BY: Keith S. Shikowitz, Editor in Chief/Investigative Reporter
The Rockland Republican Committee held its election night at the Pearl River Hilton and the atmosphere was one of gleeful celebration as the election results were coming in and they showed that the Rockland County Republicans had what can only be deemed as a banner election day. Ed Day won to serve his fourth term as County Executive. For the first time since 1958 the Clarkstown Town Board has only Republican representatives. Stony Point elected its first female town supervisor and only the second one in county history. A number of Republican candidates county wide were either elected or re – elected to their positions.
The evening’s speeches were opened up by Congressman Lawler who is also the Chairman of the Rockland County Republican Committee.
Ed day came up to the stage with his wife Donna and son Dylan. The assembled crowd was cheering and clapping very loudly. A minute or so later the crowd quieted down, and Day began to speak. “One word, WOW! This evening, we did not think a red wave was striking us, but it looks like we’re doing really well with that tonight. I think we have a Republican Clarkstown town board. I just want to do a number of thank yous right now before we get into a couple of the comments, family and friends. Nobody has a decent world around him or her without family and without friends. I’m blessed to have that. I have my wife Donna here this evening and our son Dylan is here also.”
ED DAY AND FAMILY
He then began to thank all of the people who helped him in this campaign. He began with Nick and Roxy and all of the volunteers and committee members, both their party committee members and the committee who joined them along the way to be part of this great victory tonight. He also thanked the Republican and Conservative parties for their support along with their chairs, Mike Lawler, Republican Party, who he said, he thinks you’ve met him already and Sam and Demetri, Naemit Conservative Party.
“I want to thank all of our donors who also helped us along the way, get our message out. It’s unfortunate that we have to ask for money, but these things are expensive, and those who run for office know that, so I just really want to thank all of those who were there to help us out and through there. Together we’re going to continue to lead our great county in the future and set the stage for many more successes in the years to come. We’re a little, little scared tonight, but you know someone gets scared once you get tougher the second time around.”
He reminded everyone of his record since he took office back in 2013. “What we accomplished really bears repeating. I’ll be brief, but it’s important. Since I’ve taken office, we came back from a near bankruptcy, but with that, we stabilized our county budget. We cut or froze property taxes over the last 5 years, obtained a AAA bond rating in which no municipality has that. I know George is right on my tail with that, right, George.
George attained a AA rating, so I’m looking behind me it’s getting a little tough there.”
“We eliminated a lot of taxes that were affecting the people. We want to make sure that you had money in your pocket, not some nebulous commentary about cutting taxes, real dollars in your hand and your pockets, and that, and that’s something for the hardworking people of Rockland County. This is a path that we look to continue on going forward. It is important that people see our municipalities doing what they can do in order to make sure that we have an efficient government and that we are doing things together in a strong manner that best befits the people of Rockland County and in closing, let’s join hands and go forward together.”
“Thank you all for your support of my vision for Rockland. Also, that your trust and belief is a special gift to me, one that I will never ever compromise or leave alone. Let me leave with silent prayer for our military, we stand oppose across this world the protection of a God, and protection of our liberties. God bless all of you.
God bless this county of Rockland. God bless the United States of America.”
Day exited the stage to a standing ovation to loud cheers and applause that lasted about a minute.
Lawler retook the stage and said, “Let’s give it up for the greatest County Executive Rockland County has ever had!!!!
He then went on to talk about the town races, beginning with Clarkstown. “Now one of the biggest races of the night was in the town of Clarkstown, and this has been a dogfight all year, and I want to bring up all of the candidates in the town of Clarkstown and our great Clarkstown town chair, Roxanne Peron.
“So, when all the votes are late, I’m proud to announce that for the first time since 1958, Clarkstown will have a 5 – 0 Republican board. Democrats did everything in their power to try and flip Clarkstown. They know how important Clarkstown is to try and win my Congressional seat and Bill’s State Senate seat. They can’t win it without it, and they threw everything at us, and yet they got defeated one by one, by one, by one, by one.”
HOEHMANN AND THE CLARKSTOWN BOARD
His next kudos went to the person he called the great Town Chairwoman Roxanne Peron who did a tremendous job and then his good friend and great Supervisor of the Town of Clarkstown, George Hoehmann.
“George is in his 10th year of serving as town supervisor, and he has done one hell of a job. “The Democrats have tried to run somebody every time against George. They’ve thrown everything at him. They’ve thrown mud at him. They’ve thrown money at him. Yet each and every time George Hoehmann kicks their ass. It’s precisely because nobody works harder than George. George shows up at every community event, every ribbon cutting, every wedding, every envelope stuffing, George Hoehmann’s present, and it is well deserved and well earned, and we are fortunate to have him as our Town Supervisor.”
“In addition, I want to congratulate our great Town Clerk and the person who has been instrumental in helping every candidate in this party, Lauren Marie Wohl. Lauren Marie takes a lot of slings and arrows on behalf of the party and on behalf of all of us, myself included, and she’s been a great champion and a great fighter, and this campaign would not have been one without her.”
He then ran down the list of others who had won election to the Clarkstown town board John Valentino, Mike Graziano, Don Franchino, and Bob Axelrod, and others in the government, Superintendent of Highways, Bob Malone and Town Justice Leslie Cox. “This is a tremendous win for Clarkstown, and I want to turn it over to our great Town Supervisor, George Hoehmann.”
