KERHONKSON – Charging that back room politicking lost her the Republican Party's endorsement for the upcoming legislative seat in Ulster County's District 1, Manuela Mihailescu said the fix is in, and, as a result, democracy took a hit.

The legislative seat, to be vacated by retiring Sue Cummings, represents the populations in the towns of Rochester, Kerhonkson, and Marbletown. Encouraged to run by Ulster County Legislator and Minority Leader Glenn Noonan and Rochester Republican Club President David O'Halloran, Mihailescu said she was stunned to hear the chair of Ulster's Republican Committee, Mario Catalano, say that he would "do anything to defeat" her in her bid.

Catalano said that no dirty politics were being played on his behalf and called Mihailescu a victim of circumstance. Catalano blamed Noonan, who he claims only recruited Mihailescu, an elected Town of Rochester councilmember, because of a prior disagreement with the husband of the Republican's since-minted nominee, Terry Bernardo. Len Bernardo, Terry's husband, chairs Ulster County's Independence Committee.

Catalano defended his choice of Bernardo over Mihailescu; he acknowledged that he was "presented with a fusion ticket," or cross-endorsement proposition, that would guarantee the Town of Rochester, and Ulster County's Republican legislative minority, a Republican legislator. He said that placing Mihailescu on the ticket would risk her position on the town board and endanger his party's guarantee, inherent in the cross-endorsement, of a Republican legislator.

At the June 3 nominating convention, the Ulster County Republican Committee voted to cross-endorse Terry Bernardo (R-Kerhonkson), Thomas Briggs (D-Ellenville), Mary Sheeley (D-I-Ellenville), and Joseph Stoeckler (D-I-Ellenville). Republicans not only voted against Milhailescu, they also voted to oust eight-term Glenn Noonan from their ranks, endorsing political newcomer, John "Jack" Hayes, instead.

For Mihailescu, her party's exclusion from the process is especially poignant; she defected to this country in 1980 from Communist Romania, strongly believing in the democratic ideals of her new home.

The daughter of a political prisoner, she came to the United States and joined the Republican Party after hearing the first Carter-Reagan debate and concluding that the Democrats sounded much like the Communist leaders she'd left in her homeland.

She said, "I lived half my life under a dictatorship and the other half in a democracy; democracy is better."

After serving three years on Ulster County's Tourism Advisory board, Mihailescu said she realized that her professional qualifications could be better utilized at the county level. She believes that her expertise — she holds an MBA, with a minor in marketing and advertising, and an MA in Theater and Film Critique — would benefit Ulster County's tourism efforts.

After this week's nominating conventions, Mihailescu is left wondering if, indeed, the Ulster County Republican Party stands for "true democracy, freedom, integrity and equal rights" — those very values to which she clung so dearly when first arriving in this country. For her part, Mihailescu is debating whether to primary in September against Bernardo, or to challenge one of the Democrat's seats. Catalano said, "If she came to me for advice, I'd say, it's a lose-lose situation. If you run, you waste time and lose, if you win [the primary], you'll eventually lose to an incumbent Democrat."

Curiously, Ulster Democratic Committee Chair Julian Schreibman failed to nominate a Democrat to fill the seat left open by Cummings; rather, he urged his party to cross-endorse the Bernardo ticket. During their June 7 convention, Ulster County Democrats did just that; they voted the fusion ticket endorsing Bernardo, Briggs, Sheeley, and Stoeckler for the county's District 1 legislative seats.

The Democrats also nominated Rochester's Town Justice, Deborah Schneer, as the party's candidate for Ulster County Court judge at their convention, held at the Holiday Inn in Kingston. She will face off against Ulster County's former district attorney, Don Williams, the Republican Committee's pick.

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