Keri Lee Carey, a Town of Mount Hope resident for more than 25 years, said she’s running for the town board to bring her community service to a new level.
“I’ve always been involved in our community,” she told The Epoch Times. “I think the best way to support our community is to be involved as much as you can.”
Since her son was a small child, Ms. Carey had volunteered in the Cub Scouts and then the Boy Scouts. She sat on the town zoning board of appeals for four years, and also helped with the year-long centennial celebration in the Village of Otisville as a steering committee member.
This year, she took on the role of a judicial delegate and cast her votes to decide the candidates who can appear on the ballot for the New York Supreme Court 9th Judicial District.
Ms. Carey’s belief in community service is rooted in her upbringing.
“My parents always were very involved in things with church, food pantries, and different organizations,” the South Blooming Grove native said. “It has just become a way of life, and I think getting involved is being part of and giving back to the place you live in.”
Ms. Carey ran for Otisville village board twice before picking up the town board race.
“I didn’t previously feel that I should run for the town because my husband was on the town board,” she said. “There is an empty seat right now, and I think it is my opportunity to run and see what I can do to make Mount Hope a better place for everyone who lives here.”
Her husband, Brian Carey, was elected Otisville mayor in March and subsequently left the town board.
Ms. Carey said that her top priorities are to be accessible to residents, to keep town taxes stable, and to make town operations transparent to the public.
“It is fantastic that our town board meetings are available online now,” she said. “I would like to see more things available online, maybe the planning board meetings and budget workshops.”
Ms. Carey also wants to revive some of the past town-sponsored community programs and activities, especially the annual community day and the summer recreation program.
Her 18-year-old son had attended the summer program since he was 5 and participated in various activities at a reasonable cost while staying in touch with his school friends, she said.
“That was definitely something a lot of families counted on,” Ms. Carey said of the program, which stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think it would be great to bring it back.”
On her campaign trail, she said that taxes are the top concern for most residents.
“We suddenly all understand that paychecks are not going up so much, but groceries are going up, gas is going up, and electricity is going up,” Ms. Carey said. “I think if there is a tax increase, it should be as minimal as possible while making sure that we are not cutting necessary services like our police department.”
She is endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties.
Early voting started on Oct. 28 and runs through Nov. 5; the general election day is Nov. 7.
As of Oct. 31, a total of 2,897 county residents had participated in early voting, with 49 percent being registered Democrats and 34 percent Republicans.
