City of Cortland mayor Scott Steve. (Photo provided by Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).
City of Cortland mayor Scott Steve will run for a second term unopposed under the Republican Party line.
Cortland County Republican Committee chair Connie White spoke with The Cortland Voice Wednesday regarding the mayor’s upcoming campaign.
“Running unopposed is not going to change the way (Steve) campaigns,” she said. “He’s got a wonderful record to run on.”
Steve could not be reached for comment.
A lack of opposition from the county’s Democratic Party is not for a lack of trying. Cortland County Democratic Committee chair Tim Perfetti said the committee searched for a candidate to challenge Steve in this year’s election.
Perfetti noted the committee asked sitting city council members to run against Steve, but there were various reasons why the six Democrats on the council declined.
“I get that not everybody wants to be the executive,” he said. “Some people enjoy the legislative process; they enjoy the policy side of things. I understand that, and I accept that.”
Some of the responses Perfetti heard are linked to a lack of time, he added.
“Can you fit being an alderperson into your already busy life?,” he said. “I do take that seriously. You’ve got to put a roof over your head at the end of the day. You’ve got to take care of your day job first.”
Other reasons included having to spend time with family, Perfetti added.
There were other reasons given by sitting members of the council that Perfetti did not agree with. Perfetti said a member of the council told him they would run after Steve’s next term is up.
“Look, sometimes running for office, from my position as the chair, isn’t on your timetable,” Perfetti said. “Sometimes it needs to be on the party's timetable. It's not as though we didn’t ask everybody if they wanted to run. There were no takers on the council. We put forth a lot of effort to try to find people (to run).”
The position itself should also be more attractive to prospective public servants, Perfetti added.
“For that salary, you’ve limited your pool of candidates,” he said. “When you go out and you shop yourself around on the open market, you’re looking to get the highest dollar you can get.”
Perfetti noted that although the public and private sector differ in their pay structure, a higher salary for the position of mayor could cast a wider net to lure those with interest or experience in government.
This year’s election is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 7.
