A slew of choices in Bath area elections
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

EATON

BATH - There is no shortage of candidates in this year's November general elections for the Bath town board and town supervisor.

The emergence in August of the Bath Citizens Party already had set up a contest for two town council positions and the top job of supervisor.

The ensuing Republican Primary Election this month established a slate of incumbents defend their seats; however, a challenger in that election will appear on the November ballot as an additional independent candidate.

Meanwhile Town of Bath Democrats have nominated a fixture of local Democratic politics as a candidate for one of the two town council positions up for grabs.

Pat Eaton, a 2003 Democratic candidate for the town board, is running again for this board, this time as an unabashed supporter for the development of a Wal-Mart supercenter on state Route 54.

"I'm a very strong supporter of Wal-Mart," Eaton said told The Courier in a recent interview. "It will bring more business to Bath."

Eaton, who has worked locally as a grant writer and managed Lakeview Aprtments for 10 years, also says she will push for the development of a small business culture in Bath. "I'd like to see more small industry and cottage industry in the village," she said, adding the town also needs a local youth center and more bed and breakfast establishments to support local tourism.

OSTRANDER

Eaton is the lone Democrat facing a slew of GOP and independent candidates for the town board.

Candidate George Hauryski, who lost a bid for the Republican nomination in the Primary Election, will appear on the November ballot as an independent candidate running under the Independent Taxpayers Party.

The Bath Citizens Party also will field two candidates for the two open positions on the town board: Michael Povoski and Patricia Rice. The party also will field Payson Snyder as a candidate for the position of town supervisor.

Snyder will challenge political veteran Fred Muller, who won the supervisor's position two years ago after serving as a town board member.

Rice and Povoski will challenge Republican incumbents Albert Burns and William Glossick. Burns, appointed to the board in 2006, is running for his first full two-year term. Glossick is running for re-election after serving his first fouryear term on the board.

If a single burning issue exists in Bath town politics, it's the Wal-Mart development, opposed by critics of the Arkansas retail giant and supported by town residents who say they want more local retail opportunities.

Incumbent town board members have passed primary responsibility for reviewing the development application to the town planning board. At the same time, they have resisted calls from Wal-Mart opponents for a general moratorium on "big box" store construction while a comprehensive plan for the town is being prepared.

Members of the Bath Citizens Committee have stressed their support of the comprehensive plan. In an Aug. 21 press release, the group described itself as "candidates who are committed to prioritizing and allocating the resources necessary to complete the town comprehensive plan."

Separately, Bath area voters in November have a three-way choice when it comes to choosing a representative for the Steuben County Legislature's District 3.

Democrat Gary Ostrander has formally announced he is running for the seat held by longtime Leg. Ron Nielson of Bath. A past veteran and school teacher, Ostrander is the founder of the Steuben/Livingston County Central Labor Council. The organization comprises members of all labor unions in Livingston and Steuben counties. According to Ostrander, it has grown to a 60,000 membership.

Ostrander will challenge Republican Larry Crossett, the former treasurer of Steuben County who retired last year. Crossett narrowly defeated Robin Lattimer, a member of the Bath town board and a legislative aide for Assemblyman James Bacalles, in the Republican Primary, 477-434.

Lattimer will appear on the November ballot as the Conservative Party candidate for Leg. District 3. However, she said last week, she does not plan to campaign aggressively for the seat.

"I'm a good Republican party soldier," Lattimer said. "I am not going to aggressively campaign out of respect for the voters. But having said that, I also received the nomination for the Conservative Party. I'm still on the ballot; I'm still a candidate."