Lewis County has five contests

LOWVILLE — Five of the 10 seats on the Lewis County Legislature will be up for grabs in Tuesday's general election.

■ District 1: Diana and northern Croghan.

Gary L. Williams, running on Republican, Conservative and independent lines, is challenging Legislator Philip C. Hathway, R-Harrisville, running solely on the Independence Party line.

Mr. Williams, who beat Mr. Hathway in a Republican primary, said his experience and network of state and federal contacts separates him from his opponent. He served for 17 years as Harrisville mayor, five years on the Harrisville Central School District Board of Education and two years as Diana town supervisor.

Mr. Williams, who owns and operates the Village Inn and the Harrisville Redemption Center, and plans to refurbish a former drug store, also touted his business acumen.

Mr. Hathway — who in April was appointed to fill the seat of the late L. Kelley Dickinson — served as Diana town supervisor from 1994 to 1997 and operated Phil's Over the Hill gas station and general store on Route 3 for 13 years.

Mr. Hathway said he supports continued library funding and touted his successful opposition to the proposed closure of the Croghan transfer site and, more recently, his opposition to buying a new emergency radio tower without competitive bidding.

"I'm becoming more comfortable and probably will get more vocal the more comfortable I get," he said.

■ District 4: New Bremen and a small portion of eastern Lowville.

Republican and Conservative party candidate Thomas J. Schantz is challenging Legislator John O. Boyd, D-New Bremen, who also holds the Independence Party line.

Mr. Schantz operates a television shop from his residence and helps his son, Andrew, operate the family farm.

Mr. Boyd, a retired U.S. Postal Service worker, in November 2001 defeated Mr. Schantz and independent candidate Jacquelyn M. Powlin. He ran unopposed in the 2003, 2005 and 2007 elections.

■ District 6: Watson and the southeastern portion of Lowville.

Democrat Paul M. Stanford is challenging Republican Legislator Joyce E. Hoch, R-Watson, who also holds the Conservative Party line.

Mr. Stanford, who operates a catering business and a used-car dealership, finished second to Mrs. Hoch in a three-way race in 2007.

"I'm working hard for this," Mr. Stanford said. "We need a change."

He suggested legislators should put more emphasis on residents instead of tourists, make a greater attempt to hire department heads locally and eliminate "backdoor politics."

Mrs. Hoch, a longtime secretary at Lowville Academy and Central School, is in her fourth year on the Legislature.

She has touted, among other things, the establishment of a permit-based all-terrain vehicle trail system, development of a countywide water and wastewater study, road striping and highway improvements.

■ District 8: Pinckney, Harrisburg, Montague, West Turin and Osceola.

Independence Party candidate Joseph L. Baruth Sr. is challenging Legislator Richard C. Lucas, R-Barnes Corners, who also holds the Conservative Party line.

"I have a broad depth of experience," said Mr. Baruth, a past county manager. "I have a financial background. I have much more experience than my opponent."

"I have nearly four years of legislative experience," Mr. Lucas countered. "I don't believe he has any."

Mr. Baruth founded an abrasives distributorship in Rome and an auction and appraisal business in Constableville.

Mr. Lucas is manager at the Watertown branch office of McQuade & Bannigan Inc. and co-owner of the Montague Inn.

Mr. Baruth questioned the need for an $8,000 motel study and implied that Mr. Lucas is ignoring the county's Ethics Law by helping to direct ATV trail development.

Mr. Lucas said the motel study probably should have been called a gap analysis, since it will identify potential needs for motels, restaurants and other retail businesses, allowing local officials to better target development. The legislator said he thinks he is complying with an Ethics Board opinion by abstaining from voting on ATV issues and is simply trying to help the small businesses in his district.

■ District 10: Leyden, Lewis.

Independent candidate John A. Healt is challenging Legislator Jerry H. King, R-West Leyden, who also holds the Conservative Party line.

Mr. Healt works at Tolpa's Auto Parts in Remsen as a deliveryman and also opened a seasonal redemption center in Thendara last spring. He served as a Boonville village trustee for eight years before moving to West Leyden.

Mr. King, a general contractor, is in his fourth year on the Legislature.