The race to become Ulster’s next county executive has begun to take shape with one — maybe two — Democratic candidates and an April 30 special election to fill the post through the remainder of 2019.
Ulster County Democrats will convene in Kingston next week to endorse a candidate for county executive and dozens of other local offices. The convention is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Best Western on Washington Avenue.
Ulster County pols say the vote, which would happen just months before the general election, would be costly and confusing to voters.
Former Woodstock Supervisor Jeff Moran announced his candidacy for Ulster County Executive, becoming the fourth in the race seeking to replace Michael Hein.
Three Democrats have officially jumped into the race to replace County Executive Mike Hein, hoping to get an early lead in the process of wooing a few hundred town committee members who will select a candidate to run in a special election later this year. On the Republican side, one veteran elected official said that he’s weighing a run, in part because he’s alarmed by the lack of experience among the presumptive frontrunners.
Ulster County will have three elections this year, at a total cost of around $1 million.
If you have unexpectedly found yourself, as I have, reflecting back on Mike Hein’s tenure as county executive, you might also find yourself jotting down a list of traits you’d like to see in his successor. Here’s mine.
A decade after he was elected as Ulster County’s first county executive, Mike Hein will step down to take a post heading up a state social service agency.