Wright Republicans to Host Gibson August 10th

Town of Wright Republican Club has announced that they are hosting a Chicken BBQ on Sunday, August 10th, during which Republican Congressman Chris Gibson is scheduled to address the crowd.

The club has reserved the Gallupville School House, located on School Street in Gallupville, to host the day's festivities which will include take out dinners starting at 4:00 p.m. and a sit-down dinner at 5:00 p.m until they exhaust their food. Gibson is scheduled to speak at 6:00 p.m. 

Dinners are $10 and 1/2 Chicken only is $7. Pre-sale tickets are available at the Gallupville Corner Store or George Karlewicz at 518 872-1261 or George@KarlewiczAssociates.com or Lynn Herzog at 518 895-9078 or LynnHerzog68@gmail.com

Former Mayor Plays Prominently in Cuomo TV Ad

Andrew Cuomo may likely be headed for an easy re-election across the whole state, but is calling in for local support in Schoharie County. Cuomo has unveiled a series of new ads statewide, including a prominent former official. Former Middleburgh Mayor William Ansel-McCabe is seen with the Governor in the new ad touting the Governor's record over the last four years.

In 2012, Ansel-McCabe emphasized his tight relationship with the Governor, saying that he was a close political ally. If the ad is any indication, the former Mayor could help bring about a local boost for the chief proponent of policies that have affected Upstate-- from the tax cap to Common Core to the SAFE Act.

The ad can be seen here.

County GOP Backs Lopez, Seward

The Schoharie County Republican Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night to nominate Assemblyman Peter Lopez and State Senator James Seward for re-election in their respective campaigns. There was no opposition and the nominations were confirmed by voice vote. 

Town of Middleburgh Councilwoman Sue Makely nominated Mr. Lopez, while former Town of Cobleskill Councilman Ryan McAllister nominated Mr. Seward. Both nominations were quickly seconded and the Secretary was instructed to close the polls and make one vote for the nominees. 

Schoharie County Vice-Chairman Chris Tague oversaw the proceedings in Chairman Lewis Wilson's place. Both Mr. Lopez and Mr. Seward stressed the importance of this fall's statewide elections, while Mr. Tague reminded committee members that there will be a handful of local elections as well. 

Sacket Honored by Schoharie County GOP

Schoharie County District Attorney James Sacket was honored by the Schoharie County Republican Party as the 2014 Republican Man of the Year award recipient in their 67th annual Lincoln Day Dinner Thursday evening at the Caverns Palace. 

The annual event hosted over one hundred Republican faithful and featured several guest speakers, including Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors Tony VanGlad, Assemblyman Pete Lopez, State Senator Jim Seward, and Congressman Chris Gibson.

Mr. Sacket was introduced by 2013 Republican Man of the Year Judge Dan Lamont, who described the five-term District Attorney as a fair practitioner of the law and deserving of the GOP's recognition.  

Shortly after Mr. Sacket was named, his wife Rhonda was announced as the 2014 Women's Republican of the Year award honoree by Gilboa Town Councilwoman and 2013 recipient of the award Dottie Pickett. 

The couple, who have been married since 1994, were joined by their two children at the event.

NY 19 Race Gains National Attention Contrasting Two Candidates

On the sidebar of Real Clear Politics today there is a link to a Politico article about the contentious NY-19 Congressional race between incumbent Chris Gibson (R) and newcomer Sean Eldridge (D). With both candidates likely to win their parties' primaries, the backgrounds of the candidates is coming under close scrutiny.

Gibson, 49, is a decorated veteran who served multiple tours in Iraq. Eldridge, 27, is funding his effort through a private equity firm he founded with money from his husband's profits from co-founding Facebook.

Photo credit: Politico

Politico tracked both candidates down and found different approaches in their styles and substance:

Regarding Eldridge:

Chartock came away without any real sense of the candidate. 

 Eldridge sounded like “what a young person thinks a politician should sound like,” the radio host said in an interview. “He’s right on all the issues, but what I think people are looking for is a person. He’s extremely bright, has all the assets that you need to run. But it’s cookie cutter.”  

 .....

