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These are the candidate descriptions received by the River Reporter for this election.
They’ve been lightly edited for River Reporter style, and if a candidate did not include a party affiliation, we didn’t add it. Sample ballots are available from the Board of Elections in your county.
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These are the candidate descriptions received by the River Reporter for this election. They’ve been lightly edited for River Reporter style, and if a candidate did not include a party affiliation, we didn’t add it. Sample ballots are available from the Board of Elections in your county.
My name is Eric Ball, and I am the Democratic nominee to serve Sullivan County in the New York State Senate. I was born and raised in Walton, NY, where I currently serve as a member of village government. I come from a working-class family, so I know the importance of strong union jobs, protecting reproductive healthcare, safeguarding access to the ballot box, fighting the climate crisis, and building our economy from the bottom up, not the top down.
I’m in this race because our leadership is out of touch and ineffective. My opponent has delivered measly funding in comparison to other Senators and obstructs meaningful legislation that uplifts working families.
I know what the stakes are for working families, I know what it’s like to be uninsured, and I know what it’s like to choose between groceries and gas. I work a 9-to-5 and then hit the campaign trail, because we need responsible and effective governance. We must elect a representative who will expand affordable healthcare and housing options, protect our generational family farms, and deliver community funding that meets the levels of other districts. I’m going to Albany to fight for the working class, not sell them out.
The state senate is the arena where New Yorkers are afforded the right to health care, fair elections, and equal protections. Let’s guarantee we do not let an extremist agenda strip them away. To learn more about our campaign, get involved and donate, please visit ericballforstatesenate.com.
After serving one term as New York State senator, I look forward to continuing to represent the residents of the new 51st Senate District. My background as a small business owner, local elected official and volunteer emergency first responder has helped me bring a unique perspective to the job and new views to Albany.
During my first term, I have advocated for policies to expand broadband (and cell phone) access, support our struggling small businesses, end criminal-friendly policies like bail reform, assist our family farms, block out-of-control Albany spending, and end unnecessary government mandates.
I have also stood up for our Second Amendment rights and will continue to push back against misguided laws that fail to improve safety and only target law-abiding citizens.
Rebuilding our economy, lowering taxes and making our streets safe will always top my priority list. Additionally, I am extremely concerned about out-of-control energy costs. We need a home-heating tax credit providing direct relief, and a diverse energy strategy promoting affordability and reliability.
More must be done regarding drug addiction. And the rural regions I represent lack services; we are tragically losing too many people as a result.
Finally, as a member of the Education and Higher Education committees, I am focused on ensuring our next generation of leaders will have the resources needed to meet increasing challenges.
Measures to make New York more affordable, create new opportunities, and keep our citizens safe are the concerns I hear every day, and they top my agenda.
Our community needs a proven leader in Congress with a track record of working to find solutions, not stoking the deep division that continues to keep our state and nation from reaching its fullest. For more than a quarter-century, I’ve earned the trust of New Yorkers by unifying people of different backgrounds and ideas to bring about a greater good for the people I’ve served.
The son of a mother who, for some time, raised a young family on her own, I know the value of hard work and determination. The father of four children, including one on the autism spectrum, I know the importance of family, giving your all for your loved ones no matter the personal sacrifice.
After a global pandemic, rampant inflation, and a government-fostered crime wave has ravaged our state and nation, I’m running for the future of our community—the health, safety, and well-being of my neighbors—and to help New York and America rebound and fulfill the ideal of our state and country for which we’ve longed.
I’m running for the future of my children and yours; for families who can barely heat their homes or buy groceries; for employees who have struggled like never before to maintain the American dream; for small business owners whose ambitions and livelihoods have been ravaged; for those who have been marginalized, left out, and relegated to the sidelines for too long.
I’m running because I believe in America and Americans. I believe in our exceptionalism—our capacity and the need to restore our shining city on a hill. I’m running for us—we, the people.
