Something strange, something new, something borrowed, something blue.
The race for the next leader of Rockland County went all red, white and blue this past week when Ed Day was given the official nod to represent the GOP team in the upcoming Rockland County Executive election at the Rockland County Republican Committee’s convention. Day, currently a county legislator representing District 5 from his home turf of New City, is the lone Republican in the race and ran unopposed for the GOP nomination.
Day had much to say in his acceptance speech, which can be read in full here. Day has also set in place a high-tech digital communication campaign related to the candidate’s activities that introduced on Twitter and Facebook a photo/caption effort that gives a brief Dayism campaign message.
The morning after Day’s GOP nod, Democratic Legislator Joe Meyers and Preserve Ramapo announced their endorsement of Day for Rockland County Executive. Meyers represents Airmont, Hillburn and Suffern in the County Legislature.
Preserve Ramapo serves as a gadfly activist organization that advocates for “unchecked over-development, responsible and open government, protection of the environment, and other quality of life issues affecting Rocklanders.”
The Preserve Ramapo endorsement letter took swipes at all three possible Democratic challengers, essentially saying one is too hot, one is too cold and one is just too darn bold. Day accepted the endorsements.
On the other hand, Suffern Mayor and Democratic County Executive candidate Dagan Lacorte made it known in February that he would not accept a Preserve Ramapo endorsement. David Fried, also in the Democratic mix, apparently lobbied for the group’s endorsement but eventually backed off. And Ilan Schoenberger, a county legislator from Wesley Hills and the third challenger, had no shot at the endorsement and probably prefers it that way.
Preserve Ramapo’s endorsement letter of Day singled out Schoenberger as being “personally responsible as Budget & Finance Chairman for the massive deficits and governmental decay we’ve suffered over the years.”
PR also took a shot at Lacorte’s ethics, citing an errant text message sent mistakenly to David Fried at an early season candidate meet and greet that called on Larcorte’s campaign manager Cristobal Slobodzian to “spy” on Fried to gather information.
Political newcomer Vladimir Leon is also running for the County Executive seat but his effort is up against long odds. Leon formally introduced himself to the community in this Rockland County Times letter to the editor, where he said his candidacy is against career politicians who created “our social, economic and political crisis.”
Meanwhile, the Rockland legislature “voted unanimously Tuesday to ask the state to enact a law that will allow the county to borrow $96 million and bring some relief to an increasingly difficult cash crunch,” wrote Laura Incalcaterra in LoHud. Day, joined by Rep. Doug Jobson, attempted to stall the resolution but in the end 14 county legislators lined up for the measure, which would include Rockland submitting its proposed annual budget to NY State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office for review.
News Hounds Nipping
On the Democratic side of the race, former Spring Valley Judge David Fried has been dogged by news that much of his 2006 campaign contributions in his failed NY State Assembly came from sources that are now behind bars.
Newsday has run several articles that detail Fried’s funding in his 2006 run in the Democratic primary against Ellen Jaffee (D-Suffern) to replace former Assemblyman Ryan Karben. Just weeks before that primary run-off, Rockland Newsday reported that Fried received a $10,000 infusion from Moses Stern, the FBI informant at the epicenter of the current Spring Valley corruption scandal. In total, a third of Fried’s 2006 campaign money came from people who are now behind bars.
“He doesn’t represent who I am and what I stand for,” Fried was quoted in LoHud about the $10,000 he took from Rockland payola meister Stern.
“It’s so far removed,” Fried said of the 2006 campaign contributions in the Rockland Newsday article. “Can you tell me which one of your friends or colleagues or connections would get arrested seven years from now?”
Fried announced he would donate $10,000 of campaign money to charity, a symbolic gesture that returns the tainted Stern money.
Before the Newsday article broke, Fried was touting former President Bill Clinton’s endorsement, a significant move by Clinton given the local nature of the Rockland County Executive race.
The Democrats will seek to sort things out later this summer or through a fall primary to determine who will meet Day in the November election.
Lacorte appears to be the front runner, with a crisp fundraising effort and an exhaustive door-to-door get out the vote strategy. Fried now has the added burden of raising additional campaign money to pass on to charity as promised. Shoenberger is busy campaigning and working to put together and pass a new Rockland County budget.
At the Rockland Water Coalition debate at the end of April, all three Democratic candidates made a good impression. Shoenberger and Lacorte in particular tangled over budget matters. With the county running a huge budget deficit and Lacorte recently submitting a lean Village of Suffern budget, neither was unhorsed by the jousting.
The theme of the entire debate focused on high-density housing throughout Rockland — an issue Ed Day, nearly shouting, called an “abomination.”
The winner of the county executive race inherits a big, messy debt-filled office, occupied the last 20 years by Republican C. Scott Vanderhoef. But, like with the President and Congress, there is plenty of Rockland County Executive and Legislator blame and circumstance to go round.
If anything, this election season promises to be filled with the red, white and blue of political fireworks.
