Town of Mamaroneck Councilman Tom Murphy, a Democrat, will mull a return to village politics after being approached by party leaders about running for village of Mamaroneck mayor, the Review has learned.
“I’ve had a couple conversations,” he said. “I’m looking at my options.”
While Murphy, 55, has served on the Town Council since 2014, most of his tenure as an elected official has been spent in the village of Mamaroneck, where he served as a trustee from 2004 to 2010, after filling out the remainder of an expired trustee term in 2001.
In addition to his experience serving on the Board of Trustees, Murphy has also served on the village of Mamaroneck Harbor & Coastal Zone Management Commission and as an appointee to the village Recreation Committee, where he began his involvement in public service.
Murphy—who currently works as an elevator mechanic—was recently re-elected to an all-Democrat Town Council last November in an uncontested race.
In 2013, Murphy launched a bid for higher office losing in a hard fought Democratic primary for Westchester County legislator to then Rye City Councilwoman Catherine Parker. Parker went on to win the general election that year, and still holds the legislative seat.
In Mamaroneck this year, both Republican seats on the village board—currently filled by Mayor Norman Rosenblum and Trustee Louis Santoro—will be up for re-election, opening village Democrats, who already maintain a majority, for a full sweep of the board’s makeup.
In November, three Democrats beat out three Republican candidates by a comfortable victory to maintain a seven-year Democratic majority on the village board.
However, unseating Rosenblum has been the one feat Democrats have failed to accomplish. Since winning office in 2009, Rosenblum has thwarted numerous attempts by Democrats, securing successive re-election bids in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
As of press time, neither Rosenblum nor Santoro have announced whether they will seek re-election.
In the meantime, the village Democratic Party will work to shore up its best candidate for the upcoming off-year November election.
“Tom would be a great candidate and a great mayor,” said Nora Lucas, chairman of the village’s Democratic Party. “[Santoro and Rosenblum] have been trustees for four full terms now. We’re a small community and it’s time for a change.”
