Pendleton is mourning the loss of one of its own after the town announced the death of longtime council member David A. Leible.
Leible, 66, died Sunday. Friends said he was not ill and his passing came as a shock.
Leible’s obituary was published Monday on the town website, with an unsigned preface that reads: “It is with sadness that the Town of Pendleton announces the passing of Councilman David A. Leible. Councilman Leible faithfully served the Town for many years, and his contributions to our community will be remembered. … Thank you for your service to our Town, David. Rest in Peace.”
A 22-year member of the council, and a member of Wendelville Volunteer Fire Company for more than 30 years, Leible was also the endorsed Democratic candidate for town highway superintendent in this year’s general election. His designated committee to fill a vacancy will have to determine how to proceed within the next couple of weeks.
Today, Leible’s friends and associates are thinking about the various ways that he worked for the betterment of his community, as an elected public officer, a volunteer firefighter and a member of Pendleton Lions Club.
Fellow town councilman and Wendelville volunteer Scott Lombardo said Pendleton is experiencing “the loss of someone who works for the people.”
“He would do anything for you. He would always be there to listen. Maybe he couldn’t do anything about it, but he would listen to you,” Lombardo said. “He did that for his friends, he did that for his constituents,” even the ones he didn’t know.
“He was a community networker … for the benefit of the community,” fellow lifelong resident Jim Sobczyk said.
“Dave grew up in Pendleton and his heart was always here, with and for the residents. That was very important to him,” Town Clerk Debbie Maurer said. “His commitment and his care for our community will be greatly missed. We are all sad at his passing.”
A retired UPS Freight truck driver and a past commodore of the Niagara River Yacht Club, Leible the town councilman every now and then would cast the sole “no” vote on an agenda item, for instance a town budget that drove a tax hike or a proposed local law that he saw as infringing on residents’ rights. He opposed the council’s 2021 decision to restrict ATV use on the local Rails to Trails path, and when a full ban was proposed a few years later, he successfully led the lobbying against it. “I grew up in Pendleton. Throughout my childhood I rode snowmobiles, motor bikes, four wheels, ATVs. … I won’t be voting for it — again,” he told the Union-Sun & Journal in 2024.
Elected and consistently reelected to the town council as a Republican, Leible ended up endorsed by the local Democratic committee in his second run at the town highway superintendent’s post. He and incumbent superintendent David Fischer were in a Republican primary contest in 2021 and again this past June. Leible lost to Fischer both times.
Because Leible’s name is already on the November general election ballot, his appointed committee to fill a vacancy will have to decide whether to designate a substitute candidate. From the time the Pendleton town clerk issues a death certificate, the committee has 10 days to file a Certificate of Substitution with the Niagara County Board of Elections, according to election commissioner Lora Allen.
Chris Borgatti, chairman of the Niagara County Democratic Committee and a member of Leible’s committee to fill vacancies, said the latter committee will convene and he expects a substitute candidate will be designated, to ensure Pendleton voters have a choice in the election.
Funeral arrangements for Leible are being handled by Prudden and Kandt Funeral Home. Calling hours are 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 18, next Monday. Wendelville Volunteer Fire Company will do a closing ceremony at 6:45 p.m.