2 former elected officials vie for open seat
PORT EWEN, N.Y. » Two former elected officials will go head to head in the race for the Ulster County Legislature’s District 8 seat.
Laura Petit, a former county legislator, and Ira Weiner, a former town of Esopus councilman, are vying for the seat being vacated by Legislator Carl Belfiglio. Belfiglio is running for Esopus supervisor.
District 8 comprises part of the town of Esopus .
Petit, an Independence Party member, served on the Legislature from 2008 to 2011, when she caucused with Republicans.
This time, the 56-yearold is running as a Democrat, and she also will have the Working Families, Women’s Equality and Esopus Forward lines on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Weiner, 68, who is retired and served on the Esopus Town Board in 1994, also is enrolled in the Independence Party. He will hold the Independence, Republican and Conservative lines on the ballot.
The environmental educator, community advocate and grant writer for the town of New Paltz, Petit said she will, if elected, work to build community engagement through town hall meetings and local workshops to develop plans to meet the needs of the community’s residents.
She also said she would work to secure grants to offset the cost of infrastructure repair and to promote local growth and would work to promote tourism and the county’s parks and trails, which she said build the economy and support local jobs.
She said she also would push for job creation in Esopus for small businesses, “mom and pop” businesses and the waterfront.
She also wants the county to address the needs of the poor and said the county should look for ways to provide health and dental clinics and safe, affordable housing.
A 1978 graduate of Onteora High School, Petit holds an associate’s degree from Ulster County Community College and a paralegal certificate from Marist College. A Port Ewen resident, Petit has five children.
She is a member of the League of Women Voters, the Ulster County Solid Waste Improvement Committee, the Ulster County Climate Smart Committee and the Esopus Library board.
Weiner said that, if elected, he will work to continue reduce the size of county government and the county’s property tax burden while protecting ser-
vices the county provides.
He said he would support initiatives to protect the county’s veterans and senior citizens and would encourage small business development by making Ulster County more business friendly.
A 1967 graduate of Poughkeepsie High School, Weiner lives in West Park with his wife, Christine. The couple has four children.
He is a member of the American Legion, American Legion Riders, Veterans of Foreign Wars, National Rifle Association, and Lloyd Rod and Gun Club. He is a past member of the Esopus Master Plan Committee.