Ron Belmont
Mayor Rich Dionisio
Democrat Mayoral hopeful Mark Jaffe
By Dan Murphy
Winning an election as a write in candidate has always been a long shot endeavor. It is difficult for voters to understand, and then actually write-in a candidate.
In Harrison, former Mayor Ron Belmont is attempting to regain his old post, where he served from 2011-2020. Belmont, a Republican, is running a write in campaign and will challenge a fellow republican, incumbent Mayor Rich Dionisio, with Mark Jaffe is the democratic candidate for Mayor-Supervisor.
Belmont made the announcement last week, writing “I am answering the call to run again. And I am entering the race with the groundswell of support from all over the town get the great town of Harrison back on track and moving in the right direction.”
In addition to his service as Mayor-Supervisor, Belmont served as Harrison Superintendent of Recreation for 37 years. Belmont reminded voters of his achievements as Supervisor, including spearheading the acquisition of the former Willow Ridge County Club now Harrison Meadows, open to all town residents, and that all of Belmont’s Town-Village budgets were under the tax cap.
“I hear growing dissatisfaction from residents young and old, democrat and republican. That is a compelling reason for me to get into this race-to end the current dysfunction and partisan infighting.”
“I ran for Mayor/Supervisor with the best interests of the people of Harrison at heart. I never played politics or engaged in favoritism. My door was always open, and I was fiscally conservative with your tax dollars.
“The Town coffers have been severely depleted over the past two years. The long-range needs of Harrison Meadows have been ignored and there is not much competitive bidding happening with the doling out of contracts. The town should not be run like a dictatorship,” said Belmont, who acknowledged that a write in campaign “will be an education campaign for sure when but I am fully committed to running and winning this race. My passion or Harrison remains steadfast, and I look forward to restoring leadership the way it is supposed to be with honesty and integrity.”
The two questions about Belmont’s campaign that everyone in Harrison is asking are: Can He Win, and Who Will He Take Votes from?
In a Facebook post, Belmont continued his criticism of Mayor Dionisio, with serious allegations. “I have heard your concerns about whether my candidacy for Mayor/Supervisor will divide the Republican vote in November. Let me assure you that I deeply reflected on this before deciding to run. I derive no joy in challenging a member of my own party. But, the financial health and integrity of the Town and Village of Harrison must be placed above party politics. Simply put, Mayor Dionisio has been bad for Harrison. He’s drained the Town’s savings and has neglected long-term projects, such as the future needs of Harrison Meadows and the DPW garage.
“He has set a precedent of favoritism by giving large no-bid contracts to his friends and supporters. One recent example is the contract to demolish the old Sollazzo Rec Center. This bit of favoritism demonstrated by Mayor Dionisio cost the Town $850,000 without even so much as considering another proposal.”
“Ethical considerations are also clearly lacking in the Mayor’s Office. The mayor has directed that all town cars that need auto repair or auto body work go exclusively to his business partner, who owns real estate in Harrison. In addition, the mayor should have recused himself from participation in the recent sexual harassment lawsuit settlement in light of his relative’s friendship with the Plaintiff and the fact that the Plaintiff’s mom is the campaign treasurer for the Republican party. These are significant conflicts of interest that the mayor simply does not care about,” said Belmont.
So far, no response from Dionisio. And Belmont didn’t really answer the question about who wins if he can’t? Republicans have a had control of Harrison for decades. Many residents we spoke to wonder if the two republicans will split the vote and the democrat, Jaffe is the winner.
But the support for Belmont from voters we spoke to was very positive and gives him a chance to do the nearly impossible. “If anyone can do this, I think Ron Belmont can,” said one Harrison voter.
