Hartwick Town Supervisor Candidates To Meet in Public Forum

HARTWICK—The League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area will hold a candidates’ forum for the position of Hartwick town supervisor on Sunday, October 25 from 4-6 p.m. in the Town of Hartwick at the Hampton Inn Empire Room, 4882 Highway 28. Incumbent Cody Moore, the Republican/Hartwick United candidate, will face challenger Andrea Vazquez, Conservative/Forward Focus candidate. The Hartwick town supervisor is the only contested town election in northern Otsego County.

“The league will only hold a forum when at least two of the candidates running for an office agree to meet. We persisted with our negotiations for this meeting, and Ms. Vazquez agreed as long as the forum would be held in the Town of Hartwick,” explained Maureen Murray, the league’s voter service chair. “We were delighted we found a suitable place because we believe voters should have an opportunity to meet the candidates in person.”

The venue will only accommodate about 30 people, but the league plans to livestream the event via Zoom. People should plan to arrive early, and the doors will be closed when the room is full. Information about viewing via Zoom is available at LWVCooperstownArea.org.

Members of the public may submit questions for candidates before the forum by e-mailing lwvcooperstown@gmail.com. Senders must include their names, their town of residence, their mailing address and which candidate(s) the question is for. These questions will be reviewed and vetted by the league before being posed by the moderator. No questions will be taken from the public via Zoom the evening of the event; only those in the audience will be able to pose questions. Questions must be received by noon on Saturday, October 24.

The LWVCA had extended invitations to all candidates running in contested elections in northern Otsego County to participate in candidates’ forums. In the sheriff’s race, Republican candidate Mike Stalter agreed; sitting Sheriff Richard Devlin declined to participate. Contenders for Otsego County legislators for Districts 6, 7 and 8 were also invited to meet for a candidates’ forums. In District 6, Joanne Tobey (Dem) agreed but her opponent Thomas Snyder (Rep, Con) did not reply to the invitation. In District 8 Andrew Marietta (Dem) also agreed to participate, but his opponent William Day (Rep) did not respond to the league’s invitation. In District 7, incumbent Leslie Berliant (Dem), who is running against James McCartney (Rep), accepted the league’s invitation, however, Mr. McCartney had to decline as he was not available within the time frame.

“Voters need to hear more from the candidates than what is found on social media or in political ads. These candidates’ forums give the public an opportunity to ask questions and to compare how the candidates respond to the issues. And how they comport themselves in public,” noted Murray. “These candidates do not have large campaign budgets, so the only way people in rural areas can learn about those running for local offices is by hearing from them directly. This event will help everyone make an informed choice on Election Day.”