“WELL, IT’S A GREAT NIGHT IN CLARKSTOWN!!!! He exclaimed. “I want to start by thanking our wonderful congressman and party chairman Congressman Mike Lawler. For all of the resources that he’s pumped into all the campaigns. I’m personally grateful for his friendship, but also personally grateful for all the work that he’s done to help all of his candidates.”
Hoehmann said he wouldn’t be standing here without the support of not just the people but their party leaders, not just the Republican Party, but they’re really indebted to the Conservative Party. He also wanted to reiterate we all had the support of the PBA, the Rockland County PBA, the Clarkstown PBA, the building and trades, the laborers, the operating engineers. He thanked all the members of labor adding that it means a great deal to him.
“It’s unusual to have Republicans supported by labor, and we swept the field with the endorsements.
Finally, just a matter of personal privilege. I want to bring my wife Cathy. I want to thank all of my friends here. There’s so many, we have great legislators Will Kennelley, Lon Hofstein, all of my friends from my business group, from the cigar club, all the folks that are here, and again I want to thank you all. Most importantly, I want to thank the people of the town of Clarkstown for returning me to office. My great uncle Charlie Partridge was the first conservative ever to be elected into the Rockland County legislature, and I grew up as a kid going to my grandfather’s house, and there were always Rotary pancake breakfast down at the West Nyack Firehouse, and if we were instilled in us, you have to give back and give to the community and make sure you got out and vote and we’d always go to church and we’d end up going to vote. Literally it’s an honor for me when I think back I wish my parents were here I wish my grandfather was here and my great uncle Charlie, who served in the first legislature as the first conservative, he’d be thrilled to see that Clarkstown had a red wave tonight.
The results may not have been what we wanted in other locations.
We know that we’ll continue to fight for the people to keep taxes low, to fight over development, to enforce our building codes, and I want to congratulate all the other winners tonight, our county executive, our town supervisors, Teresa Kenny and all the folks. The 2nd female supervisor in the history of Rockland County, Amy Conklin – Stamm. God bless you and thank you to the residents of Clarkston.
After Hoehmann was finished, each of the town board members took their turn to thank and recognize everyone for their help and support. The most important group of people each of them thanked and expressed the importance of, was their family. All basically said that without THAT support, their election would not have been possible.
Mike Graziano was the first. “As I said, you know, family is everything, and I want to take my entire family. My children there Alexander and Christina. Yeah, I tell you now my family. I was visiting my mom and they really stepped it up while I was gone and I cannot be more grateful but more importantly the entire committee. I’ve had a great 25 people on the team, and they’re going to do 11 little thing that that got us over the finishing line. I just want to thank you.
Bob Axelrod was the incumbent. He had been appointed to the position after Pat Carroll had been elected to the NYS Legislature. He played with the nickname of the Beatles when he opened his speech by saying, “I am honored to be part of the Fab Five. It’s really a privilege. I was, I was appointed by George on the board to be here and this is the first time. I’m an elected official now and I’m very proud.”
He thanked his family and his extended family. He then ran down the list of others who aided him in his election campaign. He added that there’s so many of you to thank for this beautiful, beautiful day, this privilege of being on the board for another term.
“I just want to say, listen, my team worked real hard for this. I worked real hard for this as hard as I worked, that’s how hard I will work for the people of Ward One and for the people of the Town of Clarkstown.
As the party Chair, it was the honor of Lawler to introduce all of the elected officials to come to the podium. This included those in his home town of Orangetown. “Orangetown over the last almost decade has really moved from a town that was Democratic to pretty solidly Republican, and it is in large measure because of the elected officials that we have in the town of Orange who do a tremendous job representing the people.
Serving the community and doing the job and they have earned the respect of the residents. They have earned many of them to be unopposed, but it’s really because of what they do and so I want to congratulate our town supervisor, the first female supervisor in Rockland County. She stepped up in 2019 when we needed a candidate, and she has been on a glide path ever since, running unopposed now this is the third time you’re it’s really is well deserved. I want to congratulate Teresa Kenny on another term.”
He continued by congratulating all of the others in Orangetown who had won re – election. When he finished that long list of people he introduced Teresa Kenny.
It seems that Lawler was calling up the towns for congratulations alphabetically, so last on the list but not least was Stony Point. “I want to congratulate. Stony Point on a very hard fought victory tonight. It was very close. Fortunately, they all eked it out, it was really tough and it’s well earned. He began the thank yous with the great, town chairwoman June Jobson, who’s done a tremendous job making Stony Point solidly Republican over all these years, and I want to thank Doug Jobson who’s here. I want to congratulate our outgoing supervisor Jim Monaghan, he’s been tremendous. He’s a great friend and colleague, and someone who really served Stony Point with integrity, with decency, and really worked tirelessly on their behalf.”
After all of the accolades, thank yous and congratulations were done, Lawler called the second female town supervisor in county history, Amy Conklin – Stamm to the microphone.
Conservative Party Chairman Demetri Naemit took his turn to congratulate the winners.
Lawler went on to recognize a number of other officials and called State Senator Bill Weber to the stage.
Weber began by poking some fun at Heohmann, “So George, can I say it to you? When I first won in 2022, I was up here declaring victory and George leans into my on my left ear, my good ear, and says, you know, your re-election starts tonight, and it does for all of us. We’re going to work our butts off next year with your help, we’re going to have it a resounding victory next year. So, thank you. Our great supervisors in all the towns and all our town council. We had a great victory here in Rockland County and you know what, we’re going to continue that next year.
The election results for Rockland County, went pretty much as expected, Clarkstown, Orangetown and Stony Point swung Republican. Haverstraw and Spring Valley swung Democrat.