By Michael Kaufman

Tuesday is Election Day and as usual I am faced with some “lesser evil” choices I’d prefer to do without. Over the years I’ve cast many a quixotic primary vote for my candidate of choice, only to see them finish far behind someone I don’t like very much at all. Then when the general election comes around in November I am often faced with a choice of voting for someone I don’t like very much, someone I like even less, or someone I like but who is running as a minor party candidate and who has no chance of getting elected.

Sometimes I’ve had the luxury of voting for someone I like and who has no chance of winning because the candidate I don’t like very much is a shoo-in to defeat the one I like even less. That is what I did in the 2000 presidential election when I voted for Ralph Nader. Al Gore carried New York State by a big margin as expected but to this day I meet people who sneer when I tell them how I voted and all but blame me personally for George W. Bush’s ascent to the presidency, as if Gore himself bore no responsibility for his uninspiring campaign.

And while I’m at it I’ll tell you the exact moment I knew for sure Gore wasn’t getting my vote: While speaking at a big gathering of the AFL-CIO he told the attendees he has fond memories of his mother singing old labor movement songs to him when he was little. The example he gave was “Look for the Union Label,” a jingle written specifically for a TV commercial aired by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union when Al was already all grown up. Apparently neither he nor his speechwriter(s) had ever heard of “Which Side Are You On?” or “Union Maid” or “Miner’s Life,” or “Solidarity Forever,” or any number of other worthy songs that inspired working people fighting for their rights.  I reasoned then as I do now that a person who can let little lies such as this roll off their tongue is likely to do the same for big lies.

I still haven’t made up my mind about Tuesday’s gubernatorial election. I don’t like Andrew Cuomo very much, I like Rob Astorino even less, and if Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins had even a remote chance of winning I’d vote for him in a heartbeat. But Hawkins has no chance and I don’t believe the polls that show Cuomo with an insurmountable lead over Astorino. He does not have the passionate support of progressive Democrats despite his action on behalf of marriage equality, women’s health issues, and gun control. Yet it is precisely those issues that inspire passionate animosity among the supporters of Astorino. So unless I’m convinced otherwise, I’ll be holding my nose again and voting for Cuomo.

The race for Congress in the 18^th District offers a choice among a candidate I don’t like very much (Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney), one I like even less (Nan Hayworth), and one I like even less than the one I like even less than Hayworth (Scott Smith). Maloney has been something of a disappointment on a number of issues but he is head and shoulders above Hayworth. In fact, he even did something very good for the Village of Warwick, as I learned from Mayor Michael Newhard during a recent conversation at the doggie park. I don’t remember exactly what Maloney did but I recall being impressed. I was also pleased by the reception I got the other day when I called Maloney’s district office to see if he could help a local farmer in need. As for Hayworth, I have seen the past and it didn’t work. Smith is a single-issue independent candidate who claims that both Maloney and Hayworth are too soft on immigrants.

Meanwhile, a peculiar race is taking place for the state Assembly seat in the 98^th District. Elisa Tutini won the Democratic primary after sending out numerous mailers identifying her with causes dear to the hearts of progressives, and especially women’s equality. I had never heard of her before but she got my vote, although I learned later that Krista Serrano held similar views and that Tutini won with the support of bloc voting from Kiryas Joel. Her Republican opponent is Karl (Karlapalooza) Brabanec, who is part of the ugly cabal of Republicans who rule the roost in Orange County these days. Brabanic won the Republican primary with the help of bloc voting from KJ as well. But his primary opponent Dan Castricone will be on the ballot as the candidate of an entity called the Womens Equality Party. Castricone has been endorsed by United Monroe, which describes itself as “a grassroots citizens’ group devoted to endorsing candidates who will promote accountability, civility and transparency in government.” Castricone has cast himself as the “anti-KJ bloc voting” candidate. He has made KJ’s request to annex some 500 acres of land in the Town of Monroe his “seminal issue.”

