Penizotto snags Conservative endorsement for supervisor

BY ruSS TArBY

Contributing Writer

On Feb. 3, local businesswoman Stella Penizotto announced that she will challenge incumbent Salina Town Supervisor Nick Paro for the Republican Party nomination to run for the office in November. She is currently passing petitions to force a GOP primary on June 27.

Last week, the Conservative Party of Onondaga County announced that it was endorsing Penizotto to run for supervisor in November on that party line.

“I am honored and I am humble to receive the Conservative endorsement,” Penizotto said. “Years ago I was a registered Conservative.”

Having the Conservative support, she said, should make her candidacy more attractive to GOP voters as well.

Paro pointed out that he had secured the support of the town Conservative Party committee, but the county committee overruled the town endorsement.

“Why should committee members from all over the county – LaFayette, Camillus, Skaneateles, wherever – why should they get to make this decision which affects Salina,” he asked.

Paro suggested that the town’s own registered Conservatives should be the ones to endorse town candidates.

The town of Salina Conservative Party is chaired by Paro’s wife, Bree Paro.

“I am just confused because Stella was a Republican and then left the party and changed affiliation, now she wants to run as a Republican and Conservative,” Paro said.

Paro said he is not worried because the Conservative Party line routinely draws a small fraction of the overall vote total in the general election.

When he was initially elected supervisor in 2021, Paro drew most of his votes from the Republican line.

“I would have won anyhow that time, even without the votes I got on the Conservative line,” he said.

Onondaga County Conservative Party Chairman Bernard Ment, who resides in East Syracuse, characterized the Penizotto endorsement as “a surprising move.”

In the Feb. 22 press release, Ment wrote that Penizotto “cited the current incumbent’s lack of transparency or empathy for the community as reasons for her run.”

The co-owner of Shining Stars Day Care Centers, Penizotto has never before run for public office.

Paro, who was an analyst for the Onondaga County Legislature, previously served a term as Salina’s First Ward councilor, from 2019 to 2021.

“Would anyone see both? Would anyone be directly impacted by both, particularly from a visual impact?” he asked the board. “With that in mind, we thought that we would meet that requirement of not overburdening the neighborhood.”

Councilor Jonathan Karp said he is generally not in favor of commercial solar arrays, citing the law he recently drafted making it more difficult for solar arrays to be sited in the town. This array, however, is different, he said.

“Given the distance from the road, the screening and the fact that this does allow this farm to continue operating as it has been … I think the issuance of this permit is appropriate in this circumstance,” Karp said.

The project will create enough energy to power approximately 1,000 homes. As a community solar project, area residents who sign up for renewable energy through Renua will see a discount of approximately 10 percent on their energy bill. As the project nears completion, Renua will begin marketing energy from the solar array, first in the immediate area and then to a wider audience.