Port Chester IDA Chairman Neil Pagano is challenging Democratic Mayor Dennis Pilla in the March election, with the backing of the Republican, Conservative and Independence parties.
The slates are taking shape this week in this year’s mega-election that will fill the mayoralty and all six village trustee seats. Democrats nominated three candidates Monday night, and Republicans chose four candidates Tuesday: current Trustees Joe Kenner and Sam Terenzi and newcomers Frank Ferrara and Jing Xie. This is the village’s second trustee election using cumulative voting and filling all six seats at once – the new system produced by the Justice Department’s successful voting rights lawsuit. The case found that the old election system, at-large voting with staggered terms, prevented Hispanics from electing any of their preferred candidates to the board.
This time around, you can expect a very complicated-looking ballot for trustee. Conservative nominees are Terenzi and fellow Trustee Bart Didden, along with Rico Dos Anjos, who challenged Rye Town Supervisor Joe Carvin in 2011. The Independence slate has Didden and Terenzi.
