Galway GOP seeks candidates

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Williams

With Galway town Supervisor George Hargrave not seeking re-election, the town Republican Committee has started its search for candidates for the November election.

Hargrave, 76, will step down after completing his four-year term, which runs out in December. He had earlier said this would be his last term, after 12 years in office.

“I’ll be 77,” he said Friday. “I’m getting too old. It’s getting to be too much.”

The town supervisor is paid $14,000 by the town, as well as an $18,509 salary by the county for serving on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. Hargrave chaired the county board in 2008.

“I’m happy with what I’ve done,” he said of his years of town service. “We’ve kept taxes down. We’ve gotten the work done.”

The town will be opening Babe Ruth youth baseball fields this spring, Hargrave said, and has built a pavilion for a new farmers market at the South Street athletic fields.

In addition to Hargrave retiring, town justice Donald Clemens will be retiring at the end of the year, after serving for the past 30 years. The Republicans are seeking candidates for that seat, too.

Republicans have a wide voter enrollment advantage in the town, and the Democratic party generally doesn’t field candidates for town office.

In addition, there will be three Republican members of the Town Board up for election in the fall. Michael Tillson and Fred Arnold are expected to seek re-election, while Paul Lent is expected to run for the remaining two years of George Weed’s term. Lent was appointed to the board seat in January, following Weed’s resignation.

Town Clerk Margaret DeFoe and Highway Superintendent David Costanzo are expected to seek re-election, Republican officials said.

Anyone who is interested in running for any of the positions is asked to submit a letter of interest and résumé by April 25 to town Republican Chairman Charles Quinlan, 5900 Parkis Mills Road, Galway, NY, 12074.

The party is also seeking people interested in filling two vacancies on the town Republican Committee.