Town residents elected officials during Tuesday's general election, but village residents will have to wait almost four months for their next chance to select local officials.

The date of the annual village election has been set and offices to be filled this year include mayor, two seats on the board of trustees and village justice.

Mayor Wendell Tripp, who is finishing his sixth year as the village's top elected offical, said Tuesday he has not yet decided if he will seek another two-year term.

"Right now I have not made a final decision, but I'm leaning toward it." he said.

Tripp also said he is a believer in the idea that after a certain number of years officials should step aside to let others have the opportunity to serve.

"We're involved in some things I would like to see finished," Tripp added.

The recent creation of the position of superintendent of public works has eased the job of mayor, Tripp said. It is less time consuming and affords the opportunity to focus on issues rather than the details of the day-to-day operations of the village.

Tripp first sought political office in the late 1980s when he ran for a seat on the Otsego town board on an Independent ticket. He lost by three votes, but was asked to run on the Republican ticket for the village board in 1990. He won a three-year term and a second and third in 1993 and 1996. Almost immediately after the 1996 election, as deputy mayor, Tripp took over when mayor James Woolson resigned. The board appointed him to the position and the following year he ran successfully for the remaining year of Woolson's unexpired term.

He won two more terms, in 1998 and 2000, running unopposed in both cases. The record shows he led the ticket in each of those campaigns.

"It's easier when you're running without opposition, but in every campaign I've gone out door-to-door. You get to meet people you don't often see and find out alot about the village. You find out not everybody is rich," he said.

According to Tripp, the top issues that will be facing local officials are related to the village's infrastructure. The village is continuing its ongoing work toward the improvement of, and in some cases, the rebuilding of the sewer system. The board has also embarked on the beginnings of a street maintenance program that includes the resurfacing and, when called for, the rebuilding of some sections of streets.

Officials have toured the streets with an engineer and are now in the process of drafting an overall plan that prioritizes the list of those in need of work.

There are also more subtle issues relating to what the mayor described as the "non-material aspects of life in the village."

Trip was speaking about the quality of life and specifically about the pressures imposed on village neighborhoods by the Dreams Park. The mayor has been an outspoken critic of the conversion of homes and apartment houses to tourist accommodations catering to the Dreams Park visitors who often stay for an entire week. Those tourist accommodations, often not owner-occupied as required by the law, have impacted the relative peace and tranquillity of residential neighborhoods.

"I'm just not sure if I'll run again. I'm not worn out by any means and there are a lot of interesting things happening," he said.

Two three-year terms on the village board of trustees will be chosen by voters. Those seats on the board are currently held by David Sanford and Ed Tripp.

Village Justice James Wolff's term is also expiring and will be up for election.

The election is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12. Candidates interested in running may have their name placed on the ballot through the political party caucus system or through an independent nominating petition. More information about the ballot process is available from village clerk Laura Lee.