Village Republicans have fielded only one candidate to run in the upcoming March election for the two vacancies on the village board.

At its party caucus Monday night, incumbent trustee Stephen Mahlum was nominated to have his name placed on the ballot.

Republican committee chairman Tom Malone said this is the first year the party has not come up with a full slate of candidates. He has not closed the door on the possibility of finding another candidate within the next few days.

A three-person committee was appointed at the caucus to try and find another candidate by the Feb. 2 deadline.

Mahlum said he was pleased to receive his party's nomination, enjoyed his first three and a half years as a trustee and was looking forward to another three.

Generally, he is happy with the condition of the village and the work that has been accomplished in upgrading the sewer and water system.

Mahlum, who has worked on the Otsego lake Watershed Council and Supervisory Committee, said he was pleased Win McIntyre was on board as the lake watershed manager and he "looks forward to continuing to improve the quality of the lake."

He was appointed to the board to fill the unexpired term of Giles Russell, who stepped down to become the interim village administrator. Prior to joining the board, he served on the village planning board.

"I look forward to defining our relationship with the Friends of Doubleday which could go on to be a huge benefit to the village," he said.

Mahlum said he was disappointed there were not more people running for the village board, whether they running with him or against him. "The more people involved in the election process the healthier it is," he said.

Malone said a dozen party faithful showed up for Monday night's caucus and speaking from his 17-year experience as chairman and secretary/treasurer, a turnout he thought was a little low.

The Republicans spent more time talking about how to get more people to attend the caucus than they did nominating candidates.

"People don't seem to care too much about the caucus," he said. The Democrats suffer from the same problem, he added.

Malone explained that for nine years the village has not had a tax increase and that for most people their pocket book is the biggest issue. "By and large, I think people are happy with the job being done by the mayor and village board," he said.

Although candidates are selected through the party caucus system, village politics is not really partisan. In all his 30 years in Cooperstown, Malone said he never really saw any party distinction. "It's always pretty much whatever was good for Cooperstown," he said.

And Cooperstown can really no longer be considered the Republican stronghold it used to be. According to Malone, of the nearly 1500 registered voters in the village, there are 650 Republicans and 525 Democrats. "It used to be a much larger spread," he said.

Village residents interested in running for a seat on the board may also seek office through an independent nominating petition.

Petitions are available through the village clerk's office and must be filed the clerk between January 30 and February 6. Candidates are required to collect the signatures of 50 registered village voters to have their name placed on the ballot, according to village clerk Laura Lee.

The village election will be held March 13.