by Rockland County Legislators Harriet Cornell, Toney Earl, Michael Grant, Jay Hood, Jr., Nancy Low-Hogan, Aney Paul, Philip Soskin, Aron Wieder, and Alden Wolfe
We are proud to endorse Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul for re-election and urge Democrats to vote for her in Thursday’s Primary election. Sometimes that office gets lost in the attention paid to the race for Governor. Kathy Hochul has made frequent visits to Rockland since her election as Lt. Governor in 2015 and paid special attention to helping our local business community. As Chair of the Regional Economic Development Councils, Kathy has led efforts to lift up communities across the state and secured a record increase of workforce development funding, so all New Yorkers have an opportunity to find a good-paying job.
NYS Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul
We in Rockland County are fully aware that keeping property taxes down has been a major goal of the Cuomo-Hochul administration. We know that the permanent freeze on the local costs of Medicaid has saved Rockland County Taxpayers over $22 million over its first five years, and that the state has picked up over $16 million of the local share of costs for early childhood education for children with disabilities.
We are also grateful that the Governor and Lt. Governor have provided necessary funding to restore early childhood programs in East Ramapo and have significantly increased school aid for all of our public school districts as part of their effort to keep the districts within the 2% property tax cap while maintaining the high quality education that our residents demand.
As Chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction, Kathy has maintained a laser focus to pass commonsense policies to combat the widespread epidemic.
For these and the other important reasons listed below, we urge Democrats to vote for Kathy Hochul on Thursday, September 13..
Life of Service
Kathy Hochul has led a life of service. A lifelong New Yorker, she was born and raised in a blue-collar Irish Catholic family in Buffalo that instilled a deep passion for public service and activism. She continued that fighting spirit as a student organizer, as a young attorney and aide to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and then as a member of her Town Board, as Erie County Clerk, and as a Member of Congress.
After the Tea Party wave in 2011, Kathy entered a special election in the most Republican congressional district in the state and, against all odds, won as a proud Democrat. Her election victory was viewed as a national referendum on House Speaker Paul Ryan’s agenda to bankrupt Social Security and Medicare. Despite risking her re-election, Kathy always fought to protect the Affordable Care Act, a woman’s right to choose, and the rights of our LGBTQ community. She was endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign for these reasons. She received endorsements by various women’s groups like Emily’s List and been endorsed for re-election as Lt. Governor by Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee—which has endorsed her as a women’s champion since her days in local office because of her leadership and activism on behalf of women.
Champion for Women
Throughout Kathy’s life she has committed to empowering women. She joined her mother and aunt in establishing the Kathleen Mary House in 2006, a transitional home for victims of domestic violence. Kathy has consistently placed issues that are important to women on the top of her agenda. Traveling the state, she has leveraged her position as the highest ranking female official in state government to encourage women to be active voices for change. She supports banning salary history and the state’s record high goal for MWBEs—and of course, equal pay for equal work!
She has led the advocacy campaigns for many of the Governor’s signature initiatives: the “Enough is Enough” sexual assault prevention program to passing the strictest laws in the nation against sexual harassment. She prioritizes being a voice for women as she visits all 62 counties every year.
Fighting for Working Families
Staying true to her labor roots, Kathy has consistently voted to support the working men and women of America. She’s been a frequent critic of tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires—and called for tax cuts for low and middle income earners.
As Lt. Governor, she continues to fight for working families. Kathy was a strong voice in the successful fight for a $15 minimum wage and Paid Family Leave. She works every day with the Governor and State Legislature to make lives better, because no one working full time should live in poverty.
With the belief that education is a human right, Kathy and the Governor have worked hard to make SUNY and CUNY schools tuition free for every middle class family.
Personal Life
Kathy credits her upbringing with progressive parents for the values she holds today. Her grandparents were immigrants who fled poverty in Ireland, and her grandfather started his American journey as a migrant worker in the wheat fields of South Dakota. Her grandparents later became domestics in Chicago and were lured to Buffalo by the promise of good paying jobs at Bethlehem Steel. Kathy’s father, Jack was also a steel worker and union organizer and began married life with her mother, Pat in a tiny trailer in the shadow of the plant.
Kathy holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and a JD from Catholic University. She is married, and she and her husband bill have two children.
Kathy Hochul has deeply ingrained values and has fought every day of her life to ensure that all people who live in this great country have equal opportunity. We urge your vote on Thursday to re-elect Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul for a second term.
Rockland County Legislators Harriet Cornell, Toney Earl, Michael Grant, Jay Hood, Jr., Nancy Low-Hogan, Aney Paul, Philip Soskin, Aron Wieder, Alden Wolfe have endorsed NYS Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul for a second term.
