Two open seats on the town board have no candidate on the ballot
By Andrew Harris
Alma NY has weathered years of government instability and 2023 was no exception.
Early in 2023, two board members resigned abruptly. They cited that a failure to follow proper procedures and policies as reasons that they could not continue serving the town of 785 people.
Late last month, the Town Clerk and Tax Collector resigned for similar reasons. Former Town Clerk and Tax Collector Heather Trask had this to say in her resignation letter:
“Laws need to be followed in order to have a functioning town”
Between the instablity and the turnover, the upcoming town election is a reflection of the times in Alma.
To avoid any more confusion we asked the Allegany County Board of Elections to explain this election scenario:
There are 5 people running for the 2 full term Council Members seats (vote for any 2)
The resignations of 2 Board Members in May (Reynolds & Dunham) were not in time for petitioning. The Democrats had an opportunity to place names for those seats (they are the only Party with party members on the County Committee) but were unable to find anyone during the time frame allowed by election law. Those 2 seats will be open to anyone who cares to do a write-in campaign. This will be for the 2 write-ins that get the most votes.
The Town Clerk will not be on the ballot in 2023. It has an expiration of 2024.
Of the four town council member seats that are on the ballot, two will be decided by “write-in” votes, or the seats will remain vacant until the new board makes appointments.
At this time no known “write-in” candidate is asking for support in the town of Alma for the November 7 election.
Five candidates are vying for the other two open seats on the council. Incumbents Bill Cox(DEM) and Jerry Currier(REP) are on the ballot along with three challengers. Paula Clayson is no stranger to the last decade of instablity in Alma. Michelle Dunbar, also a former town official is seeking a seat at the table. Josh Pye is running for a seat on his own party line, “Pye for Council.”
The Wellsville Sun hopes that all the candidates on the ballot will submit a statement asking for support and answser some questions about the future of Alma. Any “write-in” candidates who are asking for public support for the two “candidate-less” should contact us as soon as possible. WellsvilleSun@yahoo.com
