Second Republican to Primary for Mt. Pleasant Town Board Seat

By Martin Wilbur and Neal Rentz

A member of the Mount Pleasant Zoning Board of Appeals plans to vie for the Republican nomination for the town board in a September primary against Councilwoman Laurie Smalley and Thomas Sialiano.

Joseph Soricelli announced last week that he will be joining Councilman Denis McCarthy in challenging the town Republican Committee’s endorsed choices for town board because party leadership has become a “clique” and is stale, recycling many of the same people and ideas.

“It limits the ability of a qualified individual to even get into the pecking order,” said Soricelli, a Valhalla financial adviser who has served on the ZBA for about four years.

In the past couple of weeks, he has been collecting signatures in hopes of submitting his petition to the Board of Elections by next week’s deadline to get on the ballot for the primary. He will need to submit a petition with a little more than 400 valid signatures to appear on the ballot.

Since failing to receive his party’s nomination for re-election, McCarthy has been on the offensive, charging that the Republican Committee leadership dictated who the nominees would be and that his board colleagues are threatened by dissenting opinions.

Smalley is running for a second term while Sialiano, a former councilman who was replaced on the Republican ticket by McCarthy in 2013, hopes to return to the town board.

Soricelli said he plans to point out policy disagreements he has with the current board and party leadership, but vowed to refrain from negative attacks.

One of the key issues Soricelli hopes to address if elected is the lack of senior housing in Mount Pleasant. Despite large tracts of land and large-scale development projects being considered, including the North 60 and Baker Residential applications, there is little to no housing geared toward empty-nesters and retirees, he said.

“Why don’t we try to retain the individuals who are trying to stay in the community who sometimes need the ability to downsize?” Soricelli said.

Soricelli, 59, said he initially considered a run for supervisor, but decided against a candidacy because he wouldn’t have the time to take on what is a full-time job. He was also asked by the Democratic Committee to consider accepting its endorsement, but quickly decided against the offer. He said he remains a strong supporter of County Executive Rob Astorino and thought the questions the Democrats asked about national political issues was inappropriate in a local race.

“I am a Republican, but I am an independent thinker,” Soricelli said.

Last week, Smalley and Sialiano did not return messages for comment. Republican Committee Chairman Christopher McClure said any suggestion that town Republicans are disenchanted with the party is wildly inaccurate. Conversely, the committee has more district leader positions filled than at any time in recent history and “has never been more robust,” he said.

At no time did Soricelli reach out to him to express an interest in running for office or anything related to politics, McClure said. He looks forward to supporting the Smalley and Sialiano candidacies.

“In the two years that I have been the party chairperson I have never been contacted by Mr. Soricelli seeking to get involved in town politics, or anything else for that matter,” McClure said. “I am unable to comment on Mr. Soricelli’s candidacy because, other than hearing his name in relation to the Zoning Board of Appeals, I am not familiar with his qualifications.”

McClure added that Soricelli is uninformed regarding senior housing in town. One project is in the works and several others being proposed. It is an issue the current town board has been actively addressing.

McCarthy said that Soricelli’s professional background and experience on the ZBA would be a benefit to the board. He said he welcomes someone who also would like to see fresh ideas.

“He really impresses me with his exceptional leadership and his management background and his fiduciary background,” McCarthy said. “That would be an asset, I believe.”

Soricelli said that while he doesn’t agree with McCarthy on everything, he shares the opinion that the town board and the town Republican Committee are in need of change.

“I would like to see change, I will continue to advocate for senior housing, which I hopefully will be able to influence as a board member,” he said.

It is likely that the winners of the primary would serve on the town board for the next four-year term. After one Democratic candidate quickly withdrew from the race shortly after his announcement to run, the party has not stepped forward with any other hopefuls.