New York State Insider: 2024 Election Desk: Arena Calls on Harckham to Explain His Working Against Constituents.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ARENA: HARCKHAM NEEDS TO EXPLAIN WHY HE’S WORKING AGAINST THE WILL OF HIS CONSTITUENTS.

 

Hudson Valley - July 10…State Senator Pete Harckham just got caught doing it again: He led an effort in Albany to force the nation’s largest lithium battery facility into a quiet residential Westchester community — against the will of localities — and, then, when the invariable public outrage surfaced, he called for a “temporary moratorium” on the very project he championed, State Senate candidate Gina Arena today noted.

 

This is nothing new for Mr. Harckham, Ms. Arena charged. Mr. Harckham tried to erase local zoning laws in Westchester and Putnam communities near train stations two years ago. Under Mr. Harckham’s bill, multi-family buildings would have been erected as-of-right in quiet residential neighborhoods in Putnam and Westchester, threatening their resources, character, and traffic patterns. Extraordinary local blowback convinced Mr. Harckham to pull that measure, too. Mr. Harckham also threatened to cut all state school aid to public schools with sports mascots he deemed offensive. He withdrew his threat in the face of more public outrage.

 

“We have a state senator completely out of touch with the needs and desires of his constituents, and those voters deserve an explanation,” Ms. Arena said. “Mr. Harckham seems to think that political elites like him have carte blanche in Albany to experiment with pie-in-the-sky progressive policies that everyday New Yorkers reject. Whether it’s cashless bail, the congestion pricing tax, a complete Albany takeover of healthcare, or the sanctuary state policies that have attracted more than 200,000 mostly illegal migrants to New York in the past months, Mr. Harkham is directly working against the interests of the people he’s supposed to serve.”

 

Ms. Arena, a mother of eight and a life-long Westchester resident, said that her priorities in Albany will be the priorities of her neighbors.

 

“If Mr. Harckham spent time with his constituents rather than with elite progressives he’d understand what Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland families want: a lower cost of living, safer communities, excellent schools, and a lawful immigration system,” Ms. Arena continued. “Families are literally struggling to put food on the table, and all Mr. Harkham seems to care about is higher taxes, open borders, consequence free crimes, and never-ending virtue signaling. It’s time for him to go.”