No Keystone election this year

Elections for Keystone trustees will not take place this year.

Rick Greene and Casey McNulty will be the new town trustees. While last year five candidates ran for two open seats, this year only two people (McNulty and Greene) submitted paperwork for the two open positions.

Without any other candidates, there is no need for an election. The lack of civic interest has been an ongoing struggle for the town that lacks a new pool of dedicated volunteers to help in instances like sitting on boards or committees.

A recent Keystone Happenings Facebook post looking for people to sit on ordinance boards in town has yielded no volunteers.

“It’s hard to say why we only had two candidates this year,” McNulty said. “Keystone has always been known to struggle finding candidates for town council. Keystone has also seen a decline of volunteers over the past few years. Our chamber had a few setbacks last spring and it’s taking time to get back onto the track and consistently stay on that track. It’s well known that this is a major issue the town needs to see resolved and maybe some just aren’t willing to take on that challenge. Strong town leaders need to invest time into the community to see positive outcomes, Maybe some don’t have that kind of time.” 

Greene offers another perspective.

“In my opinion very likely the reason this year that not as many people are running, is that our community is confident and supportive of the candidates currently running,” Greene said. “It was a pleasure to be a part of the experience last year running with so many other candidates. This year I believe people are confident in both (McNulty) and myself coming on the board and serving them, particularly as we both signed up early on.” 

Whatever the case, both men are ready to serve their town and believe positive relationships are the key to that service.

“I believe I can bring a positive force to the table with solutions and fairness,” Greene said. “I would like to see our community come together to help Keystone move positively into the future decade.”

McNulty, who grew up in town says, “I understand what it means to be a Keystone local. I have also spent the last few years learning, and playing in the business side of the community. We need strong leaders that are willing to listen to both sides. I feel I can be that person because I understand both sides.” 

As far as the needs of Keystone, McNulty said  “Keystone needs a solid marketing organization, that is one of the first things that needs done. We also need to accomplish strong leadership and communication. Communication has always been a challenge, I’m not sure what the answer is yet, but hopefully working with the community we can develop strong communication between trustees and community members. We also need to seek community input. If you have ever been to many town meetings, you see the same few community members in the audience. Keystone residents and business owners know what’s best for Keystone. We need to get them to the table, listen and take the ideas into play with our decisions.”