The Ulster County Democratic Committee (UCDC) announced their endorsements for the 2025 elections.
On the list was William Murray, who is running to represent District 20, containing the Village and Town of New Paltz, in the Ulster County Legislature.
Murray is a New Paltz Village Trustee and volunteer firefighter who has lived in the village for over 20 years. He has been a member of the Ulster County Planning Board since 2016 and has served as Village Board liaison for the New Paltz Fire Department and the Bicycle Pedestrian Committee. Murray ran for the District 20 Legislator position in 2023 but lost in the primary to Limina Grace Harmon, who currently represents the district. Harmon announced in December that she would not be running for a second term.
According to Murray’s Facebook page, his priorities include developing an Ulster County micro transit system, expanding affordable housing and updating water and sewer infrastructure. He also wants to “better involve non-police agencies, such as social and mental health agencies, in certain matters police are typically summoned to respond to.”
The UCDC also endorsed Megan Sperry to represent District 17, which contains parts of New Paltz and Esopus. Sperry is the current District 17 legislator and chair of the Ulster County Legislature’s Economic Development, Planning, Education, Employment, Arts and Agriculture Committee and an associate professor of digital media production at SUNY New Paltz.
The UCDC endorsed several candidates for countywide positions, including Lara Oliveri for Ulster County family court judge, Taylor Bruck for Ulster County clerk and March Gallagher for Ulster County comptroller.
In an email, Gallagher said that she felt honored to receive the UCDC’s endorsement. “I also have the Working Families Party endorsement, and I am pleased to be able to carry both mantles which I believe summarize the ideals of government being here to serve the people.”
Gallagher called the role of comptroller the “fiscal watchdog of the county” and said that her job was “to do real (not DOGE) auditing to ensure that our community resources reach more people with better programs.”
Gallagher was elected as Ulster County comptroller in 2020, the first woman elected to this position. She is currently serving her second term in office.
The UCDC is the chapter of the Democratic Party in the Ulster County area that serves over 50,000 registered Democrats in the county. Endorsed candidates are publicly announced by the UCDC and receive committee assistance with ballot access. They may also receive access to the UCDC voter database, though in some cases this access is only given after the primary.
This November, in addition to voting for the county clerk, comptroller and family court judge positions, voters will decide who will represent the Third Judicial District on the State Supreme Court. In the Town of New Paltz, there will also be races for supervisor, superintendent of highways and town councilpersons.
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