On November 7, Hornell residents will see names they’re not used to seeing on this year’s local election ballot.

Mayor Shawn Hogan will retire after eight terms, and these candidates are competing for his position.

They have a lot in common. Both were born at St. James Mercy Hospital, are lifelong residents of Hornell, and even share the same first name, but a lot sets them apart too.

John Buckley is the Republican Deputy Mayor under Hogan with years of political experience.

He’s worked for Wegmans for 25 years jumping through the ranks while maintaining a political career.

“I look at government as customer service,” Buckley said. “Without the residents, without the taxpayers, there’s no need for us. It’s our job, it’s my job to provide them with what they need and provide them answers to their questions and provide them services they rely on.”

John Lewis, WLEA Radio’s general manager, has no prior experience but says it benefits him in addition to running as an independent saying he can get along with individuals on both sides.

Mayor Shawn Hogan had no experience either prior to his first term.

Lewis worked in admissions at Alfred University but says what got him into politics was going to work with his father, a Hornell City firefighter, at a young age and constantly meeting public officials at City Hall when the fire department was attached.

His work at the radio station played a part too.



“At WLEA, we’re a lot of news talk and political talk and you can’t really escape it, so I was really getting entrenched in hearing about it,” Lewis said.

Buckley says some big issues he wants to tackle include the opioid epidemic, further improving economic development, and finding a new purpose for the old hospital once it relocates.

He adds that it wasn’t politics that got him started.

“It’s public service that I fell in love with and politics is a byproduct of that,” Buckley said. “They go hand in hand sometimes.”

Lewis says his experience with the budget at WLEA has made him fiscally responsible to handle the city budget.

Education is his passion too as a result of working at AU for about a decade.

“Win or lose, I think I’ll leave this race with a better appreciation for Hornell,” Lewis said.

Again voting is on November 7, but expect to see these two candidates campaigning in the Hornell area many times before then.