Republican candidates seeking election as Oswego village president, trustees face petition challenges

A former Oswego village president has filed objections to the petitions filed by four of the candidates running as Republicans in the Feb. 28 consolidated primary election.

Charles “Budd” Bieber, who served as village president from 1995 to 1999, filed objections to the petitions submitted by Brian Thomas, a current village trustee now seeking to run for village president, and to petitions submitted by Sarah Zameda, Michael J. Wirtz and Robert Lockwood, who are all seeking election as village trustees.

Bieber filed his objections with the Village Clerk’s office Dec. 5, the final day for the objection period under state law.

The objections will be reviewed by two separate electoral boards, in accordance with state law.

If the boards find errors on the petitions, the candidates’ petitions may not be certified and their names will not appear on the Feb 28 ballot.

An electoral board comprised of Village President Troy Parlier, Village Clerk Tina Touchette and Trustee Brian Thomas will review the petitions filed by the three candidates for village trustee.

Another electoral board, comprised of Touchette, and Village Trustees Terry Olson and James Marter, II, will review Thomas’ petition.

Thomas is seeking to challenge Parlier, also a Republican, for the position of village president in the upcoming consolidated primary election.

Candidates filing to run for village president must have a minimum of 25 registered village voters’ signatures on their petitions.

Thomas turned in a petition with 39 signatures, while Zameda, Wirtz and Lockwood turned in petitions with 47, 36 and 41 signatures, respectively.

Touchette said her office is now sending out nomination papers and the objector’s petition challenges to the chairs of each electoral board, Parlier and Olson.

The paperwork must be delivered via the county sheriff or through certified mail and requires a signature for proof of receipt.

Once the electoral board chairs have been notified, they will have 24 hours to notify all members of the electoral boards, the objector and the candidates whose petitions have been challenged and when and where the hearings will be held.

The first round of notifications were sent on Dec. 7 and had not been received as of Dec. 12.

The electoral boards must hold their first hearings no less than three nor more than five days after receipt of the nomination papers and the objector’s petition challenges by the board chairs.

The certification deadline for the petitions is Dec. 22, by which a decision on the validity of the petitions by each of the electoral board must be reached.