Rotterdam GOP seeks interest in openings, decision expected June
Two Rotterdam Republican hopefuls have decided to pass up running in the fall election.
The Rotterdam Republican Committee is looking for a new candidate to back after Aurelia Lazzari has withdrawn her nomination for personal reasons. Trailing Lazzari’s decision, current Town Board Councilwoman Nicola DiLeva decided to back out of her bid for a County Legislature seat in District 4. While DiLeva had yet to be endorsed by the Schenectady County Republican Committee, the town GOP had backed her.
Tracey Donovan, chairwoman of the town GOP, said interest has been expressed within the party for endorsements for those races.
A couple more people stepped forward and are interested in the race, but nothing has been decided yet and it will not be decided until we have a full committee vote, said Donovan.
The vote for the new Town Board endorsement, which currently includes Brian McGarry for supervisor and Chris Tomaselli for councilman, is expected in early June, alongside the county GOP endorsements, said Donovan. The people seeking an endorsement from the town GOP for the opening include Conservative Todd Koza, Republican Joe Villano and Rotterdam Democrat Committee endorsee Mike Viscusi. Town Board member Stanley Marchinkowski has expressed interest in an endorsement for the County Legislature.
Lazzari said she originally decided to run because she wanted to see through projects she started as an economic developer for the town during her nine-month tenure under the previous administration, but the time commitment was ultimately what drove Lazzari’s decision to back out.
`I have complete faith in the slate that the Republicans have chosen,` said Lazzari. `They will certainly move those projects forward for the betterment of the town and the residents that they serve. It is strictly for personal reasons. My personal time is very limited.`
As far as running again for another political position, she said it could be a possibility in the future.
DiLeva, though, seems set on getting out of politics for at least a few years because she is going to pursue a doctorate degree in behavioral sciences. That goal is ultimately what led her to withdraw from the race.
`One of my life-long dreams is to get my doctorate, and I have an opportunity to pursue that,` said DiLeva. `It wasn’t anything political; it is just that right now it is something that I have always dreamed of doing.“
