Siegel Gets Democratic Nod for Vacant Seat on Yorktown Town Board
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Former Supervisor and Councilwoman Susan Siegel was endorsed by the town’s Democratic Committee last week to run for the vacant seat on the Yorktown Town Board.
Siegel, 84, will compete against Donna Diana, 60, widow of former Supervisor Thomas Diana, in a special election July 23 in a bid to serve the final three-and-a-half years of Ed Lachterman’s council term.
Lachterman was elected supervisor last month in a special election, succeeding Thomas Diana, who died unexpectedly Jan. 5. Lachterman had been reelected to a four-year term last November on the town board running with Diana.
“I’m ready to meet the voters, debate my opponent, and I’ll be ready to start work on Day One if you honor me with your support and vote for me,” Siegel stated. “I recall that the last time I was elected to the board in 2014 my opponent was Tom Diana and we had a healthy debate. And now, in 2024, I look forward to debating his widow, Donna Diana. I hope we can set the date soon.”
A 54-year resident of Yorktown, Siegel, a fixture in the audience at town meetings, was town supervisor for two years in 2010 and 2011. A former newspaper reporter and ex-president of the Yorktown League of Women Voters, she founded the Yorktown Trail Town Committee in 2014 and is currently its president.
“Susan is ever present at town board meetings. She has the experience and acumen to decipher issues in such a way that helps town residents get clarity on how town council decisions affect the daily living expenses and quality of life for all of Yorktown families,” said Yorktown Democratic Committee Co-Chair Marni Rabin-Marron. “Her extensive experience and prudent judgment will bring much-needed balance to our Town Board.”
Siegel said the board will have to decide “a host of challenging issues” in the near future, including approving plans for as yet unnamed infrastructure projects; whether to extend the Lake Osceola Overlay District to accommodate a developer; banning ATVs in town parks and on town roads; and amending the Solar Law to reach a better balance between the need to encourage solar energy while at the same time “stopping the disastrous clear cutting of our valuable woodlands.”
“And I will continue the fight for a stronger Ethics Law and an independent Ethics Board. I will also continue to fight for a more open and transparent Town Board,” she stated.
Diana, who will appear on the Republican and Conservative lines, has never run for elected office but said she is well-versed on town issues and wants to keep her husband’s legacy alive. She co-owned a home heating business with her husband for 20 years until they decided to sell it after he was elected supervisor.
“I’m happy to let the Yorktown voters decide on July 23rd who can best serve our great community,” she said.
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