‘Commander’ Tom Zurhellen Announces Run For Dutchess County Exec

Sue Serino officially has an opponent in the race for Dutchess County Executive.

On Wednesday morning it was announced that Tom Zurhellen will be the Democratic candidate to run for Dutchess County Executive. Zurhellen made the announcement during his weekly Veteran's Report on the Boris and Robyn Show on 101.5 WPDH.

Zurhellen became a household name in 2019 when he spent the summer walking the entire length of the country. The Marine Veteran vowed to walk 22 miles every day to draw attention to the staggering statistic of 22 veterans that take their own life every day in our country.

Zurhellen was the commander of VFW Post 170 in Poughkeepsie, New York starting in 2017 and is the founder of Veteran Zero, the veteran service organization of Hudson River Housing. The Hudson Valley veteran says he's running because of his love of service. Zurhellen cited food insecurity among school children, helping seniors stay in their homes during the housing crisis and giving voice to underserved communities as issues he'd like to address if elected.

When asked how he got the idea to step into politics, Zurhellen said he was inspired by Pat Ryan, the former Ulster County Executive who was recently elected to congress. Ryan, who is also a veteran, struck up a friendship with the Zurhellen during a Memorial Day parade. The VFW commander called Ryan a "go-getter" who at his core just wants to help people. That, says Zurhellen, has always been his goal and becoming Dutchess County Executive would allow him to help even more people.

Zurhellen's campaign as the Democratic nominee for County Executive will officially kick off during a party meeting on Thursday night.