For Cairo voters, it’s no contest
Democrats will not nominate candidates
The Daily Mail
Sept. 10, 2009

CAIRO — The Cairo Democratic Committee will not field any candidates for town office, according to committee Chairman Michael Coyne.

“The committee has chosen after thoughtful deliberation that it is in our best interest this year not to have a caucus,” Coyne said Tuesday night.

The decision leaves the Republicans — incumbent town supervisor John Coyne, incumbent councilman Raymond Suttmeier, councilman candidate Douglas Ostrander Sr., justice candidate Leland Miller and incumbent tax collector Emily Feeney — with no Democratic opposition.

Coyne said the committee’s unanimous decision was not made to stymie the democratic process. He stressed that no Democrats came forward to run for town office during the spring or summer.

The Cairo Democratic Committee is supporting the summer nominating petitions for incumbent county legislator Harry Lennon and will continue to run that campaign, Coyne said.

Lennon and incumbent legislator William Lawrence, who is a Republican, are vying for Cairo’s two seats on the county legislature, again without opposition.

Incumbent Councilwoman Alice Tunison, a Democrat who has said that she would not seek re-election, changed her mind and decided to run for re-election after last week’s Town Board workshop meeting, she said Wednesday.

Tunison said her decision came out of a desire to see through some of her efforts to improve Cairo and she did not want to walk away from the Town Board.

“This has probably been the hardest job I have ever had but I am convinced that a lot of the things I have done for the Town of Cairo have been very important,” she said. “I want to be sure that I still do my push-push there.”

Tunison unsuccessfully lobbied Coyne and the committee Tuesday night for a Council nod.

Coyne applauded Tunison’s efforts Wednesday but said the committee had decided upon their strategy to not caucus before Tunison made her appeal.

Coyne was elected chairman of the committee only six weeks ago, too little time, he said, to run a real race for credible candidates.

The deadline to file a petition as a third party candidate passed in August. Tunison said her next step is to launch a write-in campaign.

“You better believe it,” she said.

Since she took office in 2006, Tunison has worked to install an air conditioner in the Acra Community Center, to improve a speaker system and provide tents for veteran’s events and to organize parades. Tunison established the Cairo Historic Association and serves as its president.

She is currently involved with projects to refurbish the World War I memorial fountain as well as other beautification efforts and to make crosswalks more visible.

She has organized an annual memorial observance for the Sept. 11 attacks since before her election in 2005.

Tunison said she had corresponded with nearly every Cairo resident while administering Cairo’s program to provide 911 street number signs to every property owner. She said se had done her best to attend every event to which she was invited.

“I really enjoyed the responsibility I felt and good feeling I felt about representing my Town,” she said.

Cairo Republican Committee Chairman Joseph Birk said Wednesday he was surprised by the Democratic Committee’s decision not to run any candidates.

“I have been a chairman for 22 years and this is the first time I’ve heard that,” he said.

Birk said his party will still campaign for its slate of candidates by knocking on doors, posting signs and holding candidate events.

Election Day is Nov. 3.