Corrections officer will not challenge Bowen for sheriff

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Williams

The Schenectady County corrections officer from Corinth who was planning to challenge veteran Saratoga County Sheriff James D. Bowen this fall has ended his candidacy.

In a statement issued Thursday night, Michael DiGioacchino said he’d been unable to collect the 1,000 petition signatures needed to get onto a Sept. 15 Republican primary ballot. Petitions were due at the county Board of Elections by Thursday afternoon.

DiGioacchino said his full-time employment and his wife’s current pregnancy meant they didn’t have time to collect enough signatures going door-to-door.

“I knew getting the required number of signatures was going to be difficult,” DiGioacchino acknowledged.

He announced his candidacy in December, and after the county Republican Committee unanimously endorsed Bowen for a new four-year term in May, DiGioacchino said he was planning a primary.

He campaigned on a platform saying there were ways to cut costs, and that the sheriff’s department needs to be prepared to fight more serious crimes, based on what’s happening in the region’s cities.

“As a resident of Saratoga County, I still feel that the safety and security of this area is a top priority and vigilance should be maintained to ensure the continued beauty and prosperity of this great county,” he said.

Bowen, who has been the county sheriff for 36 years, is the longest-tenured sheriff in the state.

He still faces a potential challenge from Jason Longton, a former Corinth police officer who is circulating petitions to run as an independent in November. Independent petitions don’t have to be filed until Aug. 18.