A second candidate has announced his interest in the Conservative Party nomination for New York's 23rd District congressional seat, a previous Republican hopeful has said he has switched parties and will seek the Democratic nomination, and a leading Democrat from Essex has also joined the race.

President Barack Obama nominated longtime U.S. Rep. John McHugh as Army secretary in June, and his Senate confirmation hearing start Thursday. He is expected to resign from Congress if confirmed, and Gov. David Paterson would then set a date for a special election to fill the vacancy.

Army Reserve Sgt. Jon Alvarez, of Hannibal in Oswego County and currently stationed in Baghdad, said in a prepared statement that he will be back in the U.S. in late August or early September and has already informed Conservative Party leaders of his intent to seek the nomination.

"The unprecedented encroachment of the Federal government into the lives of its citizens must be addressed, as well as the irresponsible behavior of elected officials in Washington, D.C. trusted with responsible oversight of the expenditure of our tax dollars," Alvarez said.

Alvarez said he would initiate attempts to abolish the Internal Revenue Service, demand an audit of the Federal Reserve and favors a return to gold- or silver-backed currency.

Jim Kelly, of Wilmington, a retired New York City police detective and longtime party activist, has also said he will seek the Conservative Party nomination. The Conservative Party often endorses Republican candidates, but Chairman Mike Long has expressed displeasure at the Republican nomination of Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava of Gouverneur, saying she is too liberal.

Andrew Bisselle, director of Camp Dudley in Westport, was one of nine Republican contenders for the party's nomination. The party chose Scozzafava last week, and Bisselle has said he will seek the Democratic nod, as his economic and social views track with those of the Blue Dog Democrat coalition, a group of fiscally conservative congressional Democrats.

"Their common-sense politics are in step with a majority of the people of the 23rd district," Bisselle said in a prepared statement.

Also in the running is Stuart Brody of Essex, former chairman of the Essex County Democratic Committee and state Democratic Rural Conference.

The deadline for Democratic candidates to submit their resumes and other information to the county party chairs in the 11-county district was a week ago.

"As soon as I heard what the process was, I filed my papers," said Michael Oot of Munnsville, who unsuccessfully ran against McHugh in 2008.

Oot said he wasn't sure what the next step in the selection process will be and that he is "watching and waiting.

"I've spent 33 years working and representing people throughout the Congressional District," said Oot, who specialized in workers' compensation and Social Security claims as an attorney. "I'm conversant with the issues up there. I'm conversant with Federal issues. I consider myself the best candidate, and somebody who's willing to do the work."

Others who are seeking the Democratic nomination include William Owens of Plattsburgh, Dan Francis of Watertown, Lowville native and New York City attorney Brian McGrath, and former Oswego Mayor John T. Sullivan Jr.

Jefferson County Democratic Chairman Sean M. Hennessey told the Watertown Daily Times that at least 18 candidates submitted resumes by the deadline. At least one of them, Keith B. Caughlin of Watertown, has since withdrawn his name from consideration.

Oot said he didn't think the decision of state Sen. Darrel Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, not to seek the Democratic nomination changes much.

"He never said he was going to do it," Oot said. "I don't see how it changes anything at all. I was assured, with his name in the hat, that all the potential candidates were going to be treated the same. I'm sure they told him that, too."

The National Republic Congressional Committee had already started to take out advertisements and send out mailers attacking Aubertine for voting for the state budget; some of them reached mailboxes after Aubertine said he wasn't going to seek the seat.

Scozzafava has also been endorsed by the Independence Party. Independence Party Chairman Frank McKay had said previously he would endorse Aubertine if Aubertine ran.

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Contact Nathan Brown at 891-2600 ext. 26 or nbrown@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.