I’m a fifth-generation upstate New Yorker. My family came to Endicott by way of Callicoon over 100 years ago in search of work. For generations, they worked in the local plants, until those jobs were shipped overseas. As employment declined, opioid use and poverty rates increased. Meanwhile, corporate profits soared and Wall Street boomed.
We deserve better than what the career politicians have gotten us. We need to set aside the division and dysfunction in our politics and start treating each other with decency and giving each other the benefit of the doubt. If we do, we can come together and find common ground addressing some of the biggest challenges of the day–creating new jobs, lowering costs, protecting constitutional rights and improving public safety.
Sullivan County is facing critical healthcare shortages. I will take the following steps to address it: (1) attract and retain providers in rural communities, including by supporting nurses in schools; (2) treat high-speed internet as a public health issue, understanding that we cannot take advantage of telemedicine without it; (3) put mental health on par with physical health.
I have experience to deliver. In my first case out of law school, I partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics on a civil rights lawsuit representing kids from low-income families who were having trouble accessing healthcare, many of whom had to travel hours to get the services they needed. We secured meaningful reforms to improve care, and I will continue that fight in Congress.
Judge Thomas Marcelle is the only candidate seeking election in the Third Judicial District this year with previous judicial experience. He was the first judge to rule bail reform violated the New York State Constitution, a ruling by Judge Marcelle called “common-sense” by the Times-Union newspaper.
During a legal career of nearly 30 years, Judge Marcelle has been appointed to positions of public trust by both Democrats and Republicans. He served as counsel to Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple and as Albany County Attorney. Serving as Cohoes City Court Judge for seven years, Judge Marcelle has resolved thousands of cases as a judge.
A graduate of Cornell Law School, Judge Marcelle successfully argued a case before the nation’s highest court, the U.S. Supreme Court. He also served as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, before entering private practice where he has tried many criminal and civil cases.
He has been endorsed by Council 82—New York State Law Enforcement Officers Union, Laborer’s Local 190, Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 7, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Sheriff Apple, Sullivan County Sheriff Michael Schiff, former Supreme Court Justice Michael Kavanagh, former Appellate Division Judge Eugene “Gus” Devine, former Court of Appeals Judge Victoria Graffeo, former Appellate Division Justice Bernard “Bud” Malone, and an array of federal, state and local officials from both sides of the political aisle.
He and his wife Elena are parents of two sons and a daughter, and reside in Bethlehem, Albany County
I have been practicing law for over 27 years, and am seeking the position of Sullivan County Family Court Judge. The Family Court handles cases involving child custody and visitation, child support, orders of protection, child abuse and neglect, adoption, juvenile delinquency and more. I am uniquely qualified to serve as Family Court Judge.
Since opening a firm in Sullivan County in 2004, my practice has focused primarily on criminal defense and family law matters. I have represented people from a variety of backgrounds, including children, parents and grandparents, in every type of case that comes before the Family Court. This has given me the insight and perspective to understand the stresses of a family court proceeding. I also understand and appreciate the impact of the Family Court’s decisions on the parents and children. I will always be sensitive to the emotions that accompany a family court case.
I recognize the importance of allowing everyone to be heard, and of keeping an open mind. As our judge on the Sullivan County Family Court, I will be fair and impartial, and will always strive to act in the best interests of the children and families who appear before me.
I’m running for the state Assembly to continue fighting for the hardworking families of Orange and Sullivan counties. I grew up here, raised my children here, and I know this is a great place to call home.
The biggest issue facing families today is inflation. In the Assembly, I’ve fought to provide relief from rising costs by lowering taxes, suspending the sales tax on gas, providing property tax rebates and expanding child tax credits. I’ve also secured more funding for our schools to help keep property taxes down.
Another top issue in our communities is rising crime. Coming from a law enforcement family, I know how important it is to provide police with the resources they need to keep us safe. That’s why I secured funding for local law enforcement to make needed upgrades to boost public safety. I also voted against bail reform laws and led the fight to give judges more discretion so we can keep dangerous criminals behind bars.
