Putnam Dems Back Kent Independent for County Executive
Alan Schneider, a Kent resident and a Mahopac accountant, will take on former county legislator MaryEllen Odell in the race to become the next county executive of Putnam. Schneider, who is not registered with a political party, earned the endorsement of the Putnam Democratic Committee, according to committee member and former chair Lynne Eckardt.
Schneider, the owner of Schneider Financial Group, said he has been considering a run for about a month.
“I feel the office of Putnam County executive is extremely important, and I feel it’s a fiscal office,” said Schneider, who has been in accounting for 41 years. “Especially in the last couple years, I’ve seen how the economy and taxes have affected our individual and our business clients.”
Odell, who ran for the position last year and lost to then-Senator Vincent Leibell, has the backing of the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties. After being elected, Leibell pleaded guilty to felony corruption charges and did not take office. Former personnel director Paul Eldridge was appointed by the legislature to serve as county executive for 2011 but said he will not run for a full term.
Schneider’s son and business partner, Jonathan, is running as a Republican for the Carmel Town Board.
It won’t be Alan Schneider’s first run for political office. In 1981, Schneider ran as a Democrat for Putnam County legislator in District 7 but lost by 143 votes to the incumbent, Bob Bondi.
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