Dear Editor,
I write to clear up some apparent confusion regarding the role of the Croton Democratic Committee in the political process – both in general and specifically with respect to the current candidates for Croton Village Justice.
The endorsement of the Croton Democratic Party does not get anyone on, or keep anyone off, the ballot. When the Croton Democratic Committee endorses a candidate, its members will assist the endorsed candidate in getting the requisite number of signatures to get on the ballot. But the candidate that did not receive the endorsement can still seek the party line by gathering the requisite signatures. When this happens there is a primary where voters choose the candidate. This is what recently occurred in the primary for Congressional District 17, where Cait Conley prevailed in a contested Democratic primary contest and will run on the Democratic party line in November.
The Croton Democrats will consider anyone interested in seeking their endorsement for political office within the Village of Croton. Candidates interested in running for office can contact us at crotondemocrats@gmail.com or me at michael.eisenkraft@gmail.com. A candidate receives the endorsement of the Croton Democratic Committee when they receive the most votes from members of the committee. Contrary to what certain commentators believe, incumbents are not automatically entitled to our endorsement, we are committed to endorsing the best candidate for each position at that time.
This year Judge Sam Watkins (83), the incumbent, and Ali Jaffery (39), an attorney, both sought the endorsement of the Croton Democrats for Croton Village Justice. After a process which included interviews, presentations by the candidates, a question and answer period, and debate among the members, Mr. Jaffery secured more votes for the endorsement than Judge Watkins. After the conclusion of the vote, there was a motion to accept the results of the vote which passed without opposition. This meeting took place in the Ottinger room at the Croton Library and was open to the public.
The Croton Democrats generally (schedules and holidays permitting) meet the third Thursday of every month in the Ottinger room at the Croton Library at 7:30 PM. All meetings in the Ottinger Room are open to the public and all are welcome. Sometimes pizza and cookies are served.
There has been much speculation as to why the Croton Democrats endorsed Ali Jaffery over Sam Watkins. The simplest answer is because he got more votes – that is how the Croton Democratic Committee makes decisions. As to why each individual member voted the way they did, I can only speculate as the members of the Croton Democratic Committee are individuals and each made their own decision as to what they thought was best for the Village.
Personally, I voted to endorse Mr. Jaffery because I believed that he would be the superior choice to serve a four-year term as Village Justice. In particular, I found Mr. Jaffrery’s plan to increase access to interpreters at the Court attractive. Currently, in person Spanish interpreters are only available on certain court days in Croton – resulting in less choice of Court dates – and less access to justice – for Spanish speaking members of the community. Mr. Jaffery both identified this issue and proposed to solve it by increasing the availability of in person Spanish interpreters.
After Judge Watkins did not receive the endorsement of the Croton Democratic Committee, he then sought the endorsement of the Working Families Party. That organization also chose to endorse Mr. Jaffery. Mr. Watkins chose not to gather petitions for the Democratic or Working Family Parties lines and contest those races in a primary. Instead, Judge Watkins sought and received the endorsement of a third party, the Voice of Croton, and gathered the requisite number of signatures to appear on their ballot line. These were his choices. Sam Watkins alone chose not to run on the Democratic line.
If you have any additional questions or if this description piqued your interest in getting more involved, please contact me to get added to our mailing list or join us at our September meeting. I look forward to seeing you there.
Michael Eisenkraft (Chair, Croton Democrats)
