Incumbent Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D) kicked off his campaign Sunday night at the home of Shaista and Ray Mahmood, two of his strongest supporters. The fundraising dinner celebrated Hyland’s years of service and hopes for the next four years.

“I am so excited that Gerry is running again,” campaign manager and fundraiser Ginny Peters said. “He’s started so many projects for Mount Vernon’s future. This will give him four more years to see them through.”

Peters spent more than 100 hours arranging the kick-off event, calling potential sponsors and sending information to Hyland’s mailing list. Through her hard work and Gerry’s long list of local friends, the evening raised more than $37,000 and welcomed new campaign supporters.

“Tonight went well and all of the tables were filled. Gerry has been supervisor for so long so he has a lot of friends who support him,” host Ray Mahmood said. “He’s always been very humble, very kind. When he speaks, you get a sense of the man he is and you can just tell.”

Despite campaigning every four years since 1988, Hyland was exciting to get back on the campaign trail. After speaking about his hopes and views, Hyland spent the rest of the evening discussing issues with the attendees.

“Campaigning is the great part of politics. You have a chance to go out and talk to your community,” Hyland said. “They always make me feel so welcomed. I don’t have an opponent yet, but I’ll run as hard as if I had one. I’m hoping the election in November will give me a steady hand of the tiller of Mount Vernon.”

While Hyland has not released information about his campaign or his platform yet, interested parties can find more information on his website as it becomes available.