Ballston candidate rejects backing

Republican Peter Solberg, who won the Republican endorsement for Town Board over incumbent Chuck Curtiss, has rejected the GOP backing and will instead join Curtiss as a primary candidate against Republican William Goslin.

In a letter he sent to the town GOP chairwoman Sarah Wood on Monday, Solberg said he does not want to share his ticket with Republican incumbents Supervisor Tim Szczepaniak and town Councilman Goslin because their actions on the Town Board run contrary to his goal, which is to preserve the town’s Agricultural District and promote smart growth.

“Ballston is at a crossroads and it needs a voice for the people,” Solberg wrote in a statement. “Not party politics as usual, but a real commitment to change the process for good ... I am running for office to preserve our quaint town for my children, my neighbors and my community. Not to promote partisan politics.”

Wood did not return a call for comment.

Solberg, who has served on the Planning Board, has been an outspoken critic of development in the town’s Ag District and said the Republican party has not served the residents well. Initially, he accepted the endorsement with the hope that he could drive the GOP in a different direction.

“Unfortunately, I realize now it has only brought personal and political conflict,” he said. “I have been forced to be complacent by sharing this GOP endorsement ... But that struggle ends now.”

Solberg went on to say he is bipartisan on issues. He also said his interests align with residents who seek “transparency and high-ethical standards.”

“I am committed to find solutions that can meet the needs of all affected,” he said.

In addition to the Solberg/curtiss/goslin challenge, Szczepaniak will face Republican Eric Connelly in the June 25 primary for the Republican line.

Solberg and Curtiss, who also wants to slow development in the Ag District, both lost their Independence endorsement from Saratoga County Board Chairman Ed Miller. Szczepaniak and Goslin will run on the Independence and Conservative lines, Solberg said. Miller did not return a call for comment.

“I hope that all the residents, regardless of political affiliation, become informed and demand a voice,” he said. “The broken must be fixed. And I am committed to doing just that.”