BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON -- While a number of incumbents ran unopposed for the St. Lawrence County legislature, county residents will see a number of new faces in January. 

Though the race for District 12 was too close to call between Democrat Pat Brady and Republican Marty Blair, with the two candidates just four votes apart, a number of other races were settled on election night. 

In District 11, incumbent Republican Glenn Webster was upset by Democrat Amber Spinner by a margin of 1,312 to 1,208.

Spinner has worked in education for 13 years, teaching grades Pre-K through 12, experience she says has changed her over the years.

Spinner said that experience would lend itself well to serving the county.

“Running a music department for any school involves working with multiple budgets, fundraising, making schedules, and organizing people,” she said. 

Spinner said she was also the employee health consortium representative for her school for 11 years.

She said that experience taught her a great deal about healthcare in a rural district and the various needs of the populace.

“I worked with a large group of people to determine the best decisions for our health insurance that impacted hundreds of families. Working with a multi-million dollar fund balance, deciding health insurance premiums each year and going through COVID working with health insurance was a good precursor to the county legislature,” she said. 

In District 8, incumbent Republican Allan Robinson retained the seat he was appointed to in May, defeating Democrat Paula Sturge by a margin of 1,425 to 1,301.

Robinson, a Republican, was appointed to the St. Lawrence County Legislature in May following the departure of Ben Hull. He is seeking to continue representing District 8, which includes portions of Canton, Madrid and Potsdam.

Robinson enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school and served as an infantryman. He said his early military experience included poor leadership that hurt morale, followed later by a positive experience with a sergeant in Korea who treated his soldiers with respect.

“That difference taught me a lasting lesson: good leadership can make all the difference,” Robinson said.

District 13 will see new leadership with Republican Terry Goodrich taking over for former legislator John Gennett, who resigned last month as he works out of state. 

Goodrich said his main priorities are to keep the County budget balanced to minimize the tax burden on residents, while fostering conditions that "encourage economic growth and allow small businesses to create opportunities across the district and throughout the county." 

A businessman himself, Goodrich is the president of Goodrich Refrigeration Inc., first assuming the role in 1995. 

He said he is experienced in contracting, construction, budgeting and payroll, all skills that would benefit him in a seat on the legislature. 

In District 5, a three-way race saw Republican Troy Besaw defeat Democrat Daniel Horton and incumbent Harry Smithers who is running on the Common Sense party line.

Besaw secured victory over Smithers during June's Republican Primary election. 

Besaw, who has served as a Gouverneur Village Trustee for eight years, said the experience has provided an understanding of local government operations and the challenges facing municipal officials. Before joining the board, Besaw attended village meetings for about a year to learn how the government works.

Besaw has also attended St. Lawrence County Legislature meetings for the past year and regularly shared information with the public about topics discussed at both the village and county levels.

Running unopposed were Republican Legislators Jim Reagen in District 1, David Forsythe in District 2, William Sheridan in District 4, Larry Denesha in District 6, along with Democratic incumbents Anthony Levato in District 9 and Margaret Haggard in District 10.

Newcomer Adrian Taraska, a Republican secured victory in District 14 after running unopposed to represent the village of Massena.

District 14 is currently represented by Democrat Nicole Terminelli, who secured victory to the Massena village board.

Taraska currently sits on the Massena Town Board having secured victory last November to serve a second term on the board. 

A proponent of Massena's tourism industry, Taraska said he hoped to bring a similar approach to the county while working to reduce expenses through the budget process.

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