Eric Shaheen wins GOP, Conservative nominations for mayor; John Gillis joins town board race

The Tupper Lake fire station in the emergency services building was filled with over 200 Republicans Wednesday evening at the first of two party caucuses. Party members stood patiently in line to sign up.

by Dan McClelland

The biggest news out of the four caucuses last Wednesday and Thursday evenings is there will be races for mayor and for two town board seats on the ballot this November.

Eric Shaheen, in a major upset Wednesday at the village caucus, handily defeated Mayor Paul Maroun. John Gillis was also nominated to run for town board at the Democratic Party’s caucus that same evening- making for a three-way race for two open town council seats.

Over 200 Republican Party faithful came out for the first caucus of four to the Emergency Services Building Wednesday at 6p.m.- something of a caucus record here.

At the village GOP caucus mayoral challenger Eric Shaheen garnered the party’s nomination over Tupper Lake's county legislator and 11-year mayor, Paul Maroun. The businessman defeated the mayor 53 votes to 36, among the 89 village Republicans who were permitted to participate.

The news was greeted with loud applause that evening.

For most Republicans it was the most people in attendance at a caucus of their party in recent memory. For many of those in attendance, it was the first party caucus they had ever attended.

Calls from mayoral candidates Eric Shaheen and Paul Maroun and their supporters and from other GOP candidates were credited with the record-setting turn-out.

The lines to sign in stretched in two sections inside the fire station more than 100 feet long, as Republicans checked in with party election officials.

The long lines produced a 20-minute delay in the 6p.m. scheduled start of the village caucus.

Caucus Chairwoman Tracy Luton announced at the start that all those town residents who had signed into the village caucus would have to sign in again when the town meeting began, which was scheduled to start at 7p.m., but which was also delayed.

She first appointed Crystal Boucher as caucus secretary, and then Mitch and Mark Robillard and Mary Fontana were appointed as poll counters and checkers.

Ms. Luton explained to the packed house that only village residents could vote in the first caucus that evening.

In the trustee contest Mike Russell nominated Deputy Mayor Leon LeBlanc to run for his long-held trustee post. Village Trustee Clint Hollingsworth, who currently serves with Mr. LeBlanc on the village board, seconded the nomination.

For the second position as trustee, Mayor Paul Maroun nominated David “Haji” Maroun, who finished several terms on the village board but who did not seek re-election last fall. A second came from David “Robbie” Dechene.

When there were no other nominations heard, the process was closed, with Mr. LeBlanc and Mr. Maroun winning the party’s nod to run for the village board this fall, with the caucus secretary casting one ballot for each.

For the two-year term as mayor Leon LeBlanc nominated Paul Maroun and the nomination was seconded by Bill Wade.

Eric Shaheen’s sister, Margaret Gaff, nominated him for the top village post. Her nomination was seconded by Contractor Charlie Madore.

Before the voting for mayor began Ms. Luton announced that she had been advised by Franklin County Republican Chairman Kevin Mulverhill, the county sheriff, that anyone who signed the petitions of candidacy for Mayor Maroun or David Maroun or Leon LeBlanc to secure the independent party line in November were unable to vote at the village caucus. There were apparently 40 local residents who were affected by the law.

Many of the mayor's supporters who had signed the independent line petitions couldn't vote at the village caucus.

That section of state election law apparently allows petition-signers to attend a party caucus, nominate candidates but not to vote.

The law has been on the books for many years, apparently, but has never come into play at local caucuses in the past. Typically, candidates for elected office here ask residents who won’t likely attend the party caucus to sign their nominating petitions which are filed with the county’s board of elections. -Or they’ll ask people from another party or people registered independent to sign their petitions.

The material sent to Ms. Luton by the county GOP chairman, Kevin Mulverhill, pointed to state election law, Section 6-208: if a person has signed a petition of someone running for elected office they cannot vote in a party primary or caucus for that same person and position.

The law only applies to candidates seeking an independent line in addition to their main party line on the ballot, not other party lines.

The announcement left many in the room confused. Some were dismayed they couldn’t participate in the voting.

Before the voting began each mayoral candidates was permitted five minutes to address their fellow party members.

Paul Maroun thanked everyone who turned out that evening.

He said he looked forward to a fair election. “I think Tupper Lake is headed in the right direction! I look forward to working with all of you in the future.”

Eric Shaheen also thanked those in attendance, calling it “a big crowd...one of the biggest he has seen in a while at a caucus.”

“I am going to do the best I can as your mayor, using my 30 years of experience in business to help the village and its taxpayers. I have a lot invested in this community and I appreciate all of your support.”

