It is now the 2018 local election “part two.”

Just as the May primary campaigning and voting is over, the “second phase” of the election season–in two parts–begin.

Candidates who won party nominations on May 22 will now look to campaign to be office winners in the upcoming November General Election and non-partisan candidates, who do not have to file for office in a primary, have already begun filing for some local seats that are elected on a non-partisan basis.

Local non-partisan races this year include all city seats, Mayor (who serves four-year terms) and city council members (two-year terms) as well as a few seats on the local Clinton County Board of Education in some school board districts.

Some candidates, especially those seeking city offices, have already filed official papers with the county clerk.

Those non-partisan races in the city and school board districts will coincide with this fall’s general election ballot which will have a couple of contested county-wide races for County Clerk and County Judge/Executive, as well as a contested Congressional race in the First District and a runoff for 3rd Supreme Court District Judge.

The local city race that has seemed to have drawn the most interest to date is that of Mayor of Albany as several persons are expected to file for that seat, as well as council seats this summer, with the expectation that current Albany Mayor Nicky Smith will not seek re-election to that seat.

Beginning in next week’s issue, the Clinton County News will publish election deadlines as well as periodic names of candidates who file for office between now and the filing deadline.