McGill launches bid for second shot at Schenectady County legislator seat
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Omar Sterling McGill announced his candidacy for Schenectady County Legislature District 1 on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.Provided photoShow MoreShow Less
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Former Schenectady City Council President Margaret Peggy King endorses Gary McCarthy s bid for a third-consecutive term as the city s mayor. King represents District 1 in the Schenectady County Legislature. She won the seat in 2019 but has not said if she ll seek reelection.Paul Nelson / Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
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SCHENECTADY For the second time in two election cycles, an insurgent candidate is running for Schenectady County Legislature in the hope of winning a seat long held by establishment Democrats.
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.
Scramble for Schenectady council seat as Perazzo steps down
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Schenectady City Council members Marion Porterfield, left, and Leesa Perazzo listen as the Schenectady City Council takes the first step in overriding Mayor Gary McCarthy s rejection of their plan to keep four city court judges in the city at City Hall on Monday, March 4, 2019 in Schenectady, N.Y. Perazzo resigned Jan. 14, 2021 from City Council after her home sold. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union
SCHENECTADY Leesa Perazzo has resigned from City Council, setting up the first of two vacancies on the panel this month.
Perazzo tendered a formal a letter of resignation on Thursday afternoon following the sale of her Bellevue home, marking the end of what she said was a bittersweet process.