Democratic Party candidate for Nunda Township Trustee Patrick Murfin writes some thoughts about the local election results in his “Heretic, Rebel, a Thing to Flout” blog.

In Nunda Township, where he and running mate Meredith Reid Sarkees lost to the Republican candidates for township trustee, the Democrats went down about 60-40. Maybe a bit less.

Still a pretty hefty Republican victory.

What did the Democrats accomplish?

“By not ceding local races to the Republicans, Democrats forced them to spend large amounts of cash. We keep our campaign organizations intact and in practice between even-year general elections. And we develop experienced candidates who learn the ropes and can go on to bigger things. First time candidate Sarkees, who outdrew old timer Murfin (by only 29 votes) has all of the credentials to go on to other races.”

Murfin suggests that the GOP was highly motivated to reassert its dominance after November’s presidential and county board losses.

That certainly might be the case in Nunda Township. It surely did not look that way to me from an Algonquin Township perspective.

In Nunda, Murfin notes a close correlation between the number of people voting Democrat and the number voting for the Nunda Township Open Space tax hike—1,705 for the tax hike and 1,656-85 for the Democratic Party Nunda Township trustee candidates.

Good point, it seems to me, especially since the Dems on the ballot endorsed the measure and the contested trustee candidates did not.

The problem?

“The much larger number of folks who now vote Democratic in state and national elections, but traditionally pay no attention to local races, could not be turned out despite a concerted effort,”

Murfin wrote.

“And the sad fact is that in Nunda Township the Republicans can still turn out a bigger base than the Democrats.”