The 2025 Democratic primary is set for June 24, with early voting taking place from June 14 to 22. This cycle, incumbent Mayor Joseph DeStefano faces a challenge from Orange County Legislator Joel Sierra, as voters decide who will advance to the general election in November.
On June 11, Vision Times sat down with DeStefano to discuss his long tenure as mayor and the upcoming election cycle.
DeStefano was first elected to Middletown’s City Council in 1983, becoming the city’s youngest elected official at the age of 25. After serving in this capacity for several years he was then elected mayor, a position he has held since 1993.
“I was inspired to get into politics. I was fresh out of college, and I was working in Ellenville, New York as a staff accountant. But I was born and raised in Middletown. My family has roots going back to the 20s, my immigrant grandparents and immigrant aunts and uncles sort of formed the base here,” DeStefano said.
DeStefano told Vision Times that in the 70s Middletown was going through some tough times, with people leaving the community and rising crime. He said a good friend of his told him, “if you’re not going to be part of the solution, then you might as well just keep your mouth shut.”
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
So, DeStefano took those words to heart and a few years later, at the age of 25, he dove head first into politics by securing a spot on the city’s council.
Safe and clean communities
DeStefano said he’s most proud of helping make Middletown a safe, clean community where families can thrive.
“Making Middletown a safer community and a cleaner community, a community that families want to come and live in… that is the genesis of my whole platform,” he said.
As the largest city in Orange County, with approximately 30,000 residents, Destefano said the community is very dense, so ensuring people feel comfortable and safe has been a major focus of his.
He said his strategy has been to “offer enough amenities in the community that you will make it an attractive place to live, work and do business, and at the same time, you want to make sure [you have a] close working relationship with our school district, because that plays such an important role in a person’s decision on where they’re going to live.”
When asked how he balances the immediate needs of the community with long-term strategic planning he said that policies or projects need to meet certain criteria, meaning they need to contribute to the safety and cleanliness of the community, “If they don’t meet the criteria of both, we try not to do the project.”
He said over the past five years his administration has been successful in securing $70 million worth of grants that were immediately injected into improving the city.
“They see the new sidewalks, they see the new curbing. They see the traffic lights. They see the pedestrian crossings, the brick type, the improvements to building facades, the investment,” he said, adding that the city is also dedicated to preserving its historical buildings. “We’re not tearing down those historical buildings. We’re bringing them back to life”
A strong and diverse community
When asked how he serves a community as diverse as Middletown’s, DeStefano said his office has done a number of things to ensure everyone has a voice.
“We have an Interfaith Council in the city made up of clergy from all different ethnic groups, and they are a positive vehicle for us,” he said. “I also meet with them on occasion, we have a close working relationship with them.
”We don’t try to do a specific event for any specific group. We try to be inclusive… and we encourage, for example, our Christmas Festival, the Christmas parade that’s not just made up of people celebrating Christmas, [but] all the different groups,” he explained.
“Look at that as an investment in the community and a celebration of different people’s backgrounds, ethnicity or religious celebration. We then follow that up with a Kwanzaa lighting. We then have our menorah lighting part of our Christmas program,” he said.
“One of the largest groups is from Feitian college marching in the parade. So there’s that celebration of others, history of others, cultures of others, an appreciation of where they’re coming from, and then the other groups then reciprocate and celebrate with them.”
“We give everybody a voice in this community,” DeStefano said.
Early voting begins this Saturday, June 14 and runs until June 22. The primary will be held on June 24 to determine the Democratic nominee for November’s general election.
