Incumbent town councilman Jack Jordan topped the voting in his bid for the Republican nomination, while Frank Stapleton edged Democrat Tim Malloy, who was seeking cross endorsement, for the second slot as Shandaken’s GOP caucused August 8 at Glenbrook Park on Route 42. The party also lined up behind incumbent town supervisor Rob Stanley, without challenge, and chose incumbent highway superintendent Eric Hofmeister over former highway boss Keith Johnson. Town Justice Tom Crucet and Democrat Mike Miranda were both endorsed for the two judgeships, both incumbents.
Shandaken Democrats meet for their own caucus, again in Glenbrook Park, on Monday, August 26.
With a little over 50 people in attendance and set to vote, current party chair Al Peck kicked things off by announcing that a committee had met and was making endorsements for candidates Stanley, Jordan, Hofmeister, and town justice Tom Crucet, all incumbents as well. Also running, unopposed, will be Ken Herdman for assessor.
Stanley, seeking his third two-year term, was nominated by Tina Rice and seconded by his father and later spoke about how he’d first decided to run for the Shandaken’s top job after figuring his hometown was “bigger than the bickering that preceded me.” He noted how everyone had pulled together to face the onslaught of Tropical Storm Irene two years ago, and worked on local recovery efforts together, as well.
“Unity makes us a more resilient community,” the former actor said. “We are the true heart of the Catskills here.”
Crucet, in office for 16 years now, faced no opposition and brought his fellow judge of the past eight years, Democrat Mike Miranda, before the gathered GOP so each could endorse each other for another term.
For the highway spot, Tricia Grant nominated Hofmeister, who has served for six years after running on each, and both, the Democratic and Republican tickets. Former supervisor Wayne Gutmann nominated Keith Johnson, a one-term highway superintendent who lost to Hofmeister in 2007. Johnson spoke about road work left undone since Irene while the incumbent talked about the huge amounts of damage done to town infrastructure, his fights with FEMA for reimbursement funds, and the new flood mitigation plans he helped inaugurate for the town.
Top vote getter
Jordan, a former school superintendent who served as the interim head of the Onteora District for a spell, faced off against fellow Republican Frank Stapleton, nominated by former GOP Club head Gerry Setchko and seconded by Gutmann, and Democrat Tim Malloy, who left the board last year and was seeking cross-endorsement, nominated by Gutmann and Rice.
Malloy talked about being a Shandaken native, his years in the U.S. Navy, and his 30 years spent “working on Main Street in Phoenicia” where he was a cook at Brio’s, among other food industry jobs.
“I missed it. As a councilman I worked well with my fellow board members,” he added. “I believe the next four years are going to be important for the town. I’m up for the job; I have experience and I’m very honest.”
Stapleton spoke about his 33 years in town and marriage to a local girl, his work with the Big Indian Fire department and maintaining the park in his home hamlet, where he also started an annual car show still running, as well as several businesses. Jordan noted his background working with large budgets and own marriage to a lifelong resident.
“I hope I’ve served you well,” he said. “I think we have a good chemistry on the board…”
In the final voting, Hofmeister defeated Johnson, in their third outing against each other, by 39 votes to 9. Johnson said, in closing remarks, that he would be seeking an independent line on the ballot in November.
For town council, Jordan was top vote getter with 41 while Stapleton took the second candidate’s spot, edging out Malloy 28-22.
Also speaking before the gathered Republicans were GOP county comptroller candidate Linda McDonough, who touted her 38 years as a bookkeeper as “real world experience” versus incumbent Democrat Elliott Auerbach’s years in government finance work. Incumbent Family Court judge Marianne Mizel noted the 44,500 cases she’s handled over the past 20 years. And finally, county District 22 legislative candidate Kevin Scanlan spoke, pointing to an investigation he and the GOP have mounted against incumbent Democrat John Parete for residing elsewhere than his Olive based business, the Boiceville Inn.
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