Down River

By John Lipez

Petition Season, Part II:
It hit the 60s temperature-wise this week, pitchers and catchers are due in Clearwater, can spring be far behind? And your friends and neighbors are circulating petitions in the hopes of becoming an elected official at the grass roots level, another sign of winter’s impending departure.

Let’s not write about the great February weather or how good the Phillies will be this season, but let’s continue our exploration into Clinton County’s May 16 primary. As noted here last week, the petition window for primary candidates opened on Valentine’s Day and stays open through March 7.

The Down River Feb. 9 edition touched upon some of the more high profile races to be decided by registered voters in May. Here’s a few paragraphs to detail what else is out there come May 16.

How about five of the nine Keystone Central School Board seats on the ballot? By region and incumbent, they are Region I, Wayne Koch; Region III, Polly Donahay; Region IV, Jeff Johnston; Region VI, David Dietrich; and Region VIII, Rick Schulze. These are all four-year terms and candidates may cross file.

There’s been nothing heard so far about re-election bids from any of the five, or anyone else seeking to serve on the KCSD board, a thankless but noble position if there ever was one.

Let’s not forget that Jersey Shore School District extends into eastern Clinton County and that district has two board seats with a Clinton County voting opportunity: Region 1 (Avis and Pine Creek Township I) with two board slots up for election and ‘Shore’s Region 3 which includes Clinton’s Crawford Township, where there is one board position on the ballot.

And did you know about this one? Voters in Clinton’s West Keating Township actually get to vote for five at-large board seats as part of the West Branch School District; never knew that til I saw it on the county’s municipal primary election notice.

And relative to West Keating Township and Down River’s long held belief we have too many municipalities in Clinton County, consider this: the township in terms of population is down to a nubbin. Wikipedia said the population was 29 in 2010 but dropped to 16 in 2020. And something called censusreporter.org reports that as of this month West Keating is down to 7 residents (86% white, 14% Hispanic; hmmm).

If that number of seven current residents is correct, everybody who lives there has a better than 50-50 chance to get elected to something. On the primary ballot are the positions of supervisor, one of those; auditor, two of those, one six-year term and one four-year term; and constable, one of those.

And this aside on West Keating: it’s the proposed site for the mammoth petro-chemical facility which, if and when it comes to fruition, could make the township the next Houston, But keep in mind, they said the same thing about Williamsport when the natural gas rush hit earlier this century. That never happened in Billtown where the population remains closer to West Keating Township than it does to Houston.

How do we consolidate our sparsely hinterlands? Is there a downside if we don’t? What does it cost to stage spring and November elections in these municipalities? This might be a discussion to be aired during this local election year. Does anybody care? Let’s find out.

Meanwhile candidacy announcements continue to tumble in. We’ve seen a couple actual primary face-offs lined up so far: three candidates seeking two GOP nominations as county auditors and three candidates declaring their intentions to run for the Mill Hall district justice position.

Not much yet for Clinton County Commissioner: two Republicans vying for the two GOP nominations, they being incumbent Jeff Snyder and Lock Haven city council member Doug Byerly and one Democrat in incumbent Angela Harding.

Hearsay is there will be a candidate emerging from the members-only Clinton County Watchdog group, but likely not who you might have expected. Stay tuned for more on that one.

Otherwise, the May ballot will be relatively routine: lots of township supervisors and borough council members to be nominated and Lock Haven voters will see races for mayor, city council, controller and constable.

If you want to serve your community during these relatively troubled times, this is your opportunity. The process to be a candidate is fairly simple. To find out more, contact county voter registrar Maria Boileau in her new office on the first floor of the Piper Building in the lower end of Lock Haven. You have until March 7 to get your petitions in, to sign up in an effort to be part of the solution.