“Once KJ has control of the land, there will be an immediate zoning change,” says Castricone. “High-density housing will proliferate, taxing the resources of Orange County taxpayers and straining infrastructure of the surrounding area, including streets, highways, sewage treatment plants, water supplies and school districts.” All of that may or may not happen whoever gets elected to the Assembly. But frankly I’m more worried about the harm this right-wing Republican from Tuxedo might do in the state legislature than I am about additional Satmar Hasidim moving to Orange County. To add to the peculiarity, the Womens Equality Party has candidates on its line in only two of the other races. Cuomo is their candidate for governor….and it is the sole line for the aforementioned anti-immigration candidate Scott Smith!

Another intriguing race is the battle of the Christines for Family Court Judge. Christine Krahulik is the Republican and Conservative Party candidate. That would ordinarily be a deal breaker for me but she has been endorsed by Beth Quinn, for whom I have enormous respect. Unfortunately, Beth did not really explain the reasons for her endorsement other than that she knows Ms. Krahulik to be a wonderful person. Christine Stage is running on the Democratic, Working Families and Independence Party lines. She has also been described as a wonderful person and seems highly qualified by her experience. So unless I hear more from Beth to change my mind between now and Tuesday, I’m voting for Christine Stage.

So to recap, here are my choices (one or more of which require nose holding and may be subject to change): Cuomo for Governor, Maloney for Congress, Tutini for Assembly and Stage for Family Court Judge. Whether you agree or disagree, please be sure to exercise your precious right to vote come Tuesday.

Michael can be reached at michael@zestoforange.com.

 By Michael Kaufman

To the surprise of no one other than the Elders of Chelm (aka County Executive Steve Neuhaus and his cronies) in Goshen, state Supreme Court Justice Elaine Slobod has invalidated the Orange County Legislature’s 12-9 vote to sell the Valley View Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation to a private, for-profit company. Apparently they thought Judge Slobod would go along with their decree that in Orange County if you need 14 votes to authorize a transaction and you get only 12, it’s haukay! And they may not be done embarrassing themselves yet:  “We respectfully but strongly disagree with today’s ruling,” said county spokesman Dain (Shmendrik Numskull) Pascocello, who said the county plans to appeal.

It wasn’t a good week all around for the Elders, who learned that another of their foolhardy schemes—the multimillion dollar plan to renovate the Government Center in Goshen—was also in the toilet. The plan had been a compromise of sorts that pleased neither those who wish to preserve the 44-year-old  complex designed by visionary architect Paul Rudolph and those who hate it because they think it looks funny and want to tear it down altogether and put an entirely new building in its place. (The latter would cost a great deal more money so it is ironic that it has been the preferred choice of the same people who have been pushing so hard to sell Valley View supposedly to save taxpayers money.)

So a committee headed by legislator Leigh (Treitel Fool) Benton adopted a plan that involved demolishing part of the structure and replacing the outside walls while leaving the rest of things intact. The Elders went ahead with the plan even after it was revealed that Benton had agreed to take a job with Clark Patterson Lee, the firm that was awarded the contract designs. The investigation that followed determined that Benton had committed no crime and that there was nothing in the legislature’s code of ethics to prohibit this sort of sleazy behavior—but that there should be. Benton took this to mean that he should stay in office and merely recuse himself from voting on future matters pertaining to the project.  This leads to two questions: Why didn’t the other legislators ask him to resign? And why wasn’t the renovation plan he pushed through as committee chair revisited and subjected to closer scrutiny?

Had they done so they might have been spared the embarrassing spectacle that took place last week: Phil Clark, CEO of Clark Patterson Lee, reported that the federal Historic Preservation Office and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have both objected to the renovation plan, especially FEMA. Millions of dollars of federal money that would have been forthcoming to restore the storm-damaged building to its original state may not be coming at all. This leads to two questions for Phil Clark: How could you not know that the structure had landmark preservation status? And did you think Michael (“Heck of a job, Brownie”) was still running the show at FEMA?

