People interested in running for a local government position first have to file a petition to get their name on the ballot. The Essex County Board of Elections will accept designating petitions — or petitions from major party-line candidates — from April 3 to 6, and the petition period began on Tuesday, Feb. 28. For people running independent of a major party line, the petition period begins on April 18. The county board of elections will accept independent petitions from May 23 to 30.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Essex County’s primary election is on June 27.

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North Elba

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North Elba voters will elect a town supervisor this November, and current town Supervisor Derek Doty said he’s eyeing a second term. However, Doty, a Democrat, said he’s “reserving the right” to make an official decision about his candidacy until April 18, when the independent petition period begins. Doty has served the town for nearly 20 years; he was first elected as a town councilor in 2003.

North Elba’s Democratic Party has caucuses, and its Republican Party has primaries. Democrats nominated through a caucus aren’t required to submit a petition, according to Essex County Deputy Democratic Commissioner Jennifer Fifield.

Two town council seats will also be up for election in North Elba. Those positions are currently held by Emily Kilburn Politi and Dick Cummings. North Elba’s town clerk position, currently held by Laurie Dudley, along with the town’s superintendent of highways position, now held by Ken Porter, will also be up for election.

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Wilmington

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In Wilmington, vacancies for town supervisor, two town councilors and two assessors will be on this November’s ballot.

Roy Holzer, the town’s current supervisor and a former town councilor, has decided not to run for office again. He was first elected to the town council in 1983, at the age of 18. He was elected town supervisor for the first time 13 years later, at the age of 31, and served in that capacity for four years. He served as interim supervisor following the death of former town Supervisor Randy Preston in 2019 before being officially elected as supervisor later that year. He ran for supervisor unopposed in 2021, but on Thursday, March 2, he said it was never his intention to “make a second career” out of being town supervisor.

A lifelong Wilmington resident, Holzer said he wants to stay involved in the community — just not politically.

“Anyone that knows me realizes my Wilmington genes run very deep,” Holzer said. “… I do not have to be an elected official to do things for my community.”

So far, Wilmington resident Favor Smith has expressed interest in running for supervisor.

The two town council seats up for election are currently held by Councilor Michelle Preston and Deputy Supervisor Darin Forbes. Preston was appointed by Holzer to fill former Councilor Paula McGreevy’s seat this past August after McGreevy resigned earlier that month. McGreevy and Forbes’ terms are set to expire this year. The town assessor seats up for election this November currently belong to Alfonzo Smith and Marcel Bruce.

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Keene

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Keene voters will elect a new town clerk and two town councilors this November. One of the town councilor positions belongs to Daniel Deyoe, whose term is set to end this year.

The second councilor seat belonged to Jennifer Whitney, who resigned from the board this past September. The town clerk seat belonged to former Clerk Kimberly Smith, who resigned from her position this past November. Whitney and Smith both cited board conflicts as their reasons for resigning. While Whitney’s term was set to end this year, Smith’s term was set to end in 2025 — the person elected as town clerk this November would be finishing Smith’s unexpired term rather than serving a full term, Fifield said.

Chris Daly, who lost his bid for town justice to Barbara Dwyer in 2021, was appointed this past October to finish Whitney’s term. Also in October, Ann Whitney, who lost to Smith in Keene’s election for town clerk in November 2021, was selected as the interim town clerk.

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Jay

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Two town council seats and a town justice spot will be up for election in Jay.

The town councilor seats are currently held by Deputy Supervisor Tom McDonald and Councilor Adam Coolidge. Town Justice Daniel Deyoe’s seat is up for election this year.

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Essex County

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All voters in Essex County will also elect a county clerk this November. Deputy County Clerk Chelsea Merrihew is currently serving as interim county clerk after longtime county Clerk Joseph Provancha retired last year.