CHILI

Chili's politics are messy, personal, and repetitive - with the same old faces showing up in new and old places. Things got especially delicious in the Republican primary when John Ferlicca hired a private dick to dig through Supervisor David Dunning's figurative trash. It was a new low, shocking to even the old guard, who are long used to Chili's wicked ways.

Dunning dispatched Ferlicca, but it was closer than it should've been, given Ferlicca's dirty trick and his association with an unpopular former supervisor. Why? Dunning's party switcheroo may still gnaw at some people, as well as his intrusion into the Microtel matter. Did he do anything wrong there? Hard to say. But something about it doesn't sit right.

To top it off, Dunning was unknown until his involvement in the "No Mall on Paul" movement, which he rode straight into the supervisor's seat. Former Supervisor Tracy Logel was so unpopular near the end of her term that a toaster oven would've made a viable opponent. Bottom line: Some Chili residents just may not trust Dunning.

Also in Chili: Democrats have endorsed Susan Vandervoort for supervisor, and Heath Miller and Dario Marchioni for Town Council. Miller and Marchioni will face incumbent Republicans Tracy DiFlorio and Mary Sperr.

Miller and Marchioni have been through the laundry before. Miller was head of the Chili Dems a few years ago, but resigned under mysterious circumstances.

Marchioni, a longtime Republican and member of the town Planning Board, got caught up in the Microtel kerfuffle and found himself on the wrong side of Chili power broker Bernie Iacovangelo. Thus, Marchioni's bid on the Democratic line feels like a "revenge candidacy" to us.

Sordid histories aside, Dems don't have much to play with. They've tried to make hay over the town's $1 million land purchase for a new highway garage, but voters have mostly shrugged.

Prediction: Incumbents sweep.

EAST ROCHESTER

Two years ago, Democrats gained two seats in this formerly Republican-controlled town-village: Jason Koon as mayor and Andrew Serrano as a village trustee. Koon had a rocky start. Residents crowded meetings to protest the changes he was making. And Koon had only one other Democrat on the board to back him up.

This election, Democrats are trying to take the majority. Herman Parson - who ran for a board seat in 2007 - and Patrick Coval, are up against Republicans Michael Flanigan and Ted Conners, who will try to keep their party's edge. Flanigan is an incumbent. Republican incumbent John Alfieri is not running.

East Rochester is dealing with some of the usual issues, including balancing taxes with services and spending. The Koon and Serrano victories suggest that ER residents weren't happy with the way Republicans were running the town. The question in this election: Do voters think their Democratic officials have done any better? Voter enrollment figures don't give either party any real edge.

GATES

A good Gates name like "Assini" was money, once. Show up at a few events, get your picture taken with the rest of the GOP "team," maybe do a pop in at the town hotspot, the Westgate Family Restaurant, and your future was assured.

What a difference 30 years and a flip in party dominance make.

This longtime Republican roost has been bleeding bright blue for awhile now. Dems finally broke through with the election of Mark McIntee in 2006. McIntee is the first Dem to sit at the dais since the days of disco, the pet rock, and Bugle Boy jeans.

McIntee says he's ready to make the jump: he's running for supervisor this year against Republican Mark Assini. Assini is a familiar face; he represented Gates in the County Legislature for many years. With the retirement of the seemingly unbeatable Ralph Esposito, the race is wide open.

Running for Town Board are incumbent Republicans Elaine Tette and Frank Allkofer, and Democrats Sue Swanton and Donald Hunter. Hunter is an unknown, but Swanton is the town's former library director and has run for supervisor three times. She's also the head of Gates' Democratic Committee.

The Town Board races will come down to voter turnout and endorsements, Esposito says. Tette and Swanton each have three lines. Allkofer and Hunter have two lines each. 

Supervisor prediction: toss up. Town Board: edge to Tette, Swanton.

GREECE

Oh, Greece. Is there a ‘burb deeper in the soup this year? 

Apparently jealous of all the attention given to the constant discord between Greece denizens and their school district, the police department has set its tasers to full-on meltdown. And why does it feel like the worst may still be yet to come?

For Greece watchers, the rotting starts from the roots. You've got a longtime supervisor, John Auberger, who is less than media friendly. The Town Board does not engage the public and is essentially a four-person extension of Auberger's will. Town Board meetings tend to whiz by and the outcome of every vote seems predetermined: agendas indicate who will move and second each item, and the votes are always unanimous.

Greece has been under one-party rule for about 20 years, and it shows in officials' complacency, entitlement, and lack of transparency. The town's slogan should be, says one insider: "Welcome to Greece, where local government is none of your business."

Auberger is being challenged by Democrat Dan Maloney. There are also contested races for each Council seat.

Prediction: Nothing changes, and that's a damn shame.

IRONDEQUOIT

Irondequoit is one of those towns that never lacks for controversy, regardless of who's in charge. If it's not the senior center, it's Medley Centre. If it's not the Route 590 project, it's the town libraries. Controversy even crops up over which roads get paved.

Irondequoit leaders have significant issues to tackle. Some involve a mix of economic and developmental issues, like reviving the East Ridge Road commercial corridor. It's location along the Genesee River, Lake Ontario, and the incredibly sensitive Irondequoit Bay pose myriad environmental issues.

The town has been under Democratic control since 2006, after Democrat Mary Ellen Heyman was elected supervisor and Debbie Evan and Gail Bello were elected to the Town Board. Those three are running for re-election this year. Republican Mary Joyce Daurizio is challenging Heyman, while Republicans Paul Marasco and Deborah Essley are challenging Evans and Bello.

Democrats have an advantage here: enrollment. They're up by about 2,000 heads. The odds favor re-election.

MENDON

Mendon has a fascinating political culture. Registration is heavily Republican, but Democrats hold the supervisor's office and two Town Board seats, giving them the majority. After Republicans lost two seats in the 2007 election, county Republican officials essentially fired the local committee.

So will the GOP redeem itself this year? Will Democrats hang on? It's difficult to make predictions along party lines. Mendon has an independent streak, that much is clear, and the town also has a sizeable population of voters who aren't affiliated with any political party.

The cramped, aging town library was, for years, one of the toughest issues to tackle - different boards, administrations, and committees tried. Last year, the town put out a proposal for a new library that passed and construction is under way.

But last year's budget included a double-digit tax increase, which could distract from the library accomplishment. That could prove troublesome for Democrats. Republicans, meanwhile, want to take back control of the town - and that means hammering on their opponents for that tax increase.

Democratic Supervisor Ian McNabb faces a challenge from Republican John Moffitt. In the Town Board races, former Democratic Supervisor Moe Bickweat and fellow Democrat Thomas Dooley take on incumbent board member John Rooney and former County Legislator Karla Boyce, both Republicans.