Rockland County Chair Says Carlucci Likely Democratic Choice
by Dave Zornow
Rockland, May 26 — Carlucci and Dolan are in. Jaffee’s out. Vanderhoef isn’t running — yet. Political fans, please take this time between innings to update your scorecards.
The Times-Herald Record reports that Tuxedo Supervisor Peter Dolan is throwing his hat into a crowded ring of contenders to be the Democratic candidate for New York Senate representing Rockland and a sliver of Orange County.
Ellen Jaffee, who represents the 95th District in the NY State Assembly, considered running for the seat but announced she will instead run for re-election.
Ramapo resident Grant Valentine and Clarkstown Clerk David Carlucci have declared as Democratic candidates. However, it sounds like one important Democrat has made up his mind about who their candidate will be. “David Carlucci will end up being our senatorial candidate,” says Rockland County Democratic Chairman Vince Monte. “He’ll run on real ethical reform and ask for full disclosure on income while members serve,” Monte said in a Rockland World Radio interview on Monday.
Orange County’s Dolan says there’s too much waste and redundancy in local government. Part of his platform will be to centralize school districts and absorb villages back into towns to increase shared services between municipalities.
Monte says that Carlucci will campaign on merging the state assembly and the senate into a unicameral body. About half of the world’s countries have a one house legislative branch as well as the state of Nebraska and the U.S. Territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands.
Monte expects Carlucci to favor term limits on legislators. “Representatives are there to serve the people not themselves,” Monte says.
On the Republican side, Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef is expected to run now that Senator Tom Morahan has decided not to seek re-election. Vanderhoef denied reports he is running earlier this month but that was before Morahan made his retirement plans official. Rockland County Republican Legislator Ed Day has also been mentioned as a candidate for Morahan’s seat.
New York’s Republican Executive Director Tom Basile, rumored to be ruminating on a run, won’t be in the race, either. He told the Daily News “while I have explored the opportunity, I will not be a candidate for State Senate,” Basile said. ” In this critical election year, the party and our candidates are my top priorities”
Sources: RecordOnline.com, Politics On The Hudson blog, Rockland World Radio, Wikipedia, Daily News
See also: NewCityPatch
