This is big news!
NYSUT President Melinda Person said that I have proven my support “for working families by fighting to protect accessible health care, clean water and well-funded schools.
Fully funding our schools was a top priority of mine when I first ran, and I kept my promise. I will continue to focus on education funding to make sure that our educational goals are met.
Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders—and they are depending on us for the top-notch education they deserve.
Since my Republican counterparts regularly vote against education funding in the State Budget, however, there is no reason at all to think my opponent will do otherwise.
This year, I was able to secure over $543 million in educational aid to the 40th Senate District, an increase of $17.2 million or 3.28%. Since taking office in 2019, I have delivered an increase of $210 million in education aid to SD40 schools, which has lessened the burden on local taxpayers.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
New York State Senator - 40th District - Democrat - Pete Harckham.
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***Senate Chief of Staff is Mayor of Croton***
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Arena Points to Blatant Conflict of Interest Over
Controversial Housing Proposal; Calls for Mayor’s Recusal.
Hudson Valley-Sept. 13…State Senator Pete Harckham, who was forced to withdraw a radical housing proposal that would have mandated multi-family apartment complexes in single-family neighborhoods near train stations in Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties, is at it again, this time employing his chief of staff — who doubles as the paid Mayor of Croton-on-Hudson — to push nearly 400 new multi-family apartment units into a bucolic village whose residents don’t want them, State Senate candidate Gina Arena today charged.
Mr. Harckham’s 2022 legislation was so radical and divisive that Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul urged that it be pulled from consideration during the 2022 election cycle. The Harckham bill would have overridden local zoning laws, many of which were created after decades of painstaking local input and planning. (Progressives have long called for ending home rule on zoning issues.)
Ms. Arena, a longtime children and families advocate and a lifelong Westchester resident, called on Croton Mayor Brian Pugh to recuse himself from these large multi-family housing development proposals near the Croton-on-Hudson train station while also serving as chief of staff to the state senator, a highly unusual arrangement.
“Pete Harckham is at it again with his pie-in-the sky ideas that always seem to come at the expense of his constituents,” Ms. Arena said. “After his radical proposal to override local zoning was loudly rejected two years ago, he’s now using his chief-of-staff to force through two massive multi-family housing projects over which Croton residents have legitimate concerns. Mr. Harckham’s chief of staff is clearly doing Mr. Harckham’s bidding as Mayor after the senate legislation they both promoted failed miserably in the face of public backlash. In a nutshell, a New York mayor is being paid by a state senator who’s the champion of ending home rule in this state. If that’s not a conflict of interest, I don’t know what is.”
Ms. Arena, a mother of eight, said the residents of Croton-on-Hudson have a right to decide on the size, scale, and scope of any developments in their community, without thumbs being added to the scale.
“I’m sorry, but this doesn't pass the smell test,” Ms. Arena continued. “Senator Harckham is clearly taking advantage of this situation at the expense of the people. It’s totally inappropriate for a New York mayor to be getting paid by the State Legislature. That’s federalism 101.”
The 40th State Senate District spans Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties.
9/11 Memorial Statement by New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar.
“Today’s crisp air and deep blue sky almost reminds us of that terrible September day 23 years ago when foreign terrorists attacked our nation and took the lives of nearly 3,000 of our neighbors. Thousands more have passed away in the intervening years from cancers and other ailments caused by the 9/11 attacks. We pause to remember today all those we’ve lost, to recommit ourselves to their memories, and to pledge ourselves to an even better, safer, and freer America. The Conservative Party will never forget.”
NEW YORK BOARD OF REGENTS PUNTS ON MERGING GIRLS AND BOYS SPORTS IN WAKE OF ARENA CAMPAIGN TO
SAVE GIRLS SPORTS.
Hudson Valley-Sept. 9…The New York Board of Regents has at least temporarily shelved plans to merge Girls and Boys high school sports in New York State after State Senate candidate Gina Arena (SD-40) launched her campaign within a campaign to Save Girls Sports in the state. The Board of Regents had planned to vote this week on a proposal to permanently provide boys spots on girls high school sports teams if the same sport isn’t offered for boys. At the same time, progressives are advancing a constitutional amendment in New York — Prop One — that would give biological males a constitutional right to play on girls sports teams here.
“After 52 years of Title IX progress, New York State has shamefully become the national leader in discriminating against women and girls in sports, and that’s unacceptable,” Ms. Arena said. “Sixty-six percent of New Yorkers recently surveyed said they want Girls Sports left alone, but radical progressives, like my opponent State Senator Pete Harckham, think they know better than the rest of us. Girls work hard to get on sports teams, and many dream of earning athletic scholarships to college, but that will all be jeopardized if they are forced to compete against boys and other biological males. This is a clear issue of common sense, safety, and fairness; there is nothing logical or fair about what New York State is planning.”
Ms. Arena, a mother of six girls, launched a lawn sign awareness campaign across the lower Hudson Valley to “Save Girls Sports” on National Women's Equality Day last month. Ms. Arena, a longtime children and families advocate and a lifelong Westchester resident, garnered 47% of the vote against Mr. Harkham in 2022. The 40th State Senate District spans Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties.
Statement on Chinese Spy at Highest Levels of New York Government by New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar.
“This is no one-day news story: A spy for the Chinese Communist Party has been captured after working for years at some of the highest levels of New York State government. The situation demands an immediate and exhaustive federal and state investigation to determine just how much damage this spy network has done.
“The story doesn’t begin here. Last year we learned that the Chinese Communist Party was establishing ‘police precincts’ in New York and elsewhere to track and harass anti-Communist Americans, Chinese expatriates, citizens of the democratic Republic of China (ROC) living in the U.S., and others. Now learn that a former Deputy Chief of Staff to two New York State governors was an agent for the Chinese Communist Party the whole time she served. The situation is intolerable.
“The relationship between the U.S. and Communist China has been spiraling downward for years, yet our defenses against their attempts to penetrate U.S. government entities haven't kept pace with that reality, as is clearly evidenced in New York. Any attempts to sweep this national security threat under the table will be equally intolerable. We need answers, and we should spend all the time needed to unearth and unravel the damage that’s been done. The stakes couldn’t be higher.”
In the General Election, Vote to Re-Elect New York State Senator Shelley Mayer in the 37th District, Running on the Democratic and Working...
