Blog backs Graham in county's clerk race

City Mayor Jeffrey E. Graham privately asked a local blog's author to promote his candidacy for county clerk Monday, despite publicly claiming he has little interest in the seat.

"I like what I'm doing and I'm staying put," the mayor said Tuesday on his WATN talk show, "The Hotline."

However, Mr. Graham sent an e-mail Monday evening to Political IV, a local Republican-leaning blog, saying: "Name me a candidate for county clerk who has the following skill set."

The mayor then offered five attributes that he said he believed would make him a viable candidate for the position, which is up for election this November. Those attributes were copied verbatim by the blog's author, who added: "Graham has the capabilities to make a good county clerk."

Legislator Scott A. Gray, R-Watertown, acknowledged Tuesday that he has access to the blog's e-mail account and forwarded the mayor's e-mail to the Watertown Daily Times. He offered no comment when asked again if he was the author of Political IV.

Mr. Graham, an Independence Party member whose mayoral term ends in 2011, said Tuesday that he was recently approached by a few people outside his party about running for the clerk's position. The mayor then e-mailed Political IV to test the idea.

"IV likes to float things around," the mayor said. "There's a certain playfulness to it, you know that."

Mr. Graham said he would never definitively say "no" to any race, but added that he didn't think he wanted to be involved in a partisan campaign. The city holds nonpartisan elections.

The mayor said he would have "never thought about it if some people hadn't brought it up."

The clerk's position is being vacated by JoAnn M. Wilder, a Democrat who has served five consecutive four-year terms. She has said she intends to retire instead of seeking re-election this year.