By JIM AUSTIN
Editor

The Republican party lines on the March village board election ballot will be blank this year.

To find Republican candidates, the party faithful will have to look down the ballot where they will be running as Independents.

According to village clerk Laura Lee, the Republican committee failed to meet the Thursday deadline for filing the results of its caucus. Missing the filing deadline means no Republican candidates will appear on the ballot. For all practical purposes, it is as though the caucus last Monday night did not take place.

Lee said she provided both the Republican and Democratic party committees with a schedule detailing the requirement for holding a caucus and reporting the results.

"I notified them of their obligations, but I can't monitor everyone's performance," she said. "Their only option now is an independent nominating petition."

The candidates, or their representatives, will have to circulate independent nominating petitions to have their names placed on the ballot. The petitions require the signatures of at least 50 registered village voters and must be filed with the clerk no later than Tuesday, Feb. 6.

Republican committee chairman Tom Malone said there had been a mix-up over the dates and that missing the deadline was a simple misunderstanding.

"It was a comedy of errors," said his wife, Lee, who is a member of the village board of trustees.

Tom Malone said petitions will be circulated and that it will be "no problem" to gather the required signatures.

"People always said you can't run as an independent in this village, but this will prove you can," Lee Malone said.

Although they will be Independents on the ballot, the Republicans will be circulating petitions for incumbent trustee Stepehn Malhum, who was nominated at last week's caucus.

Tom Malone said they will also be circulating nominating petitions for a new candidate, Glenn Hubbell Jr.

Hubbell, 43, confirmed Tuesday afternoon that he intends to seek a slot on the ballot.

Hubbell said he was approached about running and considered it for a day before deciding. "I've lived pretty much all my life and felt it was time to give a little back to the village," he said.

He ran Schneider's Bakery on the corner of Main and Chestnut Streets for 12 years and currently is in the real estate business.

As a businessman he said he is aware of the concerns of Main Street merchants, particularly those who cater primarily to the residents of the village. Cooperstown is still a small town that serves a larger area, he said, adding that there are forces at work surrounding the village and that those forces "might be good, or might be bad," but that it requires good planning to avoid problems in the future.

The Democratic party held its caucus January 23 and filed the results the following day. Long-time trustee and former mayor Stuart Taugher was nominated for another term, as well as, another newcomer, Dr. Paul Tirell, who declined the nomination.

The Democrats had until Wednesday, Jan. 31, to find a candidate to replace Tirell and Taugher said Monday that a committee was still searching for another person to fill the ballot.

Residents will vote for candidates to fill two two-year terms on the board of trustees. The election will be held March 13.