 For a while, Eldridge had his eye on another congressional seat. In 2011, he and Hughes, who had been living together in a SoHo loft, purchased a $5 million estate in Garrison, N.Y, positioning Eldridge to run in the neighboring 18th District. But in November 2012 that district’s Republican congresswoman, Nan Hayworth, lost reelection to a Democrat. So Eldridge looked north to the 19th District, where Gibson had just won a second term.

Regarding Gibson:

On Feb. 24, 2005, during combat in Mosul, Iraq, Gibson suffered shrapnel wounds in his right leg and the right side of his face. A few fragments remain in his leg. In his Washington office, the congressman keeps a piece of the rocket-propelled grenade that hit him.  

Gibson says his modest means helps him identify with voters in the middle-class district. During a daylong car ride through the area’s rural back roads, he said an “empathy factor” would play a prominent role in the race.

Local Republican, Democratic Party Finances in Rough Shape

In an all-out effort to capture a majority on the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors last November, the Schoharie County Republican Committee spent over $8,200 in campaign and post-election funds to support their candidates up and down the ballot, according to disclosure reports filed by the Republican committee to the New York State Board of Elections. 

Although the end result has Republicans occupying ten of sixteen seats on the county legislature, the GOP's treasury has been left almost non-existent with little more then $550 in funds left in their campaign coffers; a familiar situation for both parties after local elections. Republicans had roughly $900 on hand after the 2011 campaign, and even less the year before. 

The financial situation isn't much better across the aisle. After spending an unprecedented $14,000 in defense of their legislative majority and against incumbent Republicans, the County Democrats are sitting on slightly less than $1,100 in cash, but with no significant electoral achievements to show for their campaign spending spree.  

Both committees are expected to fundraise heavily through out 2014 and into next year as political insiders expect several contentious rematches to spring up across the county electoral landscape. National and state elections rarely cost local parties more than a few thousand dollars, as their focus is inherently closer to home, but they offer good fundraising opportunities. 

As Schoharie County Considers Administrator Proposal, Montgomery County Welcomes First Executive

Town of Schoharie Supervisor Gene Milone's proposed County Administrator position has set off a countywide conversation on a issue that has jumped on and off again the Board of Supervisors radar the past two decades, in a debate that mirrors neighboring Montgomery County's recently reviewed and voter approved change in government.  

 

After operating under a governing system that closely resembles that of Mr. Milone's proposal for approximately twenty five years, where a County Board of Supervisors of fifteen members (10 Town and 5 City of Amsterdam) and an appointed administrator handled public business, Town of Glen Supervisor Larry Coddington successfully initiated efforts that led to the establishment of the County Government Study Committee in early 2012. They were tasked with conducting research into altering the county's form of government.

 

The Committee's findings led to the subsequent creation of the Montgomery County Charter Commission that over three months found that the previous system failed due to the, "personality conflicts and differences of styles between the County Board of Supervisors (legislators) and the County Administrator." 

 

Commission members subsequently drafted and proposed a new form of county government. One that replaced the existing Board of Supervisors with a nine-member legislative body, put in place an elected County Executive and received both Board of Supervisors approval and slightly over 60% of the public's support in November, 2012.

 

Matthew Ossenfort, who previously worked in Assemblyman George Amedore's office as Chief of Staff and holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration, was elected to serve as Montgomery County Executive this past November. Voters also elected nine district level legislators to replace the outgoing Board of Supervisors.  

 

The issue of County Administrator is expected to be discussed at the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors monthly board meeting on Friday, January 24th at 9 am. Lawmakers are not expected to take immediate action on the proposal, but the choices that Montgomery County made may weigh heavily on their own decision making.

Poll: Readers Approve of Sheriff Desmond's Job Performance

Schoharie News readers, by a margin that closely resembles the November election, approve of Sheriff Anthony Desmond as head of Schoharie County's law enforcement apparatus. Mr. Desmond, who previously served as Town of Sharon Springs Supervisor, was recently sworn into his second term in office.

Do you approve of Sheriff Desmond's job performance?

