Local parties choose candidates for town election

YORKTOWN, N.Y. — Yorktown's Republican and Democrat Committees have endorsed their candidates for this fall's local election, which sees supervisor and two town board seats up for grabs along with town justice and the town's two seats on the county legislature.

The Yorktown Democratic Committee unanimously endorsed a slate of candidates for the roles of supervisor, town board, county legislature, and town justice. 

In a Feb. 17 press release, the committee named incumbent Westchester County Legislators Vedat Gashi and Colin Smith in their re-election bids.  

Jann Mirchandani got the nod for supervisor. She most recently challenged current Supervisor Ed Lachterman in a special election to finish the term if the late Supervisor Tom Diana. The committee also endorsed Lanny Gilbert and Michael Hickins for seats on the Town Board. 

“Our endorsed candidates have proven track records of public service and a deep commitment to our community's values," Peter Cleary, acting chair of the Yorktown Democratic Committee, said in the release. “Their unanimous endorsements reflect the confidence our committee has in their ability to serve the people of Yorktown and Westchester County.”

The committee also endorsed Town Justice Aviah Cohen-Pierson for re-election.  

Yorktown GOP backs incumbents  

The Yorktown Republican Committee is endorsing four incumbent candidates for reelection. In announcing the picks, GOP Chairman Kevin Byrnes called all four “dedicated public servants."

In addition to backing Lachterman for reelection as town supervisor, the party endorsed Sergio Esposito and Luciana Haughwout for reelection to the Town Board and Dave Paganelli for reelection to Highway Superintendent. 

“The Yorktown Republican Party is excited to present this experienced incumbent team that we believe represents the best our community has to offer,” Byrnes said in the release. “Our ticket personifies strong leadership, private-sector success, and a community-first mindset. We believe that each candidate on the ticket has successfully addressed their campaign promises to protect taxpayers, tackle blight, and protect our community, and have earned our endorsement for reelection.”