Five candidates debate Tuesday in race for Sidney town council

In a lot of local elections, it's a challenge to find enough people to run to have a contested election. But not in the Delaware County town of Sidney, where five people are running for two seats on the town council in the November 6 election.

Sidney, whose town council has been divided over gas drilling and other issues in the last couple of years, has two vacant seats on its town council for months. In April, councilman Walter Goodrich died, and several motions to fill his seat did not pass. In June, another council member, Gaby Pysnik -- whose husband David Pysnik died in March -- resigned her seat.

On Tuesday, October 23, five candidates for the two open seats will participate in a debate moderated by Daily Star editor Sam Pollak. Candidates Bill Heath and Tobias Whitaker are running on the Democratic and Sidney First ballot lines, Gregory McCann Jr. and John Schaeffer on the Republican line, and Gene Pigford on the Authenticity line.

The debate will be held at 7pm at the the Sidney Memorial Public Library, 8 River Street.