Mike Stalter To Seek Independent Line in November Race

By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
MILFORD

Mike Stalter, a former sheriff’s deputy who is challenging his old boss Sheriff Richard J. Devlin Jr. for Otsego County sheriff in the Republican primary in June, has told AllOtsego he also plans to pursue an independent candidacy in November. To date, no Democratic candidate has been announced.

“I fully intend on having an independent campaign as well, regardless of what happens in the Republican primary,” Stalter said in an interview at a candidate meet and greet at the Cooperstown Cheese Company on Saturday, March 28. “I truly want my Republican brothers and sisters to get behind me and to support me. I am a Republican. Always have been, that’s just a fact, and I want their support.”

Only registered Republicans can vote in the June 23 primary between Stalter and Devlin. The last day to register to vote in the primary is Saturday, June 13.

Stalter said he did not want political party to prevent people from supporting him.

“I don’t want somebody to feel left out or to feel that there’s a political affiliation and they have difficulty. I want somebody to look at me and vote for me because they believe in me.”

If Stalter were to lose the primary to Devlin, who has already earned the endorsement of the Otsego County GOP, its leader County Board Chair Edwin Frazier Jr., and many local GOP leaders, it would set up a November rematch where all registered voters can pick a candidate.

The Independent candidacy could help stitch together a broad coalition in Stalter’s efforts to unseat Devlin, who is running for his sixth four-year term. Stalter said he is campaigning full-time to earn support. Since the start of his campaign, Stalter has shown a willingness to buck the party line and establishment to gain support.

The meet and greet was also attended by other insurgent Republican candidates who are facing opponents with strong party backing, including Sullivan County Legislator Terry Bernardo, who is running against Assemblyman Chris Tague for the 51st State Senate District nomination, and Alex Portelli, who is facing State Senator Peter Oberacker for the NY-19 Congressional District nomination.

Hartwick resident Sarah McGuire told AllOtsego she was there to “get the word out about what great representatives” Stalter and Bernardo are.

“I do believe that sometimes shaking things up is a good answer, too,” McGuire said of Devlin. “Tenure doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve done a great job for a long period of time. So perhaps someone new, like Sheriff Mike, will offer some different solutions to the many problems that we have within the department.”

Stalter has met with members of the activist group CooperstownOneonta Indivisible, which has been a major organizer in recent local protests against the Trump administration and Sheriff Devlin’s 287(g) Warrant Service Officer agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agreement allows certain corrections officers to be deputized as immigration officers to facilitate the transfer of individuals in their custody with immigration warrants to ICE custody.

One of the main leaders of the group, Virginia Kennedy, told AllOtsego that while CooperstownOneonta Indivisible has not issued an endorsement, “You can be very clear about the fact that we are very much in favor of Mr. Stalter’s positions, both in how he intends to reverse that 287(g) agreement and how he intends to deal with being more communicative with the public.”

If Stalter “does run on the independent line, it’s something that we’ll seriously consider,” Kennedy said, stressing any potential endorsement would be the result of a group decision.

The chair of the county’s Democratic Party, Caitlin Ogden, also recently said that she personally would support Stalter’s November candidacy if no Democrat came forward. With no such candidate announced and the ballot access petitioning deadline of April 2, that is highly unlikely.

Reacting to the support, Stalter told AllOtsego, “I’m very happy. I want people to support my campaign. I want people of all political affiliations to hear what I have to say.” He added that he loves that “Lady Justice wears a blindfold” and “I am very supportive of anybody who wants to reach out and talk to me. We can either agree or disagree, but the thing we will do is we’ll have a conversation about it.”

Devlin did not respond to request for comment by press time.