Schleimer won't force primary—but may still run

I would love to continue to hear from all of you as we make our decision together.”

—Karen Schleimer on running as a third-party candidate

Karen Schleimer won’t be forcing a Democratic primary this June.

The longtime Village Board trustee made the announcement on social media Wednesday, April 1.

Schleimer told Halston Media she is still leaving her options open, however.

A Democrat and former district leader, she had sought – but was denied – the Mount Kisco Democratic Committee’s endorsement in February.

The MKDC instead backed incumbent Trustee Tom Luzio, its chair, and Michael McGuirk, current chair of the village’s Planning Board.

Schleimer had been endorsed by the MKDC in 2024, when she ran alongside Luzio.

“The Democratic committee has made its decision. While it would be beneficial to be on the Democratic line in November, I will not be forcing a primary,” she wrote on Facebook.

Schleimer added that she was “touched” by the “incredible number of voters” who have told her that they want her to remain on the board.

“Beautiful notes, and I don’t even know some of these people,” she told Halston Media.

Schleimer was first elected in 2012 and has not ruled out running in the fall on another line.

“At this point, no final decision has been made. I am weighing my options,” she wrote in her Facebook post, urging voters to continue giving her feedback.

“I would love to continue to hear from all of you as we make our decision together for what is best in this town," she said.. "The future of Mount Kisco depends on it."

Meanwhile, the MKDC announced that it had filed more than 400 petition signatures for Luzio and McGuirk for the upcoming board elections.

Only 139 signatures were needed, Luzio explained.

The team also said it had collected more than 350 signatures each for county Legislator Erika L. Pierce (D-District 2), state Assemblyman Chris Burdick (D-93rd District), and state Sen. Pete Harckham (D-40th District).

“A HUGE THANK YOU to all Democratic supporters in Mount Kisco,” the committee added in a social media post.

Luzio told Halston Media that he, and the entire committee, thanked Schleimer for “her 12 plus years of service.”

Having been on the Village Board for the past two years, he acknowledged that the position requires a lot of “time, effort, and hard work.”

Luzio also wanted to thank the folks who signed their petitions.

“We plan on representing them and the rest of our residents as best we can,” he said.

According to Luzio, all 14 district leader spots have been filled.

“It’s a strong committee we feel represents the majority of Democrats in Mount Kisco,” he added.

It wasn't known at press time if there were any other hopefuls out there.

As for the possibility of a contested election this fall?

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Luzio said.