The November election has an interesting contest for the Wellsville Town Justice. A retired state trooper and commander is facing off against a retired three-term mayor and retired Alfred University official.
The race opened up when Karl Graves (former legislator and Sheriff's Lieutenant) stepped down recently due to health concerns. Former Justice Shaun Walsh agreed to fill in until the end of the year.
David Gresham served 27 years with the New York State Police, many of those in the town of Wellsville. Gresham served as a state police station commander in Allegany County. He was also the Director of the state police western regional crime laboratory. Gresham, who lives on North Hill Road has been selected to run on the Republican line. He has lived in Wellsville for 37 years.
On the Democrat side running for office is Susan Goetschius. She was a high-ranking official at Alfred University as well as a three-term mayor in the village of Wellsville. She gained attention when in her third term, she ran on the 'Brighter Futures Party' and as an independent...and won, an uncommon occurrence in Wellsville. While in office, Goetschius managed police and fire services for the largest municipal village in Allegany County. Goetschius was instrumental in bringing Microtel to Wellsville. In 1996, she also spearheaded emergency response efforts during a massive flood in Wellsville. The election is November 5th.
