Fitting Runs for Tannersville Village Trustee Position on Independent Ticket

TANNERSVILLE — Campaigning as an independent candidate, Rebecca Fitting secured sufficient signatures and filed paperwork on Tuesday February 4th, 2025 for placement on the ballot in Tannersville’s March 18th general election. She will be running for the position of Village Trustee on The Village Party line.

On January 14th, 2025, the Village of Tannersville held a referendum on whether to dissolve the village. Nearly 80% of residents in Tannersville voted against dissolution. March 18th, 2025, will be the first general election held in the Village of Tannersville since the dissolution was voted down. On election day, registered village residents will be voting for the positions of Mayor and two Village Trustees.

Quote from Rebecca Fitting: “Now that its residents have overwhelmingly voted against dissolution of the village, Tannersville is entering an exciting new chapter. As the Village Board begins the work of taking stock and improving upon a governance that has already proven sound, but that can always be better, I’d like to be a part of the process. I believe deeply in Main Street America and in Tannersville – I live here, work here, and am raising my child here, and I’m hoping people see my engagement, investments, and commitment to our community as a reason to vote me as trustee for the Village Board in March.”

Local residents rediscovered their civic engagement when faced with dissolution; this election cycle had more candidates competing for trustee positions than previous years. This year’s Democratic and Republican caucuses each had five candidates vying for nominations for two trustee positions. Fitting competed for nomination at the Democratic caucus and lost narrowly, then chose not to attend the Republican caucus and seek the Republican nomination later that same evening, opting to pursue an independent route instead.

Quote from Rebecca Fitting: “While it might work for other candidates interested in running for the position of Village Trustee, it’s just not my style to pursue nomination at a second caucus after failing to receive nomination at the first. The caucus process pulls from a small percentage of the population: only registered members of that political party can vote in a caucus, and only if they attend that meeting in person. Approximately 35% of registered voters in Tannersville are neither Democrat or Republican, and less than 30 people attended either caucus. This leaves a large percentage of the village population lacking input in the process, which is why I opted to pursue an independent campaign instead, so that I could reach outside the caucus boundaries. Seeking independent placement on the ballot requires that petition signatures only be collected from people who did not already participate in a caucus, thus giving more village residents the ability to place someone on the ballot, and I collected more signatures than the number of people who attended either caucus. The process of collecting signatures for my petition was overwhelmingly positive, and, frankly, really fun, and I look forward to continuing to engage with my community during the campaigning process in hopes of earning the votes of my neighbors.”

How, where, and when to vote: On the ballot is the position of Mayor and two Village Trustee positions. Election Day is Tuesday March 18th, 2025. Polls will be open in Tannersville, NY from 11am-9pm, registered Village residents can vote in person at Village Hall, located at 5974 Main Street in Tannersville, NY.

Registered voters may also vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballot can be requested online or by mail up until 10 days before the election, or can be requested in person at the office of the Greene County Board of Elections up until Monday March 17th, 2025. Ballots must then either be submitted or postmarked by Tuesday March 18th 2025 in order to be counted toward this election. The Greene County Board of Elections is located at 411 Main Street in Catskill, NY, and online at https://www.greenegovernment.com/departments/board-of-elections.

If you are not yet registered to vote or if you need to update your primary residence address, you may do so up until 10 days prior to Election Day. Registration information can be found online at https://www.ny.gov/services/register-vote.