Rensselaerville Dems pick their candidates

Tuesday, June 25, 2019 - 20:49

RENSSELAERVILLE — On Friday, the Rensselaerville Democratic Party selected a slate of candidates to run for office in November.

Several of these candidates were appointed to their positions this year following the death of a judge and the arrest of the town’s supervisor.

At their June 21 caucus, Democrats selected John Dolce for supervisor, Brian Wood and Anthony Guadagno for town council, and Gregory Bischoff for town justice.

Hébert Joseph, the new chairman of the town’s Democratic Party, said that he will also be running for town assessor, but only if Rensselaerville decides to keep the current system of three elected assessors rather than appointing a sole assessor.

Dolce, who owns several businesses in Westerlo, has served as a town councilman since 2016. He was appointed town supervisor at the end of 2018 after then-supervisor Steve Pfleging was charged with stealing town funds.

Wood, then a member of the zoning board, was appointed as councilman in Dolce’s place. He currently heads the Emergency Management Unit for the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and previously was captain of the Emergency Medical Services unit. His father, Gerald Wood, served on the town council until 2018.

Gregory Bischoff, who had served as town justice from 2012 to 2016, was appointed to the post in May after Judge Ronald Bates died unexpectedly.

Guadagno, the only Independence Party member on a slate otherwise made up entirely of Democrats, currently serves on the town’s zoning board.

Joseph said he would like to get more Democrats voting in November. This could include offering elderly residents transportation to the polls and encouraging young residents to vote, he said. He added that the statewide addition of early voting will also help bring people to the polls.

Rensselaerville has 1,318 registered voters, according to the Albany County Board of Elections: 578 are enrolled as Democrats, 291 as Republicans, 274 are not affiliated with any party, 108 are Independence Party members, 60 are enrolled in the Conservative Party, and the rest — fewer than a dozen — are enrolled in other small parties.

The Rensselaerville Republican Party will be holding its caucus on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Medusa firehouse.

 

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