Ron Belmont Sworn in as Harrison's New Mayor

HARRISON, N.Y. – Ron Belmont, a lifelong resident of Harrison, who defeated incumbent Democratic Mayor/Supervisor Joan Walsh in the November election, was sworn into office as Harrison's Mayor/Supervisor in a New Year’s Day ceremony in the Town Hall Building.

An overflowing crowd in the Harrison Town Courtroom looked on as New York Supreme Court Justice Denis Donovan performed the ceremony.

"I'm humbled by the task before us," Belmont said, after he was sworn in. 

"Long term residents are losing confidence but we'll tackle the problems with an open mind," he said.

Belmont reached out to the large crowd of Harrison citizens. "We can't do it alone, we need our residents to participate as active participants in the community."

In an interview before the ceremony, Belmont said the most issues facing Harrison are houses that are flooding, stores that are closing and a lack of parking.

Regarding the flooding issue, he said, "I've met with town engineers and we're going to look for some short term solutions to get our streams clear. On a larger scale it's a global problem and we have to go upstream a few miles and do some retention basins on all our waterways."

The crowd at the ceremony completely filled the court room with many standing behind it. Belmont, who served as Harrison's Supervisor of Recreation for 36 years, had a number of friends in the audience. 

"I've lived in town for 35 years and my son is handicapped and Ron took a special interest in him," said resident Dorothy Scarfone. "He's a great guy and he deserves this.""We support him and hope he'll do a good job," said John Katsogridakis, president of Yes We Care, a local community service organization. 

Click here to follow Daily Voice Harrison and receive free news updates.