WGXC-90.7 FM

Controversy casts shadow over Cairo fire election

Dec 09, 2014 8:15 am
Audrey Matott is reporting in The Daily Mail on the controversy that has arisen over the the Cairo Hose Company Board of Fire Commissioners election scheduled for today, Tue., Dec. 9. Candidate Greta Metzler's petition was tossed out last week after the current board decided that because some signatures were listed with post office box addresses, rather than street addresses, the petition did not carry the requisite number of valid signatures. As a result, Metzler's name will not appear on the ballot, leaving Jeff Baldwin the only candidate for the open seat. Baldwin is a member of the fire company. Metzler is not. She is a teacher employed by the Cairo-Durham Central School District. Cairo Hose Company Fire Chief Gerry Buckley said the invalidated Metzler petition originally had 30 signatures, but even after the elimination of the disputed signatures, the document still met the 25-signature board of elections requirement. Buckley said, “If they wanted to run a fair election they should have left her name on the ballot.” A campaign is underway to urge voters to write Metzler's name in on the ballot. The election takes place 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Cairo firehouse. All registered voters within the Cairo fire district are eligible to vote. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.