As County Executive Pat Ryan steps down from that job and into his new one as United States Representative for New York’s 19th Congressional District, three Democrats, including two currently serving in county government, are vying to replace him. If no Republican challenger emerges in the race, the contest to serve out the remainder of Ryan’s four-year term, which ends on Dec. 31, 2023, will be decided by 328 members of the Ulster County Democratic Committee.

On Friday, Deputy County Executive Johanna Contreras was sworn in as acting county executive, becoming the second woman to serve in that office. (Mike Hein’s chief of staff, Adele Reiter, served briefly as acting county exec when Hein resigned to take a job in the Andrew Cuomo administration.) Contreras was hired on a deputy county executive last year; her portfolio in that role included overseeing county health and human services operations.

In July, Ryan changed the County Charter-mandated line of succession to place Contreras ahead of fellow Deputy County Executive Marc Rider, who is one of the candidates vying for the CE post. At the time, Ryan said that he wanted to avoid mixing politics with the business of running the county (On Friday, shortly after officially vacating office, Ryan announced his endorsement of former state senator Jen Metzger for county executive). Rider, Metzger and County Comptroller March Gallagher are now furiously lobbying county Democratic committee members for the party line in the County Executive race, which will now be held on Nov. 8, the regular election day. (And where Ryan’s name will appear for many county residents as the Democratic candidate for the new 18th Congressional District).

That support will be crucial in a race where, because of time constraints, there will be no primary. Instead, candidates will be selected by their respective party committees. Party nominations are due by Sept. 19. Independent candidates have until Sept. 23 to gather the 1,500 petition signatures needed to earn a spot on the Nov. 8 ballot.

On Friday, the Ulster County Democratic Committee announced that the party would hold its nominating convention on Saturday, Sept. 17 in Common Council Chambers at Kingston’s City Hall. Per party rules, candidates will be chosen in a secret ballot using ranked-choice voting — meaning that committee members must write down all three candidates ranked in order of preference. The vote will also be “weighted,” with committee members receiving more or less power over the outcome based on how many people in their election district voted on the Democratic Party line in the last gubernatorial election.

It’s unclear how the county executive race ended up on the November ballot. Last month, Ulster County Democratic Election Commissioner and Democratic Committee member Ashley Dittus said that because an Aug. 10 deadline for adding candidates to the November ballot had passed before Ryan was elected to Congress in the Aug. 23 special election, the county exec race would have to take place later this year. At the time, Dittus said, the special election would have to wait until voting equipment had been reset following certification of the results of the Nov. 8 ballot. Dittus said that that could not take place until December.

On Friday, John Quigley, the Republican Board of Elections commissioner, said the decision to hold the county executive vote in tandem with the November general election could be the subject of litigation.

“There are different interpretations of state election law,” said Quigley. “I would not be surprised if someone challenged this.”

No Republican, independent or third-party candidate has expressed interest in running for county executive. Democrats hold a large enrollment advantage in Ulster County and except for County Clerk Nina Postupack (who had both the GOP and Democratic lines when she won a fifth term in 2021), no Republican has held countywide office since DA Holley Carnright and County Court Judge Don Williams retired in 2019. That means the issue of Ryan’s succession could well be decided at the Sept. 17 nominating convention.

In a letter announcing the convention, UCDC Chair Kelleigh McKenzie expressed regret that rank-and-file Democrats won't have more of a voice in the nominating process, but added that the committee was bound by state election law, and the County Charter. McKenzie wrote that she hopes an upcoming review of the charter would lead to changes in the procedure for selecting candidates to fill out unfinished terms for countywide office to allow voters more choice. The sentiment was echoed by Quigley, who said he and Dittus plan to make a bipartisan appeal for changes in the charter.

“Normally, nominees for a countywide election are decided in a primary, which is the best and most democratic process,” said McKenzie. “The good news is that we have three well-qualified Democratic candidates seeking the nomination. The bad news is we cannot choose the nominee via primary.”