WATERVLIET, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Primary elections for many municipal offices are happening on June 27. One of the races is for Watervliet mayor. Democrat incumbent Charles Patricelli is being challenged by fellow democrat Timothy Cavanaugh.

Patricelli is serving his first term as mayor of Watervliet. And he couldn’t have picked a more challenging time. Shortly after taking office, Covid-19 hit and the shutdowns began.

The democrat says his experience as a manager helped keep the city moving forward. “We met Covid head on, we didn’t hide under a desk”, said Patricelli. He adds, “we operated as much as we possibly could.”

When residents started losing their jobs, Patricelli said, “we immediately started working with the United Way and the food bank and brought food to the city twice a month.”

Patricelli sat down with News10 to discuss the issues facing the city ahead of the Tuesday June 27th primary.