Candidates announce election intent

YATES COUNTY--With county and town elections still months off, several potential area candidates have already announced their intentions to run for local offices. Following a May 28 meeting of the Yates County Republican Committee (YCRC), some 21 people have expressed interest in running for county seats, while five have said they will run for positions in the town of Milo.
According to a release from the YCRC, the following candidates have announced their intentions to seek public office this fall:
Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike will seek re-election to his position. County Clerk Julie Betts has decided to retire, with Lois Hall and Virginia Fenton both seeking the job. County Coroner Ron Daily will also seek re-election to his post.
For the Yates County Legislature, there will be four District I (Jerusalem, Middlesex, Italy) seats available. Current Legislator Margaret Dunn has decided not to run, while Legislators Gary Montgomery, Elden Morrison and Doug Paddock will seek re-election. Ed Bronson and Brad Jones will also be seeking election in District I.
In District II (Benton, Potter, Torrey), there will be three spots available. Legislator Bob Clark has decided not to run, while County Chairman Tim Dennis and Legislator Jim Smith will seek re-election. Terry Button will also running for a spot in District II.
There will be four legislative seats up for election in District III (Milo). Legislator Lee Sackett has decided not to run, while Legislators Dan Banach, Leslie Church and Mark Morris will seek re-election.
P. Earl Gleason, Bill Laffin and Rob Schwarting will also be seeking a seat on the legislature in District III.
In District IV (Barrington, Starkey), Legislators Bill Holgate, Jim Multer and Bonnie Percy will seek re-election to the three available spots.
In the town of Milo, Church will be seeking re-election as town supervisor, while Pat Christensen will be looking to be re-elected as town clerk. Arnie Sorensen and Dale Hallings will be seeking re-election as town councilpersons, while Morris will also be running for a spot on the town council.
Chair of the YCRC Sandy King said these are the only people who have made their intentions to run known to the committee at this time. The candidacies are unofficial until party petitions are filed from July 6 to July 9, with independent petitions being accepted from Aug. 11 to Aug. 18. The Republican Primary will be held Thursday, Sept. 10, while the general election will be Tuesday, Nov. 3. Carolyn Schaeffer, chair of the Yates County Democratic Committee, said she has not yet heard of any Democrats intending to run for county positions, but did mention there were some interested in the Milo and Torrey elections. However, she added until the petitions are submitted, it is just speculation as to who will run.
If a person is interested in running for office, contact the Yates County Board of Elections or one of the party committee chairs.