Looking to November: Tax Receiver to be only contested election in North Salem

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - The only contest in the North Salem’s elections this year will be for tax receiver.

Vying for that office will be Democrat Karol DeLuce and Republican Randi Bowen.

The current receiver is Karen Roach, who is retiring after 30 years at the helm.

Running unopposed are the incumbents: Supervisor Warren Lucas, Deputy Supervisor Peter Kamenstein, both Republicans, and Councilman Martin Aronchick, a Democrat – are all unopposed.

Councilmembers serve four-year terms.

The North Salem Republican Town Committee has endorsed Lucas, Kamenstein, Bowen, as well as James “Bo” DePaoli for highway superintendent.

The North Salem Democrats have backed Aronchick.

DePaoli will replace Ward Hanaburgh, who is also retiring.

Karol DeLuce

A 27-year resident of North Salem, DeLuce has an extensive background in numerous industries, including construction, electronics, telecommunications, healthcare, food and beverage, service/hospitality, manufacturing, information technology, government, consumer goods.

For the past 35 years, DeLuce has held positions as a supply chain manager, materials manager, operations manager, purchasing manager, and office manager.

She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the College of New Rochelle.

DeLuce is a long-time member of the board of directors of the Danbury, Conn., chapter of the APICS (Association for Production and Inventory Control Specialty.)

She holds several certifications: CPIM (Certified in Production and Inventory Management), CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), and CPM (Certified Purchasing Manager).

DeLuce also trained at the Dale Carnegie Institute.

She and her late husband, Bob Stefanovich, were members of the North Salem Fish & Game Club.

They have one grown daughter, a North Salem High School grad who’s now a teacher, and two grandchildren who are currently in middle school.

Randi Bowen

Bowen sent the following statement:

“I am a lifelong resident of New York. I was born in Ulster County and spent my childhood in Orange County. I moved to Westchester County/Croton Falls in 2015 and knew I found the place I wanted to call home permanently. 

Since I moved to Westchester, I married my best friend of 30 years in 2016 and became the elected treasurer of the Croton Falls Community Church in the same year. I still hold this position currently. I am an extremely hard-working individual. I began working at the age of 14 and I have a strong background in customer service and business administration at all levels with emphasis on accounting responsibilities. I am a people person, and I get a great deal of satisfaction helping others.

On a more personal note, I am a devoted mother and grandmother and enjoy spending time with family and close friends.

My hobbies include reading, crafting, and going on what we call ‘adventures’ with my 7-year-old granddaughter, Alyvia, to discover new parks that we have never visited in the Westchester area.  I want nothing more than to serve the community that has brought so much happiness to my life as the tax receiver of North Salem.”

Warren Lucas

A North Salem native, Lucas has spent more than three decades as an elected town official.

He’s been town supervisor since 2009. Before that he was deputy supervisor and a town councilman.

Lucas is an executive board member and former president of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association (WMOA) and its Legislative Committee member and former chair; president of the Westchester Putnam Association of Town Supervisors (WPATS), treasurer of the East of Hudson Watershed Corporation, a member of the executive board and treasurer of Sustainable Westchester, and has served as a member of the board of trustees and treasurer for John F. Kennedy Catholic High School in Somers.

He is a former Energize NY executive board member and a former member of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals and of the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library’s board.

He worked in upper management for IBM for 32 years before retiring in 2010.

A graduate of Kennedy High School, he earned his bachelor’s of science degree in 1976 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Lucas is a 33-year member of the local Lions Club and its first vice president. His wife, Susan, is the club’s president.

The couple has five children and seven grandchildren.

Lucas sent the following statement.

“I have had the pleasure of being on the Town Board for 35 years.   In the early years I served on a Town Board where mutual respect for each other was not present and it was not a great experience.   I told myself then that if I were ever in charge I would work to change that.   As supervisor for the last 16 years I have tried to create a work environment where all things can be discussed with respect for each person’s position.   Not surprisingly we get a lot of work done with less aggravation and infighting.   I still have some things that I would like to accomplish, and I am asking for your continued support this election year.”

Peter Kamenstein

Seeking his fifth term, Kamenstein has been on the Town Board for 15 years as a councilman and deputy supervisor.

He is the past chair of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals.

Kamenstein has been a volunteer firefighter for 35 years and an EMT with the Croton Falls Fire Department. He is currently a lieutenant in the New York State Fire Police.

He is an appointed member of the Office of Emergency Management.

Kamenstein is a trustee of the North Salem Open Land Foundation and was president of the North Salem Bridle Trails Association. He sits on the NSBTA’s board of directors.

He was the joint master of Golden’s Bridge Hounds, a group that’s carried on the time-honored tradition of fox hunting since the 1920s.

Kamenstein was president of the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library’s board for 10 years and was part of the team responsible for getting the library's addition built.

He is a former member of two nonprofits: The Nature Conservancy in New York and the Westchester Land Trust.

Kamenstein works in the manufacturing industry.

“I love the town and hope to continue making a positive contribution to it,” he said last week.

Martin Aronchick

Aronchick, an attorney and a jazz musician, was first elected to the Town Board in 2015.

He and his family moved to North Salem more than 20 years ago.

Aronchick is a firefighter and EMT with the Croton Falls Fire Department, a trustee and co-president of the North Salem Historical Society, and a member of the local Lions Club.

He was the Town Board’s liaison to the committee that’s drafting a master plan for the hamlet of Croton Falls.

Aronchick is also the liaison to the town’s Conservation Advisory Committee, the Recreation Committee and the Historic Preservation Committee.

 He is one of the leaders of a task force that reviewed – and made recommendations about – local police procedures and policies.

As councilman he’s been involved in work involving the proposed Croton Falls sewer district and the creation of the town’s community center.

Aronchick is a former assistant Scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 1 and has been a member of the town’s comprehensive plan and open space committees. He is part of the team working on an update to the town’s recreation master plan as well.

Aronchick was a member of the executive staff of the New York State Organized Crime Task Force and an Assistant Division Chief in the New York City Law Department and a member of the executive staff of the Inspector General for New York City Construction.

“In enjoy my service on the Town Board,” he said, adding: “We conduct the town’s business in a civil, non-partisan, and effective manner.”

James "Bo" DePaoli

DePaoli was born and raised in Croton Falls.

He and his wife, Terry, also a North Salem native, have been married for 23 years.

DePaoli has worked for the town Highway Department for more than 40 years.

In the early 1980s, he was promoted to foreman and in 2010, he became the deputy superintendent of highways.

DePaoli is a North Salem police officer and a lifetime member of the Croton Falls Fire Department.

In a statement sent to Halston Media, he said that his family and work histories reflect his “extremely strong ties” to the community.

“I was born here, raised my family here, and I have spent most of my life working as a public servant on behalf of the residents of the town of North Salem,” DePaoli wrote.