Former Cobleskill mayor and now-trustee Bill Gilmore is dropping out of November’s race.
Mr. Gilmore is one of four candidates who’d submitted petitions for two trustee seats; incumbent Carol McGuire and Bob LaPietra, and Linda Holmes are also in the running.
Mr. Gilmore, however, is withdrawing because of a series of surgeries planned to address an aneurysm he suffered as mayor in 2003.
“We’ve been monitoring it and knew it would have to be addressed at some time,” Mr. Gilmore said. “Unfortunately, now is the time.”
Because the deadline for petitions came before his appointment with his surgeon, Mr. Gilmore said he went ahead and filed – just in case.
“But they’re telling me it will mean three surgeries,” he said. “I’ll be in and out and in and out and in and out. That just wouldn’t be fair to the voters.”
Mr. Gilmore said he’s looking at the surgeries as a positive thing, in part because they’re being done on an elective basis and not as an emergency. They are, however, considered major surgery.
He’s already scheduled for the first surgery next week, expects to be in the hospital for two weeks, and has been told to expect a two-month recovery period.
“I won’t really be myself again until the beginning of next summer,” he said.
“I need to get this taken care of and see what comes next.”