Meet the Candidates

Elect Joe Talbot for Village of Scotia Mayor

Born and raised in the Village of Scotia as the oldest of eight brothers Joe Talbot has always been a part of the community. Now he, his wife Kimmy and their three sons, age 17,12 and 10 have become a very active part of the Scotia Glenville community. Joe and his family have helped with the Holiday on the Ave committee, the Memorial Day parade committee and many other village events. Joe has a deep love of the Village of Scotia and has always wanted to serve the community in any way he could. In the past this has been working with community organizations but has now evolved into a desire to bring his leadership and financial background to the position of Mayor of the Village of Scotia.

Joe is an active member of the Scotia-Glenville PTA having served at Lincoln school for all three of his sons and at the Middle School as PTA President for a term. Joe is a Past President of the Scotia Rotary Club as well as a former member of the club’s Board of Directors. During his time with the Rotary Joe has worked on many projects to help the community including working with the club and the Village Parks department to re-plant and maintain Rotary Circle in Collins Park and working as part of the team who developed the Food For Thought program which provides free snacks to the Scotia Glenville elementary schools for any student who might need them. Joe also served as the Treasurer for the Scotia-Glenville Traveling Museum Board of Trustees.

Joe’s goals for his term as Mayor will include using his experience to increase the level of communication between the administration and the community, champion initiatives and find opportunities to maximize village services, to find ways to support existing small business in the village as well as foster new business, and to bring a new perspective to the administration’s financial and budgetary responsibilities making sure that the Village continues to be a thriving and growing community.

Re-Elect Heather Gray for Village of Scotia Trustee

Heather Gray has served as Scotia Village Trustee since 2019. She has assumed liaison roles for the Department of Public Works, Police and Fire Departments respectively. We have worked diligently with saving the taxpayers money with such programs as the Schenectady County Solar Consortium, replacing all the streetlights with the LED lights through partnership with National Grid and the Linkage Study in partnership with CDTC to provide an improved streetscape and installation of handicap parking and curb cuts throughout the Village and paving of several streets. Also, we have added a Community Officer to the Police Department, along with obtaining several grants for the department for cameras, computers and wellness programs for our officers. Additionally, we have provided temporary structural support for the firebay that will support the fire apparatus for an inadequate fire facility, improve code enforcement and air filtration system for the health and safety of our firefighters during the pandemic. We will continue to move forward in a positive direction and be a voice for the people.

Heather was raised in Scotia and resides in the same house she grew up in with her daughter Sofia and dog Coconut. She attended Scotia Glenville schools, the College of St. Rose and Thomas Cooley Law School. She has been employed by Schenectady County since 2012 as an attorney for the Public Defender’s Office. She serves as a Democratic Committee member, board member of SCAP and the Schenectady County Public Library and Vice President of the College of St. Rose Alumni Chapter.

Elect Keith Brown for Village of Scotia Trustee

Keith Brown has been a Scotia resident since 2003 and is an active member of the Village Zoning Board of Appeals. As a 20 plus year public health and nonprofit professional, Keith has extensive experience working with diverse groups of stakeholders including elected officials, civil rights organizations, law enforcement, municipal governments, and directly impacted people. Keith believes that transparency and effective communication between government and citizens is vital in ensuring that people feel informed and empowered to participate in the decisions that impact their daily life. He also believes that the future of Scotia should be built on the recruiting, retaining, and supporting of diverse small businesses and leveraging sustainable growth opportunities. Lastly, with limited opportunities to grow the resident tax base in the Village, Keith believes that every opportunity for new revenue streams, cost-savings and leveraging of resources must be taken and discussed in an open, transparent way with residents.

Keep Michael Boyle for Village of Scotia Justice

Mike Boyle has served as Associate Village Justice of the Village of Scotia, New York since his appointment in December 2018. During that time, Mike has assisted in guiding the Village Court through major legislative and policy changes, including bail reform and COVID-19 restrictions.

Mike is an attorney in private practice in the Capital Region, New York. In private practice, Mike focuses primarily on bankruptcy and business-related legal issues. Mike is a member of the New York State Bar Association as well as the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. Mike is the current President of the Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association and current Secretary of the Schenectady County Bar Association. Additionally, Mike sits on the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York’s Private Attorney Involvement Advisory Committee.

Mike is now running for Village Justice in order to continue to provide restorative, equal justice to the people of Scotia NY. When elected, Mike will ensure New York law is enforced and respected in the Village of Scotia and that the Village citizens can feel confident that they live in a safe, law-abiding community.

Mike firmly believes that it is the judiciary’s job to ensure that the executive and legislative branches of government are acting constitutionally within their prescribed powers. Mike vows to be ever vigilant of government overreach as well as fair and equal enforcement of the law.

Elect John Lockwood for Glenville Town Justice

John Lockwood has been endorsed by the Scotia-Glenville Democratic Committee and the Schenectady County Democratic Committee s to run for the position of Glenville Town Justice. John currently serves as the Scotia Village Justice and has been practicing law for over 14 years. He started his legal career at the Schenectady County Public Defender's Office and then moved to the Schenectady County Attorney's Office where he was named Deputy County Attorney and chief prosecutor of child abuse and neglect petitions in Family Court. John moved on to work for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services where he currently serves as the Albany Regional Director for the Division of Child Welfare and Community Services.