Credit: Peter Klebnikov
Maybe it was the unseasonably warm weather, or perhaps it was concern for the state of the world, or any number of reasons in between, but in Stanford, Election Day 2023 saw a heavy turnout.
“They’ve been coming steadily all day,” reported Teddy Secor, Stanford’s election co-coordinator and who is also known in town as the co-proprietor of Stanford’s Haunted House production. “We’re nearing 400 by the middle of the day. That’s unusually high,” he said. In the end, about 1300 residents voted in Stanford, not many more than usually vote in a non-Presidential year election.
“People seem excited and eager to cast their ballots this year,” added Pat Knapp, the town’s other election co-coordinator.
In a series of conversations, Stanford voters talked about why they had voted, what they feel are the big issues facing the town, and how they envisage the future. There was pride in the small town bonds that characterize Stanford, and concern about the country’s future.
“I’m voting because we need more small business here, including a grocery store,” said Fred DeWald, a retired IBM executive. “But I’m worried about the future. There are too many things going wrong, not just in our country but in the world as a whole.”
“I am scared for the future,’ agreed Noreen Hunter, a retired IBM employee. “We are supposed to be the United States, not the Divided States.”
Some concerns were intensely local: Broad concern about the lack of affordable housing was matched by an antipathy towards large affordable housing developments. “That’s the biggest issue in town,” said Hunter. “We want to remain a small town.”
“No pot shops in Stanfordville,” she added. “I am 86, and if I have to stand there and protest I will.”
“We want the bridge on (Hunns) Lake Road to be rebuilt,” says Don Gertling, a teacher. “The county started fixing it then stopped. To me that shows poor planning. We have a lot of seniors who live on this road, including my mother. In the event of an emergency, it now would take a lot longer for emergency services to get here. So, this is real for us.”
Prominent among voters of both parties was a desire to keep Stanford a small town. “We have a new population that’s come here since Covid,” said Gertling. “Many of them are wonderful and volunteer in the community. But some only want the town to resemble where they came from. They don’t understand that this is still mostly a farming community. The rec park is where our community comes together and we want to keep it that way for when our grandkids come.”
“I voted because I want my voice to be heard, and I want this town to remain a friendly place where everyone takes care of everybody else,” said Roberta Kemp, a retired nurse who has lived in Stanford ever since she was a 17-year-old bride in 1954.
Time and again, larger concerns dominated in voters’ minds.
“I’m voting for one reason,” said a man who requested anonymity. “We need to stop Donald Trump. I am voting because all the local Republican politicians here are riding his coattails and it’s unacceptable.”
“I came here to vote because there is too much regulation,” said a young man, who also requested anonymity. “Also, they are teaching gender studies in the classrooms. “That’s just wrong.”
Listening to the conversation was Rick Agnello of Stanford. “There’s too much hate out there,” he said.
One thing stood out for voters of both parties. The obligation to vote. “We voted because that is what Americans do,” said Ginny Gertling, a consumer science teacher in Mahopac.
“In Stanford we have the same issues you see across America,” said Shawnda Johnson. “That’s why it’s really important to vote.”
Johnson is ex-military. She served two tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. “I know what we are fighting to defend,” she says. “It’s too bad some of us here have lost sight of that.”