Mary Dudley to replace Ed Brown on Town Board
Mary Dudley, a relative newcomer to Shelter Island, has been chosen to replace Councilman Ed Brown on the Town Board as of January 1.
She was among nine people who had expressed interest in the seat Mr. Brown is leaving at the end of the year.
“Isn’t it exciting?” Ms. Dudley said of her selection, explaining that she hadn’t previously thought about running for public office.
But when Mr. Brown announced his resignation too late for candidates to run in the November election, she saw an opportunity.
As an appointee, she will serve for one year and expects to run next November for the balance of Mr. Brown’s term.
The selection was made by Supervisor Jim Dougherty and Town Board members Paul Shepherd, Chris Lewis and Councilman-elect Jim Colligan.
Mr. Colligan will replace Councilman Peter Reich, who decided earlier this year not to run for re-election.
Ms. Dudley becomes the third Democrat on the Town Board, along with Mr. Dougherty and Mr. Colligan. That tips the balance on the Town Board where Mr. Dougherty had been the sole Democrat.
Ms. Dudley, 60, moved to Shelter Island 3 1/2 years ago. She is engaged to carpenter and builder Arthur Luecker. They had worked together at a summer camp several years ago and reconnected when they met again at a memorial service for the former camp director.
Previously, Ms. Dudley worked as a legal secretary and then paralegal in Syracuse. She did some work in real estate on Shelter Island, which has allowed her to get to know many people here, she said.
She is also active in the auxiliaries of both the Shelter Island Fire Department and the American Legion Post.
Now retired from both real estate and paralegal work, Ms. Dudley spends much of her time pursuing a career as a fabric artist, engaged in batiking and Shibori.
The most important asset she will bring to the Town Board, she said, is an ability to listen with an open mind.
