This week in the Villages we take a look at the best sports squad in Rockland — the Tappan Zee High School girls soccer team and preview the general election coming in November. Plus, other Nyack and Rockland-centric stories, links, notes, weather predictions, upcoming meetings, and more. Thanks for being here!
Let me first take a minute to acknowledge the unspeakable violence playing out in Israel and Palestine (we should also mention the varying degrees of massive suffering being felt in Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti). I’m not going to pretend I have any answers or insight. But I know there is nothing good coming from any of this. Here’s hoping against hope that peace comes sooner rather than later.
Let’s move on to more local concerns, although, as you’ll see further down in this column, the impact of the conflict playing out in the Middle East echoes worldwide, including here in Rockland.
The best sports team in Rockland County
Last week, our intrepid photographer and non-American football fan Andrea Swenson went to document a 4-0 win by the Tappan Zee High School girls soccer team. Led by legendary coach Bill Lynch, who has compiled the second most wins of any girls soccer coach in recorded Rockland history, Tappan Zee is once again enjoying a stellar season. (Enjoy the slideshow!)
Lynch, admirably, gives credit for his success to his players, telling lohud, “I’ve had a lot of good players come through the program, so it’s a lot on them, it’s their accomplishment also. They did a lot of the legwork.”
Tappan Zee captain Megan O’Prey told lohud that Lynch’s ability to develop a positive culture is the secret to his and TZ’s success: “The environment he instills with our team, it’s very positive. He’s a very positive guy, and I think that’s one of the reasons why he has all those wins under his belt.”
The Dutchwomen took a rare loss in a recent game against Rye but remain arguably the best soccer team in Rockland County and are poised for another playoff run this fall. Congratulations to Coach Lynch and his players.
Here’s a lohud video from one of Lynch’s 260+ career wins with TZ:
It’s election season in Rockland County, it’s time to start doing your homework
The last time I saw Daniel Johnson, a 36-year-old Long Island native running for a seat in the wide-open Rockland County legislature this fall, he was a 20-something community aid for Bronx assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, a charmingly shrewd and effective politician who once had his glasses broken to pieces during an all-out brawl over control of the Boogie Down’s Democratic machine.
Since our encounters more than a decade ago in northwest Bronx political circles (I was covering politics and everything else as the editor of the Norwood News), Johnson’s worked for a New York City Councilman, turned into a political operative “managing and advising countless campaigns,” gotten married, taken on two foster kids as well as two dogs, bought a home in Blauvelt and become a realtor.
Now, Johnson is running for the Rockland County Legislature, a still mostly obscure body that happens to control an $870 million budget meant to provide services and support to everyone who lives from Tappan to Stony Point and everywhere in between.
Every single one of the 17 seats on the legislature is up grabs when Rockland voters go to the polls for the general election on Tuesday, November 7 (or during the early voting period between October 28 and November 5).
With this amount of political turnover and a nearly billion-dollar budget at stake, we Rocklanders need to start doing our homework on candidates like Johnson and his Republican opponent, Thomas Diviny, a current member of the Orangetown city council, so we can make wise, informed decisions in the next few weeks.
You see it’s not just the all of the turnover and opportunities in the Rockland legislature we need to pay mind — there are a multitude of interesting local races that will have an impact on our communities.
Welcome to the fall election season study hall session.
Here are a few interesting tidbits and notes to get you started:
- Five incumbents in the Rockland Legislature are not returning, including Michael Grant, Democrat-Haverstraw; Harriet Cornell, Democrat-Clarkstown/Nyack; Vincent Tyer, Republican-Orangetown (Johnson and Diviny are running for this seat); Laurie Santulli, Clarkstown, an independent and former Republican; and Chris Carey, Republican-Clarkstown.
- Currently, Democrats hold a 10-7 majority in the Rockland Legislature, while the county executive office is held by a Republican, Ed Day.
- The youngest candidate running is David Bruen, a 22-year-old Clarkstown High School and Syracuse University graduate who knows a little something about handling money and serves as the treasurer for both the Rockland and Clarkstown Democratic committees.
- The county’s head law enforcement officials, Attorney General Tom Walsh and Sheriff Louis Falco are both running unopposed. They also both appear to be on the ballot as Democrats and Conservatives / Republicans.
- Local Patch sites are doing a good job of putting together local candidate profiles: New City, Pearl River, Nyack/Piermont.
- Keep an eye on the race for Clarkstown Supervisor between incumbent Republican George Hoehmann and Democratic challenger Justin Sweet. Remember, Hoehmann recently pulled “a Bloomberg” to void term limits, allowing him to run for another two-year term. He also worked to change the geography of the town’s wards
- Steve Leiberman highlights all of the Rockland County general election contests.