Yes - (132) - 52%

No - (112) - 44%

Undecided - (8) - 3%

And vote in our new poll on our sidebar!

Blenheim Residents Respond to Cherry's Letter

Three weeks after Schoharie County Treasurer and Flood Recovery Coordinator Bill Cherry wrote a scathing letter to members of the Blenheim Long Term Recovery Committee and the Blenheim Town Board over what he described as, "damning and accusatory statements about me personally [by former Supervisor Robert Mann Jr and BLTRC Chairman Don Airey], and more specifically, about my delay in submitting the latest proposal to FEMA relating to the Blenheim Covered Bridge," citizens of the small municipality had the chance to speak out Monday evening, and did they ever.

 

After Supervisor Shawn Smith read aloud Mr. Cherry's letter to the assembled townsfolk, the overall response was unfriendly to say the least. Town Councilman Joe Ward kicked off a thirty minute discussion on the letter and the Blenheim Covered Bridge by calling the Treasurer's comments, " very vitriolic verbiage." One resident, who referred to the Flood Recovery Coordinator as, "Czar Cherry," accused Mr. Cherry of being, "an arrogant liar," that is the crux at the table.

 

Mr. Airey, who was referred to several times in Mr. Cherry's infamous letter, addressed the audience by listing several grievances and corrections, one being that he had, "no issue with Bill Cherry holding the submission," but that he wanted members of his committee and the town board to be afforded the opportunity to review its contents. He would later go on to condemn Mr. Cherry's selective list of Supervisors he sent the email to and its publication in the Schoharie News, while stating that his concerns stem only from being a resident of the Town of Blenheim.

At this point Mr. Smith, who allowed town residents to openly discuss their concerns and offer comments, spoke of Mr. Cherry's abilities in other flood impacted communities across the county and urged that, "If we can all get on the same page, we can work together." He would go on to describe his early relations with the Treasurer as good, although some residents still felt otherwise about Mr. Cherry's intentions, even suggesting that he recuse himself from further handling the Blenheim project and accusing him of, "thumbing his nose at the county Board of Supervisors."

Supervisors Appoint Public Officials, Set Committees and Discuss Abatements at Organizational Meeting

Incoming Supervisors had their plates full in Friday night's organizational meeting, as they filled a slew of appointed positions, set committees, discussed the possibility of adopting countywide tax abatements and heard a proposal to hold two monthly board meetings among other business.

 

First off, they kicked off this year's legislative session by electing Town of Gilboa Supervisor Tony Van Glad to serve as Chairman of the Board and former Board Chairman Phil Skowfoe as Vice-Chair, cementing the anti-Conservative Party coalition in power and seemingly avoiding the partisan struggle Americans have grown accustomed to in national and local politics between the two major parties.

 

With Chairman Van Glad at the helm, the Board would go on to approve a series of resolutions that would fill a number of appointed positions and designate the county's official newspapers, banks and a host of emergency related task forces. Among those appointed were Sheryl Largeteau as Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, Bill Cherry as Budget Officer, Phil Skowfoe as the Supervisors representative on the County Board of Health and Michael West as County Attorney.

 

The Mountain Eagle and the Times Journal were named as Schoharie County's official newspapers, for legal notice purposes, while the Bank of Richmondville, Bank of America, NBT Bank, Community Bank, Key Bank, National Bank of Coxsackie and J.P. Morgan Chase were named as depositories for county funds.  

 

Soon after discussion turned toward committee assignments, which Chairman Van Glad put together in a bi-partisan manner that has both Democrat and Republican members of the board as committee chairmen, with Supervisors Barbic of Seward, Buzon of Middleburgh, Bradt of Carlisle, Lape of Richmondville and Skowfoe of Fulton each head of two.

 

However, feeling that Supervisors aren't educated enough in the workings of the standing committees, Town of Schoharie Supervisor Gene Milone recommended holding two monthly board meetings, a proposal that was cast aside in favor of better communication between the respective committees and the board as a whole.

