Making a Difference
The City of Geneva GOP is and has always been devoted to the people. That’s what being a Political Candidate is all about. It’s this intense dedication, passion, and devotion that fuels our candidates and their fight for change. Explore this site to learn more about the issues that The City of Geneva GOP is concerned with, their plan to tackle the problems and ways you can join the cause in Making a Difference.
MEET OUR CANDIDATES
Jim Cecere
Mayor - City of Geneva
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Address: Hamilton St.
Experience: Currently a board member at Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance and the Finger Lakes Visitor Connection.
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Work: Owner and operator of Finger Lakes Goods and VINIFERA New York, and will be opening VINIFERA Ithaca in June. His businesses center around offering locally made products, ranging from handmade soaps to wines. He's received international recognition for his work, including being named to the Future40 by Wine Enthusiast in 2023. Prior to coming back to Geneva, he held a series of executive positions in finance, and a stint in education.
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Personal: Born and raised in Geneva, Jim attended St. Francis-St. Stephen's, DeSales, and graduated from Geneva High. He received his BA from Hobart College and earned his Masters in Business Administration degree from Duke University. He also holds a certificate in International Finance from New York University.
Family: Jim and his partner, Kevin San Jose have three dogs; Hugo, Teddy, and Louis.
Charles "Rick" Barnard
Councilor At Large - City of Geneva
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Address: Ada St.
Experience: Holds a bachelor's degree in advertising design, as well as a bachelor's degree in Nursing, and has been an active volunteer locally; coaching and officiating youth sports. Rick's respect in the community earned him a unanimous selection by the Geneva City Council to serve on the former PRB- where he advocated for a fair and impartial approach and encouraged the committee to operate without agendas or bias.
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Work: Rick spent over a decade working in advertising and publishing, and 23 years in the behavioral health nursing field. Now retired, Rick is eager to fairly and passionately serve his community as a Councilor At-Large.
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Personal: A Geneva High graduate, Rick would be honored to help his fellow Genevans get the most out of their hard-earned tax dollars.
Family: Rick has been married for an admirable 46 years to his wife, Joan Ritter Barnard and together they have three adult sons.
Paul D'Amico
Ward 2 Councilor - City of Geneva
pdamico1@rochester.rr.com​​
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Address: Jefferson St.
Experience: Having fairly and honorably served his constituents as their Ward 2 City Councilor from 2006-2019, Paul's procedural knowledge and extensive experience on city council makes him a truly invaluable candidate.
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Work: Retired Investment Advisor Representative with Metlife.
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Personal: Has served as a volunteer for numerous non-profit organizations over the years- holding leadership positions in all. He was named the "Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 2003".
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Family: Paul thoroughly enjoys spending as much time as he can with his four wonderful grandchildren.
Peter Gillotte
Ward 4 Councilor -
City of Geneva, Incumbent
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Address: Angelo St.
Experience: Finishing up his first term serving on Geneva City Council, Pete has proven himself an asset in local government; prioritizing accessibility to his constituents and offering a fair, educated approach to difficult topics. Currently the council liaison to the Police Budget Advisory Board and Geneva BID, he previously served on the Geneva Local Development Corp. and Geneva Board of Ethics and has been very actively engaged in city council meetings since 2020. He holds an associate's degree from SUNY Cobleskill, a bachelor's from RIT, and a master's degree in health administration from Roberts Wesleyan College.
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Work: Pete owns and operates Chef Peter Gillotte Catering and is proud to be a small business owner, formerly owning Alice’s Kitchen and Angelo’s Take N’ Bake. He has also held positions at Mariott as an Executive Chef and Food Service Director & District Training Chef, and as a Homeless/Behavioral Health Administrative Officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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Personal: He is a Geneva Fire Department Active Volunteer Firefighter- Accountability Officer, a 4th Degree Member with the Knights of Columbus, President of the Sons and Daughters of Italy, an American Culinary Federation Professional Culinarian, and a member of the Sons of the American Legion. Pete spent decades coaching Lacrosse in Geneva between Hobart College and the Geneva High School.
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Family: Pete and his wife Jessica have two grown sons, David and Brian, a grown daughter, Regina, and grandchildren.
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Jamie Kaim, Jr
Ward 6 Councilor - City of Geneva
jk.nyram@yahoo.com​​
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Address: N. Wadsworth St. ​
Experience: It would be difficult to find someone as passionate and familiar with the unique needs of Ward 6 quite like Jamie Kaim, Jr, whose family has resided in the same neighborhood since the late 1800's. A proud graduate of Geneva High School, Jamie is a graduate of the Simmons Institute of Funeral Service. His unmatched dedication to his community even earned him "Neighborhood Member of the Year" for the East Lakeview neighborhood in 2015 for his volunteer work and event planning.
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Work: Since 2001 Jamie has worked in the City of Geneva as a NYS Licensed Funeral Director.
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Personal: He is an active member of the St Francis DeSales Church and has dedicated the past 23 years serving in various roles with the Knights of Columbus, Sons of Italy, Geneva-Ark Lodge #33, Geneva Chapter #36 RAM, Geneva Shrine Club, and more. Jamie currently serves as CEO of Damascus Shrine out of Webster and is the Vice President of the Grand Chapter of New York Royal Arch Masons. Last year, he volunteered as a Geneva Little League Softball and All Stars assistant coach, and spends the holidays ringing bells and delivering meal packages for the Salvation Army and other organizations.
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Family: Jamie is the proud father of three beautiful children; Maria (12), James (11), and Ava (10), who are sixth generation Genevans. ​
James Babb
Ontario County Supervisor- District 2
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A lifelong resident of Geneva, Jim is eager to represent the residents of District 2 at the county level.
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A dedicated volunteer with the Geneva Fire Department for over 35 years, Jim's commitment to his community has been lifelong. He works for Our Lady of Peace Parish and faithfully attends church services.
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Joseph Adulte
Ontario County Supervisor- District 3
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Joe, a Geneva resident since 1998, is a former business owner, landlord, and independent contractor with Community Unified Today. He has served with the Geneva Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter for over 25 years, holding roles as VP and Lieutenant of the Hydrant Hose Company and being honored as "Fireman of the Year".
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A dedicated leader, Joe has decades of experience in public service, business, and community advocacy.
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He is a proud member of the NAACP and the African American Men's Association, working to uplift underrepresented communities.
William J. Hart
Supervising Geneva City Court Judge
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Hon. William J. Hart has served as the Supervising Judge of Geneva City Court since 2020. Prior to that he served as an Ontario County Assistant District Attorney for almost 26 years and before that he was in private practice for over 6 years. A Geneva native, Hart was admitted to the practice of law in New York State in 1989, following his graduation from SUNY Buffalo Law School in 1988.
Bill is a lifelong parishioner of Our Lady Peace Parish, a life member of the Nester Hose Company of the Geneva Fire Department, a member of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, Geneva Lodge 2397, the Knights of Columbus Council 272 and the Sons of the American Legion Squadron 396.
He resides in Geneva with his wife Kelly (Cecere) and their children Erin and Joe.
Leslie Hickey
Geneva City Court Judge
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Hon. Leslie Hickey has been serving as Geneva City Court Judge since 2021 when she was appointed by Mayor Steve Valentino. A lifelong Geneva resident, Leslie has been an attorney since 1998. As an elected Geneva City Court Judge, Leslie will be following in the footsteps of her father, David Cohen, who also held this position.
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