Published: April 30, 2008 08:00 pm            

LEWISTON: Confusion still exists in village race

Two four-term Board of Trustees seats open in June

Caucuses formally wrapped up Monday in the Village of Lewiston in preparation for the election of two village Board of Trustees seats in June.

But it appears the fun has just begun.

Confusion still exists regarding the candidacy of Deputy Mayor and Trustee Michael Marra, who temporarily lost a chance for the Republican line for his re-election last week in the GOP caucus. Instead, Trustee Ron Winkley and Lewiston Republican Committee member David Baird were nominated.

But when Baird read newspaper reports that Marra felt blindsided at the caucus by the number of supporters Baird brought, he decided to give him a break. So hours before the Democratic caucus, he declined the GOP line and was nominated on the Democratic side, along with Bob Giannetti, who owns Bob’s Olde Books shop on Center Street.

“I said, ‘Let’s let the residents decide,’ ” Baird said.

In response to the news that an open Republican slot now exists, Marra said he’s researching state election law and considering whether it’s possible to run on that line.

“I’m looking through what the law holds and if I have any options as far as the Republican line is concerned,” Marra said. “I’m looking closely at the process and then I’ll probably make a decision.”

Town Republican Committee Chairman Rob Nichols, who said he’s puzzled Baird declined the GOP line after going through the trouble of getting it, said he’s also reviewing the laws to see what the options are.

For now, the candidates are Baird, Giannetti and Winkley who was appointed to the board in November after Kenneth Kenney resigned.

Winkley, 48, who retired as Lewiston police chief in June 2006, did not return a phone message seeking comment Wednesday, but when he was appointed, he said his focus would be on staying the course for a board that has been headed in the right direction in recent years.

“I’d like to continue the good work of the board,” he said. “They’ve made the village a popular place to come while preserving it for residents.”

Baird, 56, is a long-time village resident who’s retired from Occidental Chemical. He said he’s wanted to run for years but stayed out of the fray while his brother, Al Baird, worked on the Lewiston police force. Al retired in February.

He said he’s been campaigning since early April and that he’ll focus on striking a balance between the interest of village businesses and residents and improving government transparency.

“I try to be an honorable person,” he said. “And I’m looking for honest, fair and efficient government.”

Giannetti, 66, said he’s also interested in striking the balance between commercial and residential interests. Being a village businessman and homeowner, he said he’s in a unique position to do that.

“We need to keep our eye on the ball because it’s a critical time in the village’s history,” he said. “We don’t want this place to become a suburb.”

Maintaining Center Street’s aesthetic character, improving transparency in village government and fostering responsible economic development are also goals of Giannetti’s. A village resident for two years, Giannetti is a retired English professor, U.S. Army Captain and businessman who’s had a book and some poems published.

“I’m a Democrat, but I really think of things in a non-partisan fashion,” he said. “That’s what’s best for the village.”

Baird said his decision to decline the GOP line was an attempt at fairness and that he was facing pressure on what to do from both sides, but that explanation did nothing to please Diane Roberts, the town’s Democratic Committee chairman.

Roberts said she knew people who voted for Baird because they thought he’d be cross-endorsed and there were several other candidates they could have chosen.

“If you want to win something, why do you give up a line?” she asked. “He’s not a Democrat or running as a Democrat as far as I’m concerned.”

        

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