Listen to the pumpkin. Photo by Flickr user Tanner Lovelace; published under Creative Commons license.
In small-town America, odd years are where the political action is. On Tuesday, November 5, New York State goes to the polls to elect local officials.
Below, you'll find a guide to some of the Catskills' hottest races, with links to local news coverage, how to find your polling place and look up a sample ballot, and more. Remember, your vote counts -- and nowhere does it count more than in local races, which are often decided by a mere handful of votes.
STATEWIDE
Unless you live under a rock -- which, we admit, is a possibility around here -- you're probably aware that there's a referendum on casino gambling in New York State on the upcoming ballot. Supporters of the referendum say it will bring jobs and a much-needed infusion of cash into the local economy. Others say casino gambling causes more local economic problems that it solves.
Less ink has been spilled on the other five statewide questions on the ballot, which concern benefits for disabled veterans, sewage plant construction, land issues in the Adirondacks, and the mandatory retirement age for state judges.
The Town of Shandaken has put together some helpful links to the full text of the six statewide ballot proposals, so voters can peruse them before heading to the polls. Also useful: A NY1 story about the more obscure questions on the ballot.
Also on the ballot, for most of the Catskills region: A three-way contest for a single judgeship on the Third Judicial District, which covers Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties.
DELAWARE COUNTY
Intrigue abounds in Middletown this election season. Last week, Democratic supervisor Marge Miller abruptly pulled out of a scheduled debate with Republican challenger Nelson Delameter, after the town Republican Committee sent out a letter accusing Miller of "arrogance" and "offensive behavior." Under fire, Middletown's Democratic candidates opted to hold their own Republican-free forum.
The results of Middletown's election may have repercussions on the county level. Since her election two years ago, Miller has been waging a campaign on the Delaware County Board of Supervisors to bring the board's operating procedures in line with county bylaws. As with everything else in politics, this one's in the eye of the beholder: To Miller's supporters, it's a movement toward much-needed reform; to allies of the board's current leadership, Miller's crusade is rendering the board "non-functional."
Andes supervisor Marty Donnelly is unchallenged again this year, but with a full slate of new Democratic candidates on the ballot challenging incumbent Republicans Daniel Grommeck and Martin Liddle, it's still an exciting race.
Longtime Bovina supervisor Tina Mole has a challenger this year: Bea Sohni, running on the "Bovina Heritage" line. Sohni may not have major party endorsement, but she's got a sweet campaign HQ: The town's only general store, where she's the proprietor.
For a tiny town, Colchester's got its share of election drama this year. Supervisor Cindy Donofrio, who was appointed to the job after her predecessor Ted Fonda resigned, lost the Republican primary narrowly to former town councilman Arthur Merrill in September. On Tuesday, the two face off again in the general election: Donofrio is running on the Conservative and We The People lines.
Another incumbent toppled from his Republican perch in the primary: Delhi supervisor Pete Bracci, who will be running as an independent against newly-anointed Republican candidate Mark Tuthill.
Sidney's about to see a fresh face in the supervisor's office: Incumbent Republican Bob McCarthy, who has been a figure of controversy since he was elected in 2009, is stepping down. Facing off in the contest to replace him are Democrat Bill Heath and Republican Eugene Pigford.
Contested races in Delaware County towns are listed below.
Supervisor: Bovina, Colchester, Davenport, Delhi, Kortright, Masonville, Meredith, Middletown, Roxbury, Sidney
Town council: Andes, Davenport, Delhi, Deposit, Franklin, Kortright, Masonville, Meredith, Middletown, Roxbury, Sidney
Highway superintendent: Bovina, Franklin, Hamden, Kortright
Town clerk/tax collector/assessor: Andes, Kortright, Masonville
Town justice: Middletown, Walton
To find your polling place or see sample ballots, visit the website of the Delaware County Board of Elections.
GREENE COUNTY
Local politics-watchers have their eye on Windham this year, where town police chief Stacy Post is challenging incumbent supervisor Stephen Walker. If she wins, she will have to resign her law enforcement job.
The Hudson-Catskill newspaper chain is taking some flak from the fire-breathing bloggers at Smalbany, after publishing a profile of five New Baltimore Democratic candidates in this week's Greene County News and Ravena News Herald without profiling their Republican/Conservative/Independence counterparts.
It''s Republican vs. Republican in Prattsville this year, as a schism in the GOP pits two full slates of candidates against one another. "Prattsville Cooperative" candidates are rallying around incumbent supervisor Kory O'Hara, while "Unite Prattsville" candidates have the official endorsement of the town GOP.
Athens supervisor Lee Palmateer is stepping down this year, clearing the way for a contest between first-time candidate Joe Iraci, a Republican, and Democratic former village mayor Andrea Smallwood, a Democrat. The race for four open town council seats should be feisty, too.
History repeats itself in Jewett: Once again, the race is on between Republican incumbent supervisor Carol Muth and Democratic former supervisor Michael Flaherty.
