The Citizen staff
The two major political parties in Cayuga County have been making endorsement decisions in recent days for candidates seeking to run for countywide seats as well as Auburn City Council and the county Legislature.
The endorsements are a major step in the political calendar, with official party support offering potential candidates a boost in the process of gathering signatures for petitions to be put on the ballot.
While neither party has finished making all of their endorsements, each announced several choices following meetings held by Republicans on Saturday and Democrats on Monday.
In the race for two Auburn City Council seats, Democrats are backing two-term incumbent Terry Cuddy and newcomer Ginny Kent, a former Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education member. Republicans have endorsed Cayuga County Legislator Tim Lattimore, who is not eligible to run for re-election to his county seat because of term limits. Lattimore is a former Auburn mayor and also served as a city councilor prior to his term as mayor. The other GOP-backed council candidate is Robert Otterstatter, who owns Octane Social House in downtown Auburn.