Bayville election features only write-in mayor race

BAYVILLE, N.Y. (WABC) -- It's Election Day Tuesday in the Village of Bayville, where voters are heading to the polls despite an unusual circumstance: officially, no candidates are on the ballot for mayor.

A public notice states: "No candidates have filed petitions for the office of mayor for a term of four (4) years, and for the third office of trustee for a term of four (4) years."

The lack of formal candidates has led several residents to mount write-in campaigns, creating an unexpected and crowded field.

"I'm running because there's a void. Our current mayor decided to not run at the last second. His announcement prevented people from getting signatures in on time," said Kevin Casey, one of the write-in candidates.

Some residents see the sudden surge of interest as a positive sign of civic engagement.

"By my count, we have 11 people who came forward to say they are interested in being the mayor. That's not a sign of a village where people are upset and dissatisfied. That's a healthy sign, I think," said Phil Pecorino.

Others say the open nature of the race raises concerns about candidates' qualifications.

"The problem is with an open forum like this, nobody on the ballot - a lot of people who I feel are unqualified raised their hands, they are just not prepared for this job," said John Taylor.

Bayville, a North Shore waterfront village with about 7,000 residents, offers the mayor's position as a role with an annual stipend of about $5,000.

"It's a thankless job, so I can understand it, unfortunately with the apathy of today's generation it's sad," said Arlene Longo.

At the same time, some voters say the unusual race has energized the community.

"Everybody is kind of rallying, and I think we are going to be really good," one resident said.

Todd Kaiser said he researched the candidates before choosing whom to support.

"I looked each one up online, evaluated who I liked, I picked one out of like 9, hahaha everyone was joining the race," he said.

Voting continued steadily throughout the day at the Bayville Fire Department polling site. Ballots can be cast until 9 p.m., after which poll workers will count votes by hand.

As residents make their choices, the outcome of the write-in race will determine who leads the village for the next four years.

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