The Town of Lloyd’s Republicans caucused on Tuesday evening, July 25 to choose their candidates for the 2017 elections. Most of the candidates who will run on the GOP line in Highland this November were no surprises, and three of them were named by acclamation, with no one contesting their nominations. But the race has already produced one upset: Four-term incumbent Kevin Brennie failed to secure his party’s backing to return to his seat on the town board next year. “It’s a grind; you lose friends,” Brennie said of the post, noting that some of his votes had been on “controversial” issues.
Five candidates’ names were placed in nomination for the two town board seats that will open up on December 31, as Jeffrey Paladino’s and Brennie’s current terms come to an end. (Paladino opted not to run for reelection.) Besides Brennie, the nominees included Leonard Auchmoody, the owner of a local trucking business who has run repeatedly for the post of superintendent of highways in Lloyd; Christina DeMaio, who serves on Lloyd’s Events and Beautification Committee; Jill Indelicato, chair of the town’s Ethics Committee and a member of the Recreation Commission; and David Plavchak, chairman of the Lloyd Planning Board. Auchmoody and Plavchak won their party’s endorsement for the two upcoming vacancies with 62 votes each, followed by 44 for Indelicato, 43 for Brennie and 38 for DeMaio.
For the other posts up for grabs, incumbent town supervisor Paul Hansut and town justice Terry Elia were both nominated for reelection, without opposition. And Christine Giangrasso, who serves the town as Water and Sewer District secretary, was tapped — also without opposition — to run against longtime Lloyd town clerk Rosaria Peplow, a Democrat. The Lloyd GOP declined to endorse a candidate for highway superintendent this year.
The caucus also bestowed its blessings on the two Republican incumbents who represent Lloyd in the Ulster County Legislature, already selected last month at the county level to run for reelection. Herbert Litts III is the legislator for District 9 and Mary Beth Maio for District 10.
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