SamPratt.com

In the last Hudson election, voters were given relatively few choices by the major party committees. Many incumbents ran unopposed, and many of the contested races occurred with only minimal public discussion and debate.

With no mayoral race on the ballot, turnouts for major contests such as the Council President race were unusually low—about half that of each of the previous five cycles. But this time around, it appears that voters may actually have some choices—both between the party nominees, and also in some primaries.

As already reported here, the Hudson Democrats are endorsing Nick Haddad and Sarah Sterling for Mayor and Council President, respectively. Many now expect the Republicans to run a ticket of Bill Hallenbeck and Bart Delaney for those offices.

In the 1st Ward, at least three Democrats (maybe more) will be vying for two Alderman slots—Tim Rogers, Larissa Parks, and Geeta Cheddie—and the Republicans may find at least one candidate of their own. Ditto in the 5th Ward, with three Democrats rumored to be running: Paul Beaumont, Bob Donahue and Cappy Pierro.

In the 3rd Ward, Democrat Chris Wagoner will seek a third term as Alderman, on a ticket with attorney John Friedman, with Ellen Thurston running for Supervisor. Mike O’Hara will challenge incumbent John Musall for 1st Ward Supervisor in a Democratic primary.

Though several incumbents in the remaining wards appear vulnerable to challenges, it remains to be seen if other party nominees or independent candidates emerge.

In this site’s opinion, contested primaries (in September) and general elections (in November) are good for democracy. Those already in positions of power will invariably rail against such competition—typically invoking expectations of “party loyalty” to whip others back into place. But it should be remembered that with or without party committee backing, anyone can run for office.

All it requires is to prepare petitions carefully, secure the necessary signatures, and file them in a timely way. If more candidates in a party file petitions for an office than there are slots open, that party committee can’t spend money on its endorsees until after the primary. So the playing field is more level than many assume, with the candidates who work hardest to reach the voters directly having the best chance of winning.

And that goes for all towns, not just Hudson.

The Hudson political rumor mill continues to churn; every day brings a fresh round of whispered tips, red herrings and general speculation about the upcoming Fall elections. Below is an update on the previous passel of possible candidates for office—with the usual caveat that until petitions are circulated and submitted, nothing is the least bit certain.

Whenever there’s no incumbent in a race, a lot of names surface and many trial balloons get floated by the major parties—most of which sink without a trace. So with Rick Scalera spreading the word* that he’ll run for 5th Ward Supervisor against former ally Bart Delaney, the number of names floating around has multiplied.

Initial rumors that Gary Graziano would seek the Republican nomination have been tamped down, as the former Police Commissioner has hitched his star to that of Assemblyman Molinaro (who wants to become the new Dutchess County Executive). Likewise, word is that former mayor Ken Cranna has shelved his biennial exploration of another mayoral bid.

As a result Dick Tracy, another former one-termer who was said to be contemplating running for Council President on Cranna’s ticket, is now rumored instead to be mulling a second shot at the Mayor’s office—though he didn't seem to like the job much the first time around. Tracy is a member of the Independence Party, meaning he’d need the authorization of the Republican, Democratic and/or Conservative chairs to run on any of their lines except as a write-in candidate. The Hudson Republican committee, chaired by George DeJesus, is not known to have expressed any firm preference one way or another regarding any of these options so far.

Meanwhile, on the Democratic side Mike O’Hara has joined Don Moore in telling friends that he wil not run for Mayor. Expectations are that O’Hara will try for 1st Ward Supervisor, and Moore for City Treasurer... This of course assumes that the popular existing Treasurer, Eileen Halloran, will not seek re-election, aiming instead for the HDC position vacated by Peter Markou. Also indicating interest in the Treasurer’s position is current 1st Ward Alderman Sarah Sterling. Her fellow 1st Ward Alderman Geeta Cheddie had been thought to be eyeing that Citywide job as well, but indications are that she will try to defend her seat instead, and will have at least two Democratic challengers.

Meanwhile Hudson Valley native Nick Haddad, owner of an electrical supply business, expressed interest in a Mayoral endorsement at Tuesday night’s Hudson Democratic Committee meeting. Haddad indicated that he would also reach out to other major parties.

In the 5th Ward, respected firefighter Paul Beaumont has indicated his interest in running for the Alderman’s seat which Dick Goetz is said to be vacating, while others intimate that former Alderman and current Mayoral aide Cappy Pierro wants back in the Council game there... Back in the 1st, Da|Ba chef and owner Daniel Nilsson, previously reported here to be exploring a Mayoral bid, is said now to be more interested in an Alderman seat.

If any of the above is to believed, then the most time-consuming but least-appropriately paid political position in Hudson, that of Council President, appears to have no takers so far. The most obvious pool of potential candidates is that of the existing Aldermen, and various parties have suggested that either Sterling or Chris Wagoner step up to the plate. Long-serving 3rd Ward Alderman Ellen Thurston is planning a move to the County Supervisor level, assuming she can best incumbent Bill Hallenbeck. Recent election cycles have attracted mainly CCP candidates who were afterthoughts, or even liabilities to the rest of their ticket; for example in 2005, Dan Grandinetti’s bid for mayor was thought by many to have been harmed by his selection of a running mate, Jablanski, who appared to have little interest in or familiarity with this detail-oriented, hands-on position.

Finally, it should be noted that several rumors were sent this site’s way which turned out to have been based solely on anonymous (and often slanderous postings) on anonymous chat sites best never visited, especially if your computer hasn’t been vaccinated for tetanus, rabies and dysentery... Whether or not Dan Grandinetii is returning to Hudson, or if Bill Hughes would really give up his County position to run for Mayor, are not topics about which one can gain any useful insight from unmoderated forums—90% of whose posts typically are made by the same 4-5 lurkers using multiple aliases.

As noted at the outset, all political rumors in this small city founded by whalers should be taken with several grains of the coarsest sea salt. The periodic election reports here aim less to convey hard facts, since so few are discernable at this stage, and more to expose to a broader public audience to the types of chatter which normally circulates only among Hudson’s tiny, incestuous insider circles. The actual candidates on the September and November ballots may prove to be only a few, or even none, of the above. Slightly more clarity may emerge once the party committees make their picks, but that does not preclude surprise entries as late as June or early July, since a member of a political party or independent candidates can always file their own petitions. The endorsements of the parties carry weight, but are not necessarily the final word on who may run.

* NOTE: In almost every election cycle after his original run in the early ’90s, Scalera has initially leaked word that he’s not running, or running for some other office, but often this proves to be misdirection. In 1999 and 2005, when his political negatives were way up, Scalera did in fact sit out the race, and his surrogates (Pierro in ’99, Grandinetti in ’05) lost in his place. In 2007, once Linda Mussmann announced her candidacy as a spoiler against Mike O’Hara, he appeared to change his mind about seeking other opportunities and ran, knowing there was a very low risk of losing a three-way race. While it appears that Scalera very much wants revenge on Delaney for some reversal of position or perceived slight, don’t count Scalera out of the Mayor’s race until it’s too late to petition for it.