The Cornwall Democrat
The Cornwall Democratic Committee Holiday Food Fund Drive, benefitting the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, was a resounding success, raising $2,550 against our $2,500 goal! The Food Bank can turn every dollar donated into four meals for people in need; so thanks to our local Democrats, we helped them provide 10,200 meals to families in the six counties they serve. Thank you!
Cornwall Democrats after a shift sorting donations at the Food Bank in March 2022.
This year, in lieu of a holiday party, we have decided to give back to the community that offers us so much by taking on food insecurity. The Cornwall Democratic Committee has partnered with the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley to make it easy for you to donate using this online fundraising site. Please join us—and stay safe, happy, and well this holiday season!
The Orange County Board of Elections is currently seeking registered voters who wish to work as Election Inspectors—the poll workers who identify voters and help you cast your ballot. “We depend on the election workers to help us conduct fair and secure elections each year,” stated Deputy Commissioner Courtney Canfield Greene.
Any registered voter or any seventeen-year-old who pre-registers with the Orange County Board of Elections is eligible. A seventeen-year-old would be required to pre-register to vote, turn eighteen by the General Election and have their parent or guardian’s written permission to work election day. Election workers would be assigned to a polling location in their community or in a neighboring area if they are willing to travel.
Election Workers are compensated for their training and can earn $250 on Election Day. Training will be available in early fall and will accommodate any schedule. Learn more here, or call the Orange County Board of Elections at (845) 360-6515 for Democratic inquiries or email them: elections@orangecountygov.com.
Over the Memorial Day Weekend, Sarita Bhandarkar, candidate for 99th Assembly District, delivered greeting cards and chocolates to residents at Valley View Nursing Home and at Braemar at Wallkill Assisted Living Facility, just two of the many facilities in the county which were hit by COVID-19. Sarita spoke with caregivers, as well as with the families of resi-dents. She said, "We commend and thank the essential workers and care-givers who worked long hours caring for these residents during this pandemic.”
In a statement on the ongoing protests Sarita said, “I saw on the news that protests were planned in NYC over George Floyd’s death. My first reaction was, I think, the normal reaction of many black and brown Americans. I texted my brother and said, ‘Please don’t go. I want you to be safe.’ Safe. The right to be safe. That is what we want in America.
“When protesters say Black Lives Matter, it does not mean Blue Lives Don’t. It means we need to recognize that we live in a country which has not yet lived up to its ideals. It means we need to recognize systemic injustice and systemic racism-- we need to acknowledge they exist if we are going to progress as a people.”
And Sarita could be seen at rallies and vigils, not just talking but listening and adding to her own perspective.
Senator Skoufis, while being busy in Albany, has found time on weekends to volunteer at the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley and Newburgh Mutual Aid to Feed Neighbors. All the while he and his staff assisted over 4,000 individual constituents with unemployment claims. The Senator slowed down only to take time to fight off and recover from a bout with the deadly Coronavirus himself.
In Albany, the Senator and his Democratic colleagues passed two bills in early June. One bill requires New York State Police to wear body cameras. Another repeals section 50-a of the Civil Rights law, which currently shields police personnel records. Both bills promote police accountability. The Sena-tor’s work is not done there either. The legislature will reconvene later this month.
Here, in Cornwall, the Democratic majority on the Town Board have been working to ensure Cornwall’s safety and viability during the pandemic, working with local small businesses on the reopening. Councilman Josh Wojehowski used his expertise in the hospitality trade to work with Cornwall’s restaurants and the Town to ensure a safe and successful phased reopening. As a result, restaurants have expanded outdoor seating with permission from the Town. Reliable sources revealed new businesses are coming to Main Street, one being called “a game changer.”
Councilman Wojehowski informed this publication that the Main Street Revitalization is still moving forward, too. The renovation of bridge street and traffic circle beautification are on track. According to Supervisor Randazzo both projects should be completed this year.
Additionally, the Town Board passed a resolution on equality for all on July 13th. Councilwoman Virginia Scott added, “If I could share one message to our community it would be that your Town Board has the responsibility to effectively address issues that are raised by the community with respect. Our responses must be well thought out and we did take a mindful approach in order to develop a resolution to assert our position as local leaders that we will not condone or tolerate discriminatory behavior.”
The board also passed a resolution against the Danskammer Plant after receiving feedback from community.
Two of Cornwall’s Democratic elected representatives shared a Q&A tonight on Facebook Live, advising residents about COVID-19 matters and plans for rebuilding New York’s economy smarter and better than before.
COVID-19 has changed a lot of our normal behaviors, and mask-wearing is no exception. In his daily address on Tuesday, Governor Cuomo summed up the meaning behind mask-wearing for New Yorkers. Remember: when you wear a mask you’re protecting others from infection; and when others wear a mask, they’re protecting you.
