Democratic primaries set in three races
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Democratic primaries are now set in three Common Council races, according to the Ulster County Board of Elections.
The primary race for the Eighth Ward Democratic line in November’s election will feature three candidates. In that ward, incumbent Steve Schabot, who was backed by the Democratic Committee, will face off against Cassandra Burke and former city Safety Officer Jim Rodden for the party line on the ballot.
Rodden has the backing of the city Republican, Conservative and Independence parties. There is an opportunity to ballot for the Eighth Ward Independence line, according to the Ulster County Board of Elections.
Schabot, a lifelong Kingston resident, worked 32 years with the Ulster County Department of Social Services. He retired as the department’s director of Resource Recovery. For more than 20 years, Schabot had served as a commissioner with the Kingston Parks and Recreation Commission.
Since becoming a member of the council, Schabot has served as chairman of its Public Safety Committee. He has also served as a member of the Laws and Rules Committee, as well as the Finance/ Audit Committee.
Rodden, a father of three, has served as Zoning Board of Appeals chairman since 2012. He has been a member since 2004. Rodden started work for United Parcel Service in 1964 as a delivery driver. He retired in 1995 as an upstate New York district resource manager.
Rodden has additional history with the city. He is a former member of the board of Assessment Review and the Community Development Advisory Board. He is also a past president of the Children’s Home Board of Directors.
Burke, a lifelong Ulster County resident, has lived in Kingston for the past five years. Burke has studied public policy at the University of Albany. She has been involved in several internships at various layers of local government, including with Kingston and the Ulster County Legislature.
She is a former member of the city’s Human Rights Commission. She is a current member of the Kingston Community Development Advisory Board. Burke is also co-founder of the Rondout Gardens Resident Council.
In the Fifth Ward, registered Democrats can write-in a candidate during an opportunity to ballot contest. Incumbent Alderman William Carey has earned the backing of the Democratic committee for that seat.
Similarly, there is an opportunity to ballot for the Democratic line in the Seventh Ward race. That party’s committee has endorsed Bryant “Drew” Andrews.
There is also an opportunity to ballot in the Seventh Ward on the Republican line.