 

Mr. Milone would go on to address freshman legislators on the controversial tax abatements passed in the Town of Schoharie in 2013 and added that he hoped the county board would vote on possibly joining Schoharie's efforts later this month at the regular meeting. Town of Middleburgh Supervisor Jim Buzon backed up Mr. Milone's proposal by telling board members that he was looking at presenting the issue to his own town board and that he felt it, "Could draw people into the area."

 

The idea of countywide tax abatements was met with opposition by Town of Carlisle Supervisor Larry Bradt, who felt taxpayers would eventually have to make up the difference in cost, to which Mr. Milone adamantly stood behind his proposal stating, "There is no cost that is shed to anyone else on this," adding later that, "If it doesn't work, nothing changes."

 

Chairman Van Glad ended discussion by telling lawmakers to, "study your work," as Mr. Milone intends to bring the issue to a vote at the regular January meeting, scheduled for the 24th at 9am, to see whether there is a consensus on abatements, which will be followed by a public hearing if there is.

Van Glad Elected Chair of Board of Supervisors, Skowfoe Vice-Chair

Town of Gilboa Supervisor Tony Van Glad was elected by fellow members of the County Board to serve as Chairman for the 2014 legislative session in a split party-line vote early Friday evening. He received 1693 weighted votes to previous Board Chairman and Town of Fulton Supervisor Phil Skowfoe's 1281.

 

Mr. Skowfoe would then be elected Vice-Chairman near unanimously, receiving fifteen of sixteen supervisors support, with only Town of Seward Supervisor Harold Vroman casting a vote for Town of Richmondville Supervisor Richard Lape, resulting in Skowfoe being elected the County's number two by a lopsided 2862-112 margin.

Newly elected Board Chairman Tony Van Glad,
photo courtesy of the Daily Gazette

The vote, which was conducted by call of the roll, mostly followed party-lines with Town of Broome Supervisor Bill Smith, a Republican, being the exception by supporting Democrat Phil Skowfoe, who was elected in 2013 as the head of a bipartisan coalition aligned against the Conservative faction.

 

After a brief intermission to allow Chairman Van Glad and Vice-Chairman Skowfoe to recite the oaths of their newly elected offices, Van Glad thanked a majority of the Board for supporting his candidacy and said that he would, "like to think we could have a bipartisan year," signaling the coalition of Mr. Skowfoe's administration is alive and intact.

 

Board of Supervisors Chairman Election Roll Call

 

Barbic of Seward - Phil Skowfoe

Bleau of Wright - Tony Van Glad

Bradt of Carlisle - Tony VanGlad

Buzon of Middleburgh - Phil Skowfoe

Federice of Conesville - Tony Van Glad

Jordan of Jefferson - Tony Van Glad

Lape of Richmondville - Tony Van Glad

Manko of Sharon - Phil Skowfoe

McAllister of Cobleskill - Tony Van Glad

Milone of Schoharie - Phil Skowfoe

Skowfoe of Fulton - Phil Skowfoe

Smith of Blenheim - Phil Skowfoe

Smith of Broome - Phil Skowfoe

Van Glad of Gilboa - Tony Van Glad

Van Wormer of Esperance - Tony Van Glad

Vroman of Seward - Tony Van Glad

 

 

 

New Supervisors to be Seated in County Board Organizational Meeting

Five new Supervisors* will take their place around the County Board's u shaped table tonight, setting in place a politically diverse and interesting mix of freshman and incumbent legislators for the 2014 session that will begin with the election of a Board Chairman and Vice-Chairman.  

Some freshman lawmakers, including Supervisor Federice of Conesville and Supervisor McAllister of Cobleskill, have already held or were scheduled to hold organizational meetings in their respective Town before tonight's countywide initiation of affairs, while for others this will be their first acts in elected office.

It also ushers in a trio of younger, more politically independent lawmakers that the County Board of Supervisors has not seen in quite some time, they include Supervisor Bleau of Wright (who took her seat in December), Supervisor Jordan of Jefferson and Supervisor Smith of Blenheim, all three of whom have extensive knowledge of local government from previous elected office or public employment.

Knowledge that all sixteen Supervisors will have to use in breaking down their personal political barriers and to form a governing coalition behind one of three leading candidates in this evening's vote.

