Handful of key local races on Election Day
Elizabeth Cooper,Posted Nov. 2, 2014 @ 7:15 am
Mohawk Valley voters Tuesday will help decide who gets to represent them in a host of seats, from the governor’s office down to town offices.
Polls open Tuesday at 6 a.m.
At the top of the ballot are races for governor, state comptroller and attorney general.
Closer to home, incumbent Republican Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney is challenged on the Independence Party line by Republican Herkimer County Sheriff Chris Farber for the 101st Assembly seat. In the race for the 121st District Assembly seat, incumbent Democrat Bill Magee is challenged by Republican John Salka.
Three candidates are vying for a new Oneida County Family Court Judge spot: Republican Julia Brouillette, Democrat Dawn Catera Lupi and Independence Party candidate Karen Stanislaus.
And in Utica, Democrat Councilman Frank Vescera, is running on the Conservative party line against fellow Democrat and incumbent Frank Meola for president of the Common Council.
Meola, who was an at-large councilman, was appointed president in January, replacing William Morehouse, who was elected city comptroller. Also, Jack LoMedico, a Democrat, is seeking to retain his at-large council seat. The council previously appointed LoMedico to fill Meola’s vacant at-large seat after Meola became council president.
Running against LoMedico is Tim Trent, who is endorsed by the Oneida County Conservative Party. Trent replaces former Councilman James Zecca — who originally was endorsed by the county’s Conservative Party but was removed from the ballot after a judge ruled he couldn’t run due to term limits.
A number of candidates don’t have opponents. Among them is U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, R-Barneveld, who defeated Assemblywoman Tenney in the June Republican primary.
Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol and County Clerk Sandra DePerno are unopposed. So are Assemblymen Marc Butler, R-Newport, and Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica, and state Sens. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, and Dave Valesky, D-Oneida.
Many of the candidates for town seats also are unopposed.
