Two Democrats have announced their candidacies for the town board seat first vacated in January by Joe Canella.
Canella abdicated his seat after being elected town justice in November 2015.
Councilman Joe Stout, 60, was appointed to the seat by the all-Republican town board in January following Canella’s resignation. Now, Stout is looking to win in November’s special election for the right to fill out the remainder of Cannella’s term, which expires in 2017.
But in order to do so, Stout, a registered Democrat, will first face a challenge from within his own party in endorsed candidate Chris Rodier, a political newcomer from West Harrison.
Before a Sept. 13 primary becomes official, each candidate will have to gather 260 signatures from registered Democrats in Harrison by July 14.
Stout sought the endorsement of the Harrison Democratic Committee, but according to Elizabeth Pritchard, the committee chairwoman, they preferred a political outsider with no relationship with town Republicans like Mayor Ron Belmont.
“We thought, ‘Maybe it’s time to bring some new blood here,’” Pritchard said.
According to Pritchard, a four-person nominating committee tapped four potential candidates before deciding on Rodier, a self-employed software engineer who develops software for a hedge fund.
She said the committee felt their nominee, Rodier, 40, was “intense and compassionate about what [the committee] cares about.”
One such issue Pritchard and other Harrison Democrats have been vocal about is preventing the zoning text amendment that the town board passed in May, which allows for the building of large senior living facilities in residentially zoned areas, and has drawn petitions and protests from some Harrison residents. Rodier said he was inspired to enter the race after a discussion with members of Save Harrison Inc., a group of residents that is suing the town over its decision to pass the zoning amendment. Months earlier, Rodier had helped to set up a fundraiser for the group to hire an attorney.
He said his campaign consists of three pillars: open government, preventing the “mis-development” trend in Harrison and fiscal responsibility.
To illuminate these issues, Rodier said he plans to produce a software that will allow residents to see how their tax dollars are spent proportionally and how that compares to neighboring towns, adding, “I will produce that software whether I get elected or not.”
Rodier also harped on the lack of parking in Harrison, which he said has stifled the development of businesses in the community.
Stout similarly pointed to downtown parking as an issue he hopes to address.
Stout worked for more than 35 years in various parks and recreation departments throughout Westchester County, including Harrison Parks and Recreation, where he served as superintendent, and Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, where he served as commissioner, before retiring in 2010.
Stout said the main focus of his candidacy would be to push to increase the quality of government services for taxpayers. He said his main concerns were public safety and fiscal responsibility.
Stout said he doesn’t think partisan politics are as pertinent in local government as they are at the state and federal level.
“I don’t really think, at this level of government, that there’s a Democratic or Republican way to make sure that the streets are clean or the garbage is picked up or the parks look attractive,” he said.
He added that in a state and county that is predominately Democrat, it may be helpful to have one on the local level when negotiating with larger governments.
Bipartisanship has been ubiquitous at board meetings since Stout’s appointment. With more than 190 votes, the councilman has voted in conjunction with the majority every time.
Stout said although he has asked the Harrison Republicans to nominate him as their candidate, he does not believe he will receive the nomination.
Councilwoman Marlene Amelio, a Republican, told the Review, “We have very high regards for Mr. Stout and his experience, obviously; otherwise we wouldn’t have appointed him in the first place.”
The Harrison Republicans have not yet announced a candidate, as of press time.
