New York State Insider: STATEMENT FROM NYS CONSERVATIVE PARTY.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 14, 2024

 

Statement by New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar on Parent Replacement Act.

“The New York State Conservative Party strongly urges the New York State Appellate Division, 4th Department, to reject Attorney General Letitia James’s appeal of a recent State Supreme Court decision that invalidated a ballot provision colloquially known as ‘The Parent Replacement Act.’

“The lower court correctly ruled that Proposition One was pushed forward by Governor Kathy Hochul and her ‘progressive’ colleagues in an unconstitutional manner. That decision should stand.

“The Parent Replacement Act would be a nightmare for New York parents and for female athletes. It would grant biological males the constitutional right to compete in womens and girls sports in the state, and it would ban parents from knowing if a child is undergoing gender transition procedures at school. Reckless language in the amendment would bizarrely grant constitutional protections to discrimination itself — if that discrimination is conducted in the name of anti-discrimination. Try to make sense of that!

“Albany’s social engineers are moving ahead at full steam, despite the clear will of New Yorkers, 66% of whom want girls and womens sports protected. New York voters must remember that on November 5th.”

New York State Insider: For Immediate Release: MTA: Lying Liars Who Lie.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: STATEMENT ON MTA’S DUPLICITY BY KEEP NYC CONGESTION TAX FREE. 

May 13, 2024

“The MTA’s duplicity knows no bounds. Now it’s telling New Yorkers that failure to get a $15 Congestion Pricing Tax would blow a $25 billion hole in its budget. Interesting considering that the Congestion Pricing Tax is only authorized to leverage $15 billion in future borrowing. 

“The MTA throws around bogus numbers all the time in an effort to squeeze more out of beleaguered taxpayers, but it rarely throws around these real ones: 

• The MTA spent $1.42 billion in overtime costs last year; 
• More than 700 MTA employees received in excess of $100,000 in overtime;
• The MTA loses more than $700 million every year by failing to enforce fare payments; 
• It costs seven times more to lay a mile of track in New York than in the second most expensive city in the world; 
• The MTA blew through more than $6 billion in federal Covid funding; 
• The MTA spent twice as much money on ‘consultants’ as it did building the Second Avenue Subway tunnel; 
• The MTA is wasting billions of dollars making consultant-designed stations larger than experts say they need to be, and 
• MTA Chairman Janno Lieber earned $400,999 in 2023, but still can’t count.

“What’s happening is clear: New Yorkers overwhelmingly reject the looming Congestion Pricing Tax, so the MTA is back to issuing false doomsday predictions again to push it forward. Maybe it should look at its own books. Better yet, how about an independent authority looking at the MTA’s books? Only then would the MTA’s true fiscal incompetence come to light. Imagine that.” 

Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free, a diverse coalition of civic, business, and labor organizations and businesses throughout New York City, argues that implementing a tax on vehicles traveling south of 6oth Street in Manhattan will, among other things, permanently damage efforts to revitalize the two districts. 

New York State Insider: New York State Senator Pete Harckham 40th District: Delivering Road Repairs—An Investment in Our Safety.

Yesterday I announced that a $6.5 million resurfacing and paving project has started on Route 35 between Katonah and South Salem.

 

This roadway has been the bane of motorists and commuters for many years now, and delivering this long-awaited paving project is great news.

 

I continuously push the NYS Department of Transportation for road repairs. They are an investment in our safety.

 

More recent road investments in Senate District 40 that I delivered:

• $20 million for Route 9A modernization project between Briarcliff manor and Ossining
• $14.8 million for Route 22 repaving project in Southeast, Patterson and Brewster
• $4.1 million Route 35 / 202 repaving project in Yorktown
• $3.6 million repaving of Route 52 in Kent
• Repair work on Route 118 in Shenorock

I also helped restore full funding--$598.1 million—for the Consolidated Local Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) in the enacted FY2024-2025 State Budget. This includes $100 million for local roads.

 

This is why I hope to return to the State Senate this year—because we need good roads.

 

Thank you!

 

Sincerely,

Pete

New York State Insider: STATEMENT FROM NYS CONSERVATIVE PARTY.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 10, 2024

 

Statement on Unified Candidacy of Mike Sapraicone by New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar.

“The New York State Conservative Party is thrilled to report that nationally-recognized security expert and former NYPD Detective Mike Sapraicone will be the sole nominee of the Republican and Conservative Parties in the November election, thus guaranteeing a unified ticket.

“Mr Sapraicone can beat incumbent Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who effectively vanished from the public eye after getting trounced in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Ms. Gillibrand has fallen into virtual irrelevance both in Washington and New York, and the time to replace her is now.

