Mayor and Trustee seats on March 18 village general election ballot

Voters will go to the polls on Wednesday, March 18, for the Village of Stillwater’s general election. The polls will be open noon-9 p.m., at The Stillwater Area Community Center, Palmer Street.

On the ballot will be two candidates for the office of Mayor, and three candidates running unopposed for terms on the Board of Trustees. Those elected will begin their new terms on April 6. The candidates are as follows:

Village Mayor – Four Year Term

ERNEST W. MARTIN, NEILSON AVENUE, INCUMBENT
Mayor Ernest W. Martin was first elected to office as a Village Trustee in 1983, and then was elected Mayor in March 1992. He is the longest serving Mayor in the village’s history. He was born in December 1940 and raised in Mechanicville. He attended the Mechanicville School system and upon graduation in 1959, he immediately served four years in the United States Air Force. After his military service, he accepted a position with General Electric Silicones and retired after 30 years of service, in 2001. Ernie serves on the Town/Village Consolidated Health Board, helps out with the food pantry and is a member of the American Legion Post 490 and the Mechanicville/Stillwater Elks Order. He also serves on his church’s Christian Committee, was a past Constable for the Village and past member of the Stillwater Rescue Squad.

RICK NELSON, ST. JOHN’S PLACE
Rick Nelson has lived in the community his entire life and, for the past 27 years, has run “The Works” a sole-proprietorship specializing in lawn care, snow removal, and general home repairs (carpentry, electrical, plumbing). As a member of Stillwater United Church, he serves as an elder, deacon and on the church Board of Trustees. As a Trustee he assists with managing church property and the budget. Nelson has also worked as a sport’s official for 30 years, officiating women’s field hockey, basketball and lacrosse at the high school and college level. He is also a member of the village Zoning Board of Appeals and the Stillwater Waterfront Revitalization Committee.

Village Trustees – Four Year Term

JUDITH WOOD-SHAW, INDEPENDENCE ROW, INCUMBENT
Trustee Judith Wood-Shaw is running unopposed for a new four-year term on the village Board of Trustees. She began her first term as Trustee in April of 2011. She is a member of the Comprehensive Planning Committee, the Emergency Comprehensive Planning Committee, the Grants and Funding Committee, a liaison to the ZBA and a past board member/treasurer for the Stillwater Area Community Center. Currently, she is a volunteer with the Stillwater Area Community Center and runs the Senior Time Program.

FRANK TATUM, HUDSON AVENUE
Frank Tatum is a fourth generation village resident. He is a graduate of Stillwater High School and studied Accounting at Hudson Valley Community College. He has worked at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for the past 25 years where he is currently a Call Center Manager.

Village Trustee – Two Year Term

TIMOTHY J. CAMPBELL, HUDSON AVENUE, INCUMBENT
Timothy J. Campbell is running unopposed for a two-year term on the village Board of Trustees. He was appointed to the board in August, 2013, following the resignation of Keith Collins. He is a third generation village resident, a graduate of Stillwater High School, and a retiree of the former General Electric Silicones plant in Waterford where he worked for 37 years as a heavy industrial mechanic. He was also a member of the village Zoning Board of Appeals for four years. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a B-52 Crew Chief. Campbell and his cousin are best known in the village as the “Zamboni Brothers” for running and maintaining the village ice skating rink each winter.