By Dan Murphy
WESTCHESTER, N.Y. — Westchester residents who live in the 37 State Senate District, which runs from East Yonkers, to Eastchester, up the Sound Shore and north to Bedford, can expect to see and hear from the two candidates seeking to replace former senator and now County Executive George Latimer.
Last month, Democrats picked Yonkers Assembly member Shelley Mayer to be their candidate, while Republicans met last week and picked Rye City Deputy Mayor Julie Killian to be their candidate. Killian, who ran two years ago against Latimer for the same Senate seat, jumped into the race less than two weeks ago after the other two announced Republican candidates, Sarmad Khojestah and Dan Schorr, didn’t excite Republicans here in Westchester or in Albany.
While Killian is clearly the best candidate Republicans in Westchester could find to run against Mayer, some question the time that expired before the GOP decided on Killian. If Westchester Democrats could agree on a candidate last month, why would Republicans wait until last week to nominate Killian? “After a blue wave, anti-Trump election that threw out former County Executive Robert Astorino, why would Republicans give Shelley Mayer a 40-day jump start on this special election?” asked one county Republican.
Both the Democrat State Senate Committee and Republican State Senate Committee will be deeply involved in the special election, which has been set by Gov. Andrew Cuomo for April 24. And that means that negative accusations and campaign mailers and television commercials from both sides will flood Westchester over the next eight weeks.
“Killian’s only record is that of a no-show failed politician who is part of the Westchester Republican machine,” said Mike Murphy, spokesman for the Democratic State Senate Committee. “She has spent years bankrolling right-wing politicians and is now being handpicked by Trump’s top New York allies to help them continue their dangerous policies in Albany, including restricting women’s health choices, raising taxes and shortchanging our schools. Shelley Mayer is working hard each day to lower taxes, support local schools and advocate for women’s rights.”
Murphy referenced the fact that Killian gave $70,000 to Republican candidates – most of it in the two years prior to her 2012 City Council appointment and 2011 Westchester County Charter Revision Commission appointment – sparking allegations of pay-to-play. While serving on the Westchester County Charter Commission, charged with improving county government, Killian missed more than half of the meetings and skipped more than 80 percent of votes taken. New Yorkers for Growth, a political action committee for which Killian as a board member, contributed $177,850 to state Republican candidates, including $93,500 for Republican State Senate candidates.
GOP majority spokesman Scott Reiff attacked Mayer, stating: “With all of the candidates who put their names forward for a vacant Senate seat in Westchester County, it’s shocking that the party bosses would choose this one. Shelly Mayer was chief counsel to two Senate majority leaders who were indicted, convicted and sent to jail for corruption, (referring to former Democratic State Senate leaders John Sampson and Malcolm Smith). She was the architect of $14 billion in tax increases, including the unfair and job-killing Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax. She eliminated the STAR rebate checks and hurt Westchester seniors and homeowners. And, she devised a scheme to send Westchester’s school aid to New York City.
“Thankfully, Senate Republicans stepped in to cut taxes, help local schools, and reverse many of these anti-Westchester policies. The last thing Westchester County taxpayers and their families should do is send Shelly Mayer back to the Senate. She’s done enough damage already.”
Murphy quipped back: “The last thing Westchester families need is to empower a Republican conference that has been arm-in-arm with Trump and his Washington allies trying to destroy New York’s middle class. This attack is also pretty comical coming from a conference that has taken corruption to a new level and has spent 50 years raising taxes and destroying jobs in Westchester County.”
Get ready for a muddy, negative and vicious campaign – but can we expect anything different in our political dialogue today? Happy spring!