For many in the room, this will be their twentieth plus time they elect a Chairman of the Board, but with the six newly elected members comprising a third of the overall weighted vote total, 2014's freshman class holds a lot of political power for incoming legislators, and as such, should act with great responsibility.  

* Broome Supervisor Bill Smith included

Schoharie County Conservative Party Sees 26% Growth Since 2011 Election

The Schoharie County Conservative Party, which has long served as a valuable third-party addition to local and statewide candidates competing in New York's fusion voting system, has not only played a pivotal role in several campaigns the past three off-year election cycles, but has witnessed a dramatic increase in voters within their ranks.

 

Although historically relying on cross-over votes to fuel their third-party line, Schoharie County's branch of the Conservative Party of New York has seen their membership increase 26% in just two years from a little over four hundred party faithful in November 2011 to five hundred and twenty strong just last month.

 

Local Conservatives are primarily clustered in the Towns of Cobleskill (91), Schoharie (55) and Sharon Springs (37), with supporters stretching from sparsely populated Blenheim to politically feisty Gallupville and all the way to sleepy Seward on the opposite end of the county. Their ranks include Town of Wright Supervisor Amber Bleau, suspended county Personnel Director Cassandra Ethington and Cobleskill Stone owner Emil Galasso.

 

According to the New York State Board of Elections, the party remained stagnant in voter registration for years within Schoharie County until November 2011 between April 2012 when over half of their growth occurred. Coincidentally, that was the same period when the party's allies in county government reached their high-water mark.

 

However, Conservatives suffered severe political losses this past November, losing four allies on the Board of Supervisors in addition to watching Todd Ethington's Sheriff campaign self-implode as his wife's role in county corruption was unveiled by the Fitzmaurice Report that also led to their Chairman Bill Hanson's removal from the Public Works Department.

 

Regardless of where they stand now, with only two identifiable allies on the Board of Supervisors, the Schoharie County Conservative Party is a political force to be reckoned with, which is proven by their 26% growth in voter registration since the conclusion of 2011's off-year election and influencing public policy within local government.

Poll: Readers Disapprove of Skowfoe's Job Performance

Schoharie News readers, by a large margin, disapprove of incumbent Board Chairman Phil Skowfoe's job performance as head of the embattled Board of Supervisors this past year. Mr. Skowfoe, the Town of Fulton's Supervisor, was elected to the position in January and has overseen the release of the infamous Fitzmaurice Report.

 

Do you approve of County Board Chairman Phil Skowfoe's Job Performance?

 

Yes - (40 votes) - 27%

No - (96 votes) - 64%

Undecided - (12 votes) - 8%

 

This follows an earlier Schoharie News poll that showed Mr. Skowfoe trailing Supervisors Milone of Schoharie, Van Wormer of Esperance, Van Glad of Gilboa and Manko of Sharon Springs for public support to serve as Board Chairman in the new year.

Poll: Yes to a County Executive

Schoharie News readers strongly back the creation of a County Executive in order to remedy some of the issues revolving around recent political strife. With a new County Board looking to fix many of the issues revolving around the abuses of the Conservative Party faction, a new position may be in the works.

Do You Support the Creation of a County Executive?

Yes, a strong one with veto power	67 (45%)
Yes, like a City Manager-type advisor	30 (20%)
No	37 (25%)
Undecided	12 (8%)

These results back Schoharie Supervisor Gene Milone's assertion that many of the issues that led to Cassandra Ethington's rise could be solved by restructuring certain parts of County government.

Skowfoe Leading Candidate for Board Chairman, Republicans Divided

 One might think, with November's election resulting in Republicans regaining control of the Board of Supervisors, that incumbent Board Chairman Phil Skowfoe is either facing an uphill battle to retain his position or is politically dead on arrival in the new year. However, you would be greatly mistaken.

After three weeks of making phone calls, e-mails and sitting down with various Supervisors - both returning incumbents and freshman legislators - there seems to be little to no consensus within the newly elected Republican majority, while the Democratic minority is united behind Mr. Skowfoe of Fulton.

