In Most Cases, Difficult to Go Against the Incumbents in State Races
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
It’s encouraging that nearly all the state legislature races provide voters with a choice this Election Day. The only district where there is an uncontested race is in the 93rd Assembly District where Assemblyman Chris Burdick has no competition this year.
Despite the bevy of challengers in most cases, this year is a case of mainly sticking to whom you know.
One of the more contentious races this election cycle has been in the 40th state Senate District, where three-term incumbent Peter Harckham (D-Lewisboro) is facing a spirited challenge from Republican Gina Arena. It’s a rematch of their 2022 battle.
Arena has come out swinging in making a bit of a name for herself by stridently opposing Proposition 1, which she has argued could damage girls’ and women’s sports.
What doesn’t make sense is that girls and boys in high school have long been able to compete against the opposite gender if there is not a comparable sport for them to play. Hence, you see female wrestlers competing against boys, as well as the occasional male field hockey player going up against girls.
If Arena is trying to make the case that there will be a sudden change, it stretches credibility.
Harckham, first as a county legislator and for the past six years in the state Senate, has shown time and again that he has a grasp of the issues. His work previously on substance abuse and more recently on the environment has been a hallmark of his tenure in Albany.
Sen. Shelley Mayer also merits strong recommendation to continue in the 37th state Senate District. She is too pragmatic to be cast aside, and as a Westchester lawmaker who chairs the Senate Education Committee is valuable in an area that prizes public education.
Her opponent, Tricia Lindsay, a former teacher and civil rights attorney, raises some valid issues on the problems with bail reform.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins is head and shoulders above her opponent, Khris Kerr. Give Kerr credit for being the only opponent for Stewart-Cousins in the past decade.
The one change that can be recommended is in the 39th Senate District where Democratic challenger Yvette Valdés Smith is seeking to unseat first-term Republican incumbent Rob Rolison, the former Poughkeepsie mayor. The district includes Putnam Valley and Philipstown in Putnam County.
It is difficult to get a read on Rolison, since he didn’t respond to repeated calls for interviews from The Examiner.
Valdés Smith seems to hit the right notes when talking about pragmatic housing solutions, a change in the Foundation Aid formula to put the lower Hudson Valley on par with Long Island and New York City and common-sense gun legislation.
In the 94th and 95the Assembly Districts respectively, incumbents Matt Slater (R-Yorktown) and Dana Levenberg (D-Ossining) have more than proven their mettle in their first terms and have earned re-election.
Both legislators are highly visible in their districts and have taken the concerns of their constituents to heart, and to Albany, with a tremendous amount of proposed bills.
While both have promoted their share of party causes, they also have both shown a willingness to work with their political counterparts on issues that are for the common good.
Slater’s 21-year-old opponent, Zack Couzens, a senior at Boston College, deserves credit for getting involved in his first race against a relatively young but skilled lawmaker like Slater. However, Slater is simply the better candidate.
As for Levenberg’s opponent, Michael Capalbo, also a first-time candidate, he’s not afraid to express his opinions on a state government that he feels is broken in many ways – and his thoughts are shared by many on both sides of the aisle.
Yet, Levenberg, who came to the Assembly two years ago with a wealth of experience as a town supervisor, board of education member and a chief of staff to her predecessor, Sandy Galef, has been a tireless advocate for her district and is not the root cause of the many problems that exist in the State capitol.
Also vying for a second term is MaryJane Shimsky in the 92nd Assembly District. She is up against an intriguing opponent in Alessandro Crocco. Crocco grew up in Calabria, Italy. He came to the U.S. for graduate school and has a wine importing business.
He’s making the possibility of Edgemont secession from the Town of Greenburgh a central issue, even though about half the district is in Mount Pleasant. He also has hit Shimsky for voting supposedly repeatedly raising taxes. While Shimsky’s position on Edgemont is confusing, she gets the nod over Crocco.
In the 88th Assembly District, veteran Democratic lawmaker Amy Paulin should have little trouble in dispatching Republican challenger Thomas Fix Jr.
After a bruising primary, let’s not forget that Westchester County Executive George Latimer is on the ballot and is a deserving heavy favorite over Miriam Levitt Flisser in the 16th Congressional District. Flisser lost to Rep. Jamaal Bowman two years ago.
Examiner Media – Keeping you informed with professionally-reported local news, features, and sports coverage.