Demonization of New Castle Democratic Committee is Deplorable

By Andrew Dorfman

One might’ve hoped that, with a controversial measure like the Form Based Code no longer on the ballot, the lack of civility which characterized last year’s New Castle election would be behind us, and fellow neighbors willing to take on the thankless job of serving the community would be considered on their merits, instead of smeared via any means necessary.

Regrettably, there is a small group within our community that has come to value winning over honor and civility, so even unimpeachable candidates are reflexively subjected to ugly innuendo and public shaming. This is unfortunate for any prospective public servant willing to put themselves out there, but even more damaging in its chilling effect on the willingness of other neighbors to run for office in the future.

Such is the case with Holly McCall, the Democratic candidate for Town Board, a mother of two who has been previously elected as vice president of the Chappaqua Board of Education, co-chair of the Community Advisory Committee on Anti-Racism and Social Justice, producer and organizer of 2022’s New Castle Community Day and currently president of the Rotary Club of Chappaqua.

She also co-founded and was the former executive director of Up2Us, a nationwide organization which engages and empowers new generations of leaders in colleges and universities across the country. Her stated goals include green initiatives, expansion of infrastructure and investment in recreational facilities.
In short, not a controversial candidate. To many of those who support her opponent, the most nefarious item on her resumé is that, like almost half of the voters last year (about 300 less than those that voted otherwise), she eventually came out in favor of the Form Based Code, once it was restricted to only six blocks in need of repair on North Greeley Avenue. Unfortunately for them, this is very weak tea, especially given the fact that the proposal has been dead and buried for almost a year now.

So, in order to impugn McCall, this group has resorted to guilt by association. They’ve attacked her, not for anything she’s said, but for what they consider the most inflammatory thing said by anyone who’s had the temerity to support her. Most gallingly, as part of these proxy attacks, they’ve resuscitated a strategy that was used in their successful campaign last year: the demonization of the New Castle Democratic Committee (NCDC), which has endorsed McCall.

Of course, they don’t want to be perceived as attacking the party itself in such a Democratic stronghold, so they exclusively use NCDC, and try to sell the lie that it’s established dogma that the local Democratic committee is an extremist group that is either clueless or deliberately destructive.

This characterization is repeated almost daily on posts in community Facebook groups and peddled when cornering voters on their way to the weekly farmers market. It’s essential that this strategy be called out, because, if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the age of Trump, it’s that one of the surest paths to changing hearts and minds is repetition by the loudest voices, regardless of the veracity of their message.

I’m not on the local Democratic committee, but I know quite a few who are; they’re committed and passionate neighbors – dozens of them – who’ve lived here an average of 23 years each. Some are new to the committee and others have served for many years.

With absolutely no personal reward, they do much of the thankless organizing work for those of us who oppose the party of Trump, January 6 and QAnon. They’re mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers of kids who’ve grown up in our community, and they work tirelessly, not only to support local town candidates, but national campaigns, as well as county and state Democrats like Chris Burdick, George Latimer and Pete Harckham, all of whom are always vocal with their gratitude. Their endorsements are almost unfailingly in line with those of these elected officials, and that of county and state Democratic committees.

For decades, amongst those without an “R” after their name on the voter rolls, these neighbors were universally appreciated here in town, but more recently, as more right-leaning candidates and their most vocal supporters discovered that they couldn’t win the endorsement of the local Democratic committee, they’ve recalibrated their message to turn our neighbors into bogeymen. It’s deplorable, and writ large, this strategy is incalculably destructive to anyone who supports the only major party in this country that still believes in elections, climate change women’s rights and small “d” democracy.

I have confidence that we’ll survive no matter who is elected in a local Town Board election for the next three years. However, if we, on the local level, allow our races to become so vicious in the quest for victory that we normalize the demonization of our neighbors, I’m much less certain of our future.

I believe the goal is to vote your heart and honor your core principles. I’m a Democrat, and I’m particularly enthusiastic about everyone listed on Row A, so for me, this is an easy choice.

Andrew Dorfman is a Chappaqua resident.

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