This week Garden City residents will go to the polls to select a mayor, three trustees and a village justice. This might be confusing to some newer residents who might remember a runoff election for trustee just a few months ago.

Under the Village's unique Community Agreement, each of the Village's four sections selects two trustees to sit on the eight member board, with the mayoralty rotating among the sections. Candidates for offices are chosen by the Property Owners Associations during the winter. Candidates are interviewed by nominating committees, who then present their slate of candidates to the other residents of the section in January. Under the bylaws of the POAs, challenges can then be made by other section residents, and if there are challenges runoff elections are held.

Once each POA has chosen its nominees, the other three POAs cross endorse those candidates. Thus, during the "official" election held in March in accordance with state law, candidates traditionally run unopposed.

In most years, the turnout for the election is tiny - often in the double digits. However, in a recent election, a last minute write-in campaign was staged, and garnered a surprising number of votes.

Given the tenor of the times in Garden City, we'd like to respectfully suggest that those who want to see the Community Agreement system to continue should make time to cast a vote on Wednesday, even if it is for an unopposed slate.

The election will be at Village Hall, 351 Stewart Avenue, on Wednesday, March 18 from noon until 9 p.m.

Meg Morgan Norris

Publisher