WAYLAND – Steuben County Assistant District Attorney Patrick
McAllister’s path to election in November as Steuben County Surrogate Court
Judge has cleared considerably, with the announcement his former opponent,
Chauncey Watches, has suspended his campaign for the judgeship. Watches
announced his campaign suspension on his Facebook page and through a published
release.
McAllister credited the voters for his solid 2,988 -2,665
win in the Sept. 12 GOP primary.
“First of all I want to thank all my supporters, in every
party, for their confidence and their votes,” McAllister said. “I also want to
assure all county residents I will do my utmost to serve their interests as
surrogate judge. I want to acknowledge Chauncey, his family, his staff and his
supporters who ran a vigorous campaign. I look forward to working with Chauncey
as we both do our part to serve justice in Steuben County. I also still
encourage everyone to get out and vote on Nov. 7th”McAllister said he will extend his campaign by continuing to
meet with voters from all parties during the weeks leading up to the Nov. 7
General Election.Watches explained his decision to suspend his campaign came
too late to have his name removed from the November ballot, adding as a sitting
justice he is prohibited from endorsing McAllister.“I've known Pat McAllister as a friend for a long time and I
wish him well,” Watches said.McAllister announced his candidacy in early February and
conducted a strong grassroots campaign.An attorney for 35 years, and former county legislator,
McAllister now maintains a private practice in addition to his work as a county
assistant district attorney.His work in Steuben’s Surrogate Court includes the probate
and administration of estates and all aspects of guardianship proceedings and
adoptions. He also has experience in felony matters and Family Court, where he
has represented hundreds of children. McAllister looks to fill the vacancy left by county Judge
Marianne Furfure, who will retire after 20 years on the bench.
