The upcoming election for village trustee will be a contested race. Village resident Jim Lanning filed his paperwork to run for a seat on the village board.

Lanning, who will run under the United Neighbors Party banner, submitted 61 signatures to the village clerk on Wednesday, Feb. 8, one day after official petition filing opened.

Under village election law, a candidate must submit 50 signatures from village residents in order to be eligible to be placed on the ballot.

“It’s exciting to have competition for what is, essentially, a volunteer position. I hate to see uncontested elections,” Lanning said. “It’s healthy to have a regular turnover on village boards; and we’re all friends, we all know each other, so it will be a friendly race.”

Lanning will run against current board incumbents Sue Jones and John Cromp, both of whom are currently collecting signatures for their candidacies, although neither had as of press time officially submitted the paperwork.

Lanning, 49, is a 41-year resident of Skaneateles and 1980 graduate of Skaneateles High School. He owns and manages an income property in the village and works part-time as a constituent service staffer in the Syracuse district office of U.S. Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle. He also is a member of the town Zoning Board of Appeals.

Lanning currently is a returning college student, attending Cayuga Community College to finish his Humanities/Liberal Arts degree.

Lanning ran for village trustee last year, placing third in a three-person race behind current trustees Mary Sennett and Marc Angellilo.

“I had a strong showing last year although it was my first time out,” Lanning said. Since then, he has been “vigorously” attending all the village and town board meetings in order to observe and learn, he said.

“I am going to win this election because I have the most heart and compassion for this village,” Lanning said. “I’m also hoping more people jump into the race.”

Jason Emerson is editor of the Skaneateles Press. He can be reached at [email protected].