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Vote Row H and I on Tuesday Nov 5

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Election day is on Tuesday and we want to urge those that have not already voted to make adjustments to your daily routine to ensure that you will find the time to cast your ballot at your polling place. The polls are open from 6 am to 9 pm.

Of course, the most important instructions for this election are very simple: Wherever you live vote for everyone you find on the SAM Party line Row H from one end of the ballot to the other. You can’t go wrong. Then drop down to Row I and vote for Michael Diederich for District Attorney who is the clear choice for fair and impartial administration of justice in Rockland.

The races for the county legislature are particularly important because we need to gain control of the legislature to ensure the redistricting of the county legislature is done in a fair and equitable manner for all communities of interest. Wherever you are in Rockland you can safely vote for your legislator on Row H. However, there are several legislative races close to home here in Ramapo that we will mention. [Read more…]

Early Voting has Begun—Absentee Ballots Must be Postmarked by Tuesday Oct. 29

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Early Voting began Saturday October 26th and continues through November 3.
Preserve Ramapo is endorsing Michael Diederich for Rockland County District Attorney. Diederich is the clear choice in this very important election if you want fair and impartial administration of justice in Rockland.
The last day to postmark an application for an absentee ballot is this Tuesday Oct. 29. if you will be out of town on election day.  If you have children in college who want to vote, remind them to send in their absentee ballot application by the deadline.
You can download an application for an absentee ballot from the Board of Elections here.
Thank you,
Robert Rhodes
Chairman
Preserve Ramapo

Early Voting Begins Tomorrow—Saturday Oct. 26

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Beginning Saturday, October 26, Rockland County voters can cast their votes for this year’s November elections. Avoid the crowds and parking mess that often show up on Election Day by selecting one of the nine days before November 5. Click on the “Read More” link below for the Board of Elections Schedule. AND PLEASE SUPPORT THE CANDIDATES ON LINE H AND LINE I. [Read more…]

Michael Diederich for Rockland County District Attorney

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When you go down to ROW H on the ballot to vote for our 27 SAM Party candidates don’t forget to vote for MICHAEL DIEDERICH who is on ROW I, Box 5, the next line down from Row H.

Mike is opposed by a candidate who Is a political hack who will owe his office to the corrupt developers who worked hard to make sure he would be able to run unopposed.  But our county’s political leaders did not know that Mike Diederich was willing to go to great lengths to oppose this highly undemocratic steamroller. [Read more…]

“Anti-Semitism,” Racism, and Growth in Ramapo

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Commentary from Robert I. Rhodes, Ph. D., Chairman, Preserve Ramapo

Ramapo has a hero in the county legislature.  His name is Aron Wieder.  A man of great courage, he has taken on the burdensome defense of our Hasidic community.  Whenever it is suggested that high density housing is overwhelming Ramapo’s resources he goes on the attack.  This argument, he charges, is an anti-Semitic slur directed against his community.

But Wieder is not a hero, he is a racist.  He knows that much of the housing that has been built in recent years for his community was built on land formerly occupied by modest homes owned by Black and Brown families.  They were block busted out of their homes.  Most of the rest of the high-density developments in Ramapo were built on vacant land that had been drastically down-zoned as a gift to Hasidic developers. [Read more…]

Viewpoint from Legislature Candidate Vivian Street

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A Viewpoint from Vivian Street—Candidate for Rockland County Legislature District 13.

In 1619 the first documented slaves landed in the British Colony of Jamestown, from Angola. As we commemorate the 400 years of history since that fateful day, we remember that our nation and its wealth were built through forced labor and the very existence of Black men and women.

It is ironic that as this country celebrates its democracy, the Black community is still fighting for equal rights, justice and freedom.

I have attended many public hearings over the past several months in the Village of Spring Valley and the Town of Ramapo.  I must admit that the Hillcrest CUPON has been the driving force in bringing the overdevelopment issue to the forefront. [Read more…]

Candidates on the SAM Line

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September 25–Letter from Preserve Ramapo

As the election season ramps up we want to give you a whiff of what we’ve got cooking.

We are endorsing a full slate of almost 30 candidates in Ramapo and Rockland County. Nearly all of them are on ballot Row H, the SAM Party line.

SAM is the new political party that was formed during last year’s gubernatorial race by Stephanie Miner, the former Mayor of Syracuse, and Michael Volpe the former Mayor of Pelham, NY, who ran for Governor and Lt Governor respectively. [Read more…]

Spring Valley: Mallia maxes out $75k contract working for the mayor; board won’t extend it

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Anthony Mallia led away in handcuffs

Anthony Mallia led away in handcuffs arrested at his home in September 2016
Photo: John Meore/The Journal News

“The Board of Trustees has again refused to amend convicted felon Anthony Mallia’s contract after he reached the $75,000 pay threshold to work for Mayor Alan Simon, essentially removing Mallia from his paid top aide position.

Simon failed to garner the three board votes needed to amend Mallia’s contract during Tuesday’s board meeting in Village Hall.

Simon and Deputy Mayor Zack Clerina supported Mallia, while Trustees Sherry McGill and Eudson Francois rejected amending Mallia’s contract. Trustee Asher Grossman, seen as the deciding vote, again abstained.

When Francois asked why Simon persisted after two previous rejections, the mayor said, “We strongly need the services of this gentleman,” without providing specifics, and there’s a vote because “I make the agenda.” [Read more…]

Ramapo zoning board OKs high-density Bluefield Extension housing project; appeal possible

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A contested high-density housing development has won approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals, leading an opposition group to consider filing legal action to block the project.

The developer wants to build 15 to 20 units on approximately one acre off Union Road, just across the road from the massive Bluefield complex of multiple family townhouses, according to court papers once filed against the project.

Called the Bluefield Extension, the development would introduce multiple-family housing to a neighborhood of predominately single-family homes, potentially changing the area’s character, according to leaders of the Citizens United to Protect Our Neighborhood, known as CUPON. [Read more…]