Traditionally in local election years, once May school board elections are over, the normal political party system heats up.

This year will likely be no different.

With local political parties meeting to designate candidates for this fall's elections in a little more than two weeks, expect the number of names to float out “officially” to jump.

Take the race for Cayuga County district attorney.

The announcement on Tuesday by local attorney Norman Chirco, in which he said he would not be a candidate for that office this year, is no real surprise. For weeks it has been clear that he would not run. If there was any surprise for most political observers, it was that the announcement had taken so long.

In the end it may have been local Democratic Party leaders who forestalled the expected announcement. Many local Democrats feel the popular local attorney would be a draw in a countywide elected, thus making it easier to recruit candidates for local and legislative races, especially in rural districts. An early announcement that he would not run might have dampened party leader's chances to recruit candidates.

True or not, the impression that he might have been a candidate would have made their sell easier. Once they got a commitment from a candidate it might have seemed harder for them to back out once Chirco made his announcement public.

With the Democrats having their nominating meeting in a couple of weeks, it is time now to either have candidates in place to run or not.

Chirco may have felt that it was okay to publicly squelch the talk he might be a candidate, something that he has freely told many who have talked to him privately.

Expect this weekend, or in the near future, that Michael Bass, who ran unsuccessfully for the post in a spirited campaign four years ago, to announce his candidacy for the job.

Back in December it was thought that whether District Attorney James Vargason ran again or not, after his defeat for County Court Judge by Thomas Leone Jr., that Bass would run again.

It was widely believed that he was willing to leave the public defenders office up north, if a job became available in Cayuga County.

With Vargason bowing out, it now looks as if both parties have come up with their likely standard bearers. The Republicans will likely endorse Jon Budelmann, the current chief assistant district attorney, who was once Bass's boss.

Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com