Incumbent Levenberg Facing Newcomer Capalbo for 95th State Assembly Seat
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Incumbent Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg is running for a second two-year term in the 95th District, which covers Peekskill, Cortlandt, Ossining, parts of Yorktown, Philipstown and Kent.
Her opponent is Michael Capalbo, a Republican from Yorktown and a first-time political candidate.
Levenberg served as former Assemblywoman Sandra Galef’s Communications Director and then Chief of Staff prior to being elected Town of Ossining supervisor in 2015. She also served nine years on the Ossining Board of Education.
“I’m on a mission to build healthy communities in every sense of the word – environmentally healthy, economically healthy, physically and mentally healthy, all through the lens of equity,” Levenberg said. “I’m working hard in Albany to deliver results for the Hudson Valley.”
Capalbo, who has worked for four decades in top corporations within the financial and IT sectors, said the time was right for him to throw his hat in the political ring.
“I didn’t want to sit on the sidelines. I think people are fed up and they’re tired of being fed up,” he said. “The Democratic Party has kind of gone off the rails. The quality of life is going down in New York. We need some balance in our government. I wouldn’t be running if I thought she (Levenberg) was doing a good job.”
Levenberg
Levenberg, who has passed more prime-sponsored legislation than any other freshman member of the Assembly, stressed she has established herself “as a responsive, productive, and effective legislator.”
She said it clearly helps to be in the majority in Albany.
“Having a Majority Leader (Andrea Stewart Cousins) in Westchester County helps put Westchester on the map,” Levenberg said. “In Westchester, we have some extremely prolific bills sponsored in our Westchester delegation. I know that has made a difference.”
Levenberg is a strong supporter of Proposition 1, which she maintained was designed to protect people’s civil rights. She was highly critical of opponents who “are trying to put a wedge between groups of people.”
“It’s just a bunch of lies. I just think it’s abhorrent that it’s allowed to happen,” she remarked. “These lies are hurting people.”
Affordable housing, climate change and the environment and infrastructure are a few of the issues Levenberg plans to focus on in a new term.
Capalbo
Capalbo said he is committed to bringing “common sense” back to state government by advocating for policies that “reflect the real needs and values of our communities.”
“Policies that promote economic growth, protect individual liberties, and ensure that our state remains a place where families and businesses can thrive,” he said. “I don’t think we have a government. We have a political machine.”
Noting he has lost 15 pounds during the campaign, Capalbo said he has been running with limited resources and manpower.
“I don’t really have an organization. It’s me,” he said. “I think there’s a real thirst out there for authenticity. I really don’t have an agenda.”
Capalbo said he opposes Proposition 1 because “it’s not a good piece of legislation.”
“I’m a hard no on this,” he said. “We have about the most liberal laws in the country. Those are not likely to change.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