According to sources with knowledge of the Board's inner-political workings, three potential candidates have emerged within the Republican ranks as viable contenders in next month's chairman election: Carlisle Town Supervisor Larry Bradt, Gilboa Town Supervisor Tony Van Glad and former Board Chairman Earl Van Wormer of Esperance.

However, none of the three candidates has widespread support through out the party, and two of the three have ruled out running altogether. Further complicating the situation is the private admission of one freshman Republican's support for the current board leadership, raising Mr. Skowfoe's weighted average to the lower to mid forties - well above any potential Republican at this juncture.

There are still several weeks between now and the Board of Supervisors organizational meeting in January - an eternity in politics - and anything could occur during that time to alter the dynamics of emerging alliances and coalitions on the county board, but as of now there is only one candidate with enough support to theoretically carry him across the goal-line.



Conservative Party Did Not File Campaign Finances, Appears to Violate State Law

The Conservative Party of Schoharie County has played a major role in local politics over the last decade under the tenure of current Chair William Hanson. From 2007 to the present it has staked out an independent tack, endorsing multiple candidates across the County for races from Supervisor to Sheriff to County Clerk.

However, as the third largest party in the County it is required to disclose financial transactions so long as they are above $1,000 total. Since 2007, there has not been a single filing.

There is every reason to believe that the Conservative Party has been involved financially in multiple races across the County. Direct evidence came this year in a mailer attacking County Treasurer Bill Cherry and Supervisors Carl Barbic, Gene Milone, and Phil Skowfoe. On the bottom of the mailer, it stated that it was paid for by the Conservative Party. Considering that 4,000 placards were printed and mailed-- it is inconceivable that the total cost was under $1,000.

When researched, there is no filing for the party at all. Not even a basic statement or a quarterly election summary. Not a mention of the mailer or its cost, as required by law.

State law is clear on the issue. On the NYS Board of Elections website there is no room for error.

Committees are required to file either an itemized campaign financial disclosure report, an In-Lieu-Of Statement (if qualified), or a No-Activity Report, as described, for each filing period: 

Itemized Campaign Financial Disclosure Report 

An itemized campaign financial disclosure report is a report disclosing the financial activity for a specific reporting period, detailed on applicable schedule(s), and where at the close of the reporting period, the aggregate of receipts or expenditures of the campaign have exceeded $1,000.

If there is no political activity or fundraising of over $1,000 the committee can report this instead and there would be no money figure attached. Still, with the creation and distribution of the infamous mailer, this does not seem plausible. Since this is the case, how could election law not be followed by a large party in Schoharie County?

Weighted Vote Totals in Schoharie County

With the polls finally closed across all sixteen towns that make up Schoharie County, and large changes across the Board, the Schoharie News has put together the town by town county board weighted vote totals so that our readers can not only better understand the significance of certain races over others but can track each board faction's strength.

Cobleskill - 481 (16.2%)

Middleburgh - 352 (11.8%)

Schoharie - 326 (11%)

Richmondville - 241 (8.1%)

Esperance - 204 (6.9%)

Sharon Springs - 184 (6.2%)

Carlisle - 176 (5.9%)

Seward - 164 (5.5%)

Wright -155 (5.2%)

Jefferson - 129 (4.3%)

West Fulton - 127 (4.3%)

Gilboa - 122 (4.1%)

Summit - 112 (3.8%)

Broome - 95 (3.2%)

Conesville - 73 (2.5%)

Blenheim - 33 (1.1%)



Anti-Incumbent Fervor May Prevent Ethington's Firing

Cassandra Ethington will be on the chopping block in next month's hearing, but there could be a severe issue about whether or not she would actually be axed. If the Board of Supervisors receives a stay in the meeting and it is delayed until late December Cassandra Ethington may be untouchable.

The question of how this would even be possible comes to light.

Much of it comes from electoral math. Voters are rightfully angry with the Board of Supervisors, but this anger against the Board as a whole may allow certain Ethington allies to win on Tuesday.

Ethington's closest ally Dan Singletary of Jefferson is almost certainly going to be defeated on Tuesday, but his less than 2% of weighted votes on the Board is almost insignificant during the firing process.