Contested races in Greene County towns are listed below.
Supervisor: Athens, Coxsackie, Jewett, Lexington, New Baltimore, Prattsville, Windham
Town council: Athens, Cairo, Catskill, Coxsackie, Hunter, Jewett, Lexington, New Baltimore, Prattsville, Windham
Highway superintendent: Lexington
Town clerk/tax collector/assessor: Lexington, New Baltimore, Prattsville, Windham
Town justice: Lexington, Prattsville
Greene County is the only one of our five Catskills counties not to have posted sample ballots on their Board of Elections website ahead of the elections. (C'mon, guys.) But you can use their website to look up your polling site, and find a list of the candidates on the ballot.
SCHOHARIE COUNTY
Elections, schmelections. The political buzz in Schoharie County this week is all about The Report: a hefty tome of potentially scandalous revelations compiled by the Fitzmaurice & Walsh law firm, after a lengthy (and expensive) investigation into harassment and employee intimidation in county government. On October 24, county supervisors voted 14-1 to release the first half of the long-awaited report publicly. The second half was released on November 1, in a 10-2 vote.
The full report is available online at the county website. The Schoharie News -- a relatively new political news site run out of Middleburgh by Timothy McKnight -- has been reading through the report and posting disturbing tidbits. Two stories about the report in the most recent Times Journal also make for eye-opening reading. Much of the controversy centers on county personnel director Cassandra Ethington, but as a Times Journal headline promises, "no one looks good." Will the report affect the upcoming election? It remains to be seen.
One of the hottest races in the county this year is the three-way race for Schoharie County sheriff, between incumbent Republican Tony Desmond, Democrat Larry Travis, and Conservative Todd Ethington. All three have had long careers in local law enforcement: Desmond, a retired state trooper and former Sharon supervisor, has been sheriff for four years. Travis is the Cobleskill chief of police. Ethington -- who's effectively running against his own boss -- is a county sheriff's deputy.
A complaint was recently filed with the county Board of Elections about push polling in the Jefferson town supervisor race, in which incumbent Conservative Dan Singletary faces a challenge by Republican Sean Jordan. The two previously faced off in the September primary, in which Singletary lost the GOP nomination to Jordan.
Cobleskill supervisor Tom Murray, a Democrat, has a new challenger this year: Local businessman Leo McAllister, running on the Republican ticket. In the 2011 election, Murray held onto his seat against a challenge from councilman Ken Hotopp, despite a 2010 scandal over profoundly racist comments that forced village mayor Mark Nadeau out of office.
Cobleskill also has a village election Tuesday -- unlike most New York State villages, which hold their elections in March. Mayor Mark Galasso faces a challenge from village trustee Linda Holmes. Hot issues in Cobleskill include the proposed dissolution of the village, a failed deal to site a Butternuts brewery in the old Guilford Mills plant, and business expansion along Route 30.
Contested races in Schoharie County towns are listed below.
Supervisor: Blenheim, Broome, Carlisle, Cobleskill, Conesville, Esperance, Fulton, Jefferson, Richmondville, Schoharie, Seward, Wright
Town council: Broome, Carlisle, Cobleskill, Conesville, Fulton, Middleburgh, Richmondville, Schoharie, Seward, Summit, Wright
Highway superintendent: Broome, Conesville, Seward
Town clerk/tax collector/assessor: Broome, Conesville, Fulton
Town justice: Cobleskill, Fulton
Mayor: Cobleskill
Village trustee: Cobleskill
To find your polling place or see sample ballots, visit the website of the Schoharie County Board of Elections.
SULLIVAN COUNTY
Every local election serves up a bumper crop of independent political parties with truly astounding names. This year is no exception. Our personal WP office favorite, the Fat Lady Party, is back on the ballot this year, as Fat Lady Cafe owner Judith Maidenbaum takes another run at the seat of Bethel's incumbent supervisor, Democrat Daniel Sturm. (The FLP is no "The Rent Is Too Damn High Party," but pretty genius nonetheless.)
Voters in Bethel, keep a close eye on your ballot: It's Crumley vs. Crowley in the race for highway superintendent. (James Crowley Jr. is the Republican incumbent; William Crumley is his Democratic challenger.)
There's a three-way race on for supervisor in Mamakating, where Conservative incumbent Harold Baird is facing challenges from both Republican town council member John Moul and Democrat/Rural Heritage Party candidate William Hermann, who narrowly lost to Baird in the 2011 election.
Another three-way race is on in Thompson, where the power vacuum left by retiring supervisor Tony Cellini has emboldened three new challengers to step up to the plate: Republican Ramon Cedeira, Independent Jerry Fielding, and Democrat William Rieber Jr. Unsurprisingly, all three are hoping the statewide casino referendum passes.
This year's nicest race is probably the contest for Neversink supervisor, where longtime friends Mark McCarthy, the incumbent Democrat, and Don Starner, the Republican challenger, are duking it out for the job. (Sort of. The Sullivan County Democrat reports that each candidate has promised to throw his support behind the other, if he wins.)
