Westchester GOP Chair Doug Colety, left with GOP Comptroller candidate Joseph Hernandez
Yonkers GOP Chair Bob Moffit, right, with former Councilman and State Senate candidate Anthony Merante
Years of Self-Interest, Division, and Political Failure — Who Is Accountable?
By Joseph Berger, John P. O’Leary Northwest Yonkers Republican Club co-founder, member and guest write
Election Day is November 3, 2026, and once again, Republican voters in Westchester County and Yonkers are being asked to support a slate of candidates reluctantly endorsed by their own Republican leadership.
What makes this election particularly troubling is that some of these candidates have stood on the opposite side of the very Republican leadership now endorsing them. These individuals should be recognized for what they are: independent-minded Republican candidates who have demonstrated a willingness to challenge the party establishment.
For far too long, the Republican Party in Westchester County and Yonkers has suffered from ineffective leadership, internal divisions, personal interests, and a disturbing lack of accountability.
This is no longer simply a question of losing elections. It is a question of whether certain individuals in leadership positions are more interested in preserving their own political influence and personal benefits than rebuilding a competitive Republican Party.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY — A PARTY IN DECLINE UNDER DOUG COLETY
Under Chairman Doug Colety’s leadership, the Westchester County Republican Party has continued its decline, struggling to attract what I estimate to be even 30% of the vote in many general election contests.
Who should be held accountable for this continuing failure?
The chairman must accept responsibility.
In my opinion, Doug Colety has become more of a roadblock to Republican success than a leader committed to building a winning organization.
Republican candidates need financial support, organizational assistance, voter outreach, and a coordinated strategy to win elections. Instead, too many candidates are left struggling with minimal resources and inadequate party support.
There is also a serious question concerning the party’s campaign literature and printing arrangements. I believe Chairman Colety’s financial interests in campaign printing deserve greater transparency and scrutiny.
If party leadership benefits financially from producing campaign literature, Republican voters and candidates deserve to know whether those arrangements create conflicts of interest and whether the party’s resources are being used in the candidates’ best interests.
Candidates must win elections for the Republican Party to succeed. Party leadership should not be financially rewarded regardless of whether those candidates win or lose.
The continued deterioration of the Westchester County Republican Party demands accountability, transparency, and a fundamental change in leadership priorities.
YONKERS — DIVISION, PERSONAL INTERESTS, AND THE ABSENCE OF LEADERSHIP
In Yonkers, Republican Chairman Bob Moffitt presides over what I believe has become an increasingly divided and ineffective political organization.
Rather than building a unified Republican Party capable of challenging Democratic control, the organization appears dominated by a small circle of insiders whose priorities too often revolve around political relationships, jobs, appointments, and maintaining their own influence.
Where is the commitment to Republican voters?
Where is the recruitment of qualified candidates?
Where is the strategy to challenge Democratic officeholders?
Where is the plan to rebuild the Republican Party in Yonkers?
Election after election, Democrats face little or no meaningful Republican opposition in too many contests.
This failure does not happen overnight. It develops over years of poor planning, weak organization, internal political maneuvering, and leadership that has failed to put the party’s future ahead of individual interests.
A political party that cannot consistently recruit, support, and elect qualified candidates is not functioning as an effective opposition party.
The consequences extend far beyond Republican politics. Without meaningful political competition, voters lose the benefit of alternative ideas, independent oversight, and accountability in government.
The people of Yonkers deserve better.
THE SAME EXCUSES, ELECTION AFTER ELECTION
After every Republican defeat, we hear the same familiar excuses:
• We didn’t have enough money.
• We couldn’t find qualified candidates.
• The Democrats have too much of an advantage.
• Republican voters didn’t come out.
• We didn’t have the organization necessary to win.
But who is responsible for raising money, recruiting candidates, organizing voters, and developing a winning political strategy?
THAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PARTY LEADERSHIP!
You cannot spend years failing to build an organization and then blame the organization for losing elections.
You cannot neglect Republican voters and then complain when they become discouraged.
You cannot allow personal interests and internal divisions to dominate the party and expect candidates to succeed.
And you certainly cannot continue doing the same things election after election while expecting different results.
REPUBLICAN VOTERS DESERVE LEADERSHIP — NOT EXCUSES
The Republican Party in Westchester County and Yonkers does not belong to Doug Colety, Bob Moffitt, or any small circle of political insiders.
It belongs to the Republican voters, candidates, committee members, volunteers, and taxpayers who believe in competitive elections, responsible government, fiscal accountability, and genuine public service.
Those voters deserve a party that fights to win elections, not merely one that exists to preserve political titles, relationships, and personal benefits.
They deserve leadership that welcomes independent thinking rather than discouraging candidates who refuse to follow the establishment.
They deserve an organization that recruits strong candidates, raises the resources necessary to compete, and challenges Democratic officeholders at every level of government.
Most importantly, they deserve leaders who measure success by Republican victories, not by the political or financial benefits of holding party office.
NOVEMBER 3, 2026 — TIME FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
This election should serve as a wake-up call.
The Republican Party cannot continue down the same path of declining influence, internal division, and repeated electoral failure.
We must support Republican candidates who are willing to stand independently, challenge the political establishment, and represent the people rather than the interests of party insiders.
The future of the Republican Party in Westchester County and Yonkers depends on a willingness to confront the failures of its leadership and demand meaningful change.
The question is no longer why Republicans keep losing elections.
The question is why the same leadership continues to remain in power despite years of disappointing results.
Until Republican voters and committee members demand accountability, transparency, and a genuine commitment to winning elections, the cycle of failure will continue.
Our Republican Party deserves better. Our candidates deserve better. And above all, the voters of Westchester County and Yonkers deserve better.
Joseph Berger has been an active force in Yonkers politics and local government for decades. His extensive leadership includes serving as a Republican and Conservative Party County Committee Member, 9th Ward Conservative Party Leader, Yonkers Conservative Party City Executive Committee Member, Conservative Party State and Judicial Committee Delegate, and Southeast Conservative Party Chairman.
As a seasoned campaign strategist, he managed successful bids for former Yonkers Councilman and Mayor Henry Spallone and former Councilman Sal Saliano, while also lending his expertise as a political consultant to candidates on both sides of the aisle.The opinions expressed are rooted in decades of first hand involvement in Yonkers political campaigns and municipal governance, offering deep, authentic insight into the issues shaping the city and its residents.