Long Island village faces Election Day with no mayoral candidate on the ballot. Here's why.
Tuesday was an unusual Election Day in one Long Island village.
The job of mayor in Bayville is up for grabs, but no one is officially running.
That's not stopping voters from turning out in force.
"It's the first time it has ever happened"
Voting was brisk in the North Shore village, even though the ballot for mayor is blank. No one collected the needed signatures by the May deadline.
"It makes you wonder, because there is a lot of community pride, why there is no one running," Bayville resident John Angerame said.
"It is strange. All the years we have been here, it's the first time it has ever happened," a couple told CBS News New York.
It might seem like an attractive job in the village of 7,000, where everyone seems to know one another. But with only a $5,000 stipend a year, and issues ranging from flooding to the local economy, no one immediately threw their hat in the ring after current Mayor Steve Minicozzi decided not to seek reelection.
"The trend that I see is I don't really see people staying too long. I think, in the social media world of today, it beats you up a little bit," Minicozzi said. "Running for mayor is a big commitment. It's a job you have to have the time."
"A national embarrassment"
So now the mayor's race is a free-for-all. An attorney, a sanitation worker, and several other residents are all seeking write-in support. The eligible resident who receives the most valid write-in votes will become mayor, even if the total is small.
At least eight people are vying for a write-in win, including Kevin Casey.
"To me, it's about serving the community," Casey said.
Casey called the fact that no one is on the ballot for mayor "a national embarrassment."
He said it "comes down to the fact to the notice was horrible in letting people know that the current mayor wasn't seeking reelection."
John Taylor had to pull his candidacy, and is now worried about who could end up winning.
"A lot of people who I feel are very unqualified, or should not be running, raise their hands. They're just not prepared for this job. It's a little more than just being class president," Taylor said.
Minicozzi said he will serve another year if he is the one with the most write-in votes.
Some see a silver lining in the situation, namely a sudden civic interest.
"Everybody is starting to wake up and realize what's going on," one person said.
It could take a while to count the votes, since the race for mayor will be entirely handwritten entries.