“The Conservative Party urges its friends and members around the state to rally behind Mr. Sapraicone’s candidacy urgently. After former Congressman Lee Zeldin’s powerful run for Governor in 2022, and with President Donald Trump at the top of the ballot this year, Mike Sapraicone can win this race. It’s time that New York had a conservative representative in the Senate again.”

New York State Insider: For Immediate Release: Prop 1: Statement on Court Removal of Parent Replacement Act on New York Ballot.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STATEMENT FROM COMMITTEE TO PROTECT KIDS-NY ON COURT REMOVAL OF PROPOSITION ONE ON NOVEMBER BALLOT.

 

May 7, 2024

“The New York State Supreme Court’s ruling that Proposition One — AKA, The Parent Replacement Act — is unconstitutional and must be removed from November’s ballot is a major victory for New York parents, children, and for the integrity of girls and womens sports. 

“This case is another example of the Governor and Legislature rushing to pass highly-ideological legislation, without a single public hearing, and then ignoring Constitutional norms, hoping that no one would challenge them. As far as we know, no Constitutional experts were consulted before the Proposition One amendment language was approved.  

“Proposition One would have, among other things, granted biological males the right to compete in girls and womens sports in New York State, and it would have required schools to help underage children go through gender transition procedures — while expressly keeping parents in the dark. Sixty-six percent (66%) of New Yorkers recently surveyed by the Siena College Research Institute said they oppose biological males competing in girls and womens sports, and the parents we’ve been working with have been outraged to see their parental rights threatened. 

“We are very pleased with today’s constitutional victory. It is a victory for New York parents and children, and for the rule of law.” - Greg Garvey, Executive Director, Coalition to Protect Kids - NY

The Coalition to Protect Kids-NY is a nonpartisan ballot issue committee registered with the New York State Board of Elections. It is composed of New Yorkers from all walks of life dedicated to defeating the so-called Equal Rights Amendment to the New York State Constitution.

New York State Insider: STATEMENT FROM NYS CONSERVATIVE PARTY.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 7, 2024

 

HOCHUL’S CONTROVERSIAL PROP ONE THROWN OFF BALLOT.

“Governor Kathy Hochul and her woke colleagues in Albany tried to pull the wool over the eyes of New York voters, and were thankfully slapped down this morning by the New York State Supreme Court. Mrs. Hochul’s Proposition One would have stripped parents of the right to know that a child is undergoing gender transition procedures in school, and it would have given biological males a Constitutional right to compete in girls and womens sports in the state. 

“This outrageous and unconstitutional attempt to socially engineer New York, under the false guise of ‘equal rights’, will be a permanent dark mark on Mrs. Hochul’s tenure as governor. Parents won’t soon forget what the Governor and Democratic legislature tried to do here. 

“The Conservative Party salutes Republican-Conservative Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes and others for bringing the successful litigation in this case, and offers its special thanks to Christian Browne and Bobbie Anne Cox for their brilliant stewardship in court. New York parents can sleep a bit more peacefully tonight, thanks to their efforts.”  

New York State Insider: Fundraiser for New York State Senator Pete Harckham 40th District: Thursday, May 30th: Join and support Senator Harckham at the Northwood Inn!

 

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/harckham_may30

New York State Insider: New York State Senator Pete Harckham 40th District: The New York Equal Right Amendment is a Guarantee We Need.

Around the country, we are seeing more and more states threatening our fundamental rights.

 

Regular New Yorkers are fighting back: in the past month there have been more than two dozen grassroots events statewide to organize passing of the New York Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a ballot measure that will guarantee that New Yorkers will maintain control of their reproductive health care choices.

 

With this assault on our rights taking place nationwide, we need strong state leadership to protect all New Yorkers.

 

In 2019, I voted for NY’s landmark Reproductive Health Act, and later helped put ERA on the ballot.

 

You know where I stand on protecting our rights and reproductive health care choices.

Thank you!

 

Sincerely,

Pete

New York State Insider: STATEMENT FROM NYS CONSERVATIVE PARTY.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 1, 2024

 

Statement on NYPD Campus Recoveries by New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar.

Brooklyn-NY…“Last night’s actions by the New York City Police Department, at the request of college presidents, was a welcome and professional demonstration of order in the face of anarchy. Students and outside agitators have no right to seize and occupy campus grounds, and their removal was way past due. Those who led the illegalities should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The universities should also expel lawbreakers.

“NYPD officers raised the American flag over City College last night, where it had been ripped down by demonstrators and replaced with a Palestinian flag. The scene recalled  iconic imagery in American history, and millions of New Yorkers cheered Old Glory’s return. But this photo never should have had to be taken. This wasn’t Iwo Jima, nor was it 9/11, it was a group of renegade students and professional agitators seizing public property. They must now pay the consequences. Prosecutors must do their jobs.”