Questions Timing of Public Party Fight
County Legislator James Nolan
Editor’s Note: We received the following comments from County Legislator James Nolan concerning a recent letter op-ed from Debbie Kozak calling on Yonkers GOP Chair Robert Moffitt to resign. Nolan pushed back on Kozak’s view, writing ” recent criticism of the party chairman leaves out important facts about candidate support and election results.”
Nolan said his own experience with Moffit has been different from the picture portrayed by Kozak. “I know who helps my campaign,” Nolan said. “I know who helps with petitions, knocks doors, attends events, makes calls, raises money, distributes literature and shows up when candidates need help. I also know who I rarely, if ever, see doing those things.”
“If we’re going to measure leadership by who actually helps Republican candidates, I’m fine with that standard,” Nolan added. “But that standard needs to apply to everybody, including the people making the accusations.”
“I’ll also say this: as the only Republican on the Westchester County Board of Legislators, Debbie has not once helped me in my last two races. My District includes 8 Election Districts in Northwest Yonkers and she hasn’t helped me there at all. The irony is Bob Moffitt did.”
Nolan also disputed the suggestion that Moffitt has failed to support Republican candidates.
“A chairman can’t knock on every door for you. He can’t make every phone call, raise every dollar, or personally convince every voter to support you. Candidates have to campaign.
“We’re outnumbered in voter registration in this city by nearly a 3-to-1 margin. We can’t expect to win everything overnight. The last time Yonkers had a Republican official in Albany, I was a senior in high school.
“We lost the mayor’s office 15 years ago, and we lost the city council 9 years ago. You can’t blame Bob for that — he wasn’t chair. Voting patterns in the city have changed, and as a candidate in a blue area, you’re facing strong headwinds. Often the national climate doesn’t help either.
“This isn’t just a Yonkers issue — throughout downstate New York, we’re losing ground. Sometimes you need to rebuild piece by piece, rather than pouring your energy into internal conflicts or unwinnable races.”
Nolan also challenged criticism of the party’s electoral performance by pointing to the results of Kozak’s own campaign.
Kozak was the Republican candidate for County Legislature in District 16 in 2023. Democrat Shanae Williams won the race with 57% of the vote, while Kozak received 37% and Working Families Party candidate Christopher Johnson received 6%.
Nolan, meanwhile, won re-election that year in District 15, defeating Democrat Ruth Walter 53% to 47%.
“Losing an election doesn’t mean someone shouldn’t have a voice in the Republican Party,” Nolan said. “But when someone who lost by approximately 20 points starts lecturing everyone else about how to win elections, I think that record is relevant to the conversation.”
Nolan said party organizations can provide resources and support, but candidates ultimately bear responsibility for their own campaigns.
“The truth is that once you receive a party’s nomination, the responsibility for the rest of that campaign falls largely on the candidate and the team that candidate builds. I think that any party leader would agree with this.” Nolan said.
Kozak also criticized the Yonkers GOP’s candidate recruitment efforts.
Nolan acknowledged that Republicans need to recruit more candidates but disputed the suggestion that the organization has failed to recruit or support candidates.
“We absolutely need more candidates, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise,” Nolan said. “But there is a difference between saying we need to improve recruitment and suggesting that nothing has been done.”
“Debbie herself was recruited, nominated and supported as a Republican candidate,” Nolan added. “You can’t simply erase that history because it doesn’t fit today’s argument.”
Nolan Questions Timing of Public Party Fight
Nolan also pointed to previous comments from Kozak calling for unity within the Yonkers Republican Party.
In an April 2025 opinion piece, Kozak wrote that Republicans should come together following party primaries, set aside their differences and focus on strengthening the party. She also criticized those more interested in “holding grudges and sowing division.”
Nolan said he agreed with that message then and still does.
“I agreed with Debbie when she called for Republicans to come together, and I still agree with it,” Nolan said. “That’s why I have a hard time understanding how publicly attacking the Chairman and the party organization while Republican candidates are campaigning accomplishes that goal. There is no doubt this hurts candidates. This is already a difficult year. I hear at the doors constantly that voters are upset with how unaffordable Westchester has become. This is why I submitted three legislative memorandums to help young families in purchasing their first home.”
It is incredibly difficult to recruit volunteers and candidates for office when people Debbie associates with do nothing but attack, harass, and disrespect people who have been doing this for years. It’s a huge turnoff and makes everyone lose interest. I know many volunteers who knock on a lot of doors for me but no longer put in the effort to knock on doors for other Republican candidates, because they no longer trust some of them. These are the same candidates who complain about not receiving any help, but have put in very little work trying to talk with volunteers why they are only helping other candidates.
“Accountability Has to Work Both Ways”
Nolan said that if party officials are going to be judged by fundraising, grassroots organization and support for candidates, the same questions should be asked of those criticizing them.
“How many doors have you knocked for our candidates? How many petitions have you carried? How much money have you helped raise? How many events have you attended? How many phone calls have you made? How many signs have you helped distribute? And how many hours have you spent helping Republican candidates other than yourself get elected?” Nolan asked.
“Those aren’t personal attacks,” Nolan said. “Those are the same standards being used to judge everybody else. Accountability has to work both ways. If someone isn’t willing to put in the effort to help, then comments and false statements should be kept to themselves.”
Nolan acknowledged that the Yonkers Republican Party faces significant challenges and said neither Moffitt nor any other party leader should be immune from legitimate criticism.
“We need more candidates. We need more volunteers. We need more fundraising. We need more registered Republicans, and we need to win more elections,” Nolan said.
“But Republicans attacking Republicans while our candidates are trying to win isn’t going to accomplish any of those things.”
Nolan concluded by challenging Republicans dissatisfied with the organization to become more involved.
“If you want to make the Yonkers Republican Party stronger, come help make it stronger,” Nolan said. “Knock doors. Make phone calls. Recruit candidates. Raise money. Register voters. Put up signs. Show up for somebody else’s campaign.”
“Leadership isn’t measured by how loudly you criticize the people doing the work,” Nolan added. “Leadership is measured by whether you’re willing to do the work yourself.”
For Nolan, the focus now remains on his own re-election campaign and representing District 15.
“I’m going to continue doing my job, representing my constituents and earning the trust of the voters,” Nolan said. “Results matter. Work matters. Showing up matters.”
Legislator Nolan is running for reelection in November in the 15th District on the County Board. His opponent is Democrat Kisha Skipper.