This entire election just gets weirder and weirder...

Canandaigua Republicans hatch a scheme to vet a substitute supervisor

By Philip Anselmo, staff writer
Daily Messenger
Posted Oct 14, 2009 @ 02:49 PM

Canandaigua, N.Y. —
A plan cooked up by the former Republican nominee for town supervisor and the town’s highway boss to vet a replacement candidate is being decried by town politicos.Candidates for the Town Board and party representatives on both sides of the aisle are calling a move to use David Sauter as a proxy to seat highway chief Jim Hecker “absurd, insane, presumptuous, a huge leap and beyond comprehension,” among other such epithets.
Here is how it would work:David Sauter, who had the Republican nod in the race for supervisor, and technically still does, has announced that Hecker would run in his place. This on the heels of an announcement over the weekend that Sauter would withdraw. However, Sauter’s name will still be on the ballot come Election Day, Nov. 4, due to a technicality. Therefore, the Republicans want to get out the word that “a vote for Sauter is a vote for Hecker.”
Hecker explained that people will vote for Sauter, but intend their votes in support for Hecker. Then, if Sauter wins the election, he will decline to accept the position, which would leave the post vacant. The Town Board would then appoint Hecker as supervisor, and a special election would be held in November, during which Hecker would defend his seat.“I would have been just fine with Dave Sauter being town supervisor,” said Hecker. “But no matter what, town residents need choices between all the parties out there. I would hate to see the Republican party not have a candidate to pick from.”
There’s just one catch: No one who could potentially be seated on the Town Board — including Republicans — say they would be likely to follow step with the plan.“For them to try to pull this, to me it’s demonstrating such contempt for the voters of this community, it’s just beyond comprehension,” said Terry Fennelly, Republican candidate for the Town Board.
Fennelly, who calls the move a “bait-and-switch,” said vetting Hecker in place of Sauter — who will nevertheless be on the ballot — is not fair to the voters. Hecker never went out to gather signatures, and voters never got a “legitimate” chance to say whether or not they wanted him to represent the party.“That’s not fair to the people at all,” said Fennelly. “Even if they know about it — by election day, this stuff isn’t going to be that clear.”
Joe Kardesh, chair of the town’s Democratic committee, said, looking across the aisle at his party rivals, “it’s very disjointed.”“We don’t know who were running against right now,” he said. “Whose philosophy is it going to be? Is it going to be Sauter’s? Will it be Hecker’s? It’s up in the air.”
Pam Helming won the Republican primary to run for a seat on the Town Board. She said “Hecker would do a great job as a supervisor,” but the plan that would have him seated is “a huge leap.”“I truly believe the voters should decide who goes in that spot,” she said. “It’s not a decision the Town Board should make. We have an election coming up. Let the voters decide.”
If Sauter was elected and declined to accept the position as supervisor, the town would have three options, she said: appoint an interim supervisor, leave the post vacant or call for a special election. She can’t justify any of those options, really, she said.
Both elections commissioners for Ontario County said they had never heard of anything like this happening before. Republican Commissioner Mike Northrup said, as far as the Board of Elections is concerned, a vote for Dave Sauter is a vote for Dave Sauter, and that’s it. Democratic Commissioner Mary Salotti said she has never heard of a town calling a special election prior to November.
Independent candidate for the Town Board, Taryn Windheim, a registered Republican, said “the whole thing is absurd.” The plan relies on too many assumptions. It assumes people will vote for Sauter in support of Hecker. Perhaps most importantly, it assumes, if Sauter wins — itself an assumption — that the board which is elected by the townspeople will follow suit and appoint Hecker.
Sauter acknowledges “there are a number of hurdles,” and “it’s not going to be an esay path for Jim to take,” but he has confidence in the man and his abilities.“I think there’s not a better guy around,” he said. “His record stands for what he’s done for the town.”
During his door-to-door campaigning, Sauter said Hecker’s “reputation” was frequently a topic of conversation.“He’s a great guy,” said Sauter. “He’s a hard working guy. He’s honest. All the things people seem to want in terms of transparency and open government — Jim’s operated his town highway department that way.”
For his part, Hecker says, he just wants to give the town Republicans a candidate who represents them. Everything about making that happen may be complicated, but that part of it is that simple.“
I truly feel that with my experience in the town and my knowledge of what’s going on in the town economically and environmentally, I think I would be a good candidate to go in and fill in that position,” he said.

HUGE assumption #1- David Sauter will win the general election
HUGE assumption #2- Both republican candidates will win the general election
HUGE assumption #3- The majority of town board members will actually go along with this scheme and appoint the committee's hand-picked choice for supervisor.

We just had a supervisor appointed by the board to fill a vacancy. Not allowing the voters in the town have a direct vote on who they want to represent them as town supervisor is absurd.