With fundraisers under their belts and petition carriers slogging through the hot days of summer, both sides of the political aisle are claiming early successes as they battle for support in Niskayuna’s local election campaigns.
While the action on the ground is getting the public involved in the process, candidates across the board have taken big steps forward by garnering the support of local third parties.
On the Democratic side Joe Landry, candidate for town supervisor, and Julie McDonnell, who is seeking a seat on the town board, top the list of early favorites having landed backing from both the Working Families and Independence parties. Along with the Democratic line, incumbent town board member Liz Orzel Kasper won support from the Working Families Party as well.
I’m very pleased to get both these lines, and I think it will be very helpful to the campaign, Landry said Tuesday, June 26. `Right now we are really focused on the basics of the campaign, doing things like keeping a daily count of the number of petition signatures we have in Niskayuna so we can see where we are. Of course, we are disappointed that we didn’t win the backing of every party that’s out there, but we are doing well so far.`
Ellen Malkis, town Democratic chairwoman, also emphasized the positive, saying that a June 6 party fundraiser went well for the group.
`Money is always a big deal at any level in politics because you need the resources to get the message out during a campaign,` she said. `We had an excellent turn-out at our event.`
On the Republican side of the aisle, 31-year-old political newcomer Scott Stevens showed strong results by winning backing from both the Independence and Conservative parties. A longtime resident of Niskayuna, Stevens was enthusiastic about the results. `I’m very grateful for their support,` Stevens said.
`A lot of people are not members of the Republican or Democratic parties, but they are still very involved in the political process, and they are concerned about the future of our town,` he added. `Having these lines shows support from them.`
The Republican candidate for town supervisor, former Niskayuna school superintendent J. Briggs McAndrews, also gained backing from the Conservative Party in the recent round of endorsements.
`I think it will be very helpful as we go forward,` said McAndrews. `I’m very heartened by the turnout that we had at the breakfast fundraiser in early June, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the campaign.`
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