her divisive behavior. The recent attempts of running for the Board has met with failure and in this writers opinion has brought shame and disgrace to the community.
Since creating a Social Media landscape for Stafford residents to keep up to date on town event, Kathy has, several times, demonstrated her lack of respect for procedure by outwardly criticizing the Board for her overly critical view of facts. The page became so marred with critical disdain, Cathy was forced to turn off comments by outraged and angry residents due to her stirring the pot. At one point Cathy threatened to take down the page if people continued to take a different side to hers only to be called a hypocrite by many for abusing her power to silence her critics.
Cathy Worthington is a good example of the kind of Conservatism that gives Conservatives a bad reputation. A position on the Board will slow down progress and bring to a halt the ability for the Board to agree on any topic that Cathy decides she wants to shoe horn in her personal agenda. Added to that is her inability to give the proper amount of time and attention to Board matters. She has missed a majority of Board meetings due to her profession and other family matters asking residents to video the meeting in her stead. This kind of leadership is not what the people of Stafford deserve. Cathy Worthington is an also ran that has scratched her way to be able to see a seat at the table. Her history with the town, while extensive, is nothing short of sour grapes as she has her own agenda while under the guise of her willingness to be a public servant. This writer has seen all too often the power of one bad apple in a barrel of not so good apples that will add division and create chaos in the name of progress. We need to hold the members of The Board accountable but not at the price of replacement with leaders who simply voice their opposition rather than bringing to the tables ideas and positivity. Cathy Worthington is that voice who says one thing but keeps her fingers crossed behind her back.