If your family or business has been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, the following grants and other resources may be of use. As many of these grants and financial resources are changing rapidly, Senator Skoufis’ Grants Specialist will update this document weekly with the most accurate and timely information. Please continue to check back for any changes or additions.
https://files.constantcontact.com/fb588e1b201/aeffccc3-0030-47b0-b089-19aecc6f324c.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1w15sj-4cQJM88kF6LKehlzQHzAIIGroKWZ8Ai_g_kTcfSHjHQfgHjvco
Some of the Cornwall Young Democrats are involved in a project that is providing virtual tutoring to students K-12 in Duchess and Orange county while school is closed. Duchess-Orange Tutoring, or DOT, was started by Jess Wu and has been running for roughly a month now. More information can be found here, https://dotutoring.wixsite.com/dotutoring.
Today, the DOT administrative team got to speak to Congressman Antonio Delgado; this weekend they will be included in his local hero's spotlight.
If you know a K-12 student in need of tutoring, or a college or high school aged student who would like to become a tutor, please visit the site where you can sign up via google form. The team wants to reach as many kids as possible, so please help them get out the word!
Cornwall Young Democrats Max Brooks and Alexandra Raposo offered The Cornwall Democrat their reflections on public service.
“The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a community as ‘a group of people living in the same place,’ but we, Cornwall Young Democrats, believe that it is much, much more. We do indeed live in the same place, but that also means that we shop at the same grocery stores, drive the same roads, and see the same sights. To service your community is to service a greater good - it is meant to benefit you, everyone you know, and everyone you have yet to cross paths with. “But communities go beyond towns and villages and municipalities; they traverse the nation. Service to the American public creates an even greater good, one that benefits you, those you’ve met, those you haven’t, those on the other side of the political divide, the less fortunate, the extremely fortunate, the young, the old, and everyone in between.”
Our 2019 candidate for Receiver of Taxes described her vision of public service for The Cornwall Democrat.
“Public service is my opportunity to give back, my chance to be the voice for those who are without one; the time I am most able to use my ability to lift up another human being; to defend their human rights and beliefs that we are all afforded but not always equally given. It is my duty as a human being to leave this earth better than I found it; To have spoken up for the voiceless, to defend the defenseless. It is the unspoken deed that often matters most to those in need. When I leave this world I must go knowing I left trying to help my fellow man no matter his faith, color, orientation, bank account or street address but that we both breathed the same air, bleed the same, shared the same planet and their fight was my fight, their life mattered to me. They are my community, giving back to them is my honor and done with such gratitude for what I am taught and humbled by. This is my definition of public and community service: gratitude to serve one’s community and to be humbled by the experience."
Our Democratic State Senator was kind enough to favor The Cornwall Democrat with thoughts on public service.
“Being the son of an immigrant, having spent the first many years of my life in New York City Public Housing and being only one generation removed from food stamps, I understand what it means to struggle. I know what it means to live paycheck to paycheck or worse. I saw the ways in which our government could help people get out of terrible situations, and more importantly, give us the ability to attain a prosperous future. Without a social safety net - I find it hard to believe that I would be where I am today. To me, public service means many things, but first and foremost, it means being a leader who people can trust, whether that means trusting that you are working with their best interests at heart or trusting that you are speaking the truth on the issues that matter most to them. Regardless of how one chooses to serve, be it a teacher or police officer, answering the call-to-serve means that people need to be able to rely on you, and that is not something I take lightly.
“Having a seat at the table comes with many responsibilities, and with those responsibilities must come a commitment to honesty and action. Sometimes, that means making a difficult decision or having a difficult conversation. Regardless, I always remember that my job is to give a loud voice to the members of my community, especially those who are often ignored and to work diligently on behalf of all my constituents.
“It is of utmost importance to me that I do what is within my power to ensure that our government enacts fair and representative legislation for all New Yorkers. Each experience that I have in our district continues to drive me to devote myself to public service even more. As public servants of all kinds, we must work together to dedicate ourselves to the community as best as we possibly can to move the needle of society towards a world that is more inclusive, safe, fair, and free for all. That is what public service means to me.”
Cornwall Dems and friends at Annual Riverkeeper Sweep clean-up of the Hudson River along the Cornwall-on-Hudson riverfront at Donahue Memorial Park.
Five local Democrats removed trash, weeds and debris from a Washington's headquarters site on a September Sunday at dawn. The River Road site in New Windsor was the scene of the Washington/Hamilton argument dramatized in "Meet Me Inside" from Hamilton the Musical.
In July, 17 volunteers joined the Cornwall Democratic Committee’s first annual street cleanup. The group retrieved approximately 30 pounds of litter along Idlewild Creek / Canterbury Brook and Continental Avenue.
For the first time in recent memory, the Cornwall Democratic Committee this year awarded a scholarship. Charles Hurley, a CCHS graduating senior with aspirations for hospitality management, received the new award based on volunteer activities, academic history, and a clear-eyed focus on career ambitions. The $500 award was announced at the high school.
This year’s Democratic Committee July 4 float celebrated the Statue of Liberty, with a home-made replica torch and banners proclaiming Emma Lazarus’s famous call: Bring me your tired, your poor / your huddled masses yearning to be free!