As a nurse, I care deeply about helping people. I fought to pass laws to improve our health care system, including making sure our hospitals and nursing homes have safe staffing levels. I also helped pass the nation’s strongest paid family leave policy, which allows family members to take paid time off to care for a newborn or sick loved one.
My heart is here in the Hudson Valley, and I will keep fighting every day to make our communities a better place where all families can thrive.
My name is Lisa LaBue. I am a single mom and I have two sons and a granddaughter. I am not a politician; however, the direction of our state and bad policies—including what is going on in the schools—is what fueled my fire to get involved. I owned a small business and transitioned into banking; my last position was as an Assistant Vice President of Business Relationship Management. I have a strong work ethic and a successful track record in both industries.
As a former business owner and general manager, I bring a level-headed straightforward approach in handling issues. I am also very civic-minded, serving on the board of Victory Hill Therapeutic Horsemanship, and have been an ambassador with the Orange County Chamber for over five years.
My platform is lower taxes, lower spending, fiscal responsibility, curb reckless spending, pro-law enforcement and more discretionary power for our judges. We need tough-on-crime policies and to repeal the cashless bail, the Halt act and the Safe Act. We need less government in our personal lives.
As a parent, I will fight for the preservation of our parental rights in school and in our children’s health care. We will not co-parent with the government. We have an opioid epidemic and fentanyl poisoning running rampant in our district. All our first responders, along with our law enforcement, need the resources available to them to help in dealing with this issue, along with resources for treatment, rehabilitation, education and enforcement. I will fight for the resources needed in our communities.
I am the only independent on the ballot. As a write-in candidate, I run not as a Democrat or a Republican. My positions, articulated on my website, are held by most people. Our elections are fair, and we are free to make our own choices. I seek sensible government, not divisive politics. When elected, I will include all people and protect our freedom. Each person’s voice matters, and I will get what we need.
I’ve attended public meetings and events in each municipality in the district—listening deeply and questioning respectfully. I know our opportunities and threats, and our strengths and weaknesses. I am educated and trained as a scientist and forester who has practiced professionally with governments, businesses and nonprofits. I will bring smart, reasonable representation and integrity to the office.
Protecting the environment and achieving livable wages are my priorities. Improving health, infrastructure, education and public safety are additional goals. We must prepare for climate change in ways that provide quality of life for everyone. I will navigate the complexities of state government to obtain positions on committees that are important to the district. I will build working relationships with all legislators and apply my government experiences to better our lives and communities.
Inclusive, non-partisan representation makes sense for everybody. We must walk away from partisan bickering to make the real-life changes we need. Elect me, an independent woman, to represent you and I will protect what we love in rural Pennsylvania.
I’ve spent my entire career sticking up for working people, first as a trial attorney, and now as the congressman in Pennsylvania’s Eighth District. As your congressman, I’ve stood up to corporate special interests and Washington insiders, working to lower prices, protecting and expanding access to healthcare, and growing our local economy so that working people are given a chance to thrive.
Every day I’m working to ensure the federal government is deeply invested in northeastern Pennsylvania, by bringing home more federal investment than any other member of Congress from our state—securing funding for economic development, public safety, quality healthcare and key infrastructure projects.
I’ve also brought back funding to provide work opportunities and upgrades to care centers for our community’s veterans. On my watch, I will always see that northeastern Pennsylvanians have true leadership and representation in Washington by making sure we never get left behind.
At a time when so many working people in northeastern Pennsylvania are struggling, I’m working to lower prices in the grocery aisle and at the gas pumps, so that we can build a local economy that works for everyone. That is why I helped lead the effort to bring a $6 billion plant to the district that will convert shale gas into regular car gas, creating jobs and making this region more energy-independent.
Every day I’m working to build an economy for working people by taking on the greed of corporate special interests looking to fatten their bottom lines by overcharging us.
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