It may not be much of a contest, but there will be a Town Council election in Woodside this November.
There is a single candidate for each of the four seats up for election on the seven-member council. They are: incumbent Ron Romines in District 1; incumbent Sue Boynton in District 3; Dave Burow in District 5; and Peter Mason in District 7.
Town officials could have chosen to save the estimated $5,000 it will cost to hold the election by simply appointing the candidates to the council.
“Saving money is one thing, but saving our freedoms is another, and voting is a sacred freedom,” said Councilman Dave Tanner at a special Aug. 22 meeting held in Independence Hall.
By holding the election, there’s still a chance for opposition in the form of write-in candidates, council members said. The vote was 4-0 to have an election, with Carroll Ann Hodges, Ron Romines and Pete Sinclair absent.
Mr. Burow, one of the unopposed candidates, said he would prefer to be elected rather than appointed.
Councilman Paul Goeld, who was originally appointed to the council, and then re-elected, said that elected council members have better standing among their constituents than those who have been appointed. He also pointed out that, with the 1997 election of John Blake, Woodside is one of the few communities that has had a successful write-in candidate in recent memory.