If the largest share of weighted votes represented by Cobleskill can stay in the hands of Ethington ally Thomas Murray, nearly 50% of the Board's votes are in the Conservative Party's backing.

Meanwhile the former Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Harold Vroman of Summit, has no opposition.

The entire balance of the Board of Supervisors would then come down to the third-largest share of votes-- and the balance of the majority. This is the Schoharie race between the first voice for the investigation that brought down Cassandra Ethington, Gene Milone and Conservative Party-backed Martin Shrederis.

If Shrederis, a known associate of the Ethingtons, wins on Tuesday along with Murray, enough votes could keep Cassandra Ethington in her job-- perhaps on extended suspension with pay. Beyond this, there is the possibility that the new majority would open hearings to try and discredit the findings in the Fitzmaurice Report.

Voters want incumbents gone, but it appears that many of the problems in the County are not based on incumbency, but rather candidates' relationships with Todd and Cassandra Ethington.

Conservative Party's Influence, Links to Ethingtons Questioned

The Conservative Party of Schoharie County is a legitimate competitor in our right-leaning County. The party itself controls over 1,000 registered voters-- counting over 10% of those that voted in the last County-wide race.

The Conservative Party does not simply tag along with the Republican Party. It has struck out on its own, regularly endorsing Democrats and since 2007 running its own candidates. There have been several large cases as of late, and the party's role in this year's races is certainly mixing up the established order.

Take the recent history, for example:

2007- The first large-scale effort of the Conservative Party to upend local politics. Former Middleburgh Mayor Gary Hayes lost his bid for the Republican nomination for County Clerk 70-30% against Indica Jaycox. Mr. Hayes was then backed by the Conservative Party. In the race against Mrs. Jaycox and Democratic former Middleburgh Supervisor Richard Shultes, the vote was split 60% Republican, 25% Democratic, and 15% Conservative.

2009- The Conservative Party proved to be the kingmaker in that year's races, giving a needed boost to both Cobleskill Supervisor candidate Thomas Murray and Sheriff Candidate Anthony Desmond. Both were also endorsed by the Democratic Party and ran on their lines-- but it was the Conservative Paty line that put them both over the top. In the race where Murray won by 9 votes and Desmond less than 50, the fusion ticket votes from the Conservative line handed them the victories.

2011- Coming off of the success of the 2009 votes, the Conservative Party backed Mr. Hayes again. This time Mr. Hayes ran on both the Conservative and Democratic tickets-- this time winning 36% to Mrs. Jaycox's 64%.

The largest push seems to be this year. Sheriff Desmond left his caucus with the Democrats and lost not only their nomination but also the Conservatives'. Meanwhile, Jefferson Supervisor Daniel Singletary lost the Republican nomination to Sean Jordan. The Conservative Party then endorsed Mr. Singletary and placed him on their line. In Wright, a registered-Conservative, Amber Bleau successfully gained the nomination for Supervisor. In Esperance, Mayor Steve Miller picked up the Conservative and Democratic lines for Supervisor. Tom Murray still holds the Conservative nod in Cobleskill. Martin Shrederis of Schoharie received both the Republican and Conservative Parties' backing.

The largest case, of course, is that of County Sheriff. Deputy Todd Ethington attempted to receive both the Republican and Conservative Parties' support. Ethington came in a distant third in June's Republican caucus behind newly-minted again-Republican Desmond and Deputy Duane Tillapaugh. The support of Conservative Party Chair William Hanson was vital for Ethington to receive the nomination.

The situation is significantly more complicated when taking all of the nominees into consideration. The Party has thrown it weight behind Todd Ethington. Cassandra Ethington, as Personnel Director, signed off on the hiring of Mr. Hanson and Mr. Hayes for different jobs. Beyond this, most of the nominees that the Conservatives have put up this year are explicit supporters of either Todd Ethington for Sheriff or have been of Cassandra Ethington's tenure as Personnel Director.

The Conservative Party already has a large influence on this year's election and will likely have at least some of its nominees win next week. Its future largely rides on whether these nominees can win a majority of the weighted votes on the County Board.