Former Rockland legislator trying again
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- February
- 9
Alden Wolfe, a former Rockland County legislator, announced today that he is going to try to get his District 6 seat back. Appointed in January the Suffern Democrat lost badly in the September primary to former Legislature Chairman Bruce Levine, who went on to win the seat in November. Levine is a Democrat from Montebello and also the Spring Valley village attorney.
Wolfe said he made the decision to announce now because Levine is shirking his duties to his legislative constituents when it comes to matters concerning Spring Valley. Levine on Tuesday asked the Legislature’s legal counsel whether he could vote on matters relating to the village.
“District 6 doesn’t need a legislator that needs to ask if he can vote or not,” Wolfe said.
Levine has also come under fire from Legislator David Fried, D-Spring Valley, an ally of Wolfe’s, for the village’s delay of a project to stop the flooding of the Pascack Brook at the Union Road culvert.
Levine, who is also seeking re-election to his seat this year, said Wolfe’s announcement came as no surprise.
“I don’t think he ever accepted his defeat in the primary and he’s been attacking me ever since,� he said.
Levine said he had thrown himself into issues that would affect positive change for his district’s residents, such as pushing for financing for an expansion at Esther Gitlow Towers in Suffern, a senior housing complex, and voting against a sales tax increase.
“I’m working very hard on issues of concern,� he said, “so I don’t think there’s any problem.�
But this is unlikely to be an easy battle for Wolfe. Levine beat him 675-385 in the primary and had the support of several political insiders, a group Wolfe himself admits he doesn’t belong to. And Levine sat on the Legislature for 10 years, whereas Wolfe’s political experience is limited to the year he sat on the Legislature.
But Wolfe was extremely active, speaking up frequently during meetings and sponsoring several successful environmental bills. He was behind a bill that restricted the use of indoor tanning equipment that was approved in October.
This entry was posted
on Friday, February 9th, 2007 at 11:17 am by Sarah Netter.
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