Election Day in Groton: two contested races

As Election Day approaches, voters in Groton will have some choices to make for the highway superintendent and Town Board races. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Those who have previously voted at West Groton Bible Church should be aware that your new polling place is the town of Groton Town Hall, 101 Conger Blvd.

After the Republican primary in June, Ellard Keister won the race against Kenneth Carr. Carr has been endorsed by the Democratic Party, so the two will contend for the highway superintendent’s seat.

Carr has been a lifelong resident of Groton in the hamlet of McLean and is a 2000 Dryden Central School graduate.

Since graduation, Carr has always been employed full time in the workforce and has worked at the town of Dryden Highway Department for more than 12 years. He has been a member of the McLean Fire Department for the past 25 years and its fire chief for the past eight.

Carr, his wife Jenelle, and their two sons, Ethan (12) and Eli (9), all live on a farm that has been in their family since 1927.

“Having worked for the Dryden Highway Department, I have the experience and expertise to excel in this position,” Carr said. “I chose to run because I would like to make a difference in my hometown.”

The June 2 issue of “Groton on the Inside” gave readers more information on Carr, and the June 9 issue covered Keister.

Keister is also a lifelong Groton resident. He graduated from Groton High School in 2008 and has been employed by the town of Groton Highway Department for the past 16 years.

Keister’s wife, Jennifer, is a teacher at Groton Elementary School. Their son, Andrew (Andy), is in first grade, and their daughter, Miley, is 3 years old.

“I have a great balance of old and new to be a well-rounded leader,” Keister said. “I have done work on every single road the town of Groton maintains. I know what works and have been actively applying new ideas in areas where we can see advancement. I am also familiar with the ins and outs of our town budget and the department’s equipment and have an active plan for its longevity and replacement.”

Beth Buckles (Democrat), incumbent Rick Gamel (Republican), Mark Robinson (Democrat) and incumbent Crystal Young (Republican) are vying for two open seats on the Groton Town Board.

Buckles grew up in Ohio and graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1988. She then obtained a degree in biology from Cornell University in 1992, a doctorate of veterinary medicine and a master’s from Ohio State in 1996, and a Ph.D. in 2004 from UC Davis.

Currently, Buckles teaches at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine and works at the New York State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory as a veterinary pathologist. She returned to this area because she said she “always felt a call to come back here.”

Buckles, her partner for almost 18 years, Joe Goldman, and their two beagles and two cats enjoy living in Groton. She has been involved in the Groton Democratic Committee for about six years.

“I really like helping people solve problems, hearing their points of view and learning from them,” Buckles said. “Living in different places, working with and being friends with a diversity of people has given me the ability to empathize and help groups find common ground when trying to solve problems. One of the most important things an officeholder can do is advocate for their constituents. One of my main goals is to make sure that Groton has a voice at all levels, be it at the county or state level.”

Gamel was born and raised in Groton, graduated from Groton High School and received his bachelor’s and master’s from SUNY Oswego in technology education.

Having retired this past June from a 31-year career as a teacher, primarily at Cortland High School (CHS), Gamel is currently working as a security monitor at CHS.

Gamel’s wife, Rebecca, is a reading teacher at Groton Elementary School, and their son, Nick, is a sophomore at Groton High School. Rick takes great pride in owning his family land where they live and really enjoys managing woodlot and improving property.

Gamel has been on the Groton Town Board since 2004 and has been a member of the Groton Rod and Gun Club.

“As a lifelong resident of Groton, I have an immense passion for our town and its future,” Gamel said. “Not only do I feel that it is extremely important to give back to the community I live in, but I also want to be the voice for those who have lived and raised families in our town and also serve the residents of our community.”

Robinson graduated from Groton High School in 1968 and earned a bachelor’s at SUNY Cortland in secondary education. He has worked as a custodian at Cornell for 33 years.

“I’ve always lived here — it means a lot to me,” Robinson said. “I have a lot of knowledge of the history of the town. My mom, Teresa Robinson, was the town supervisor for 22 years.”

Mark is a lifetime member of the Groton Historical Association and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and has been a member of the Groton Democratic Committee for over 40 years.

“I’m running because I think I can bring some new ideas and perspective to the Board and make sober judgments based on evidence and common sense,” Robinson said. “Nothing is really new. You need to recognize when history repeats itself and have the tools to deal with it. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life, but they hone you into a person who can deal with higher levels of conflict and better understanding. If you think too highly of yourself, life has a way of bringing you back to Earth. I want to do something positive for the town. I haven’t run for public office before, but I feel that now is the time.”

Young grew up on her family’s farm, Randolph Bros. Dairy Farm, in Cortland, is a 1984 graduate of Homer Central School and attended college in Syracuse.

In 1987, Young moved to Groton after she began working at the Groton Hotel in 1986, where she met her husband of 33 years, Bob. They’ve raised five sons, the youngest of whom is a junior at Groton High School. Bob and the boys own Young and Sons Custom Renovations, LLC.

Young has been the administrative operations coordinator for public safety at Ithaca College for 34 years. She has been involved in numerous councils, committees and organizations too numerous to list here, throughout our community and the surrounding area, including serving on the Town Board for the past four years.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a public servant,” Crystal said. “There is so much that I have learned, and I am thankful to have been a part of some real positive changes that were made. I enjoy and am motivated by new initiatives and the opportunity to work collaboratively with community members and others to bring those to fruition. I think it is important for Board members to listen to thoughts and concerns of the community, and I try to focus on educating myself and searching for solutions surrounding concerns or ideas that community members may have. I am really looking forward to being able to continue to serve our community with thoughtfulness and integrity.”

When you get to the polls, you will also find a number of uncontested races on the ballot, but your votes are still meaningful if you choose to cast them.

Groton on the Inside appears weekly. Submit news ideas to Linda Competillo, lmc10@cornell.edu or (607) 227-4922. 

In brief: 
 
Trunk or Treat

Groton Youth Services is proud to be collaborating with the village of Groton this year for the return of Trunk or Treat on Oct. 31 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the village of Groton Municipal Lot. Please email Nick at nw346@cornell.edu with any questions. Register to participate here: bit.ly/TrunkorTreatsignup.

French Club craft show 

After the disappointment of not being able to hold its annual craft show last year, the Groton High School French Club will once again host its annual craft show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 6. Admission is free, and this show has become one of the school’s biggest and most well-attended events of the year!

There will be over 100 vendors with a variety of crafts and items for sale that are varied and quite extensive, including homemade crafts and woodwork, handbags, jewelry, quilting, embroidery, goat’s milk soaps, baked goods, original artwork, clothing and more.

Vendors will be located in both gymnasiums, the cafeteria and the school library, with parking available in front of the school as well as on the high school gymnasium side.

The French Club also runs a silent auction, bake sale and two concession stands for breakfast and lunch.

Drive-thru turkey dinner 

The McLean firefighters will offer a drive-thru turkey dinner with all the trimmings and homemade pie from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at the McLean Fire Station. Dinners are $12 each. Email mfdfundraising@gmail.com for a pickup time.