The local Republican Party met last Tuesday to select candidates for this year's elections for the Village of Ellenville and the Town of Wawarsing.

The crowd, which swelled to over 150 registered Republicans as the night went on, was on hand to look at the slate of candidates that it hopes will reclaim a majority on the town board and offer some representation on the village board.

Most of the night went as planned with each candidate having been selected for nomination prior to the evening's proceedings. The one surprise came in the instance of the Town Highway Superintendent. Gil Davis was the expected nominee when Greg Barr made a motion from the floor to nominate Anthony "Tony" Paes for the same position. Paes received the nomination the previous week from the Democratic Party. Caucus Chair, Bob Fontaine called for a voice vote that was too close to call so the audience was forced to catch a paper ballot. Davis won handily with a final count of 116 to 36.

During his acceptance speech, Councilman Terry Houck warned that anti-Republican sentiment on the national level could have repercussions on local elections. He stressed the importance that the local Republican Party work as a team and listen to voter concerns in order to win them over.

Things became a little adversarial during some of the nomination and acceptance speeches suggesting that this group of Republicans will be looking to mix things up between now and November.

One of the men who nominated Ed Jennings for Town Supervisor, Joe Wolf, emphasized the fact that a vote for Jennings would mean that Wawarsing's town supervisor would be "full time." The emphasis seemed to tap the dissatisfaction some feel with current supervisor, James Dolaway. Dolaway, in addition to being town supervisor, is also the owner an operator of James' General Store. Area residents have recently complained about Dolaway's priorities with regard to his business and the full-time supervisor role.

Later that evening, Houck mentioned during his acceptance speech that he had missed "two meetings" during his tenure on the Town Board. The mention could have been construed as a possible jab at Democratic opponent Teresa Hyatt who is alleged to have a history of problems regarding attendance at meetings.

Town Supervisor candidate Ed Jennings, a former Ulster County legislator, explained that the main thrust of his campaign and time in office should he be elected would be job creation. He concluded his acceptance speech by saying, "The campaign trail starts here. I'll be knocking on your doors."

The Republican slate for village positions features two newcomers and an empty spot to possibly be chosen at a later date. Mayoral candidate Ruben Torres is a law enforcement professional who has lived in Ellenville for most of his life. Trustee candidate Wendy Tushak is a 6-year resident of the area and come from a self-described, "political family".

Town of Wawarsing:

Town Supervisor: Ed Jennings
Town Councilman: Terry Houck (i)
Town Councilwoman: Georgianne Matichuk
Town Clerk: Dolores Peluso
Town Highway Superintendent: Gil Davis
Town Justice: William "Bill" O'Brien

Village of Ellenville:

Mayor: Ruben Torres
Village Trustee: Wendy Tushak
Village Trustee: TBA

(i) denotes "incumbent"

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