As campaign 2009 gets under way, here are four races to watch from now until November:

The rematch: While much has been made about former Auburn Mayor Timothy Lattimore now running for the Cayuga County Legislature, the race becomes even more interesting with the entry of his opponent, former city councilor James E. Hutchinson. They ran against each other in 1991, with then-councilor Lattimore, the incumbent, losing to the Democrat who had never run for elective office. So 2009 is a rematch of sorts. The 13th legislative district is the smallest of all 15 in the county and is smack dab in the middle of Auburn. Democrats have a registration advantage, and the former mayor lost all the election districts in his race two years ago, nosed out in each district, possibly by the independent run of fellow council member David Dempsey.

Three-way race?: Voters in the 5th legislative district get to pick a successor for longtime legislator Raymond Lockwood, R-Aurelius, who is complying with his term-limit pledge. It is looking more and more likely that there will be a three-way race come November, with Democrats picking Philip DelloStritto and a likely Republican primary between Aurelius Town Board member Paul Pinckney and former town supervisor Paul Schenck. Even with a GOP victory in a September primary, the loser could still be on the ballot, with Independents potentially nominating Schenck and the Conservatives perhaps backing Pinckney.

Back and forth?: There is more than a modicum of interest from both major political parties as to whether incumbent Owasco Town Supervisor John Klink, who narrowly won election two years ago, can win again. He lost his first race against Republican Merrill Badman in 2005, who resigned before his term was up and then won in 2007. The big question was whether Republican Ellie Beck, who ran a spirited campaign two years ago, will run again. It looks as if freshman town board member Edward Wagner, who has been raising questions about Owasco's finances and operations since being elected in 2007, will be the GOP standard bearer.

Musical chairs?: Also in question is whether Linda Murphy, the freshman legislator who represents the 11th district in the northeast corner of Auburn, can win the seat that has been back and forth between the parties in the last three elections. Chester Palega, a Republican, had the seat and barely lost it to challenger William Catto, a Democrat, who lost it to Murphy in 2005. She now faces another newcomer #- Democrat/Conservative Stephen Barski.

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