Tonawanda's town Democratic committee is still pondering its recommendation to fill the town supervisor job for the remainder of the year, following Supervisor Joe Emminger's decision to step down early.
Of those who publicly expressed interest was Tonawanda Town Councilwoman Jill O'Malley. But O'Malley said following conversations with former Erie County District Attorney John Flynn, he now has her confidence and support in filling the vacancy.
"I believe [Flynn] has a firm understanding of what the job entails, and he asked a lot of great questions to get a clear idea of some of the largest things facing the town right now," O'Malley told BTPM NPR.
The Tonawanda Town Democratic Committee will interview interested candidates for recommendation to the town board. The all-Democratic board will then vote on appointing that replacement for the remainder of 2026.
Committee Chair John Crangle told BTPM NPR that like O'Malley, several people expressed interest initially when Emminger announced his intention to step down early, but those candidates stepped aside once it became known Flynn was interested.
Crangle said Flynn is a "great candidate" with an "outstanding resume," that not only includes countywide office as a former district attorney, but prior positions in Tonawanda town government as a board member, judge and town attorney.
An official endorsement is likely to come in early May, after several meetings. Crangle still encourages all interested town residents to step forward for supervisor consideration, no matter their political stripes.
A special election will be held this November to see who will serve as town supervisor for 2027, which would have been the last year of Emminger's term.
Emminger is expected to step down formally sometime in May.
Tonawanda Republicans will have the opportunity to run a candidate in November's special election. Democrats have won every town board and supervisor election since 2007.
