Odierna Will Run for Town Supervisor: Is It A Contest?

Paul Winnick Stepping Down; David Fishman Filling In

by Judy Silberstein

(May 24, 2007) After years with no suspense, Mamaroneck Town electoral politics may be suddenly heating up in anticipation of the November elections. Town Democrats met on Tuesday, May 22, and selected Town Councilman Ernie Odierna as their candidate for Town supervisor, a position held since 1999 by Valerie O’Keeffe, a Republican. According to Mr. Odierna, Councilman Paul Winnick, a Democrat, made known he will be moving away from Mamaroneck and will step down from the board on June 6. To fill his seat, the Democrats will nominate David Fishman, president of Larchmont-Mamaroneck Little League.

The Democrats also selected Phyllis Wittner, a councilwoman since 1996, to run for another four-year term. Rounding out the Democratic slate will be Jean Marie Brescia, running for another term as justice, and Christina Battalia for Town clerk. Ms. Battalia is currently serving as clerk, filling a vacancy left when Pat DiCioccio retired in March.

So will there be a contest? Supervisor O’Keeffe said she would wait until after the Town Republicans meet next week to announce her plans.

Mr. Odierna, however, is anticipating a contest. “We’ll try to make it as positive a campaign as possible,” he said. “Valerie is a good friend and I like her.” Mr. Odierna can afford to be cheerful. Even if he loses the supervisor race, he will retain his position as councilman for at least two more years.

Councilman Ernie Odierna will run for Town Supervisor in November.

So why run? “The Town deserves a choice,” said Mr. Odierna, who ran in a contested race in 1999, but had no opposition in 2003. “We’re doing a good job, but we can do better." Mr. Odierna, 70, has lived in the unincorporated part of Mamaroneck for 21 years. He is the president of Com/Peripherals, a “value added reseller” in the communications field. He has a son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren in Mamaroneck Village.

Ms. O’Keeffe, 64, an attorney who has lived in Mamaroneck Town most of her life, ran for supervisor in a contested election in 1999. Since then, she has been re-elected without opposition. She is the only Republican on the five person board. Recently, she was elected president of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association, which serves 45 member municipalities.

Democrat David Fishman, president of the local Little League, is likely to be a new face on the Town Board next month.

There is not much suspense about Mr. Fishman’s ascension to the five-member board. He is all but certain to be elected to fill Mr. Winick’s seat by the three remaining Democrats, Nancy Seligson, Mr. Odierna and Ms. Wittner. The 46-year-old publisher of Fathoms, a magazine for “those passionate about oceans,” has lived in the unincorporated part of Mamaroneck since 1993. His three children attend Murray Avenue School, Hommocks and Mamaroneck High School.

To remain on the board, Mr. Fishman must run again in November. By next week, he and the rest of Mamaroneck’s voters should know if he will have a Republican opponent.