Is Reggie on the Ropes ?
By Dan Murphy
One thing in Westchester politics is certain. Democrats now hold supermajorities of elected officials in most communities on the local, county and state levels of government, and have now become the “Big Tent” of political parties. Westchester County Democratic Chairman Reginald LaFayette would like you to think that he has helped orchestrate the dominance that democrats now have countywide.
But the reasons why democrats now hold supermajorities across the board are more complex. President Donald Trump, the invigoration of energy and volunteers from Indivisible and progressive voters, and the continuing exodus of older republican voters from Westchester, who are being replaced by younger democrats, are the three primary reasons why LaFayette sits on top of a successful Westchester Democratic Party.
Despite the democratic successes in the county, many Westchester democrats believe that the time for Reggie to go is now. The final blow to LaFayette’s leadership for many came in the recent democratic primary on June 23, where some voters had to wait more than 2 hours to vote at different locations throughout the county. Some of those voters were seniors, who had to wait in the heat, and thankfully escaped without injury. One democratic leader told us, “I think Reggie should have left 10 years ago. It was time then and its time now.”
Despite the recent voting troubles, Chairman LaFayette, who also serves as one of the Board of Elections Commissioners,recently emailed democratic district leaders to tell them he is running for relection again.
“Despite rumors and speculation to the contrary, I am running for re-election as your County Chair at the September 17, 2020 County Reorganizational Meeting. I am asking for your support based on our successes throughout my tenure as your County Chair. I am sending this short message to clear up any confusion on whether I would be running for re-election,” wrote LaFayette on August 5.
One of the reasons for the letter is that LaFayette heard the rumblings that at least three democratic leaders in Westchester had tossed their names out as the next Westchester Democratic Chair. They are: Greenburgh Chair Suzanne Berger, Mt. Kisco Democratic Chair Bill Serratore, and County Legislator Christopher Johnson.
Our democratic sources tell us that Legislator Johnson was under the impression that LaFayette would see the writing on the wall and step aside gracefully. But now that Reggie is in, Johnson may be stepping aside, even though he had hoped for the support of the progressive-indivisible vote, and the Yonkers democrats vote.
Serratore has the support from a coaltion of democratic committees in Norther Westchester and from the Indivisible groups throughout the county.
Greenburgh Democratic Chair Suzanne Berger is another popular choice of democrats in and around Greenburgh, and Westchester. She emailed all Westchester democrats to announced her candidacy last week.
“I am excited to announce my candidacy for Chair of the Westchester County Democratic Committee. Democrats spoke clearly in the last election – They Want Change. Leadership skills, experience and deep relationships with Democratic constituencies and elected officials are critical to accomplishing change and our primary mission of electing qualified pro-choice progressive Democrats to office. My relationships with elected officials and activists at the State, County, Town and local levels are broad, solid and strong.
“The Greenburgh Town Committee is one of the most active, energized and diverse committees in the County. We welcome members of Indivisible Rivertowns, organized labor, community leaders and advocates for causes to serve as District Leaders. We collaborate with the Hispanic Democrats of Westchester, the Westchester Black Democrats, Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus, WCLA – Choice Matters, and the Westchester Women Democrats. Under my leadership, we have elected and supported a diverse slate of candidates for office. We believe that actions speak louder than words.
“As County Chair, I will Increase our social media presence and modernize our outdated website-Promote a stronger outward presence to the 400,000 Westchester Democrats.-Work collaboratively with elected officials, as well as with other NYS County Chairs. elected officials,” wrote Berger.
Another democratic leader told us. “If Reggie has more than one opponent, they will split the vote and he will be re-elected Chairman. They need to decide who wants to challenge him and make it a one on one contest.”
