[dropcap color=”#888″ type=”square”]C[/dropcap]OLONIE – Loudonville businessman and former Albany County Republican chairman George Scaringe was elected to serve as chairman of the Town of Colonie Republican Committee in a unanimous vote held on the night of Wednesday, June 1.
“I am humbled by the support I have received and will work hard to rebuild the committee and elect more Colonie Republicans to public office,” said Scaringe, a veteran of more than fifty years of Republican politics who formerly served as Albany County Republican chairman. “I want to be a bridge to the next generation of Republican leadership in the Town of Colonie.”
During his tenure at Albany County, Republicans won numerous elections including the election of Mike Hoblock as County Executive and the largest number of Republican legislators (17) in modern county history. Prior to serving as chair Scaringe, also managed the election campaigns of former Colonie supervisor, Fred Field. He will serve a two-year term and takes over from interim Chairman, Frank Mauriello.
“Colonie is the best place to live in the Capitol District,” Scaringe said. “In large part due to decades of Republican leadership by people with the names Sanford, Field, Proskin and Hoblock. Now we have to encourage young Republicans to come forward and provide that same type of leadership for the future of our town.”
Scaringe said his priority is to rebuild the committee and win back the supervisor’s office in 2017. He noted there are currently 15 Republican elected officials from the town, serving town and county government. On this strong base, he said he plans to rebuild the town Republican Party by filling all committee slots with a mix of experienced veterans and young residents of the town.
“We are a committee in transition and my goal is to build a strong organization focused on the future. No one person can do it alone, but with the right mix of experience and youth we will once again provide the leadership needed to keep taxes low and quality of life high in the Town of Colonie,” said the new chair.
The committee also elected a full slate of officers, including:
- Michelle Zilgme, Vice-Chair
- Mary Brizzel, Secretary, and
- Peter Gray, Treasurer
- David Gruenberg, Counsel
“Now is the time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to the work of winning the trust of the voters in Colonie,” Scaringe concluded.
– Spotlight Staff
