G. Douglas “Doug” Baldwin, a trustee for the Village of Baxter Estates, has announced that he is withdrawing his nomination for re-election in September.
“After proudly serving for 15 years as trustee, I withdraw my nomination for re-election,” Baldwin wrote in a letter to Blank Slate Media.
The village’s election, originally scheduled for March and rescheduled to Sept. 15 by order of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was set to have Douglas and fellow Trustee Alice Peckelis, as well as village Justice Elizabeth S. Kase, run unopposed for re-election.
Baldwin, who in early January left the United States for Taiwan to celebrate Chinese New Year with family living there, has not been able to return to the village due to concerns over the coronavirus and has participated virtually in the Board of Trustees’ monthly meetings. He added in his letter that Taiwan, which he refers to as “[the] safest of democratic countries, with outstanding public health,” had extended his visa until the global pandemic subsided.
In a phone interview, Baldwin touted that country’s efforts to fend off the coronavirus. He said that Taiwan, which at 23.82 million people has a slightly larger population than that of Florida at 21.47 million, had 300 cases and seven deaths over the course of the pandemic.
First appointed as a village trustee in 2005 but officially elected in 2006, Baldwin served six elected terms. Among his proudest achievements, he said, are the launching and revamping of the village’s website, as well as serving as the village’s commissioner of roads and resurfacing the streets of Baxter Estates.
Baldwin wrote in his letter that he “[encouraged] all civic minded residents to consider organizing a write-in campaign for this open seat on the Village of Baxter Estates’ board of trustees,” but confirmed over the phone that he will not endorse anyone. He wrote that he does encourage residents to re-elect Peckelis.
He added that he knows his name will continue to be on the ballot, but that if he is re-elected, he would “miss the swearing-in ceremony and not serve.”
“I hope for a safe return to my home community of Baxter Estates in the very near future,” Baldwin wrote.
