Photo Credit: Endometriosis Foundation of America endofund.org
Former State Senator Susan Serino, who has spent more than a decade involved in electoral politics, has announced that she will seek the Republican nomination for County Executive of Dutchess County.
Having established a real estate business in 1996 in Poughkeepsie, Serino relocated to Hyde Park in 2003. Her firm now has 20 sales associates. In 2010, she was elected to the Hyde Park Town Board and the following year she was elected to the Dutchess County Legislature. After two terms, Serino went on to be elected to the New York State Senate and served three terms representing the 41st District.
In 2022, the 41st District was combined with the newly created 46th District and the two State Senate incumbents, Serino and Michelle Hinchey, faced off last November, with Hinchey earning a narrow win. Since January, Serino has been working as a part-time communications specialist at the Dutchess County Office of the Aging.
As she began her campaign to become county executive, Serino quickly picked up a key endorsement. County legislator Gregg Pulver, who represents Pine Plains and is the chairman of the legislature, said he endorsed Serino “wholeheartedly.”
Pulver had previously considered a run for the position after then-County Executive Marc Molinaro was elected to a United States congressional seat in November 2022. But Pulver confirmed he would step back now that Serino has declared her bid. Molinaro’s former deputy, William O’Neill, is serving out Molinaro’s county executive term and will not seek election himself.
Pulver praised Serino’s performance in the State Senate, saying she “put politics aside and worked on doing the right thing for people. Her heart and soul is in Dutchess County, and she’ll make an excellent county executive.”
Serino has one potential Republican challenger in Nicholas D’Alessandro, the town supervisor in East Fishkill, who filed in March 2022 to run for the county executive position. His filing remains active, but Pulver speculated D’Alessandro might drop out in response to Serino’s announcement.
If Serino’s nomination is contested by D’Alessandro or another Republican hopeful, a primary election will be held on June 27. General elections will be held November 7.