Third Republican Vying for Mt. Pleasant Town Board Seat
The two Republicans endorsed by the Mount Pleasant Republican Committee for town board last spring will face a challenger in the Sept. 10 GOP primary to determine who will be on the ballot in the general election.
The top two finishers in the Republicans’ internal balloting in May were first-time town board candidates Denis McCarthy of Hawthorne, a member of the town’s planning board, and Laurie Rogers-Smalley of Valhalla.
McCarthy and Rogers-Smalley, who are running as a ticket with incumbent Supervisor Joan Maybury, are being challenged by Valhalla resident Judy Ann Melagrano. Both committee-endorsed candidates said last week Melagrano’s entry into the race has not changed their campaign strategy. They also said they are unfamiliar with Melagrano.
“I don’t know the third candidate; never heard of her, nor has she participated in anything relating to the Mount Pleasant Republican Committee,” McCarthy said last week. “I, along with running mate Laurie Smalley, are focused on a campaign platform of our commitment to integrity, experienced leadership and dedicated service to the town and community of Mount Pleasant as the officially endorsed candidates of the Republican and Conservative parties of Mount Pleasant.”
Attempts to reach Melagrano last week for comment were unsuccessful.
The Republican committee nominated Maybury, who will run unopposed this fall for re-election on May 13. Longtime Councilman Thomas Sialiano failed to receive the party’s endorsement. Sialiano, who opted against running in the Republican primary, is the lone candidate endorsed by the Independence Party for town board.
Another veteran councilman, Peter DeMilio, has decided against seeking re-election to another four-year term on the town board.
McCarthy, 44, has served on the planning board for the past three years. He is an engineer for the City University of New York and Bronx Community College.
Rogers-Smalley, 56, is a supervisor of public health nurses employed by the Westchester County Department of Health.
Issues McCarthy and Rogers-Smalley are campaigning on include reducing town taxes and spending and promoting “sustainable initiatives and opportunities for growth” in the local economy.
If the pair are successful in the primary in two weeks, they will be prohibitive favorites in November, facing only Sialiano on the Independence line. Once again, the Democrats have declined to field a slate of candidates for the election.
Janet Gandolfo, the Democratic Committee chairwoman, said the party is continuing to reorganize itself. The party has 50 district leader slots filled, but there are still 34 other seats that remain vacant, she said. Gandolfo said the Democratic Party is looking to build itself “from the ground up.”
“We are regrouping,” Gandolfo said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
