Dems Put Forward Candidate in Fall Race for Mecca Seat

The Rye Democrats have put forward Lori Fontanes as their candidate in the fall race for the remaining one year of Richard Mecca’s Rye City Council seat. Fontanes local service includes vice-chair of the City of Rye Conservation Commission/Advisory Council, co-head of the Rye Sustainability Committee healthy yard program and member of the board of trustees at Jay Heritage Center.

Mecca resigned on January 5th due to health reasons, and Mayor Josh Cohn advanced Emily Hurd to serve in Mecca’s seat and the council voted its full support. Like Mecca, Hurd also serves as deputy mayor. It is unclear if Hurd will stand for office in the fall and the GOP will have a candidate – Hurd or someone else.

Here is the official Dem news release:

Lori will compete against the Republican Candidate, assuming they select a candidate.

Emily’s term ends January 1st 2023, and she chose not to seek the Democratic Committee endorsement to be on the ballot for the final year of the unexpired term.

RYE CITY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENT FOR CITY COUNCIL RACE
Civic leader Lori Fontanes promises to represent “all of Rye”

RYE, New York– By an overwhelming majority, the Rye City Democratic Committee has endorsed Lori Fontanes, a long-time community advocate, to fill the last year of Republican Richard Mecca’s City Council term.

“We are pleased to have someone with ties into so many community organizations and with such wide experience,” said Chair Shari Punyon. “Lori has the calm temperament and desire to work with others that Rye needs.”

“I’ve already spent hundreds of hours serving with other residents at City Hall and around Rye,” Fontanes explained. “I know how the system works and would love to collaborate with stakeholders to make our beautiful coastal community even better,” she said.
C. Nicholas Hodnett, former Conservation Commission/Advisory Council member said, “Having recently finished serving for several years on a Rye City Commission with Ms Fontanes, I found Lori to be intelligent, pragmatic and always working to improve the quality of life available to our City’s residents.”

Fontanes believes that successful leadership requires good listening skills and the ability to work well with others. “Lori got Rye Town Park management, the Friends of Rye Town Park, and the city and town representatives on the same page and excited to install new pollinator gardens at the park,” said Rye resident and master gardener Sue Drouin. “Lori delivered the project on time and under budget, even in the middle of a pandemic.”

A Rye resident since 2009, Fontanes has served in a variety of capacities from Vice-Chair of the City of Rye CC/AC and co-head of the Rye Sustainability Committee healthy yard program to member of the board of trustees at Jay Heritage Center and Rye YMCA Cross-District Wellness Committee, Safe Routes to School and edible garden committee at Milton School and many other initiatives. She received her B.A. from Temple University and M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Manhattanville College, where she is currently an adjunct professor. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Lori comes from a family of firefighters, police officers and educators. She is proud of her multiracial heritage and dedicates this campaign to her aunt Toni who worked in the Hispanic community as an advocate for many years.

“I learned at an early age that public service is important and more rewarding than you can imagine,” Fontanes said. “If elected, I look forward to doing even more for my community by serving as a Rye City Councilmember.”