Town chairman decides not to seek re-election

Longtime Fredonia Town Chairman Rich Mueller will not be seeking re-election in April.

Mueller was first elected chairman in 1999. Prior to that, he served on the Town Board from 1983 to 1998.

Mueller, a retired dairy farmer, said, “after 36 years, I feel after these many years I have done my civic duty. Let somebody else take over.”

Candidates for the spring election could begin circulating petitions last Saturday to place their names on next April’s ballot. The deadline for submitting nomination papers is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Mueller has until Dec. 21 to file a notification of non-candidacy. If he does not, candidates for the chairmanship have an additional three days to submit petitions.

Town supervisors up for re-election are Chris Janik and Mark Schubert. All seats are at-large.

The seats for town clerk and treasurer will not be on the April ballot since town electors voted in November to authorize the board to fill those posts by appointment.

In the Village of Fredonia, President Don Dohrwardt and three trustees are up for re-election in April, and all four have taken out papers to circulate petitions, Village Clerk Sandi Tretow said.

The trustees up for re-election are John Long, T.J. Meyers-Jansky and Dan McClarty.

Also taking out papers was Dan Gehrke, one of the candidates to fill a vacancy on the Village Board created when former Trustee Neil Wagner resigned in May.

McClarty was selected by the other trustees to fill out the remainder of Wagner’s term over Gehrke and others.

All seats are at-large.

A primary, if necessary, will be held on Feb. 19.