Election time is fast approaching and I believe one of the most competitive races at the moment is that of County Clerk. I am a current Pre-Law student in college and am very invested in local politics. I follow every race very closely and do not align myself with a party due to the polar opposition between the two. Therefore, I thoroughly research each candidate and then make my decision.

After reading through both Candidate Janet Otto-Cassada and Candidate Sandra Santamoor’s plans for our County as a whole, I was still undecided on whom I wanted to vote for. It was not until I heard them both speak that I had finally decided.

Janet Otto-Cassada has lived in St. Lawrence County for much of her life and she has a true love for this community, that you can tell from her words. I have never heard a candidate speak so enthusiastically about something. Her plans are to generate more revenue in our area, which is always a great idea. I know many think that this will bring unwanted population and traffic of all kinds through our county, however, if we want to survive and prosper in this day in age, we need to adapt and in this case that requires using our abundant natural resources to do just that. By using our rural location to process more dealer registrations from downstate counties we will do just that. Our smaller population draws those from downstate as our DMV’s and offices have less waiting time and more availability to help one-on-one. Overall, we need to increase the revenue we take in from outsiders, if we only rely on our citizens in our communities we will never raise money, just continue to break even.

Cassada would also like to implement mobile passport registration sites in local communities to increase the amount of citizens who apply for passports. This would decrease the hassle some people have with trying to find time to reach an office to do the paperwork, and make it more accessible to do so by having temporary locations right in their hometowns.

Cassada’s plans are all about creating ease for our current citizens, and drawing in more revenue from downstate communities who appreciate how easy and timeless it is to register through our county due to our small population.

All of this I was able to gather from hearing Janet speak, and because she spoke with such love and passion in her voice, I could truly tell she cared about St. Lawrence County and wanted to do everything in her power to help us continue to be as amazing as we already are.

When Election Day comes around, I urge you all to make the smart decision and choose the candidate who is driven and determined to help our community. One who would walk in every single parade this summer because that’s how much she cares about obtaining this position to better us. Do not vote for someone just because they “are currently doing the job”, vote for someone who cares, who has a little bit of spunk, and a whole bunch of determination. Vote for Janet Otto-Cassada.

Aubrie Liddell

Waddington