News Blog

It's the first day that candidates for public office in Monroe County can file their designating petitions with the County Board of Elections, and several eager-beavers have already turned in their petitions.

On the Democratic side, they include Mayor Tom Richards; City Council members Carolee Conklin, Jacklyn Ortiz, Dana Miller, Loretta Scott, and Matthew Haag; as well as City Council challengers Anthony Giordano and the Rev. Marlowe Washington. Richards, Conklin, Ortiz, Miller, Scott, and Haag have all been designated by the Monroe County Democratic Committee — which means they are the party's preferred candidates and can only lose the endorsement through a primary election.

Rochester school board incumbents Jose Cruz and Van White have filed their petitions, as has challenger Candice Lucas. All three were designated by the MCDC during the May convention.

Christopher Culbertson has filed petitions to run for sheriff on the Democratic line. This is the first time Culbertson's name has come up and no information about him is readily available.

The only Republicans to file petitions so far are two candidates out in the Town of Hamlin.

Candidates have until Thursday, July 11, to get their petitions in. If the petitions survive the probable challenges that will be filed against them by competitors — not an easy bar to clear — the candidates will be listed on the primary ballot. The primary election is Tuesday, September 10.

Here's a link to the Board of Elections site. From there, click on "Petitions filed...."