On Tuesday, Olean’s mayoral primary faced an interesting upset. A business owner beat out the long-time mayor for the Republican endorsement with 58% of the vote. However, she’s also already endorsed by the Democrats. Amy Sherburne discussed with BTPM her unique race for mayor that’s not over yet.
"We're all hoping for a future that's more vibrant, with a plan, with a direction," said Sherburne via phone with BTPM NPR. "We've been given a lot of state grants and we've done wonderful things with those, but it just sort of feels like we're stalled."
Sherburne’s family and their business Eade’s Wallpaper have been in Olean for 85 years. But Sherburne isn’t looking to the past.
“I think much like us, we had to change with the times, I think Olean does as well.”
Sherburne has never been elected to political office before, but says civic involvement has been an important focus of her life. She now hopes to focus on Olean’s future - and as mayor, she says she would focus on investing in city departments and infrastructure, improving tourism and bringing in new residents. She also wants to see Olean move beyond a manufacturing hub to also become a tech hub for AI and data centers.
"I think our area being that we're a climate haven, and our temperatures here, obviously, we all know are very much temperate, and to the to the side of being cold. Those are sort of the places in which tech companies need to be if they're going to have data storage. Along with that comes jobs, careers."
Uniquely though, Sherburne, a registered Republican, is already endorsed by the Democrats. Now, with the Republican nomination, she’ll be listed on the first two lines of the ballot come November, and on a third independent line. Current mayor William Aiello, who lost in the primary, will continue to appear on the ballot as an independent. But Sherburne feels she has a unique platform that unifies in a time of political division.
"I'm so honored that the Democrats have cross endorsed me, because I think really what it sends is a message that as a mayor of Olean, I will be a mayor for everyone, not just one party," said Sherburne.
