Mohawk mayor’s race contested - The Times Telegram

MOHAWK – Lori Sementilli is challenging Mohawk Mayor Jim Baron in his bid for a third four-year term in the lone contested race among villages in Herkimer County.

Voting is set from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the village Municipal Building.

Baron

Baron, 36, a Republican, was first elected in 2012, and the flood mitigation projects following the major flood in 2013 have been a major focus during his tenure.

These have included:

• Demolishing a number of houses along Fulmer Creek under a Federal Emergency Management Agency buyout program

• The Fulmer Creek Green Plain Flood Restoration project, which largely wrapped up last year with a few items completed this summer

• Replacement of the West Main Street culvert and the construction of a new electric substation, which is due to be completed by the end of this year

Other projects include the addition of the Mohican Wetlands Recreation Park and a sewer rehabilitation project expected to wrap up this year.

Baron could not be reached for comment Friday.

Sementilli

"I want to run because I would really like to see some change," Sementilli said. "I’d like to see the village more fiscally sound."

She expressed concerns about the potential impact on the village of Remington Arms filing for bankruptcy and the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sementilli, who is running on the Friends and Community line, cited her 10 years serving on the Mohawk school board and her experience with contracts and Civil Service among her qualifications.

"I believe in following the rules and doing things the right way," she said.

Sementilli, 58, works as a Herkimer County probation officer. She and her husband, Dave, have one adult son.