Meanwhile, an architect named Gene Kaufman (the “other” Gene Kaufman, not my brother Gene) has offered to buy the government building, restore it to Rudolph’s specifications, and rent out space for artists’ studios. (You can’t make these things up.)

And if you thought things couldn’t get any zanier in our neck of the woods, think again. On Tuesday voters in Kiryas Joel may determine who will be representing the 18th Congressional District after Election Day in November. The district, which encompasses all of Orange and Putnam counties and parts of Westchester and Dutchess, is currently represented by Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney. Maloney and his predecessor, Republican Nan Hayworth, have both filed petitions to run on the Independence Party line in November. This has forced a primary (the sole Independence Party primary in the state) that will take place Tuesday. That leaves little time for such things as publicity, campaigning, voter registration, and such. But those are of little consequence to these two short-on-principle opportunists. (Question for Hayworth: Will you support the Independence Party candidates for statewide office:  Governor Andrew Cuomo and his running mate, Kathy Hochul, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman?)

Chris McKenna, who covers the Kiryas Joel beat for the Times Herald-Record reported in a blog posted Thursday, June 19, that the Independence Party now has some 1,000 registrants in KJ. “High turnout in bloc-voting Kiryas Joel could almost certainly swing a close primary,” notes McKenna. “The question is which candidate the village’s two blocs will support, which may not be known until voting instructions are distributed next week. The larger bloc representing Kiryas Joel’s majority faction backed Hayworth in 2012, while the smaller one supported Maloney.” (As I said, you can’t make these things up.)

Last but not least, the ongoing casino juggernaut continued this week with more bad news for Sullivan County: Foxwoods has withdrawn its bid to build on the old Grossinger’s property (citing the likelihood that a casino will be awarded to one of the Orange County contenders). That leaves only two bids in Sullivan, located on different parts of the old Concord property. Local officials all over Orange County are acting as if a casino in their midst will be the goose that lays golden eggs. They would do well to do a couple of Google searches that include the words “layoffs,” “Foxwoods,” “Mohegan Sun,” and “Connecticut.”

Concerned Citizens Against the Tuxedo Casino report that of the 262 letters received by Rost after he requested public opinion, 174 were opposed and 88 were in favor, a 2:1 ratio. The group has been active in Tuxedo and invites residents of Warwick, Greenwood Lake, and other neighboring communities to join with them. A website is in the works but in the meantime you can reach them at stop.sterling.forest.casino@gmail.com.

Next week: Excerpts from a letter sent by James Hall, director of the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission, to Town of Tuxedo Supervisor Mike Rost, detailing his concerns over Malaysian-based casino behemoth Genting’s plans for a casino in Sterling Forest.

Michael can be reached at michael@zestoforange.com.      

By Michael Kaufman

Over the next few months voters in the 19^th Congressional District will be bombarded by campaign materials and robot phone calls boosting two well-funded candidates, Republican incumbent Nan Hayworth and her Democratic challenger Sean Patrick Maloney. Maloney recently moved into the district from New York City to make the run and was endorsed by Bill Clinton, for whom he used to work as an aide.

In slickly produced campaign mailings Maloney trumpeted words of praise from The New York Times, implying to voters in last month’s Democratic primary election that he had been endorsed by that newspaper. In reality there was more criticism than praise within the quoted editorial, which ended with an endorsement of one of his opponents, Richard Becker, who had the backing of many local progressives—but was hopelessly outspent in this era of elections a la Citizens United.

In conceding defeat in the primary Becker said he was disappointed but he endorsed Maloney and stressed the importance of defeating Hayworth, whom he cast as supporting the “Tea Party agenda.” For her part, Hayworth has been trying to distance herself from the Tea Party extremists in Congress, with whom she was swept into office in 2010. To hear her and her supporters, such as Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton tell it, she is a true friend of local farmers who suffered severe damage from recent storms—despite her initial reaction that government assistance should be withheld until the money could be found by cutting the budget from another federal program.

