Democrat Charles Bazydlo will challenge Republican incumbent Rory Holmes for his seat on Crawford town council in the special election on Nov. 6.

Holmes was appointed to former council member Rob Sassi’s seat in January when Sassi was elected to the county legislator. Bazydlo ran against Holmes in the last election and lost. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visit elections.ny.gov to find your polling place.

Rory Holmes

If elected, Republican Rory Holmes will transfer his experience in business to town operations, help Pine Bush as it develops another water source and assist the community in combating the opioid crisis. Holmes said he wants to be fiscally responsible while helping run the town’s operations, similar to the way he runs his business. Holmes has served as ProAmpac’s comptroller and director of operations and is now the general manager. Holmes said his background in business helps him understand how the town operates. He was also a corporate comptroller for Brescia Lumber Company in Montgomery and McCollister’s United in Poughkeepsie. “Running a town is no different from running a business,” Holmes said. “You have infrastructure to maintain, you have people to manage, you have worker’s compensation insurance and liability and fleet repairs; all those things require experience that transfers directly to management.” An issue the town has struggled with for years, Holmes said he will support the town’s efforts to find another water source. The town plans to connect three existing wells at the Dwaar Kill well fields to the existing Pine Bush Water District, pending the approval of a grant from the Environmental Facilities Corporation. Holmes said he also wants to work with the Crawford Police Department and local organizations to combat the opioid crisis, which has affected not only Crawford but communities across the state. He has served as the chairman of the Orange County Aviation Advisory Board and as a member of Crawford’s planning board from 2010 to 2018. He has also served on the Town of Crawford Master Planning Committee. Holmes has lived in Crawford since 2001, after moving from Montgomery. “I think it’s a good opportunity to help the town that I’ve been living in for a long time,” Holmes said.

Charles Bazydlo

If elected, Democrat Charles Bazydlo will transfer his experience in municipal law to town operations, encourage commercial development and help Pine Bush as it develops another water source. A practicing attorney with more than 20 years of experience in municipal and land use law, Bazydlo has worked with several town and planning boards and zoning boards of appeals to develop budgets, local laws and plans for economic development. “I think I have a very good understanding of how municipal government works,” Bazydlo said. Bazydlo wants to encourage commercial development, taking the tax burden off of residential areas. He plans to encourage development in areas outside of Pine Bush, such as Bullville and along 17K, and improve infrastructure such as water and sewer in those areas. “One of the key things that anyone looks at when they come to a new area is their infrastructure? . . . That really has an impact on whether you can get commercial growth in an area,” Bazydlo said. Bazydlo said his experience helping other towns as they found additional water sources will help him as the town board connects the Dwaar Kill well fields to the Pine Bush Water Supply. Bazydlo and his wife have been residents of Crawford for 30 years. Bazydlo said he ran so voters would have an option on the ballot. “In Crawford the Republican party in particular has been in control of the town board and the other land use boards for quite a long time,” Bazydlo said, “and we’ve had several elections in the town where no one has run in opposition against the people who are already there, so I felt it’s really necessary to at least give people a choice.”