More than three dozen village Republicans gathered at Liverpool Village Hall for their annual caucus on the evening of April 27, and they unanimously endorsed three candidates to run in this year’s village election on June 16.
Two of the candidates — incumbent Mayor Gary White and five-term Trustee Dennis Hebert — will seek re-election, while the third candidate — Christina Fadden Fitch of Hiawatha Trail — was nominated for run for the trustee seat now held by Bob Gaetano.
Three-term Trustee Bob Gaetano, 65, had decided against seeking a fourth term in order to spend more time with his family.
Fadden Fitch, 51, has served for almost seven years as a member of the village Zoning Board of Appeals. She ran for New York State Assembly in 2008 in the 119th District, losing to Democratic incumbent Joan Christensen. In a subsequent assembly run, Fadden Fitch unsuccessfully opposed Sam Roberts, the current incumbent Democrat in the reconfigured 128th District.
Trustees serve two-year terms and are paid $4,000 annually.
Village GOP Committee Chairman Bill Sanford said 38 registered village Republicans attended the 2015 caucus.
“Our three openings were filled without opposition,” Sanford reported.
White will run for his fourth term as mayor, while Trustee Dennis Hebert will seek his sixth term this year.
So far, all three GOP candidates remain unopposed.
Any independent candidates must file petitions with the village clerk no later than Tuesday, May 12. The petitions must contain at least 50 signatures of registered village voters. Candidates could also mount a write-in campaign for the open offices.
Democrats have failed to field a candidate for village office since 2001. Salina Town Democratic Chairman Patrick Foster said last week that he presently has no plans to establish a village committee.
Meanwhile, Sanford said the village Republicans hope to replenish their ranks with fresh faces.
“A very interesting discussion took place [at the caucus] addressing the need to get more young people involved to insure the future of our party,” Sanford said. “I will be putting together a group from among those who attended to come up with a strategy to accomplish our goal.”
