Politics on the Hudson

New York Taxpayers, a new party line founded by Carl Paladino, the outspoken and controversial Republican gubernatorial candidate , has endorsed a number of Republican candidates statewide. This month, the organization backed Republican Assemblyman Robert Castelli, giving him a third ballot line, to add to his Republican and Conservative lines.

In his press release, Castelli “noted that meaningful reform for Taxpayers must include term limits, independent redistricting, budget reform and Constitutional reform to the way the Legislature does business, including an end to the ‘three-men-in-a-room’ approach to government.”

He is running against Democratic White Plains Council President Thomas Roach, who garnered the Democratic, Working Families and Independence party lines.

Castelli, a retired state trooper, also announced this month the endorsements of over 60 law enforcement organizations, including the Affiliated Police Associations of Westchester County—which include every Police Benevolent Association in the 89th district—Fraternal Order of Police of New York and even the Police Retirees of White Plains, who are in Roach’s home turf.

Roach has not publicly declared any organizations’ endorsements, while Castelli has announced dozens. Castelli gained his seat in a February special election and is running for his first full term in the Assembly. If Roach is not victorious, he would have his council presidency to fall back on, an option Castelli doesn’t have.

The 89th consists of Bedford, Harrison, New Castle, North Castle, Lewisboro, Pound Ridge, Mount Kisco and White Plains.

Liz Shollenberger, the city’s Democratic City Committee chairwoman, was reelected a fourth time Monday for another two-year term. The entire committee leadership also was reelected, except for a new recording secretary. Shollenberger has held the position since September 2003, when she took over for Mayor Adam Bradley when he was first elected to the state Assembly.

“I think we have a strong local party because we have good, strong district leaders that go out to elect Democrats at all levels of government,” Shollenberger said today about her win, “and we’re going to succeed in November.”

John Kirkpatrick, the committee’s first vice chairman, spoke at Monday’s meeting about his interest in the chairmanship and a possible floor vote, but after finding little support for the change said he had opted to step back from his candidacy.

“I would hope that many people would be interested in being strong, active Democrats,” Shollenberger said of Kirkpatrick. “I don’t think it’s a negative that someone is interested in moving up in the hierarchy, I’m just glad the committee chose me. He’s been a good vice chair … and I think we’ll continue to work together well.”

The endorsements that really matter—the party lines on the ballot—have been set in the 89th Assembly District race. With that business out of the way, Republican Assemblyman Robert Castelli, the Lewisboro incumbent for only a few months, has announced a new endorsement just about every week.

Perhaps most notably, Castelli garnered a thumbs-up from two environmental groups—the Sierra Club and the New York League of Conservation Voters—taking those seals of approval from his opponent, Democrat Thomas Roach, an ardent environmentalist. Castelli’s other endorsements included backing from the Public Employees Federal AFL-CIO—the state’s second-largest union—the National Federation of Independent Business and the New York City Detective Investigators’ Association.

Roach, the White Plains Common Council president who last week won the Democratic primary in the race, has not yet announced any endorsements in press releases or on his website.

Republican Assemblyman Robert Castelli had his first bill become law recently.

The legislation, which Castelli fought for since he was a Lewisboro councilman in 2001, authorizes the town of Lewisboro to use some land as a cell tower, enabling improved communication for residents and emergency responders. The bill was signed by Gov. David Paterson on July 30.

“Since coming to Albany four months ago, I have established a strong record of fighting for reform, being a fiscal watchdog for taxpayers, protecting the environment and strengthening homeland security by giving our emergency responders the resources they need,” Castelli said in a press release. “It is only fitting that my first bill to be signed into law will ensure the viability of emergency communications in Northern Westchester for police, fire and emergency services personnel via a cell tower that adheres to smart growth principles, while providing much needed revenue to the town of Lewisboro to ease the burden on local property taxpayers.”

Castelli, of the 89th Assembly District, represents Bedford, Harrison, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, New Castle, North Castle, Pound Ridge and White Plains.

After winning in a February special election, he is now running for his first full term in the Assembly this November. Democrat Thomas Roach, the White Plains Common Council president, will be on the ballot on the Independence and Working Families lines. He is running against Harrison Democrat Mark Jaffe for the Democratic line in a Sept. 14 primary.

