Election Day 2022 — Our Final Commentary


The number of days that you can make your voices be heard are dwindling. It is now less than one week until Election Day.

There are several issues driving the election this year: violent crime and the the elimination of cash bail; the economy, debt and inflation; immigration; infringement on our Constitutional rights; a failing educational system; the availability and price of food and the cost of filling your gas tank or heating your home; supply chain issues; and on and on. However, the two that top every list are crime and the economy—and that’s where the Republican-Conservative candidates rule.

Lee Zeldin has promised to make tackling crime one of his very first issues. Lee’s résumé includes a law degree and experience as a military intelligence officer, prosecutor and military magistrate while serving in the U.S. Army. His background lends itself perfectly to the crime problem—but in addition to that, he has Alison Esposito running as his Lieutenant Governor. Alison’s career is strongly rooted in law enforcement—she rose to the rank of Deputy Inspector in the NYPD and has experience in emergency services and on NYPD’s Gang Unit. Then we have Michael Henry to round out the top three. Henry, who is “tired of the crime crisis,” has promised to do what Letitia James has failed to do—concentrate on crime in New York State.

When it comes to the economy, not only does Lee Zeldin have a handle on solutions, but we also have Paul Rodriguez, who is a financial expert with loads of experience.

Changes originated at the top need approval from below (Senate and Legislature). This is where Sue Serino (Senate) and Pat Sheehan (Assembly) fit in. Sue Serino, a small business owner, has done a good job as State Senator for District 41, where she worked to ensure that young people can afford to start their lives here and seniors can afford to stay here and enjoy the lives they’ve worked so hard to build. For the first time this year, Saugerties will be part of District 41 and her opponent, who currently represents Saugerties in the State Senate (Hinchey), has proven to be soft on crime. Hinchey’s very liberal voting record indicates that she has facilitated criminals in the their misdeeds. Hinchey also voted for legislation that will increase energy costs by $800 per year, and she supported legislation to reinstate the 18A Energy Tax and require homebuyers to pay over $35,000 to electrify their homes. This is not the time to give the Democrats an opportunity to do more damage. We have to switch to Sue. Remember the “S,” Sue Serino State Senator.

Pat Sheehan, also with a law degree, has a plethora of experience in the legal, emergency response and investigatory fields. It is hard to believe that Sheehan’s adversary (Sarahana Shrestha, who has been cited to be “among the most progressive members of the Democrat-controlled State Legislature” if elected) would fit into a contingent of elected officials who want to improve the economy and end the rampant violent crime. On the other hand, Sheehan, who readily recognizes the need to resolve these issues, with his extensive experience, has a lot to offer and would make a perfect fit.

As to the economy, Jim Quigley is a winner when it comes to qualifications for the job as County Executive. He has spent thirty-years managing finances and solving municipal problems, twelve of them as Supervisor of the Town of Ulster, and he is ready, willing and able to do the same for Ulster County.

As far as the State Supreme Court Justice position is concerned, Judge Tom Marcelle is the only candidate with judicial experience, the only candidate to have successfully argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, the first judge in New York State to rule that bail reform violated the State Constitution, and, proudly, he is our candidate. The Judge not only has an extremely impressive résumé but obviously has the temperament to go with that. Take another look at the video [view here] where he tells us why he is running and you, too, will agree that he is not only the best candidate, but exactly the type of person for the position of Justice. And remember, only vote once for the Judge…although you may vote for up to three candidates, only vote for Tom Marcelle and only vote once….adding a second or third choice will be the equivalent of adding Republican-Conservative votes to the Democrat side of the contest.

All of the candidates mentioned above will work toward a better, safer and more prosperous New York. In each of the Cuomo and Hochul years, New York has deteriorated more than the preceding year—it’s time to turn that around. The slate of candidates for 2022 will make good things happen. But, it’s not only state government that needs turning around, the federal government has the same dire need of change—and that’s where Marc Molinaro and Joe Pinion come in.

We’ll begin with Marc Molinaro. Just today it was announced that County Executive Marc Molinaro had released his 2023 budget proposal for Dutchess County, featuring a twelve-precent property tax decrease, the lowest property tax levy in fourteen-years (read article here: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/County-Executive/42288.htm). Marc has made good on his promise to focus on cutting costs and taxes while expanding services. Need we say more?

And, finally, Joe Pinion. In his debate this week with Chuck Schumer, Joe gave a stellar performance. He knew the issues inside and out, and instead of the usual nebulous promises to do this or that, Joe Pinion talked about real solutions with real meanings on each and every issue. He is obviously very familiar with the important issues. It has been pointed out repeatedly that Chuck Schumer (Pinion’s opponent) has been a career politician for more than two decades, with many questioning some of his family’s ties to legislation (read: Schumer’s Family Business here). We need a fresh new face in the U.S. Senate seat from New York, and Joe Pinion is the man.

To reiterate what we’ve been saying all along: please pass this information around—talk to your friends, relatives and neighbors; take advantage of all your social media contacts…forward to everyone you know, all over New York. Nudge your friends and relatives to get out and vote RED (Republican-Conservative) straight across the row (Row B or Row C) and push the candidates who will make it all happen into the winning column. This is the best chance we’ve had in many, many years to make inroads into New York government—we haven’t had a governor from the right since George Pataki. At one point in the not too distant past, New York City was considered to be the greatest city in the world. Now it is little more than a dump. We can bring back all of New York’s former glory but we have to make it happen—we have to get behind our candidates and we have to vote. Just about every race is so close that the only thing that matters now is turnout.