Elections have consequences. I am Bill Rieber, the Town of Thompson’s supervisor. Here is why everyone who lives in the 100th AD should step up and vote for Paula Kay.
Plain and …
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Elections have consequences. I am Bill Rieber, the Town of Thompson’s supervisor. Here is why everyone who lives in the 100th AD should step up and vote for Paula Kay.
Plain and simple: If the residents of Sullivan and Orange Counties do not have a Democrat who can be part of the Assembly majority, then we will have weakened the district and our chances of getting the money and legislation we need will go away.
Whether you are from Orange or Sullivan County; Democrat, Republican, Conservative or non-affiliated; we must cast our votes for Paula or wake up the day after Election Day and have only ourselves to blame.
The sum and substance of her opponent’s campaign has been his experience as a DPW commissioner and as a volunteer fireman. I have the utmost respect for those two positions but that is not what we need in Albany. DPW commissioners and firemen go to their state legislators for funding and hope that they are in the majority party or they leave empty-handed. Her opponent has spent the last 20 years lobbying Aileen Gunther for funding and, thankfully, Aileen is in the majority party and doesn’t play party politics; she represents the people. She brought home money for everyone. Paula will continue that legacy. You can count on it.
I have a reputation across the Hudson Valley as a no-nonsense supervisor, one who doesn’t play the party politics game. I have delivered for the residents of Thompson for the past 11 years as supervisor and for 30 years before that as a councilman. Party has never mattered to me and it never mattered to Paula, who has been by my side for well over a decade as the Town of Thompson deputy town attorney.
The Town of Thompson has led the entire Hudson Valley in both growth and low taxes. Paula has had a seat at every table for over 10 years and she will have a seat at the table in Albany. Her opponent, quite simply, will not.
I need a partner in Albany. The mayor of Middletown, Joe Destefano needs a partner. Sullivan County needs a partner in Albany who understands the whole district. Every resident of the 100th Assembly District has benefited from having a partner in Albany for the last 30 years and that partner absolutely must be a Democrat or, quite simply, we are screwed.
Her opponent says that he will bring people to the table. My question is, what table? He won’t be invited to the table that matters. Paula will. Are you sick of New York City controlling the upstate agenda? Me too. Paula has experience in the NYC mayor’s office and with the City Council. She knows how to speak to them, to explain our needs in a language they understand. Her opponent can do little more than bang his fists.
For the past three years I, along with my amazing staff in Thompson, have worked extremely hard to obtain grants and low-interest financing for infrastructure improvements here in Thompson. Paula was part of that team. This work recently resulted in $51 million in funds coming back to Thompson to pay for infrastructure. Her opponent’s response was that it was just politicians showing up with big checks. I find that personally insulting and so should every hard-working resident, taxpayer and ratepayer in Thompson who will benefit from those funds. Without those funds, residents of Thompson would have seen their bills jump by hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per year. Not to mention that not a single “politician” showed up to give the check at the press conference. It was the staff who did the work and realized the importance. Her opponent would have known that if he bothered to care or show up. This was real money given to real people to lessen a very real burden. Her opponent just doesn’t get it. While it may just be politics to him, helping people is very real to me and I can assure you that it is very real to Paula.
There is a reason that 31 unions, from law enforcement to nurses and teachers endorsed her. There is a reason that Lieutenant Governor Delgado (our former congressman) and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli support her. Her opponent has no such support. Even his own union, of which he is a 30-plus year member, has endorsed Paula for Assembly. Paula is simply the better candidate and can deliver for the 100th Assembly District. Party affiliation doesn’t matter; delivering does. People over politics.
Her opponent has made numerous references to the Democratic majority in Albany being bad. Aileen Gunther has been a member of that majority and in her over 20 years she has brought back more money to the district than the residents have paid in state taxes. That’s a pretty good record. You don’t get to do that in the minority. That’s for sure.
There is simply no reason to not vote for Paula. Not a single one. You oppose bail reform? So does Paula. Why do you think law enforcement unions across the land endorse her? You think NYC has too much influence over upstate? So does Paula. She stands ready to get into the room that her opponent won’t be allowed in and fix that. You want lower taxes? So does Paula. Thompson has lowered taxes for 10 of the last 11 years and Paula was part of my inner circle making that happen. There are those who beat their chests and talk over everyone to point out who is to blame for problems and there are those who quietly just roll up their sleeves and get things done. Paula gets things done.
Since Paula’s nomination, though it certainly didn’t start there, she has knocked on over 10,000 homes and spoke to countless people. Has her opponent knocked on any doors? How does he really know what the people of the 100th AD are thinking? While her opponent promises to hold meetings when he wins, Paula already heard your message and is ready to go to Albany and get things done. I don’t know about you but I’m pretty sick of meetings.
Please vote for Paula. She is the partner we need. Case closed.
Bill Rieber is the supervisor of the Town of Thompson in Sullivan County, NY.
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