CARMEL – Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne, County Clerk Michael Bartolotti and Coroners Dr. Michael Nesheiwat and John Bourges, all Republicans, will be seeking reelection this fall with not only GOP support but on the Libertarian Party line as well after filing 2,500 petitions with the county’s Board of Elections.

Byrne welcomed the endorsement since he did not receive the backing of the Putnam Conservative Committee this year, which has thrown its support behind William Spain, the party chair.

The first term incumbent noted he has received “broad support from “Libertarians, Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives and unaffiliated voters all coming together around a positive vision for Putnam County.” 

What makes the situation so bizarre is that Libertarian party officials have endorsed Byrne’s Democratic challenger in November, Brett Yarris, while reporting never interviewing the remaining candidates.

The Libertarian chapter’s vice chair, Bill O’Donnell, charged that Byrne was not a Libertarian noting that the party endorsed Yarris.

Yarris did not file a nominating petition to appear on its ballot line. Instead, he will appear on the Democratic, Working Families and For the People lines.

But another Libertarian, Jeffrey Chang of Carmel, has endorsed Byrne noting, “As a party that supports small government, Yarris’ ‘big government ideas’ turn true Libertarians, such as myself, off. If someone wants the Libertarian Party line on the ballot, and the support of the party, you do the work to earn it. Byrne did it, and his tax-cutting record backs it up.” 

Other Putnam Republicans have filed petitions to run as Libertarians including Christian Russo, who hopes to replace Bill Gouldman on the Putnam Legislature; Gouldman, who is seeking the Putnam Valley supervisor position; and Robert Nachamie, who is running for Putnam Valley town justice.