NEW YORK >> Following a statewide search, with more than 20 candidates, Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro, currently Dutchess County executive, announced Sunday that he had selected Julie Killian, a former deputy mayor of the city of Rye in Westchester County and a recent state Senate candidate, to run with him as lieutenant governor.
Killian, a mother of five, has a degree in chemical engineering from Notre Dame and a master’s of business administration degree in finance from New York University.
“Julie Killian is a champion for people who have no voice, who are left behind, who are in crisis and she will never back down from the challenges that are facing our state.” Molinaro said in a press release. “I’m proud to have Julie as my partner in this campaign to restore New Yorker’s belief in the future of our state.”
Molinaro described Killian as a passionate voice for change in New York – as a mother, city councilwoman, and candidate for state Senate. He said Killian has assailed the “corruption tax” in Albany that drives property taxes ever higher, hands away billions in tax dollars to big-money political donors, diverts school dollars to districts with powerful legislators and deprives those most in need from precious resources.
Killian has worked for improved drug education and prevention and for increased funding and services for students with special learning and lifelong needs. She is co-founder of Rye-ACT, a drug education initiative that has received federal funding for its work.
“Marc and I share a vision of New York, that is more affordable, accountable and accessible for all families and I am honored to join his team as a true partner,” Killian said in the release.
Killian ran in a special election in April for the state Senate seat vacated by current Westchester County Executive George Latimer. She lost by a wide margin to Democrat Shelley Mayer.
