Town of Hamilton Democrats urge their neighbors to exercise the franchise of a free democracy and vote Nov. 2 in elections that will fill several town offices and decide five proposed amendments to state law.
There has been no change in local polling locations. Anyone uncertain about where and when to vote can consult the Madison County Board of Elections website at madisoncounty.ny.gov/1547/Board-of-Elections for details. The website is also the source for voter registration and absentee ballot information.
Democratic candidates for elected positions in the town of Hamilton include incumbents Eve Ann Shwartz for town supervisor; Don Haight for town justice; and Mary Lee Dinski for a seat on the town council. All three will also be listed on the Good Government line of the November ballot, as will Travis DuBois, a first-time candidate for the second open seat on the Hamilton Town Council.
Shwartz is campaigning for her sixth two-year term as town supervisor; she heads the Town Council and represents the town on the Madison County Board of Supervisors. A town of Hamilton native with a degree in law, she is co-owner of Maple Avenue Farms. Her long record of service includes her current positions as board chair of Community Memorial Hospital, chair of the Madison County Public Utilities Commission, and membership on the county’s Health And Human Services Committee and Solid Waste Committee. Key interests, she said, are improving the efficiency and resiliency of town services, supporting the development of affordable housing, maintaining local medical emergency services, working to bring affordable broadband to the county and expanding mental health services.
Haight has been town justice since 2010 and is also the associate justice for the village of Hamilton. He has served eight years as president of the Madison County Magistrates and Court Clerks Association, was the county’s virtual arraignment judge, and is a member of the county’s Centralize Arraignment Program. COVID resulted in many changes in court operations, he said; as court operations slowly return to normal, he is running to be part of that return.
Dinski is a Hamilton native who was first elected to the Town Council in 2017. Deputy executive director of Camp Fiver, she is a licensed social worker with a master’s degree from Fordham University. Vice president of the Partnership for Community Development and PCD’s liaison to the town council, she also serves on the council’s recreation and youth committee. Her goals for another term, she said, include using her skills in support of local youth.
“All three of these candidates work hard and effectively for our town,” Christine Rossi, chair of the Town of Hamilton Democratic Committee, said. “We encourage voters to show their support by exercising their right to vote.”
The five amendments to state law proposed for consideration on the Nov. 2 ballot concern:
- Apportionment and redistricting
- Right to clean air, clean water and a healthful environment
- Eliminating the 10-day advance voter registration requirement
- Authorizing no-excuse absentee voting
- Increasing the jurisdiction of the New York City Civil Court
A sample ballot, including the full language of the five proposed amendments, is available at madisoncounty.ny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16236/Hamilton-9112.