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Watertown Mayor Race Begins In Earnest

By WWNY Staff

Story Published: Apr 26, 2011 at 6:02 PM EDT

Story Updated: Apr 26, 2011 at 6:26 PM EDT

 

 

The Watertown mayoral race will be a skirmish between familiar faces. Jeff Graham kicks off his bid for a fifth term with a 6 p.m. party Thursday at Pete's Restaurant, while challenger Jeff Smith is assembling his campaign team and launching a website.

"The idea is to just to build it up and continue to work from a grassroots level to bring this new leadership and change to our city, something I think we need as a city," said Smith, a councilman. "A new direction, a vision of where we want to be. I don't think we have that now."

Graham said he's "going to talk about the job I've done, the work ethic I've brought to the job and dependibility. The old expression is it's run by those who show up is applicable here. That's the case I'm going to make over the coming months."

Smith doesn't lose his council seat by running. Not true for Joe Butler, whose council seat is up for election this year. He appears to be leaning toward another council race, but tells 7 News he hasn't yet closed the door on a mayoral bid. Councilwoman Roxanne Burns' seat is also up. She says she intends to seek re-election for her council seat.

The Jefferson County Legislature's 15 seats are also up for election this year.

Two incumbents, Republican Gino Zando and Democrat Jim St. Croix, say they've served long enough.

Look for Republican Anthony Doldo to run for St. Croix's seat, which represents the northwest corner of Watertown. Doldo isn't committed to a campaign yet, but came within eight votes of sinking St. Croix two years ago.

Republicans Rob Foster and Jonathan Hirschey both want to represent Zando's district, which includes Wilna and part of Fort Drum. Foster is Deferiet's mayor, while Hirschey is a manager at Climax Paperboard.

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Anonymous said on Friday, Apr 29 at 2:41 PM

Smith is weird. He looks shifty.

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Mike Flynn ‘Middle Class Mike said on Tuesday, Apr 26 at 11:16 PM

The Mayor keeps acting as though a field that inncludes a Republican and a Conservative Mayor (Graham) disguised as a moderate is wide enough to give voters a choice. It doesn't give voters who are Progressives, Democrats, Independents or Liberals a fair chance to vote for someone who can truly represent their viewpoints and perspectives as Mayor. Mayor Graham likes this set up because he thinks he can get some Republicans to vote for him and pick up independents and Democrats, because they have nowhere else to go in with the current field. As it is now its a vote for Mayor Graham, or a vote for Republican Jeff Smith and that’s no choice at all for left of Center voters. We need a Progressive in the Race, so all voters have a choice.

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