Altamont election
Marshall pegged as running mate



ALTAMONT — Two seats on the village board are up for grabs come March, and long-time incumbent William Aylward is not only running for re-election — he has chosen a running mate who is new to politics.

Trustee Harvey Vlahos holds the other seat. He did not return calls this week. Vlahos, who runs a marketing communications firm and operates Altamont Manor, waged an unsuccessful run for mayor in a four-way race two years ago but returned to his seat as trustee. He has often been at odds with other board members.
Mayor James Gaughan paired Aylward with Chris Marshall to run together on the Concerned Citizens ticket, Aylward said. "He let the both of us know that we might be approachable to each other," Marshall said.

Aylward, who is currently an Albany County Legislator as well as a village trustee, has held elected posts since he was elected as mayor of Altamont in 1971. A retired Guilderland social studies teacher, he’s served as Guilderland’s supervisor, Altamont’s mayor, and trustee. While village candidates do not run on traditional party lines, Aylward was elected to the legislature and as Guilderland’s supervisor on the Democratic ticket.
If elected, Marshall would be the first person to serve on the board from the suburban Kushaqua development. She would represent the interests of the whole village, she said, not just the developments, but "being from there might add a different viewpoint," she said. One of the things she would most like to see is the developments being better incorporated into village life, which could be something as simple as adding sidewalks, she said.

Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., Marshall moved to the Albany area when she got a job in the state Civil Service Division. She’s lived in Altamont for the last 20 years.
"I have a great affection for the village," she said of why she’s running, adding, "I’m excited about the direction that the mayor is moving in."

Mayor Gaughan was elected with Trustee Kerry Dineen, both newcomers to politics, in 2005 on the Altamont First slate. Vlahos, who had been a trustee since 2003, ran for mayor with architect Dean Whalen for trustee.

Both Aylward and Marshall cited the comprehensive plan as the biggest issue for the upcoming year. Trustee Vlahos served on the committee that drafted the plan.

Conserving natural resources topped Marshall’s list of the most important things in the plan; she thought that bringing a supermarket and fast-food chains to the village were on the more far-fetched end of recommendations from the plan.
Aylward named recreation opportunities as the most important aspect of the comprehensive plan, also saying that development and zoning were important. One of the less likely suggestions in the plan that Aylward named was the gray water system, which would connect a pipe system to buildings in the village to collect "gray" water — washing water rather than sewage — to be used elsewhere rather than treating it like waste water.

The two candidates will start collecting signatures on Jan. 2, the first day that they are allowed to do so. They must collect 50 names and have the petitions submitted by the week of Feb. 6 to 13, according to Jean LaCrosse, the village clerk.

The only other village office up for election on March 20 is village judge, a seat currently held by Rebecca Morse-Hout.