District 10 Legislature seat at stake on Nov. 7
District 10 voters will choose between an incumbent lawmaker and a newcomer to county politics on Nov. 7.
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Voters in the Ulster County Legislature’s District 10 will choose between an incumbent lawmaker and a newcomer to county politics when they go to the polls Nov. 7.
Democrat Russell Gilmore is taking on incumbent Republican Mary Beth Maio in the race for the two-year seat.
Maio, 49, of Highland, is serving her fourth term. A registered Republican who will also hold the Conservative and Independence party lines on the ballot, she is currently the Legislature’s majority leader.
Gilmore, 62, has been active in local politics in the town of Lloyd, serving for five years on the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals, working as adviser to the town supervisor for four years and serving as the economic development chair for one year and a member of the Tri-County Alliance for one year.
A semi-retired real estate agent with Hello Dolly Real Estate, Gilmore will hold the Democratic and Working Families lines on the ballot.
If elected, Gilmore said, he will focus on improving the county’s fiscal responsibility and bringing more support to the county’s health and human services programs. He said he also would push for a review of county funded programs to determine whether the county is getting what it
pays for.
“Many of the organizations I’ve worked for were in some form of financial stress when I was hired,” he said. “I reviewed budgets, maintained staffing levels, cut unneeded expenses and improved benefits and services to the clients and staff members. I want to bring these skills to the county level.
A 1973 graduate of Arlington High School, Gilmore holds an associate’s degree in sociology, a master’s degree in education and an advanced degree in educational administration from SUNY New Paltz.
He lives on Maple Lane in Highland, is vice president of the Highland Landing Park Association and is a member of the Highland Business Association and the Lloyd Master Plan Committee.
Maio, the regional manager of Wallkill Valley Federal Savings and Loan in Milton, said her highest priorities as a county lawmaker are to foster economic development in the county and hold the line on county property taxes.
If re-elected, she said, she will work to “keep economic development alive and growing in Ulster County and continue keeping taxes at a ‘no increase’ with the commitment of constantly reviewing all departments and finding cost savings without
affecting the people of Ulster County.”
A 1986 graduate of Highland High School, Maio holds an associate’s degree from Dutchess Community College.
She lives on Mayer Drive in Highland and is a member of the Southern Ulster County Chamber of Commerce.