Democratic candidates for the village of Mamaroneck Board of Trustees’ three open seats will contend with an unexpected challenger, as Stuart Tiekert, a critic of the current village government, has gathered the necessary signatures to primary for the Democratic line.
Just last week, Democratic Party leaders chose Viktor Tafur, Keith Waitt and incumbent Trustee Leon Potok as their full slate for the upcoming November election.
This week, Tiekert secured his spot in a Democratic primary, gathering his minimum of 228 signatures required to appear on the primary ballot.
While Tiekert, 66, hopes to run for a seat on the board in the November general election as a Democrat, he has consistently been a vocal critic of the Democratic village board majority, which has held the board since 2011.
“I’m choosing to run now because I have been disappointed with the majority leadership for the last several years,” he said. “There doesn’t seem to be a strong agenda about the things I’m interested in.”
Among the items that Tiekert believes have gone unaddressed by the current majority are what he describes as a flawed procurement policy; the system by which contracts are awarded by the village.
“Contracts are awarded without competitive procurement that our policy requires,” Tiekert said.
To quell what he views as a flawed process, Tiekert explained, he would attempt to bring change and oversight to the table.
“I would urge my board members to make sure the village [manager] follows procedure,” he said.
Tiekert said he’s unsure whether or not he would run for office as an independent candidate, but would consider the option if he fails to survive the Democratic primary.
Having spent many of his active years in the village advocating for the environment—both on the recycling committee, now known as the Committee for the Environment, and on outings with Save the Sound—Tiekert said he plans to bring environmental causes to the forefront.
“As a coastal community, our harbor and water quality is important,” he said. “We seem to be on a path that doesn’t improve it.”
Tiekert—who is currently a district leader in the town of Rye—also briefly held a position as the Democratic Party’s chairman in 2012 and was nominated to run for trustee that year, but said he stepped aside for current Democratic Trustee Potok.
In regard to Tiekert’s relationship with both the Democratic Party and the current village board majority, Potok, who declined to comment on his relationship with Tiekert, told the Review, “The nominating committee picked the three best candidates. The three best candidates were the ones they selected; he was not one of them.”
The village of Mamaroneck Democratic primary is set for Sept. 13.
