Democrats endorse newcomers for seats
Four of the seven members of the Beacon City Council will not seek re-election in November, and the Beacon Democratic Committee has endorsed four newcomers to fill the seats.
Jeff Domanski (Ward 2) and Pam Wetherbee (Ward 3) will not seek re-election; Molly Rhodes (Ward 1) is leaving to run for the Dutchess County Legislature; and George Mansfield (Ward 4), appointed in January to fill a vacancy, is not running to keep the seat.
The Democrats have endorsed Lastar Gorton (Ward 1), Zach Smith (Ward 2), Sergei Krasikov (Ward 3) and Carolyn Glauda (Ward 4), as well as incumbents Amber Grant and Paloma Wake for the two at-large seats.
The Democrats also endorsed Yvette Valdés Smith for District 16 on the Legislature, which includes Ward 4 in Beacon and parts of Fishkill, and Rhodes for District 18, which includes Wards 1 to 3. The latter is held by Nick Page, who will not seek a fifth term.
For the past two elections, Democratic candidates for the City Council have run unopposed.
Gorton is a life coach and author who was grand marshal of the 2024 Spirit of Beacon Day parade; Smith is a data scientist who serves on the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Visitation Data Committee; Krasikov chairs the city Conservation Advisory Committee and co-chairs the Fishkill Creek Watershed Alliance; and Glauda is programs and outreach manager for the Southeastern New York Library Resources Council and a member of the city’s Traffic Safety Committee.
In an email, Mansfield, who previously served seven terms before returning to the council this year, said Thursday that “there were so many good, qualified people stepping up to run that I decided these new voices and perspectives would serve the city well.”
The Democrats also endorsed Dan Aymar-Blair, a former council member who was elected in November as Dutchess County comptroller. He is serving the final year of a four-year term held by Robin Lois, who resigned to take a state job, and will run in November for a full term. He may face Will Truitt, the Republican chair of the Legislature, who filed to run for the position.
