New Castle Democrats Ready for Fall With Full Ticket

The New Castle Democrats have tabbed Victoria Alzapiedi to run for supervisor against incumbent Robert Greenstein this fall, leading a full slate of candidates as the party hopes to regain control of the town board.

Alzapiedi, who most recently served as chair of the Coyote Awareness and Safety Advisory Committee, will appear on the ticket alongside Millwood Board of Fire Commissioners Chair Hala Makowska and town prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Jeremy Saland. Douglas Kraus will be running for a sixth term for town justice.

Makowska and Saland gained the party’s endorsement after current Democratic board members Elise Kessler Mottel and Jason Chapin decided against seeking re-election.

“We believe that this is the right ticket to move New Castle and its residents forward together,” Democratic Committee Co-Chairman Jerry Curran said in a recent statement. “They represent a cross section of our multidimensional community and will work together in the best interest of all residents for the betterment of our Town.”

Alzapiedi, 48, a non-practicing attorney who is the founder and principal of her own leadership development and executive coaching firm, said she is excited to be running with Makowska and Saland because they each bring valuable and complementary skills that would help the town on an assortment of key issues such as public safety and traffic.

She said their backgrounds would enable them to be decisive while also being able to weigh residents’ concerns.

“Transparency, integrity and inclusiveness are very important to all three of us and these qualities will be a huge benefit to the Town of New Castle and its residents,” Alzapiedi said.

In addition to the Coyote Awareness and Safety Advisory Committee, one of two committees that were created to help the town board develop a response plan in the wake of an escalating number of coyote sightings in town, Alzapiedi also served as Conservation Board co-chair.

During several public forums since February Alzapiedi became embroiled in tense dialogue with Greenstein regarding coyote-related issues. At the last regular town board meeting on May 26. Alzapiedi told Greenstein she was “deeply insulted,” by suggesting he had kept her out of the loop on key coyote matters. At the same meeting, Greenstein repeatedly said the process had deteriorated into “a circus,” although he acknowledged that both committees had done outstanding work.

Alzapiedi deflected any talk about a potentially nasty campaign, saying that she intended to concentrate on the town’s critical issues.

“My hope is to focus on the historical facts and the record and what’s best for the residents of our town and for our future,” she said.

Although the Republican Committee has yet to formally announce its slate, Greenstein last week confirmed that he would be seeking re-election in November. In 2013, he and running mates Lisa Katz and Adam Brodsky were comfortably elected.

Greenstein, a registered Democrat who would once again receive GOP backing, said he believed that during the past year-and-a-half the current board has helped move the town forward, investing more effort to improve downtown Chappaqua while on the cusp of resolving Chappaqua Crossing.

“There’s a clear choice for residents between the Democrats and the Republicans in this election,” Greenstein said. “Residents can decide whether they like the direction that we’re going or to go backwards.”

In addition to getting Republican backing, Greenstein said he sought the Democratic nomination as well but was rejected by the committee.

He said the remainder of the Republican’s ticket will be announced shortly.

Makowska, 55, a 16-year town resident, is a volunteer firefighter and has served on the Millwood Task Force in addition to her duties as chair of the Board of Fire Commissioners. Makowska, who has worked in marketing, said she’s running because she’s seen firsthand how the decisions the town makes can have a positive influence.

“I really feel that local government can have a meaningful impact on the day-to-day lives of our residents,” she said.

Saland, 40, a criminal defense attorney and since 2010 the town prosecutor, said he wanted to help the town move forward on key issues such as housing, affordable housing and traffic.

“We may have different backgrounds or live in different parts of town but we all live in New Castle and want what’s best for the town,” Saland said.

Meanwhile Mottel and Chapin both said they felt it was time to move on and give other residents a chance to serve. Mottel has served for the past 12 years while Chapin is finishing his second four-year term, but the terms were not consecutive.