Highway Superintendent Nomination Contested At Petersburgh Caucus

by Alex Brooks
The Petersburgh Republican Party held its caucus on Friday evening, August 23. Siegfried Krahforst was renominated as Supervisor as was Callie Crisp as Town Clerk, Ray Harrison as Highway Superintendent and Emily Harrison as Tax Collector. The only contested position was Highway Superintendent. [private]Gene Kluck of Johnnycake Hill Road in Petersburgh has announced his candidacy for Highway Superintendent, and a number of his supporters came to the caucus. Kluck was nominated at the caucus by Don Paulson and seconded by Frank Babcock. Kluck reported that the vote was 49 to 38 in favor of Harrison. He said he felt it was a great turnout, and he said he would like to thank his supporters. Kluck said he has secured a place on the ballot as an independent for the November election so he will be a candidate even though he was not nominated by the Republicans last Friday.
Town Justice Paul Montgomery decided not to run for another term. He said he loves doing it, but his personal schedule and other commitments have made it very difficult to give it the time it needs. He said he found it a rewarding job and is pleased with the time he spent doing it.
The caucus nominated Richard Snyder as the Republican candidate for Town Justice. Snyder currently sits on the Petersburgh Town Board. He is a former Chief of the Petersburgh Fire Department and currently serves as a Safety Officer for the Department.
Bill Seel and Duane Goodermote are at the end of their terms on the Petersburgh Town Board, and both have declined to run for another term on the Board. Mason Hubbard nominated Jack Barnhill for one of those seats, and Tim Church nominated his wife, Denise Church, for the other one, seconded by Peter Schaaphok. The caucus voted in favor of both, and they will be the Republican candidates for Town Council.
Jack Barnhill has lived in Petersburgh for seven years. He has a wife and two boys, who go to the Hoosac School. He said he wanted to get more involved with the Town and this seemed like a good opportunity to do so. He said he has no particular agenda, he just wants to apply common sense to Town government and do what’s best for the Town.
Denise Church, although she is a Democrat, said she is pleased to receive the endorsement of the Republican Caucus. “I really appreciate the support. I’m feeling energized by all the people who have supported my candidacy,” said Church. She added, “It appears that bipartisanship is alive and well in Petersburgh.” She feels that being a Republican or Democrat doesn’t make much difference when it comes to Town governance “We’re all just trying to make Petersburgh the best that it can be. I can’t wait to get started,” she concluded.[/private]