Karen Zalewski-Wildzumas joins Schenectady council

Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas takes part in a swearing in ceremony during Monday night's meeting. She replaces John Ferrari, who resigned in September.

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Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas was sworn in Monday night as the newest member of the Schenectady City Council.

Zalewski-Wildzunas, a Democrat, began attending meetings last week after she was appointed by the council to a vacant seat. She will serve out the remaining year of former Councilman John Ferrari’s term, after he resigned in September.

Surrounded by her family, Zalewski-WIldzunas was sworn in by Judge Mark Caruso. U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, and Niskayuna Town Supervisor Joe Landry were among the guests on hand to commemorate the occasion.

“With her background, expertise and professional experience, she’ll make a great council member,” Tonko said.

Zalewski-Wildzunas defeated Republican Alex Jurczynski in the Nov. 8 election, garnering 59 percent of the vote. With her election, Democrats again hold a 6-1 majority on the City Council.

A banker by profession, Zalewski-Wildzunas also serves on the Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority board of directors. She ran on a platform of cutting taxes and increasing occupancy in blighted homes around the city.

If Zalewski-WIldzunas wants to serve a full, four-year term, she will need to run for re-election in November 2017. It would be her third campaign in as many years.

She ran for an open council seat in 2015, but lost by less than 200 votes.