Diehl, Garcia win council seats; referendum voted down on Grand Island

By Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

Rhonda Diehl and Jose Garcia, on Tuesday, emerged as winners from a field of four candidates in a tight race for two seats on the Grand Island Town Board.

The townwide referendum on a community center went down to defeat by nearly a 2-1 margin in the general election. The center was slated for Alvin Road near the Welcome Center and would have been purchased through $10 million in bonds over a 15-year term.

Diehl, Supervisor Peter Marston’s administrative assistant, won 27.68% of the four-way race, with votes on the Democratic and Conservative lines; Garcia, an incumbent Republican, was a close second in the race, with 27.54%; running third was Realtor Wayne West, a Democrat, who garnered 24.47% of the votes cast; the fourth in the vote tally was former school board member Sherry Steffans, a Republican, who earned 20.14% of the votes.

Results are unofficial, per the Erie County Board of Elections.

Garcia was initially elected in 2024 to fill the remaining year of the council seat previously held by Marston, who won the race for town supervisor in 2023.

Successful Town Board candidate Rhonda Diehl is seen here with her campaign team at the Bridgeview Tavern.

Erie County Sheriff John Garcia and his nephew, Grand Island Council member Jose Garcia, celebrate their respective winning campaigns at the Sandy Beach Yacht Club on Tuesday night.

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Diehl a first-timer in elective office

Diehl, a newcomer to elective politics, said she is looking forward to adding her perspective and sharing ideas with others in town government.

“It will be exciting because I already know the players at the table and I already have a working relationship with them,” she said.

“I’m very passionate about two top things. The first is a capital plan – and that needs to start from the Town Board level – and involve department heads, and have an ongoing plan that’s very detailed.”

Diehl said that would put Grand Island in a good position for success in getting grants for town projects.

Her second priority is to improve the working relationship between elected officials and the town advisory boards.

“I also don’t think that our community understands those opportunities to step into those (advisory board) seats,” she said. “There’s a lot of knowledge here in our community and people who are willing and want to get involved and they don’t know how.”

Garcia wants to spur economic development

Garcia retired as a senior special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He also brings decades of law enforcement, leadership and small business experience to local government.

He said he was happy with the win.

“I’m glad that the people of Grand Island showed their support,” Garcia said. “I have a little bit of a body of work, so it convinced me that I must be doing something right. I hope I can continue on the path. I want to spur economic development on Grand Island. I want to see our failing businesses do better. I want to see our shuttered businesses come back to life.”

He said he wants to see the town continue to be a place that residents are proud to live in.

“I want to thank Wayne West and Sherry Steffans for running good campaigns,” Garcia said. “I give credit to anyone that does this because it’s truly for the community.”

Winning candidates in Grand Island's local elections came to the Sandy Beach Yacht Club to watch the election returns. From left, they are: Town Highway Superintendent-Elect James Sedita, returning Council member Jose Garcia, and returning Town Justice Mark Frentzel.

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West ran a grassroots campaign

West is a retired military officer with over 26 years of service. He has served the community as an instructor, trainer and zone manager for the Western New York AARP driver safety program. He also has worked with nonprofit and community groups and has experience in corporate management.

In his third try for a Town Board seat, West went door-to-door to talk with residents, made phone calls, and had a strong presence on social media.

“It’s been very interesting because people have seen things this time in me that they hadn’t seen earlier,” he said.

Steffans served as nurse, school board member

Steffans served the community as nurse, Grand Island school board member and community leader. Elected to the school board in 2021, she has championed mental health, expanded counseling services, and supported initiatives to improve student and staff wellness.

Community center plan rejected

The community center proposition was voted down by a margin of 4,001-2,144. The town learned that Niagara Hyundai would be vacating the property at 1910 Alvin Road in 2026. The site includes an office complex and 75 acres for subsequent development.

Marston had said the opportunity was unexpected and the site had potential, but it was up to the voters to decide.

“I think the Town Board did a good job,” Marston said. “We put an opportunity out there. They didn’t support it – that’s fine. They made a decision. We’ll move on. If there’s other opportunities, we’re going to put them out there. We’re going to let the people decide on it.

“I have no remorse at all.”