“On the same day that national Republicans elected a virulently anti-woman and anti-choice Speaker of the House to lead their party, New York Republicans launched hateful and incendiary ads targeting only women candidates running for local office in Rockland County.
We strongly condemn the latest New York Republican Committee ads, which unfairly malign three qualified women who have stepped up to serve their communities.
We believe Rockland voters will reject these misogynist campaign tactics and focus on the issues that matter to their families: improving town and county services and transparency, confronting the climate crisis, passing common-sense gun safety reforms that protect neighborhoods and law enforcement alike, and keeping Rockland safe and affordable.”
Signed,
- Rockland County Democratic Committee Chair Schenley Vital
- Rockland County Democratic Committee Vice Chair Elijah Reichlin-Melnick
- Orangetown Democratic Committee Chair Liza Barrie
- Clarkstown Democratic Committee Chair Monica Ferguson
- Stony Point Democratic Committee Chair Pete Reilly
- Rockland Working Families Party Chair Meredith Wisner
- Eleanor’s Legacy Executive Director Julie Shiroishi
- State Senator Pete Harckham (SD-40)
- Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski (AD-96)
- Assemblyman Chris Eachus (AD-99)
Background:
There are nine contested county legislature races in Rockland County, but ALL of the new GOP attack ads target women candidates.
- The Rockland County Legislature is currently 82% male. If candidates Beth Davidson and Dana Stilley are not successful on November 7, there will only be ONE woman on the Rockland County Legislature.
- The Clarkstown, Orangetown (excluding the Town Supervisor) and Stony Point Town Councils are currently 100% male. If candidates Monica Ferguson, Elaine Philhower, Chrissy Knapp and Ellie Kassner are not successful on November 7, there will continue to be NO women on any of those bodies.
Learn more about some of the Democratic women running for office this November:
Dr. Dana Stilley is ready to make history as the first Black woman elected to the legislature, representing District 17. She is CEO of the Stilley Agency, an adjunct faculty member at Dominican University, and the immediate past President of the South Orangetown Central School District Board of Education. Endorsed by Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic Votes and Eleanor’s Legacy, Stilley is a Moms Demand Gun Sense candidate who will fight for common-sense gun safety measures along with stronger protections for women’s healthcare and a Climate Action Plan for Rockland.
Beth Davidson is running for Rockland County Legislature, District 10. A freelance writer and consultant to nonprofits and political organizations, Davidson served two terms on the Nyack School Board. Endorsed by Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic Votes, Eleanor’s Legacy, the Sierra Club, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and the Rockland County Building Trades, she will champion gun safety, and women’s health while tackling Rockland’s affordability crisis.
Patricia Halo is running for Rockland County Legislature, District 5. A former County Legislator, Halo is a highly qualified healthcare provider, and has been a caring environmentalist for Clarkstown and Rockland for several decades.
Chrissy Knapp is a candidate for Orangetown Town Council. A regulatory program manager for tax operations and technology and the immediate past president of the Nyack Park Conservancy, Knapp is endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and will help put Orangetown on a path to increased safety, sustainability and prosperity.
Monica Ferguson is running for Clarkstown Town Council, Ward 1. She has almost 20 years of experience in healthcare IT and recently worked with the Greater Nanuet Chamber of Commerce to help small businesses recover from the pandemic. Endorsed by Eleanor’s Legacy, Run for Something, 3.14 Action, and Everytown for Gun Safety, Monica is also a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate who will protect Clarkstown from further overdevelopment, ensure tax dollars are used efficiently and with accountability, and preserve our open spaces.
Elaine Philhower is running for Clarkstown Town Council, Ward 2. Endorsed by Eleanor’s Legacy and Clarkstown Teachers Association, Philhower is a Moms Demand Gun Sense candidate who currently serves on the board of Soup Angels in Nyack. She taught music in Nyack Public Schools for 27 years.
Ellie Kassner is running for Stony Point Town Council to replace the town’s outdated 28-year-old Comprehensive Master Plan. The third-generation owner of W.H. Kassner, Inc. in Tomkins Cove, a Local 580 Ornamental Ironworker, and library advocate, Kassner serves as President of the Tomkins Cove Public Library and Immediate Past President of the Ramapo Catskill Library System. A Moms Demand Gun Sense candidate, Kassner is endorsed by the Working Families Party and New York State Young Democrats.
Aimee Pollak is running to be Clarkstown’s first Democratic woman town justice. Currently the Law Clerk for Judge Keith Cornell in Rockland County Family Court and Surrogate’s Court, Pollak has dedicated her entire 25-year career as a lawyer to public service. As a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Rockland County, she defended hundreds of local homeowners facing foreclosure and eviction, and as town justice will run a courtroom where cases are heard fairly and efficiently and where all litigants, attorneys, and witnesses are treated with respect.
Nathalie Riobe-Taylor is running for Trustee of the Village of Nyack. The founder of For Our Kids NY, Inc, Nathalie serves as an Educational Research Consultant for The CEJJES Institute. She also serves on the executive boards of various community organizations such as the Nyack Center, a community nonprofit supporting children, youth and families through educational and recreational programs; and Legal Services of the Hudson Valley whose mission is to provide free, high quality counsel in civil matters for individuals and families in need.