By Foot, County Clerk Candidate Travels from Philipstown to Carmel

Many residents in Putnam County seem to groan anytime they have to drive from Philipstown to the county headquarters in Carmel and vice-versa.

But two weeks ago, candidate for county clerk Lithgow Osborne did just that, except he did it by foot. In an unheard of and novel campaign move, Osborne, a Democrat and Philipstown resident running against Republican Michael Bartolotti, walked 20 miles from the west side of the county to the steps of the Old County Courthouse on September 14 and then this past weekend walked from Carmel to Brewster, meeting residents and discussing issues surrounding the county clerk’s office.

In an interview last Thursday, a few days after his first long walk and a few days before his next one, Osborne said part of his motivation to do the long walk from Philipstown to Carmel, was to prove that while it seems like the two towns are countries apart, it’s actually closer than many residents want to believe.

“It seems like there’s this huge divide between the west and the east side of the county and it just struck me what’s a more obvious way of demonstrating just how close it is than by walking,” Osborne said. “Philipstown is not that far from Carmel and it seems like a world away and I’m hoping my candidacy is able to bridge that gap.”

If elected, Osborne said he would fight to make sure county services reach every side of the county. By walking, it shows a certain amount of focus and determination, which he said he would bring to the clerk’s office.

In a bright orange vest similar to a crossing guard, Osborne started walking early in the morning and got to the courthouse between 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Meeting with residents along the way, Osborne said he was able to understand what mattered to many Putnam citizens. Among some of those concerns were the amount of money spent by the county annually and the lack of Internet upgrades to the clerk’s office.

“When I talk to them about bringing the clerk’s office into the 21st century, that really resonates with people that I met with,” he said. “We’ve become an electronic society and that will only increase.”

Bartolotti, who has been the first deputy clerk for the last dozen years, when reached for comment about Osborne’s 20-mile and 7-mile walk, he said, “He’s walking and I’m running.”

“I’ve been working tirelessly all year going to events and reaching out to the community and speaking to people throughout Putnam County,” Bartolotti went on to say. “I don’t need to walk across the county to interact with my customers. I see them every day.”