Republican Assemblyman Robert Castelli is holding what he dubbed as a “People’s Convention to Reform New York” town hall meeting tonight.

Castelli, who is running for reelection in November, is supporting plans for a 2010 voter referendum to create a “People’s Convention,” which would compromise of regular citizens deciding on ways to transform state government. With the legislation, such changes could take place well before the next Constitutional Convention could be held at around 2017.

The event will be held at the Mount Kisco American Legion, 85 E. Main St., from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight.

White Plains Council President Thomas Roach announced that he was endorsed by the Working Families and Independence party lines in his run for the 89th Assembly District.

“I’ve only been in this race a short time, so to receive their wholehearted support so quickly is a real validation of the work I’ve done in White Plains, and the work I plan to accomplish in Albany,” Roach said in a Wednesday release.

Roach, a Democrat who’s served on the council for eight years, was also endorsed by six of the eight Democratic committees in the 89th Assembly District. The other two Democratic endorsements went to Harrison Democrat Mark Jaffe, who is also seeking the seat.

Assemblyman Robert Castelli, a Republican who took the 89th in a February special election, was endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties. He has not formally announced his candidacy yet, though he has said he will run in November.

The only endorsement still up in the air is from the Democrats, which may be won through a primary between Jaffe and Roach.

Robert Castelli, the victor of a recent special election for the 89th Assembly District, was sworn in today in Albany.

State Court of Appeals Associate Judge Victoria A. Graffeo presided over the ceremony and Castelli’s son, Robert Christian Castelli, held the Bible for the swearing in. The junior Castelli is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army’s Special Forces and recently returned from his fifth tour in Afghanistan. The oath of office ceremony was hosted by Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb.

The special election for the 89th Assembly District will be tomorrow, along with three other Assembly special elections in Suffolk, Queens and Nassau counties.

Two candidates are running for the 89th seat, which was vacated in January by Adam Bradley when he became the mayor of White Plains. Whoever wins the seat would have to run again in the statewide general election this November.

Peter Harckham, 50, of Katonah, is running on the Democratic and Working Families party lines. Harckham was just voted into his second term as a Westchester County legislator and is president and founder of Harckham Media Group, an advertising firm.

Robert Castelli, 60, of Lewisboro, is running on the Republican, Conservative and Independence party lines. He was a Lewisboro councilman for four years, until 2003. After working 21 years for the state police, he is currently a criminal justice professor at John Jay College and a security and media consultant.

Unofficial results for the race will be posted on the Board of Elections Web site after polls close, at westchestergov.com/boe.

For more info, click here for a piece I wrote on the race in today’s paper.

In a special election race for the 89th Assembly District, Peter Harckham has come out swinging with a string of endorsements from major leaders from around the state. Yet the feat is hardly surprising since all those leaders are, like him, Democrats.

On Monday, Harckham held a press conference at the Westchester Dems’ headquarters in White Plains, where U.S. Reps. Nita Lowey and John Hall publicly backed Harckham, 50, a county legislator from Katonah.

The endorsements come on the heels of Harckham clinching the Democrats’ nomination for the special election, which was called after Adam Bradley left the 89th to become White Plains’ mayor. Bradley, as well as U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, also endorsed Harckham in recent days.

The Republican candidate, Robert Castelli, 60, a John Jay College professor from Lewisboro, has been quieter in announcing endorsements and has little time to get started—the special election is set for Tuesday, Feb. 9, in about two weeks. Whoever wins would have the run again in November during the regular election, but the victor would gain the power of incumbency.

Westchester Republicans and Democrats converged on the White Plains’ Crowne Plaza on Thursday night to select their candidates for the 89th Assembly District’s special election.

The Democrats, filling a large conference room with well over 100 people, chose county Legislator Peter Harckham of Katonah out of five nominees. Harckham was first elected to county government in 2007 and is the president of an advertising and production company.

The Republicans — in a smaller, nearby room — picked Robert Castelli of Lewisboro out of two nominees. Castelli is a John Jay College professor, retired New York state police station commander and former Lewisboro town councilman.

He previously ran for the seat in 2004 against Adam Bradley, who vacated the 89th seat after becoming White Plains’ mayor.

The special election is set for Tuesday, Feb. 9.