Foil: Your right to Know.
“County Executive Ed Day’s unopposed run for a fourth term could soon come to an end.
Ramapo activist Michael Parietti announced his intentions on Friday, April 25, to run an independent campaign to unseat Day, who won his first, four-year term in November 2013.
First, Parietti needs to collect a minimum of 1,500 signatures to gain a ballot spot for the Nov. 4 election. Most likely, Parietti will need up to 1,000 more than the minimum to guard against names being disqualified for technical violations of state election law. Petitions are traditionally challenged before the Rockland Board of Elections.
His deadline to file is between May 20 and 27 with the Board of Elections.
What is Michael Parietti’s campaign agenda?
Parietti’s announcement means Day would not get a free ride to reelection if Parietti qualifies for the November ballot. Parietti also wants to raise several issues for public discussion. “To ensure voters have a real choice this November — and to spark the debate our county urgently needs — I have decided to run for Rockland County Executive as an independent,” Parietti said.
Parietti has run unsuccessfully for elected offices over the years, including Ramapo supervisor and the Legislature. A Preserve Ramapo leader, Parietti has voiced opposition to the influence the predominantly Ramapo Hasidic bloc vote has on elected officials.
He challenged the Legislature’s redistricting plan in court, arguing the plan signed by Day gave the Hasidic community too much power and influence on the governing body at the expense of non-Hasidic residents, including people of color. A state Appellate Division panel rejected Parietti’s arguments in 2023.
Additionally, what Parietti sees as an imbalance of power is part of his campaign.
Parietti said this election poses a fundamental question: “Will Rockland become a place where some communities are slowly pushed aside, while others gain disproportionate power? Or can we build a county where all of us have a stake — where new families, new businesses, and longtime residents can grow together in mutual respect?” “This may be our last best chance to hold a public referendum on Rockland’s future,” Parietti said. “I believe we can’t afford to let this opportunity pass us by.”
Parietti, a West Point Military Academy graduate, is looking to give Day a run for his money but faces an uphill battle.
He laid out his agenda and bio on his campaign website.
Parietti is a founding organizer of Preserve Ramapo and Preserve Rockland, two grassroots groups he has said are dedicated to fighting political corruption and restoring democratic values. In 2014, Parietti forced Ramapo to hold a referendum on adopting a ward-based election system — but lost a legal action in 2017 seeking to overturn the results. His website says, “He’s not running to build a political career — he’s running to rebuild trust in local government and restore representation for Rockland residents.”
Go to Mike’s website https://mikeforrockland.org/ to download a copy of his petition for you and others to sign. It’s down near the bottom of the home page.
Read the complete Journal News story here: https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2025/04/25/rockland-county-executive-race-mike-parietti-eyes-run-against-ed-day/83273651007/
