COOPERSTOWN _ Edward Keator Jr., of West Oneonta, is seeking the GOP nomination to become Otsego County's treasurer, a post held by fellow Republican Myrna Thayne, of Laurens.
Recently, Keator, 46, sent a letter to members of the county's Republican Committee seeking their endorsement.
Thayne, 60, has indicated she will seek re-election but has yet to announce her bid formally. She is in the last year of her four-year term, and is being paid $62,741 this year, according to the Otsego County Personnel Office.
On Tuesday night, Keator, the accountant in the Treasurer's Office, said he has been considering a run for months.
In his letter to committee members, he wrote, ``I feel I would be a good candidate because I have been the accountant in the Treasurer's Office since August 2007. In June 2007, I was hired with the intention of being placed into the accountant's position in the Treasurer's Office as soon as it was created.
``I have held that position since the creation until present," the letter continued. "I have proven my abilities not only to do the work, but also to show that there can be a team effort to better the county as a whole by working as a team.
``Many department heads and many board members respect me for my abilities and my opinions,'' he concluded.
In his resume sent to committee members, Keator notes that he is a lifelong county resident and a 1985 graduate from the State University College at Oneonta, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in business economics.
He is the owner of Ed's Bookkeeping and Tax Service and has worked for Thomas C. Potter, CPA; ARC Otsego; Gruver & Scott, CPAs; and Ed's Body Shop.
As accountant in the Treasurer's Office, Keator is being paid $34,190 this year.
On Tuesday afternoon, Sheila Ross of Fly Creek, county GOP chairwoman, said the committee is tentatively scheduled to meet April 21 at the county courthouse to select a treasurer candidate.
``It should be interesting,'' she said.
Ross' Democratic counterpart, Edward Lentz, of Garrattsville, said his committee is scheduling meetings with prospective candidates.
``We have a pool of interested people this year, I'm happy to report,'' Lentz said.
The Democratic Committee will interview interested people and probably endorse someone within a few weeks, he said.
Thayne was a senior account clerk typist in the Treasurer's Office before winning a close race in 2005 to succeed retiring Treasurer Theodora Moore.
In that contest, Thayne defeated Henry ``Russ'' Bachman of Edmeston, an independent candidate who was running as a Democrat.
This year, the Republican candidates plan to concentrate on their work during office hours, both Thayne and Keator said.
Asked if she were upset by the election plans of a member of her staff, Thayne said, ``In my office, we are all very professional.''
