Although no official party announcements have been made, Democratic and Republican candidates for Ballston town seats touted their endorsements by the county’s Independence Party, on Monday, June 11.
Pat Southworth, the town’s Democratic Party leader, said four of his candidates received the I-line nod, except Janet Milos, who did not interview due to illness.
Those candidates include Pat Southworth’s wife, Patti Southworth, who is running for town supervisor, George Seymour for town board, Peter Petrillose for tax collector and Matt Sousa for county coroner.
The Independence Party clearly believes in open government and fiscal responsibility, and that’s why our candidates received the endorsements, said Pat Southworth. `We’re now interviewing for the Working Party endorsement for the third line.`
Monday night, Republican candidate for town board Kim Ireland said she was also awarded the Independence Party stamp of approval.
`I appreciate their support and belief in my abilities,` said Ireland, who is running for her first political seat. `My commitment to an open and accessible government and strong constituent service parallels the foundations of the Independence Party; and this is something that the town would benefit from. I look forward to getting out on the campaign trail to listen to the residents of Ballston talk about these and other important issues.`
Republican candidates Muriel Swatling, the current town clerk, and Anne Hogue, town tax collector, also received Independence Party endorsements.
Contacted Monday night, Independence Party Chairman Lee Kolesnikoff of Clifton Park declined to confirm the announcements made by the candidates.
`We’ve been interviewing for three weeks, and those interviews continue,` said Kolesnikoff. `We’ll have a complete list ready Thursday (June 14).` “