Primaries for Conservative, Women’s Equality parties
Two primaries will be held on Sept. 13 in Putnam for County Executive to test the hypothesis that the more times your name appears on the November ballot, the more likely you will win.
Maureen Fleming, the Democratic candidate for Putnam County Executive, filed an “opportunity to ballot” on the Conservative Party line, hoping that more of the county’s 1,831 registered party voters who make it the polls will write in her name than vote for incumbent MaryEllen Odell, who received the party’s endorsement.
At the same time, Odell filed an opportunity to ballot petition to campaign for the write-in vote on the line of the Women’s Equality Party, which endorsed Fleming. At last count, there were 21 registered WEP voters in the county.
Fleming, the Kent Town supervisor, will already appear on the Democratic and Reform lines in the November ballot, while Odell will appear on the Republican and Independence party lines.
Odell had filed a nominating petition that would have forced a primary for the Reform line, but it was ruled invalid by the county Board of Elections. Kent Town Board member Paul Denbaum also filed a petition that would have forced a primary for the Republican line but it, too, was ruled invalid.
