Last month, Rotterdam Town Board candidates John Mertz, Michael O’Connor, candidate for County legislature Bradley Littlefield and supervisor candidate Brian McGarry filed a petition with the Schenectady County Board of Elections to establish an independent ballot line called the No New Tax Party in the Town of Rotterdam and Schenectady County.
On Thursday, Sept. 3, their petition was passed when the deadline to object expired.
Mertz, who is currently a town board member and seeking reelection, and newcomers McGarry, O’Connor and Littlefield, will all be on the November ballot.
They could have filed [an objection] by last Monday, said Mertz, adding that despite negative campaign fliers circulating, nobody did.
After the petition to create the ballot line was filed Tuesday, Aug. 18, anyone who opposed the petition had until Thursday, Aug. 17 to file a general objection and then three weeks to find specific problems or objections within the petition, which would have to be. While general objections were filed, nobody filed specific objections.
`Rotterdam residents are too smart to be duped by the out-of-touch political bosses,` said McGarry in a written statement. `These recent attacks against our candidates is proof our campaign is gaining steam. The No New Tax Party poses a threat to the status quo that is responsible for the astronomical taxes in Rotterdam.`
The party has only one issue on its platform and that is to vote against any tax proposals or increase in taxes. If elected members are still in office when the United States is out of the current recession, the candidates propose capping tax increases at the rate of inflation and submitting any new tax district proposals to constituents.
The candidates are seeking other ballot lines as well. O’Connor and Mertz will run in the Republican primary. Littlefield, who is running to represent District 4 (Rotterdam, Duanesburg and Princetown) in Schenectady County Legislature, will take part in the Conservative primary. McGarry will run in the Conservative primary.
`The four of us are in primaries next Tuesday, so it doesn’t stop for us. It seems like a distant event last week that we cleared the ballot,` said Mertz.
Mertz said he wasn’t surprised that a general objection was filed when the petition was initially submitted, but the he believes it just gave the Board of Elections more time to review the candidates’ petition and `make sure it’s in order.`
Prior to the creation of the No New Tax Party, Mertz and O’Connor announced that they would both be seeking the GOP line on the ballot for Rotterdam Town Board in the September primaries, despite the fact that they didn’t have backing from the Rotterdam GOP committee.
`It’s actually very exciting,` said Mertz.
For information about the No New Tax Party, voters can visit the Web site at www.nonewtaxparty.com.
According to O’Connor, the No New Tax Party doesn’t have the funding available to them that the `Rotterdam political bosses do,` so they are relying on a grassroots effort that they hope will involve the citizens of Rotterdam.
By Thursday, Sept. 3, the party has received offers for financial contributions and volunteers from the Upstate Conservative Coalition, the Primary Challenge organization, and the New York Tea Party Patriots.
See the Thursday, Sept. 17, edition of The Spotlight or the Web at www.spotlightnews.com for updates to this story. “