Schorr Second GOP Hopeful to Jump Into 37th Senate District Race
A second Republican announced last week he would vie for the party’s nomination for the 37th Senate District special election two days after Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer was endorsed by the Democrats.
Dan Schorr, a former City of Yonkers Inspector General and county prosecutor who ran unsuccessfully for Westchester district attorney in 2009, will compete for the nomination against Bedford attorney Sarmad Khojasteh at a yet-to-be-scheduled Republican convention.
Schorr, 44, a White Plains resident, said his professional experience of prosecuting domestic violence and sexual offenders and fighting corruption are two areas where he would be an asset in the state legislature.
“Those are two really important issues in Albany right now since we have rampant corruption with legislators being charged with corruption over and over and no real sustained effort to change that,” said Schorr, currently a managing director at Kroll, a private firm where he focuses on fraud investigations. “I’m someone who’s tackled those issues before. A lot of people say ‘I’m going to Albany to fight corruption.’ But I’ve actually fought wasteful spending, people stealing money and other problems in government, so that’s why I want to do this.”
It is unclear when a special election to fill County Executive George Latimer’s former Senate seat will be scheduled. There has been speculation that Gov. Andrew Cuomo will call an election for April after work on the state budget has been completed, but both Schorr and Khojasteh said last week they had no further information on when a vote could be set.
On Jan. 9, the Democrats held a mini convention at the County Center in White Plains, where Mayer, a Yonkers Democrat, captured the party’s line.
With Democrats in control of the governor’s seat and firmly entrenched in the Assembly, Schorr said the election is critical to ensure checks and balances. He said the issue of paying hush money to victims of sexual harassment or misconduct must cease.
“There has to be to more protections for people who feel they are victims of sexual harassment (and) can report it without fear of repercussions,” Schorr said. “We don’t have that.”
Fiscal issues must also be a top priority, he said. The looming state budget deficit of at least $4 billion and lowering taxes for working families has to be addressed.
“Albany has to stop with the out-of-control taxation and unfunded mandates that lead to higher and higher taxes that people can’t afford,” Schorr said. “That has to end. There have been some proposals in the New York State tax code in light of the new federal (tax) changes and I want to work with people to figure out a better way to have the New York tax code structured with the new federal law.”
Reached last week, Khojasteh said he respects Schorr’s qualifications, but believes his more than seven-week head start in the campaign will prove beneficial in snaring the nomination. He said he’s used that time to reach out to GOP leaders, including committee chairs, around the district, meeting with various organizations and raising funds.
Khojasteh said coming from a hard-working family which owned a small business provides him with the background to fight for policies to help the district’s residents.
“What we need is independent-minded, practical problem solving that has a laser-like focus on helping working families in Westchester,” Khojasteh said.
Schorr said if the public wants to bring desperately needed change to Albany an alternative to Mayer will be sought.
“Shelley Mayer has obviously been in Albany a long time and if people are satisfied with how Albany is running they can continue to support her,” he said. “I can bring about change in Albany in a way that someone who’s been there for a long time isn’t going to do.”
The 37th Senate District includes portions of Yonkers and White Plains, the Sound Shore communities, North Castle and Bedford.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
