BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – The city attorney is still reviewing a claim that primary elections for city council and the ballot for November did not properly follow the law as outlined in the city charter.

The council went into executive session Monday to discuss the issue after a letter from John Rishe and Jeffrey Michael Skelly was read aloud.

The letter claims that the city and board of elections erred in the handling of partial-term council seat that was vacated by Shawn Shaver earlier this year. Councilor Michael Powers was appointed to fill the position in March, and while there are still two years remaining on the term, his appointment is only good until the next election, which is scheduled for November.

Three other city council seats are also up for grabs in November. And while there are four candidates on the ballot competing for those seats, Powers is running for his seat uncontested.

Rishe and Skelly, who are running write-in campaigns for council and mayor respectively, say that the four candidates receiving the highest votes in November should fill all four seats at large, rather than have the partial term seat handled as a separate race.

Mayor Wayne Ashley said the claim is under review by City Attorney Andrew Silver, but gave no indication of how long it will be before Silver reports back to the council.