Mayoral Race and Local Politics

Earlier in the summer, Village of Canton Mayor Michael Dalton announced his reelection campaign. If his bid is successful, he will begin serving his fifth two-year term. Luckily for Dalton, this seems to be a likely result.

Dalton is not only running unopposed but was also endorsed by the Democratic Party despite being a Republican. Given today’s political climate, this is something that could be considered out of the ordinary. “This is actually somewhat normal in local politics,” says the Democratic Commissioner of the St. Lawrence County Board of Elections Jennie Bacon. “In fact, the mayor in the nearby town of Gouverneur is a Democrat and has been endorsed by the Republicans in the town.”

This trend begs the question: what types of issues at play allow local representatives to cross the political divide that we see across the country? “Major party politics aren’t at play in the Village,” said Bacon. “The issues that the mayor deals with are not abortion or going to war or anything like that.” If not, what issues are at play?

“Local politics boil down to whether or not the potholes are filled, and the streets are clean,” explained Assistant Professor in the Government Department at St. Lawrence University James Sieja. “Perceptions of crime can also be important at the local level.” In addition to this, a mayor of a small town also needs to be the town’s biggest cheerleader. “They need to act as a point person with elected officials in the state capital,” said Sieja. “The Mayor of Canton’s most important job is not necessarily to oversee day-to-day business in Canton, but to act as an advocate for Canton in county, state and even national politics,” he continued.

However, there are some other reasons for the endorsement that do not have to do with the in-office role of a mayor. “I think that probably indicates that the Democratic party knew that even if they tried to run someone, that person would not win,” said Cole Hamilton ’24, who is a Government major at SLU. “They probably thought, well, maybe if we can endorse all of them and we can try and work with them to do more,” he continued. The Democratic Party in the Village of Canton holds a majority on the Board, so keeping a beneficial working relationship between parties may be for the best.

In addition to this, ideology may be something that comes into play. “I guess if the Democrats here are supporting him, I would assume that he’s more of a moderate,” said Emma Birkitt ’24, another Government major here at SLU. “If they are backing him, that might be because they do not think that

their own candidate would have enough differences.” When considering her home-town’s local government in Virginia, Birkitt explained how ideology may make a difference. “Honestly, it was the PTA moms that came out and got Youngkin elected,” said Birkitt, referring to the 2021 gubernatorial election in Virginia. “I would say that, at least in Virginia, ideolog- ical issues carry through to local government.”

One final aspect that seems to have a major impact on a mayor’s electability is their ability to attract and navigate the complexities of the businesses in town. Recently, as mayor, Dalton spearheaded the move of Ace Hardware into the vacant space on Main Street that used to be Walgreens. “That has taken a lot of advocacy and a lot of work on that situation,” said Sieja, “So the fact that it has been resolved might be why the race is uncontested.” This is also important from the student perspective, which is a major part of the Canton, New York economy. “I think it kind of goes back to bringing more things here and making it a more vibrant place where people want to be,” said Birkitt. “I think that is a big part of the reason that we stay on campus because there isn’t a ton to do.”

Even though Dalton is not facing any opponent on the ballot, early voting begins on Oct. 28, and Nov. 7 is the date of the general election.