Contested races in Sullivan County towns are listed below.
Supervisor: Bethel, Callicoon, Delaware, Lumberland, Mamakating, Neversink, Thompson, Tusten
Town council: Bethel, Callicoon, Cochecton, Delaware, Forestburgh, Fremont, Liberty, Lumberland, Mamakating, Neversink, Rockland, Thompson, Tusten
Highway superintendent: Bethel, Forestburgh, Fremont, Mamakating, Tusten
Town clerk/tax collector/assessor: Fremont, Tusten
Town justice: Liberty, Mamakating, Neversink, Thompson, Tusten
Village trustee: Fallsburg
To find your polling place or see sample ballots, visit the website of the Sullivan County Board of Elections.
ULSTER COUNTY
Dueling accountants: County comptroller Elliot Auerbach has a challenger this year. Republican Linda McDonough is hoping to best the Democrat for the upcoming four-year term. Both have substantial accounting and auditing chops. In campaigning, Auerbach points to his record in cleaning the Augean stables of the county health department, while McDonough claims the comptroller messed up on the sale of Golden Hill.
Thirteen of Ulster County's 23 legislative districts have contested races this year -- including the 21st, where county legislative chair Terry Bernardo will face challenger Lynn Archer. It's been a rocky election year for Bernardo, who forced -- and won -- a Republican primary after being snubbed by the county GOP for the nomination. Also holding contests between opposing candidates are Districts 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 16, 17, 19, 22 and 23. Unsure of which district you're in? Check out the county's district maps.
Woodstock's heated race for town supervisor, between incumbent Jeremy Wilber and challenger Lorin Rose, could be a squeaker. Over at the Kingston Times, the ever-astute Hugh Reynolds reports that local political insiders think the race may be decided by absentee votes.
With less than a week left to go before Election Day, a new candidate in Shandaken recently threw in her hat as a write-in to challenge supervisor Rob Stanley: Teresa Grant, daughter of the late former supervisor Neil Grant. In a Facebook post announcing her run, Grant says she's running in protest of the proposed 2014 town budget, which would raise the supervisor's salary by $5,000 a year.
With supervisor Berndt Leifeld retiring after almost three decades in office, Olive's is an election to watch. A full slate of Republicans and Democrats face off on Tuesday, battling for the upper hand in a town where Democrats have long held a majority. Note: Although he'll appear on the ballot in the supervisor's race on an independent line, town council member Bruce Lamonda says he's stopped campaigning, and is supporting the Democratic nominee, town clerk Sylvia Rozzelle.
In February, Plattekill supervisor Bruce Loertscher died, and Republican town council member Joe Croce was appointed to fill in. Now, Croce is running for a full two-year term, against Democratic challenger Robert Trainor.
All eyes in Saugerties are on the three-way race for town supervisor, where incumbent Republican Kelly Myers is facing challenges from both the left and the right. Seeking to best Myers on Tuesday are longterm former supervisor Greg Helsmoortel, a Democrat, and Gaetana Ciarlante, a Conservative. For a rundown of all the races on in Saugerties, check out the Saugerties Times's excellent election guide.
Election season is always a rocky time for tiny Hardenburgh, home to just over 200 people. In 2011, the town had no candidate on the ballot in the supervisor's race, after longtime supervisor Jerry Fairbairn stepped down in a huff over a benefits cut; Paul Ohsberg was elected as a write-in. This year, Fairbairn's back, challenging the Republican Ohsberg on an independent line. We've been hearing reports of creatively vandalized election signs on Hardenburgh's back roads -- well, let's be honest, they're all back roads. Try to keep it civil, guys.
Judicial races don't usually get a lot of attention, but they're important -- particularly in New York State, where town judges aren't required to have law degrees. The Ulster County Bar Association recently issued ratings for local candidates, based on interviews with those who opted to participate.
Contested races in Ulster County towns are listed below.
Supervisor: Denning, Gardiner, Hardenburgh, Hurley, Lloyd, Marlborough, New Paltz, Olive, Plattekill, Rochester, Saugerties, Wawarsing, Woodstock
Town council: Denning, Esopus, Gardiner, Hardenburgh, Hurley, Lloyd, Marlborough, New Paltz, Olive, Plattekill, Rochester, Rosendale, Saugerties, Shandaken, Ulster, Wawarsing, Woodstock
Highway superintendent: Gardiner, Hardenburgh, Lloyd, Marbletown, New Paltz, Olive, Saugerties, Wawarsing
Town clerk/tax collector/assessor: Esopus, Lloyd, Olive, Rosendale, Shandaken
Town justice: Gardiner, New Paltz, Plattekill, Rochester, Saugerties
City council: Kingston (Wards 3, 4, 6, 8, 9)
To find your polling place or see sample ballots, visit the website of the Ulster County Board of Elections.
