Last week’s Republican primaries in Camillus and Marcellus set the tone for the 2009 general election, and reminded some candidates that the primary was just the first obstacle in a long campaign. In Marcellus, 401 Republican voters made their selections for town board candidates and named incumbents Tom Lathrop (179 votes) and Bernie Montgomery (139 votes) as their picks. Kathleen Carroll, who was endorsed by the Marcellus Republican Committee along with Lathrop, won 82 votes. “I’m feeling very good this morning,” Montgomery said Wednesday. “This is the hurdle for the Republican side, but we’ve got some challengers on the Democratic line so I’ve got to get out there and make sure we’ve got people coming in November.” Montgomery, who lost the Republican endorsement this year after nearly a decade as a town councilor, has said this was the first season he needed to buy campaign materials. Carroll saw a bright spot in her experience, though she said she would not seek another ticket to run in the general election. “I do feel I introduced new elements to this election as evident by the high turnout and plan to continue my involvement in town government,” Carroll said in an e-mail. ” Although my involvement in government to date may be relatively short, I am confident that my continued participation in town government will allow people in the community to get to know me better and see that I am a positive force committed to improve the quality of life for us and our children.” Callahan, Griffo win wards
In Camillus, primary victories were split between an incumbent and a first-timer.
Incumbent sixth ward councilor Dave Callahan defeated challenger Donald Fittipaldi, 181 to 95.
Callahan said he would take a break over the weekend to recoup and celebrate his wedding anniversary, and get back to work Monday by ordering materials for the general election campaign. “This was a primary within a ward, and a primary with an incumbent, which is an unusual thing. That’s why I think the turnout was there,” Callahan said. Looking forward, his next challenge is to win over Democrats, who named Michelle Constatino-Scott as their candidate. Fittipaldi, while picking up his campaign signs Wednesday morning, said he was disappointed but planning to run on the Conservative line in the general election. Richard Griffo, in his first run for public office, will be the Republican’s fifth ward candidate, defeating incumbent David Cooke 117 to 90. “This was just step one,” Griffo said. He said his next move would be to gather information from residents and town departments, beginning with the Camillus police, about what Camillus really needs. Cooke said he was surprised with the primary results, but that he had not decided yet whether he would run in the general election on the Independence and Conservative party lines.