- Find more information on how and where to vote at the Rockland County Board of Elections website.
- Below, you’ll find the complete list of candidates running for every office in Rockland County.
In other news:
Interesting story from the Rockland Business Journal about the village of Nyack attempting (or maybe not, it’s complicated) to accept a rental vacancy survey that could allow the village to eventually set rent stabilization laws. This effort could help keep Nyack’s rental units more affordable. Landlords, not surprisingly, are opposed to the plan and threatening legal action. We’ll keep an eye on this one.
Lohud was on hand to document the candlelight vigil in support of Israel in the wake of a brazen and deadly attack by Hamas over the weekend.
This is awesome. We love the Rock Shop.
ICYM NNV’s weekly features: Bill Batson’s latest “Nyack Sketch Log”; Mike Hays’ most recent “Nyack People & Places”; and our coverage in our last edition of “The Villages”; Our latest Nyack Schools Report. If you haven’t read it yet, please check our vision for the future of Nyack News & Views and how you can help build our coverage and capacity.
Weather prediction (through Oct. 9)
Really? More rain! Aaaaagh! [Click here for the National Weather Service‘s latest 7-day forecast for the Nyack area. Click here for the latest Air Quality Index report for Nyack.]
4+ Months Later: Still looking for answers in the death of Sean Harris
We continue to look into the case of Sean Harris, who died under suspicious circumstances after an hours-long standoff with police on May 30.
Watch the video from Truth 2 Power below to learn more about what happened and why family, friends and police reform advocates say they want answers.
Here’s our breakdown of what happened.
Village updates
Nyack
- Here’s the list of all upcoming meetings posted for the Village of Nyack.
- If you could use help paying your water bills, click here.
- Drop off humanitarian aid for victims of the war in Ukraine (including first aid, painkillers, blankets, baby food, diapers, non-perishable food, antibiotics and more, at Village Hall, 9 N. Broadway (or at the Orangetown town hall, 26 W. Orangeburg Rd.).
Upper Nyack
- Click here for updates from the Village of Upper Nyack.
South Nyack
- Thanks to reader request, we have re-added South Nyack, which dissolved as an official village earlier this year. Please send us info about what’s going on in South Nyack at info@nyacknewsandviews.com.
Orangetown
- Check out the draft chapters of Orangetown’s new 2023 Comprehensive Plan.
- Help limit greenhouse gases and curb pollution by joining this new food scraps recycling program.
- Check out the Orangetown YouTube channel.
Clarkstown
- The Technical Advisory Committee, which “evaluates the technical adequacy of land development applications and decides their readiness for Planning Board review,” meets most Wednesdays, including this Wednesday, from 10 am to noon, in the town hall’s Historic Map Room.
- For a calendar list of all Clarkstown meetings and events, click here.
Other Local Updates
South Nyack advocates have filed a petition with the town of Orangetown seeking to show support for a new Elizabeth Place Playground — the grassy play area and dog park just south of 87 and right off the Esposito trail. After South Nyack dissolved in March, the town found the playground equipment at Elizabeth Place was unsafe and not compliant with ADA regulations and removed it. A new ADA compliant park has been proposed and advocates want to see the proposal approved and implemented. Click here to read and/or sign the petition.
Nyack Schools
Check out our latest Nyack Schools Report, a new regular feature we will post bi-monthly.
Find out what else is going on in Nyack-area schools at Home Page – Nyack Public Schools (nyackschools.org)
Rockland-wide
A rare polio case was recently discovered in Rockland County last summer. Here’s some info on how to protect yourself:
- New Yorkers can pre-register for a free polio vaccination appointment here or call 845-238-1956 to schedule. Walk-ins will also be accepted.
- Vaccines are also available through local healthcare providers, including Federally Qualified Health Centers.
- For more information on polio including symptoms and spread, visit NYSDOH’s page here.
- New Yorkers can learn more about the polio vaccine available in the U.S. at CDC’s page here.
- The Reviving Rockland Restaurants Grant Program will reimburse businesses between $5,000 and $25,000 for past expenses or fund future expenses for eligible outdoor dining COVID-19 mitigation equipment. Eligible entities include restaurants, food stands, food trucks, bars, saloons, lounges, taverns, bakeries, delis, cafes, breweries, wineries, and other similar places of business. For more information and to download an application visit rocklandgov.com.
- Fill out this survey to help the county provide better digital services.
Musical Outro
Check out the Scott Wendholdt/Adam Kolker Quartet at Maureen’s Jazz Cellar this Friday, Aug. 4th. Here’s a taste:
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