Arthur Bainton doesn’t live here, so he can’t run for the Cobleskill-Richmondville school board.
That’s the conclusion C-R board members reached when, in a rare act, they rejected Mr. Bainton’s petition to run on the May 18 ballot.
“They don’t want me? That’s their choice,” Mr. Bainton said in a phone interview. “I’m not somebody who’s a nobody.”
School board President Bruce Tryon said officials verify the residency of every candidate, and when they checked the Howes Cave address on Mr. Bainton’s petition, there was no residence there.
According to law, a candidate must be a resident of a school district for a year before running.
Although the law is clear, school officials were concerned about their action––how unusual it was and how it would look.
“This is something I’ve never encountered as board president,” Mr. Tryon said. “I’ve always strived for transparency.”
The C-R district office required a Freedom of Information request––another rarity––to release Mr. Bainton’s petition. It wasn’t provided, but C-R attorney Mike West released the petition.
The school board has the backing of Mr. West. He said Mr. Bainton “was not really forthcoming” when submitting his petition and that “nobody seems to know where he resides.”
Mr. West also said it’s up to candidates to prove their residency, and Mr. Bainton didn’t do so. He apparently has a home near Worcester, Massachusetts.
Mr. West and others said they were unsuccessful reaching Mr. Bainton, but the T-J reached him on the first try. It was the first he learned of the board rejecting his petition.
Mr. Bainton said he had lived in a camper on the Howes Cave property and also worked locally for several years.
He decided to run for the school board because C-R could do a better job dealing with the pandemic.
Also, Mr. Bainton said, when he bought the Howes Cave property in 2007, “I heard that we had a great school district. I’m not hearing that any more.
“We have to get a great school district up and running again. I know one person can’t do that alone, but still. . .”
Mr. Bainton said he has five college degrees and also a certificate to teach in Massachusetts, which he’s done.
Mr. Bainton could appeal the board’s rejection to the state Education Commissioner but doubted he would.
“I’ll see what’s involved and how many feathers that would ruffle,” he said. “It would add salt to the wound.”
Like Mr. West, C-R Superintendent Carl Mummenthey supported the board’s decision, adding that “It’s the board’s obligation to ensure the integrity of the ballot.”