The political parties have chosen their candidates and the upcoming election for Cazenovia village trustee will be a contested race between two current incumbents and the outgoing president of the Cazenovia board of education.
Current Mayor Kurt Wheeler will run unopposed for a second term.
Last week the Cazenovia Democratic Party held its caucus and selected incumbent village trustees Amy Weber Mann and Peggy Van Arnam to both run for reelection on the Democratic and Strong Community Party lines.
The Cazenovia Republican Committee met on March 27 and endorsed Kurt Wheeler for reelection to mayor and Frederick “Fritz” Koennecke for election as village trustee. Both men completed their candidate petitions and submitted them to the Madison County Board of Elections on April 8.
Wheeler and Koennecke are also currently obtaining signatures for the “Public Service” independent party petition in hopes of being on two party lines at poll time.
The Cazenovia village election will be held Tuesday June 18, with polls open from 12 to 9 p.m.
The League of Women Voters of Cazenovia will hold a forum for candidates for village trustee at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at the Municipal Building, 90 Albany St. The public is welcomed to attend and submit questions to the candidates on issues facing the village of Cazenovia.
Prior to the election, the Cazenovia Republican will publish detailed candidate profiles and information to assist voters.
The candidates in brief:
✓Peggy Van Arnam and her husband, George, have been residents of Lincklaen Street for more than 40 years. Peggy, a former teacher, career counselor and administrator of continuing education programs at Syracuse University, is a small business owner and member of Cazenovia Artisans.
She was first elected to the village board in June 2009 and reelected in 2011.
✓Amy Weber Mann is a 1985 graduate of Cazenovia High School and has a degree in political science from Amherst College. Her professional experience includes 10 years in the trust and investment management business. She lives on Sullivan Street with her husband Kevin and two sons.
She was first elected to the village board in June 2009 and reelected in 2011. She currently serves as deputy mayor and police commissioner.
✓Frederick “Fritz” Koennecke grew up in Cazenovia and currently lives on Audubon Drive. He attended the US Air Force Academy and during his military career served in numerous positions including Pentagon acquisition officer and flying squadron commander, and he served in several combat operations including Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Koennecke retired from the Air Force in 2005 as a lieutenant colonel and returned to Cazenovia with his wife Elizabeth and kids Fritz and Hannah.
He is currently director of the Advanced Development Northeast Technology Center for Saab Sensis and is ending his second term as a member of the Cazenovia Board of Education, on which he currently serves as president.
✓Kurt Wheeler has lived in the village of Cazenovia since moving back home in 1996. He grew up in New Woodstock, spent 11 years away to attend college, served in the Marine Corps, worked in Washington, DC and attended graduate school.
Elected mayor in 2011, he began his service as a trustee in 2005 and was an appointed member of the Cazenovia Advisory Conservation Commission from 1997 to 2005. He has been a commissioned officer in the Marine Corps since 1989 and is currently a history teacher and coach at Cazenovia High School. Kurt is active with Project CAFE, a non-profit corporation serving the youth and families of the Cazenovia area.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].
