Joel Sierra: “Time for Change” Candidate Challenges Longtime Middletown Mayor

Orange County legislator and former firefighter Joel Sierra says it’s time for new leadership in Middletown. Running under the “Time for Change” line, Sierra is challenging incumbent Mayor Joseph DeStefano, who has led the city for decades.

In an interview with Radio Catskill’s Annie Bennett, Sierra said his campaign centers on affordability, infrastructure, and restoring term limits. “No politician should be in office for 40 years,” he said. “It breeds complacency — and it’s time to bring in new ideas.”

A lifelong Middletown resident and local business owner, Sierra points to his years on the Common Council, including time as finance chair, as key experience. He’s critical of the city’s handling of property development, saying he would prioritize affordable housing projects over new school developments on the former psychiatric center grounds.

Sierra also wants to redirect spending to support first responders, improve roads and sidewalks, and expand mental health services alongside police. “We’ve been focused on downtown too long,” he said. “We need to focus on the neighborhoods that are paying the taxes.”

Radio Catskill reached out to incumbent Mayor Joseph DeStefano for an interview but did not receive a response.