M.M. Tirion
Of the five Village of Potsdam Board of Trustee positions, 3 will be up for election or re-election this November: the seats held by Mayor Tischler and Trustees Lee and Jacobs-Wilke. Mayor Tischler and Trustee Lee have indicated they will not seek re-election.
For a candidate to get her/his name on the ballot, he/she normally attempts to win the Democratic or Republican primary caucus. During a primary caucus, Party members assemble on an agreed upon date and nominate candidate(s) for Trustee and Mayor. Someone seconds the nominations, and nominees are asked whether they accept the nominations. One or more nominees may be named for each position. Candidates are then selected by vote, usually a show of hands, and the winners will have their names listed on the ballot under their party line in November.
In local elections such as ours, it is also not uncommon for candidates to run without a party designation. For example, the Democratic caucus once did not complete the requisite paperwork on time, and the Democratic slate of candidates, including Mayor Ruth Garner, had to wage a write-in campaign. More recently, a number of write-in campaigns have been waged and won, though usually for un-contested seats.
If like me, you’re concerned about the increasing control the two-party system wields in the candidate-selection process, you can vote for the candidate of your choice as an unaffiliated write-in option, rather than under a party line.
But first: Who will run?
Local Government Matters 