A village on New York’s Long Island is facing a highly unusual mayoral election after no candidates registered to run for the office.
Bayville Mayor Steve Minicozzi announced in April that he would not be seeking reelection, and Christopher Vivona, the village’s deputy clerk-treasurer, confirmed no one else registered to run.
Vivona said June 16 will mark the first time he knows of that the village of approximately 7,000 people will go to the polls to vote for mayor with a blank ballot.
Former Mayor Doug Watson said he understands why it might be hard to attract a candidate, as the position can be time consuming and the only compensation is a yearly stipend of about $5,000.
Officials said the election will be decided by write-in votes. John Taylor, who ran against Minicozzi in 2022, said he would be willing to serve if he gains enough write-in votes.
“[If] some guy comes up there with 50 of his friends, he’s your mayor,” Watson told NBC New York. “If 100 people get one write in each it’s a tie. So it’s a strange situation.”
