An Opportunity to Balance the Scales

Cornwall voters have an historic opportunity this fall that they haven’t had in generations: to elect six Democrats to Town offices. It wouldn’t simply be another example of the Blue Wave we began to see last year. It would amount to a seismic shift in Town of Cornwall governance.

For generations Cornwall has been ruled by one party, and that's simply unhealthy at any level of government. Happily, it's not the case in Cornwall anymore! As of the most recent update by the Board of Elections voter registrations in Cornwall are 2,931 Democrats to 2,979 Republicans – a difference of only 48 voters and a statistical tie at 32%.

Another matter for history is that this year will mark the first election in New York under the new early voting laws. For the first time local voters can vote up to nine days before Election Day proper. 

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Young Democrats, what does Public Service mean to you?

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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.” 

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Erica Nichols, what does Public Service mean to you?

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Our 2019 candidate for Receiver of Taxes described her vision of public service for The Cornwall Democrat.

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“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."

James Skoufis, what does Public Service mean to you?

Our Democratic State Senator was kind enough to favor The Cornwall Democrat with thoughts on public service.

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“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.”

Fired Up! Part III: The Firing Up

The heat was ON this Saturday in Cornwall-on-Hudson at the Cornwall Democratic Committee’s Third Annual Fired UP! Fundraiser/pizza party. More than 100 Democrats, friends, elected officials, kids, and supporters lined up to enter and talk about what’s got their blood boiling as we head into election season. Our friend Justin with the mobile oven came out of retirement to serve fire-roasted pizzas, while the Committee served up beverages and desserts, candidate statements, music, campaign literature, a Presidential straw poll (EW by a landslide), and camaraderie.

As analysts note, places like Cornwall are heating up for Democratic politics, partly because of demographic changes but also because well-educated populations (and Cornwall is above average in that regard) recognize that it takes people working together to run a country (or a Town). And there’s only one major political party that has that value at its core.

That—plus a ton of hard work by the CDC’s Events & Fundraising subcommittee—is why we think this year’s Fired Up! was the biggest yet.

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Gentle Start to Canvassing

Your local Democrats are rolling up sleeves, filling gas tanks (or charging batteries) and hitting the streets for an early-season canvass. The late-August weather has been perfect, and our local voters are hungry for news from the party about Early Voting, fundraising, volunteer opportunities, and how we’re going to beat the opposition. If you haven’t canvassed yet, it’s invigorating (and decent exercise). More opportunities from individual Town campaigns and the Committee’s planned early outreach and GOTV canvass programs coming up! Watch this space and check out the calendar.

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The Future of the Cornwall Young Dems

By Jessica Wu

As my fellow high school seniors and I are frighteningly aware, we will be graduating in a few short weeks and pretty soon going away to college— leaving Cornwall to invest in relationships and projects in other communities. It is a bittersweet thing.

The good news is that we will still be young, and we will still be Democrats. Moreover, Cornwall will still be our home, the place which has shaped us into who we are today. And Cornwall will continue to influence who we become in the future. The politics of this town will always matter to us, as we reflect on who we are at our roots.

Before we all head off in August, we still have plans to recruit, anticipating hosting a “friendraiser.” We also want to work on creating presentations on climate change and the urgency of local environmental initiatives to present to the Village Board. These are our two concrete goals for the summer as school wraps up. And fear not— we will be back during breaks, armed with the knowledge we’ve learned from college to contribute to the Cornwall Young Dems. This year’s upcoming fall election season and the 2020 elections both promise opportunities for young political activism, where many of us first discovered our interest in politics.

The other good news is that the Cornwall Young Dems is already certain to be left in the mighty hands of two rising juniors who, in my humble opinion, show passion, leadership, and — perhaps most importantly for the continued existence of this group — dedication that will undoubtedly broaden the impact and reach of the CYD.

Editor’s Note: The CDC wishes Jessica all the best as she graduates at the top of the CCHS class of 2019.

Early Voting Coming this Fall

As reported in these pages in January the New York State Legislature passed historic voting reforms in the opening week of the 2019 legislative session. Among the changes enacted early voting and the consolidation of New York’s primary elections are of current interest. Prior to this year New York held its primary for federal office – House of Representatives, Senate and President - in June while the primary for state and local offices was in September. After lagging behind most of the nation New Yorkers will finally have the ability to vote early this year. The law provides for ten days of early voting in specially designated polls. This means voting will begin in the last week of October.

Unlike Election Day proper however, not every polling location will be open for early voting. The Orange County Board of Elections (BOE) has designated just seven locations around the county: City of Newburgh, City of Middletown, City of Port Jervis, Warwick, Montgomery, Monroe and here in Cornwall at the Cornwall Ambulance Building, 1 Clinton Street.  

Hours have been announced as follows: 

  • Saturday, October 26 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

  • Sunday, October 27 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

  • Monday, October 28, from Noon – 8:00 p.m.

  • Tuesday, October 29, from 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

  • Wednesday, October 30, from Noon – 8:00 p.m.

  • Thursday, October 31, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

  • Friday, November 1, from Noon – 8:00 p.m.

  • Saturday, November 2 from 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

  • Sunday, November 3 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

For many voters in Cornwall and the neighboring communities that should be a good thing. For voters that lack mobility this could be problematic. One way Cornwall Democrats can help is by volunteering as drivers during those nine days in October and November.

Another way to help is as an election official. Under New York election law political parties are allowed to seat Poll Watchers at election sites to monitor the fairness of the process. With early voting taking place in Cornwall this November the need for Poll Workers is more acute than ever. Help your community with the crucial work of monitoring our elections! –and you can earn some extra income too! Much more on this will follow next edition. 

EARLY VOTING NEWS

EARLY VOTING NEWS

Orange County will be participating in Early Voting for the 2019 General Election.  Voters will have the ability to exercise their right to vote during a nine day period before Election Day in seven locations throughout the County.  The locations have been set up regionally and voters will vote in their assigned early voting location.