Four race for two judgeships
NEW SCOTLAND The race for town judge in New Scotland departs form the norm on several counts this year.
The town has two judges who, in the past, have ran staggered races every two years for four-year terms.
This November, theres a four-way race for two judgeships, due to the mid-term resignation of Thomas Dolin, who is running for town supervisor.
John Keenan and incumbent Margaret Adkins are running as Republicans, and David Wukitsch and Brendan OShea are running as Democrats. Wukitsch was appointed, in a split vote of the town board, in May after Dolins resignation.
As the only incumbent who has previously run for the post, Adkins was the only candidate able to address how the dynamics of the campaign has changed.
With four candidates, Adkins said, it is necessary to campaign more. With staggered elections, "You were never running against the co-judge, or running against someone in the same party," she said.
"I think it’s better to have staggered terms because you run the risk of having two new people" with elections for both posts in the same year, she said.
The justices earn an annual salary of $22,062.
Campaign finances have become an issue in this years race as one of the candidates, OShea, has $10,000 to spend, more than double the highest amount in previous years.
Keenan and Adkins each have less than $4,000, and Wukitsch has just more than $5,000.
And, while candidates for town judge often limit their comments to statements on their qualifications or community involvement, Keenan has aggressively raised the issue of politics, using a campaign slogan of, "Let’s wash partisan politics out of your judiciary."
