The Rye Democrats announced that Meg Cameron and Shari Punyon are running for two of the four open seats on the City Council this fall.

 

The Rye Democrats announced that Meg Cameron and Shari Punyon are running for two of the four open seats on the City Council this fall.

 

In a joint statement released July 23, the candidates said: “As people with deep roots in Rye, we want to see the City Council focus on improving the community. Rye residents deserve careful, efficient use of tax dollars, top-notch City services, and open decision-making.”

 

Meg Cameron is running for the City Council to foster good government and accountability in Rye. She was one of the original contributors to The Rye Record. She and her husband, Jim Glickenhaus, have lived in Rye for over 25 years. She volunteered in Rye’s public schools, which their two children attended, and with Meals-on-Wheels, Literacy Volunteers of America, and Open Door Family Medical Center. She holds a Master’s in Science in Immunology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a BA/BFA from SUNY Purchase.

 

In announcing her candidacy Cameron said, “People in Rye want their City governed responsibly, transparently, and efficiently. The City Council can best address Rye’s problems by adding new voices.”

 

Shari Punyon looks to refocus city government on the needs of all residents and to encourage openness and harmony on the Council. She and her husband Harris have lived in Rye for 14 years. Their two grown children went through Rye schools, and their 5-year-old daughter is about to enter Osborn School. Punyon has a B.A. in Physics from Rutgers and has been a technical writer for 25 years, the last 11 with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics.

 

She belongs to the Friends of the Rye Nature Center and the Friends of Rye Town Park, and supports the Rye Free Reading Room. From 2006-2012, Punyon was an active member of the Junior League on the Sound. She and her family have been regular users of the pool at Rye Golf Club and the Rye Free Reading Room. On the Council, she will work to help those and other important Rye institutions succeed.

 

City of Rye Democratic Chair Rod Brown said, “We are very excited to bring these impressive candidates to City government. They will deliver a spirit of reasonableness and cooperation, a marked contrast to the divisiveness among Council members during the last four years.” He added, “We are focusing our efforts on these two races to bring voices to the Council not tied to the dysfunction and Council infighting of the last four years. The City needs checks and balances to bring open and effective government back to Rye. We will be asking voters to insure that by electing Meg and Shari.

 

“We discussed possible candidacies with other hopeful Council candidates in the course of the last six months. Many expressed concern about the City’s decline but were not able to run for a variety of reasons. The most common factor cited by the people who chose not to run this year was the divisiveness on the Council and personal attacks against and between Council members.

 

“Meg and Shari are outstanding candidates who will serve the community with distinction. We believe Rye residents will support them this November.”

 

The community has been waiting for news of the Democratic ticket since late spring when the Rye GOP nominated a full slate for the Council race. Councilman Joe Sack heads up the GOP ticket, which includes Councilwoman Julie Killian, Kirstin Bucci, and Terry McCartney.

 

The Rye Democrats’ announcement was good news for Councilman Joe Sack, who is now running for mayor unopposed.