Get involved in local race

March 06, 2008 11:04 am

— It is still many months away and some people are already growing tired of the constant barrage of news about and campaigning for the presidential election this fall.

But as tired of politics as you may be, tonight there is a different election event that is focused on the village of Cooperstown and its future leadership. An event we believe is every bit as important as what’s happening nationally. The League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area is hosting a Candidates’ Night at 7 p.m. in the village meeting room.

This year the office of mayor and two seats on the village board are up for election.

Mayor Carol Waller is running unopposed for a fourth two-year term, so the mayoral race is, for all practical purposes, already decided. But there is a four-way race for the two open seats on the board of trustees. Those seats are currently held by Paul Kuhn, a Republican who decided not to run again, and Democrat Jeff Katz, who is seeking a second three-year term on the board.

The other candidates include two Republicans, Doug Walker and Neil Weiller and Democrat Jim Vrooman — all three are newcomers to village politics.

The evening will begin with opening statements from each candidate followed by questions from the audience and a closing statement. This format gives residents are excellent opportunity to quiz candidates on any number of issues of particular interest to them, and there are numerous issues to choose from.

Paid parking still looms large in the minds of some residents, and in one case so much so that a Main Street business man went so far as to suggest in a paid advertisement that ``no resident living in the village less than 15 years should be able to run for office.’’

Taxes always seem to be on the minds of voters and Cooperstown should be no exception. How to ease the tax burden on residents and still maintain village infrastructure is a multi-faceted issue the board has been struggling with for years. And when it comes to the village, should it remain a village or become a city in the hope of finding an answer to some of the financial woes it faces.

The list goes on and we hope candidates will find a meeting room full of residents eager to ask questions.