Foss: Exciting Schenectady City Council race taking shape | The Daily Gazette
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I’m always hoping for interesting and competitive local elections, and I almost never get them.
Most contests are lopsided and listless affairs that pit strong, heavily-favored candidates against long-shots and dark horses.
The result is low voter turnout and diminished citizen engagement, as people survey the local political landscape and conclude that voting doesn’t matter. It’s a trend we’ve seen play out in the city of Schenectady, where general election turnout is often quite low.
There’s no excuse for low turnout this fall.
McCalmon, Rivas enter Schenectady City Council race | The Daily Gazette
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SCHENECTADY Community activist William Rivas and former Democratic candidate for state Senate Thearse McCalmon on Friday entered the race for Schenectady City Council, on which there will be five seats open in the fall.
“Their independent approach would provide fresh ideas and solutions to issues within the city,” the pair said in a joint press release.
The announcement comes with two vacancies about to occur on the council, and the terms of three other council members due to expire this year. Fellow Democrats Carl Williams and Brendan Savage have already announced themselves as candidates for the vacancies, which can be filled by appointment by the all-Democratic council.
Two more hopefuls join growing field for Schenectady City Council seats
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SCHENECTADY Two more hopefuls have entered the expanding field for City Council seats.
Thearse McCalmon and William Rivas, both Democrats, jointly announced their candidacies Friday. Each have established bonafides in city politics, and said in a statement their “independent approach would provide fresh ideas and solutions to issues within the city.”
Rivas, a longtime community activist, played a leading role in the Black Lives Matter movement last summer, and sits on the steering committee guiding the city’s state-mandated police reform efforts.
He was instrumental in creating a panel of community members to interview recruits to the city police department, a measure given a nod by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in one of his State of State addresses last week. Rivas is executive director of the C.O.C.O.A House and a program director for the Altamont Program.
RPI wins grant to study mutations that cause Alzheimer s
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U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko speaks during a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, in Albany, N.Y. Tonko has supported a resolution to censure President Donald Trump for his call to Georgia s top election official on Jan. 2, 2021. (Will Waldron/Times Union)Will Waldron/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
2of9Buy PhotoU.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, left, speaks to 49th State Senate district Democratic candidate Thearse McCalmon, right, after picking up lunch from the Malta Ridge United Methodist Church on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Ballston Spa, N.Y. Tonko is challenge for the 20th Congressional District seat by Republican candidate Elizabeth Joy. McCalmon is running against Sen. James Tedisco. (Will Waldron/Times Union)Will Waldron/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
Kosiur, Schenectady lawmaker dogged by abuse claims, set to retire
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Schenectady City Council member Ed Kosiur at City Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017 in Schenectady, N.Y. He is expected to name John Polimeni as the majority leader. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)Lori Van Buren
SCHENECTADY – City Councilman Ed Kosiur, who faces allegations he abused children decades ago, is retiring from his elected position and his job with Schenectady County.
Some names being mentioned as possible successors to Perazzo and Kosiur include Damonni Farley, William Rivas , both active members of the community; Carl Williams, a member of the city Civilian Police Review Board(CPRB); Thearse McCalmon, who nearly upset the mayor in primary election; Haileab Samuel who serves on the Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority, and Omar McGill, acting chairman of the county Human Rights Commission.