BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

CANTON — Petitions filed by Democratic candidates for the 2021 town election have been disqualified, and the resulting caucus now required leaves a door open for another Democrat candidate for town supervisor.

According to the county Board of Elections, objections to petitions filed by Democratic candidates were filed by Bonnie St. Denny recently. According to section 6-108 of state Election Law, a town of Canton’s size requires party nominations of candidates to be made at a caucus, not by petition. Denny’s objection was upheld which caused the petitions to be disqualified, sparking a caucus to decide the nominees for the party.

The county Board of Elections said that the deadline to file a certificate of nomination from a caucus is July 22.

The Canton Democratic Committee endorsed the following slate of candidates who had filed petitions on March 25: Supervisor, Mary Ann Ashley; Town Clerk, Karin Blackburn; Town Council, Dave Nelson and Jim Smith for two full-term seats and Martha Foley Smith for the two-year unexpired term. Those candidates will now have to be approved at a Democratic caucus open to all registered Democrats residing in the town.

They will be joined by Karen McAuliffe who announced her candidacy for town supervisor on the Democratic line on April 1. McAuliffe is also listed on the Conservative line on the county Board of Elections’ current candidate list for the fall races.  

No date for the caucus for town Democratic candidates has been set at this point. State election law requires the date, time and place to be posted at the town clerk’s office and at the board of elections ten days before. The law also requires it to be advertised in local newspapers at least one week before, or posted in ten spots around town at least ten days before.

Several Republicans declared their candidacy in February and are listed on the Board of Elections current candidate roundup. Deputy Town Clerk Heidi Smith declared her intention to run for town clerk. Joining her are three Republican candidates for town council, former deputy county treasurer Robert Santamoor, Paul Baxter and former town recreation director John Taillon; and Republican incumbent Town Justice Michael R. Morgan. All five of those candidates are also running as Conservatives, according to the Board of Elections.

The Board of Elections also lists a pending primary election between Jim Gibson and Steve Smith who are running as Republicans and Conservatives for town superintendent of highways.

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