By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- Incumbent Mayor James Hidy has submitted an independent petition on Tuesday to run for his office in November and unless he receives a challenge by Friday afternoon, is guaranteed a spot the ballot, according to St. Lawrence County Republican election commissioner Tom Nichols.

He will face Police Chief Tim Currier who selected as the Democratic Party's candidate earlier this month.

Hidy said submitted a petition to run on The People’s Party line.

“The name’s the People’s Party and I’m the people’s mayor,” Hidy said.

Hidy, a Republican, said he will seek the party’s nomination at their caucus, which doesn’t yet have a date, but must be held by Sept. 28.

“I look forward to support at the upcoming caucus, but you never know. It’s a crap shoot,” he said when asked if he thought the Massena GOP would nominate someone else. “The going trend is people are, throughout the county, throughout the state, throughout the country vying for multiple lines to get more visibility on the ballot. Does it make a difference? Probably not.”

Hidy said when he was first elected, he was a Democrat who was nominated by the Republicans.

Hidy said he is looking forward to four more years at Massena's helm.

"In the last four years, I've made progress in areas such as blight, the war against drugs that continues to plague not just Massena, but throughout the country," Hidy said. "My main focus is public safety of the community first and will continue to be … we'll be as transparent as we've ever been. I have an open-door policy."