In this year’s primary on June 25, the Hurley Democrats will choose nominees for town clerk, a seat on the town board and membership of the entire 16-member Democratic party committee. Increasingly Democratic, Hurley is the only town in Ulster County this year where two party factions are offering complete competing slates for their party committee.
One faction, presently the majority of the town committee, is centered around former town supervisor Melinda McKnight. The other Democratic faction is led by her successor as town supervisor, Michael Boms, and by town highway superintendent Mike Shultis.
The races for the seats on the Hurley Democratic Committee are contentious. Each faction has gathered two candidates in all eight election districts. A little more than half of Hurley’s people populate the four odd-numbered election districts in West Hurley.Â
In District 1, the core of West Hurley, the McKnight faction is supporting Ellen Mulkerin and former councilman Peter M. Humphries, the Boms-Shultis faction Joseph DeCaro and highway superintendent Shultis himself. In District 7, clustered around Route 375, also in West Hurley, former town officers McKnight and Annie Reed are being opposed by Angela Gaudioso and Andrew Shapiro.Â
In District 5 west of Maverick Road, insurgents Karen Gill and Deanndra VanDyke are being opposed by Meg and Tobe Carey.
District 3, the Spillway area mostly south of the Ashokan Reservoir, will see a tussle between insurgent supervisor Boms and town clerk Kellogg on one side and regulars Cynthia Bishop and Aaron Waldner on the other.
Dstrict 2 forms a sort of bridge between West and Old Hurley, extending south of Route 28 all the way from the Spillway district across the Eagle’s Nest and Route 209 That district will see regulars Jana Martin and Joseph Letendre opposed by town councilmember Diana Cline running with Frank Dunn.
Clustered east of the Esopus Creek in Old Hurley are (from west to east) districts 8, 6 and 4. In District 8, Melinda McKnight’s husband Bill and Nancy Garnau will be competing against Hope Hughes and Matthew Jankowski. In District 6, insurgents Shannon Rice and Cynthia Glass will be opposed by Zahava Wilson and Bruce Ginsberg. And finally in District 4, it’ll be regulars Peter McKnight and incumbent councilmember Gregory Simpson against insurgents Craig Snyder and Tim Kelly.
Kelly and Joseph Letendre will share the unusual distinction of being on the primary ballot twice, once for roles on the town Democratic committee and once as contenders for the Democratic nomination for two town councilman seats. Debbie Dougherty is the third contestant for the seats in this Democratic primary.
Former deputy town clerk Lynne Bailey is running against incumbent Tracy Kellogg, who was appointed clerk by the town board in January after Annie Reed resigned. Bailey is on the McKnight faction’s side.
And of course Gabi Madden is running against incumbent Sarahana Shrestha in the primary for state Assembly District 103, which includes Hurley.
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