Back in office again
By Steve Krulick
Green Party of New York State

As the third Green to win municipal office in N.Y. (March 2004), I am now the first Green to have been re-elected to that office. I was re-elected to one of two two-year Ellenville Village Board seats on March 15 from a field of four candidates. I received just over 60 percent approval, about the same as in last year's special election to fill a vacancy, when I ran for a one-year term in a two-person race.

Lacking a Green Party ballot line in N.Y., I ran on an independent "Clean Sweep" line and received a cross endorsement from the local Democratic Party. My Green Party affiliation was noted on official campaign literature and in media articles, including my service as county Green Party secretary, state committeeperson, and on the state's Executive Committee.

Although I'm honored to have earned four cross-endorsements from Democrats, I remain committed to Green Party values and positions, and apply Green principles to the issues I champion. My goals include proving that Greens can serve capably and regaining ballot-line status in N.Y. to make it easier for more Greens to run, which is a priority for 2006.

Campaigning in a race of this size (approximately 2,200 voters) is relatively inexpensive, and mostly involved going door-to-door to say hello and leave literature. I encourage other Greens to find a local race of comparable size and go for it.

Ulster County leads the way for Green officeholders in N.Y., as Mayor Jason West and Deputy Mayor Rebecca Rotzler were elected in 2003 in the neighboring village of New Paltz.

Back to Spring 2005