About 7:20p.m. that same evening the town GOP caucus began with Town Republican Chairwoman Lidia Kriwox as caucus chair. She too began by appointing Ms. Fontana and the Robillards as poll watchers and counters.

Attendance had dropped dramatically from an hour earlier as many of the village residents, who can vote in a town caucus because the village is in the town, left because they didn’t believe there would be any contests for supervisor and the two town council seats up for grabs.

That proved to be untrue, however.

Rick Reandeau nominated Rick Donah for one of the two town board seats open this fall. A second to his nomination came from Peter Edwards.

Tim Larkin was nominated by Leon LeBlanc, with second coming from Clint Hollingsworth.

In a surprise development, outgoing town supervisor Patti Littlefield was nominated for town board by Briggette Shaheen. Mary Fontana offered a second but in her position as caucus official, Mrs. Kriwox felt a nomination from the floor was a better way so Eric Shaheen seconded his wife’s nomination.

Before the voting began Mrs. Kriwox responded to a question from the floor about the eligibility of those who signed the nominating petitions for the three village candidates (Maroun, Maroun and LeBlanc). She said unlike the village voting scenario, those 40 or so people, if they were present could vote in both town contests that evening.

In the voting that followed there was a three-way race for two positions.

When the votes were tallied that evening among the 60 or so town voters, Mrs. Littlefield received 25 votes. Tim Larkin received 35 votes and Rick Donah, 30, giving the men the party’s endorsement.

“I’m shocked!” Rick Donah said after the vote count was read. “I care about this community and am looking forward to running in this election. I am looking forward to getting to work to move the community forward.” He said he believes he can bring the town and village boards closer together as they tackle community issues and challenges.

Tim Larkin also thanked the caucus-goers that evening for their support and said he looked forward to a complete Republican slate on the ballot, come election day.

When Mrs. Kriwox opened the floor to nominations for town supervisor, as expected Village Trustee Clint Hollingsworth was nominated. Mr. Hollingsworth announced his intention to run for supervisor a number of weeks ago. His motion was made by Larry Callaghan, seconded by Rick Donah.

In another surprise of the evening, Town Justice Leonard Young’s name was raised in nomination by Eric Shaheen. Briggette Shaheen seconded the nomination.

Mr. Young had already left the caucus and wasn’t expected to accept the nomination, if he’d won it.

In the voting Mr. Hollingsworth garnered 34 votes and Judge Young, ten.

Accepting the party’s nod, Mr. Hollingsworth thanked the members for their support “and for sticking around for the town caucus.”

“I’ve been fairly vocal of late on my various positions for running for town supervisor, and it is to foster prosperity in the entire community. As Tupper Lakers, we have so much to offer. We need to maintain and grow our tax base so we can stay in line (with our taxes) with rising expenses in general.”

“I’m looking forward to working closely with everyone I have to work with,” he said referring to the winning candidates in the fall election.

At 7p.m. Thursday over 20 members of the Town Democratic Party convened at the Aaron Maddox Hall. It was one of the largest attendances at a Democratic Party caucus in years. Typically, that party's caucuses attract ten or so party members.

Under the chairmanship of Town Councilman John Quinn, the party faithful nominated a well-known local carpenter and cabinet-maker John Gillis to run for one of the two town council positions this November.

A second candidate wasn’t nominated, so that means that the newcomer to local politics will face off against Mr. Larkin and Mr. Donah. The top two vote-getters will join the new town board after the November election.

At the lone party caucus on Thursday evening, a redo of an earlier event in June, the village Conservative Party members endorsed Eric Shaheen to run for mayor. The handful of Conservative Party members, meeting at Tupper Lake Supply, also renominated David Maroun and Leon LeBlanc for the two open village jobs.

Although Eric Shaheen won the Conservative nomination for mayor over Paul Maroun at the first caucus, there was no contest for the party’s nod this time as Mayor Maroun was not in attendance and his name wasn't raised in nomination.

Paul Maroun said after Wednesday’s village GOP caucus that he still intends to run for mayor in November on the independent line.

Village trustee candidates David “Haji” Maroun and Leon LeBlanc will be unopposed for their election bids this fall, as will Trustee Clint Hollingsworth, who will be leaving the village board to become the town’s new supervisor. His replacement will likely be appointed by the mayor in December or January.

Town Councilmen John Quinn and Mike Dechene will be stepping down this year at the conclusion of several four-year terms in office. Neither ran in last week's caucuses.

The two winners of the three-way race for town board will join sitting representatives Tracy Luton and Mary Fontana in January.

Republican nominees for the village board, Leon LeBlanc and David “Haji” Maroun, will both be unopposed this fall.

Trustee Ron LaScala is not seeking re-election this fall.