She recently proposed relief for area commuters (but only if the funds come from the Affordable Care Act budget, also known as “Obamacare,” which she has pledged to repeal if re-elected).  But perhaps even more egregious is her stance on Social Security, in which she depicts herself as a fighter for seniors, even as she is committed to denying benefits to the next generation of seniors. Hayworth has been an unapologetic supporter of the budget proposed by Wisconsin Republican Congressman Paul Ryan, which would slash funding for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other government “safety net” programs—at  a time when they are needed most by millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet.  Or, as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders told his colleagues in a recent speech, “when the wealthy people in this country are becoming wealthier, the middle class is disappearing and poverty is increasing.” Now, he said, “when we talk about an oligarchic form of government, what we’re talking about is not just a handful of families owning entire nations. We’re also talking about the politics of the nation.”

Sanders could not have made it any clearer: “When you hear folks talking about Social Security reform, hold on to your wallets because they are talking about cuts in Social Security,” said the Vermont independent.  “Nothing more, nothing less.” The latest gambit, he said is a concept called chained consumer price index (CPI).

“The so-called chained CPI is the belief…that cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for Social Security are too high,” he explained. Seniors in his home state are incredulous when they hear this, he observed, which also may be said of seniors across the country, with the possible exception of Alan Simpson, millionaire Republican ex-Senator from Wyoming, who recently used terms like “greediest generation” and “geezers” to refer to Social Security recipients.

“Seniors back home start scratching their heads” when they hear about the chained CPI, said Sanders. “They say, ‘Wait, we just went through two years when my prescription drug costs went up, my health care costs went up and I got no COLA—and there are people in Washington, Republicans, some Democrats—they say my COLA was too high?’ What world are these people living in?”

In plain language Sanders told his colleagues that imposition of chained CPI “would mean that between the ages of 65 and 75, a senior would lose about $560 a year, and then when they turn 85 and they’re trying to get by off of $13,000 or $14,000 a year, they would lose about a thousand bucks a year. That’s what some of our colleagues want to do. Virtually all the Republicans want to do it. Some Democrats want to do it as well. As chairman of the defending Social Security caucus, I’m going to do everything that I can to prevent that.”

Seniors in the 19^th district should know where the two candidates for Congress stand on this issue. Will Maloney if elected be aligned with Bernie Sanders and other progressives in the Senate and House who oppose all attempts to end Social Security as we know it, or will he be among the “some Democrats” who support drastic “reforms” such as chained CPI? And how will Hayworth answer when asked if she supports the imposition of chained CPI on the current generation of seniors? Their responses could influence the outcome of the election. The likely winner, however, will be the one who spends the most.

As  Sanders put it, “What the Supreme Court has said to the wealthiest people in this country is, okay, you own almost all the wealth of this nation — that’s great — now we’re going to give you an opportunity to own the political life of this nation. And if you’re getting bored by just owning coal companies and casinos and manufacturing plants, you now have the opportunity to own the United States government. So we have people like the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson. The Koch Brothers are worth $50 billion…and  they have said they’re prepared to put $400 million into this campaign to defeat Obama, to defeat candidates who are representing working families.

“You have the six largest financial institutions in this country that have assets equivalent to two-thirds of the GDP of America–over $9 trillion. These six financial institutions write half the mortgages, two-thirds of the credit cards in America. They have a huge impact on the economy. That’s not enough for these guys. The top one percent owns half of the wealth:  Not enough for these guys. Now they have the opportunity to buy the United States government. So that’s where we are.”

Sanders concluded with a plea that fell on many deaf ears in the Senate chambers but which surely resonate among many Americans: “What we have got to do is start listening to the needs of working families, the vast majority of our people, and not just the people who make campaign contributions. And I know that’s a very radical idea. But, you know, it might be a good idea to try a little bit to reaffirm the faith of the American people in their democratic form of government. Let them know just a little bit that maybe we are hearing their pain, their unemployment, their debt….the fact that they don’t have any health care; the fact they can’t afford to send their kids to college. Maybe, just maybe, we might want to listen to them before we go running out to another fund-raising event with millionaires and billionaires.”

Michael can be reached at michael@zestoforange.com.