With Election Day rapidly approaching, now is the time for each of us to contemplate how we are going to cast our vote. Now is the time to ascertain which of the candidates we believe will do the best job for our families and our community.
In the race for Town of Ramapo Supervisor, the choice is clear. Only one of the candidates has a proven track record when it comes to fighting for our community. Only one of the candidates has championed our community’s interests and advocated for our families time and time again.
Ever since he arrived at Ramapo Town Hall eleven years ago, Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence has demonstrated a keen understanding of the various issues that face our community. He has fought diligently against the forces that have worked assiduously to inhibit the growth of our community. It is largely due to the dedication and resolve of Supervisor St. Lawrence that our community has had the opportunity to flourish and grow into a thriving and vibrant community.
The individual vying to unseat Supervisor St. Lawrence has been a vocal opponent of our community for more than two decades. Robert Rhodes is the Chairman of Preserve Ramapo. Mr. Rhodes wants to be the Town Supervisor and represent Ramapo families, but his actions and words over the past twenty five years speak volumes about how he truly feels about our community.
As one of the founders of the Village of Wesley Hills, Robert Rhodes was instrumental in forming a village whose initial intent was to control the growth of our community and limit the development of much-needed housing for growing families. As Wesley Hills Deputy Mayor in the 1980’s, Mr. Rhodes played a key role in the troubling incident in which the Village mercilessly assailed a local rabbi and his family after they hosted a minyan on Shabbos. Mr. Rhodes and the Wesley Hills Village Board initiated a nasty campaign to harass and intimidate the rabbi and his family. Robert Rhodes and his Village Board brought a lawsuit against the family and tried to assess an outrageous $100,000 fine on the rabbi. Is this the type of person we want in the Supervisor’s office? Is this the kind of individual we want running our town?
Mr. Rhodes’ vehement opposition to growth in our community is well-known. He is a perennial speaker at public hearings and meetings involving proposed yeshivos and shuls, where he voices his opposition to the growth of our mosdos with great pride. Mr. Rhodes rarely passes up an opportunity to speak out against our community and the Torah institutions. His suggestion that a study be commissioned to examine ways to curtail the growth in the frum community is appalling.
His candidacy is built upon his unbridled criticism of Supervisor St. Lawrence for his proven willingness to stand up and fight for our community. Mr. Rhodes’ contemptible antics are no secret, as he wears his opposition to our community as a badge of honor on the campaign trail.
We cannot sit idly by and allow Mr. Rhodes’ racist rhetoric to resonate among Ramapo voters. On Tuesday, November 8th, we must take a stand against Robert Rhodes and Preserve Ramapo. This Election Day, it is critical that we have a solid showing at the polls and strongly support Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence and his running mates, Councilman Daniel Friedman and Brendel Logan. We need to show hakaras hatov to Supervisor St. Lawrence and his team for their ongoing efforts on behalf of our community and all of Ramapo.
Yossi Gestetner is a New York-Based Writer and Marketing Consultant in the Orthodox Jewish/Hasidic Communities. His Firm “Gestetner & Co” Serves Political, Charitable and Corporate accounts. Yossi can be reached via [email protected]
NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.
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9 Responses
Reposting my primary comments, with some updates.
Hakaras hatov?! Thanks for DESTROYING Ramapo?!
As a life-long resident of Monsey, I am disgusted at what my hometown has become. You can put up all the apartment buildings you want but do you really think the infrastructure problems will resolve themselves? Where is the waste supposed to go? (And I’m not just talking about the garbage, the non-recycled grocery delivery boxes or even the still-smoking disposable grill someone left at the park.)
Monsey was a vibrant community before Saint Lawrence was elected and we certainly were not lacking shuls so don’t start with these scare tactics about how won’t have shuls without him. I don’t care where people daven but when you think about the parking (a huge problem for neighbors of weekday minyanim – I can’t tell you how many times I could not get out of my own driveway) and tax exemptions (I have to pay for someone’s vanity shteible?!) , there are legitimate concerns.
The current supervisor does not care what the electorate thinks. I’m waiting for the Boulders to go bust so the stadium can be given away to one of the local chassidishe groups. I really don’t know who to vote for, though, since the opposition candidate is as odious as the incumbent.
Well written and to the point! Mr. Gestetner’s points are valid and correct.
The true hate Rhodes has to all Jewish people (not just the chasidem as some of us think) is self evident and understood. Looking at the “Preserve” agenda, posted on their websites, tells us all we need to know. Having a few “token” Jews representing their side doesn’t take away the facts of their platform.
ChanieE-
What’s your solution? To ban people YOU don’t like (or can’t stand) from buying a house in the community? How very American (and Jewish!) of you. Take away tax exemptions? It’s either all or nothing. Just because you don’t like “vanity shteibles” doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get that tax exemption any more then the Shul you like. If your advocating in taking away ALL tax exemptions, for all institutions, including your shul and the church, that may be a legitimate point. But to single out vanity shteibles shows your true goal, which is to undermine a Jewish life to which YOU don’t understand and like. That’s disgusting.
ChanieE-
Thank you. You are absolutely right. I know Saint Lawrence won’t be receiving my vote, nor from anyone in my family.
I’m a lifelong Monsey resident as well. I’m not chasidish but will sure as heck be voting for St. Lawrence. He may not be perfect but he is the most frum friendly candidate.
There is no way I’m voting for someone who is anti-chasidim and any expansion. Anti chasidim becomes anti all jews,shuls and schools etc…
St’ Lawrence may have approved many of the developments but Monsey was expanding before him. Imagine if they wouldn’t have allowed the shuls and projects.
Most of the people would still be here and there would be more issues. While a few have taken advantage they are the exception.
@ChanieE:
Whether or not you have the hakaras hatov that St. Lawrence deserves, do you understand who the alternative is?
YitzchokM – Your personal attack reflects more poorly on you than it does on me. You pretend you have any idea what I believe and then you criticize me for taking positions I have never espoused. Where did I imply that certain people should not be allowed to buy homes anywhere they like? And I have nothing against shteibles , it’s just that as a matter of economics, shuls tend to be a little more self-supporting than shteibles and are therefore more likely to survive if they have to pay their own way. If someone wants to fund a shteible – great – just don’t force me to.
And actually, I do support removing tax exemptions for all religious institutions. If you want to support an institution, go right ahead. It is selfish to expect all residents to support your institution of choice. I realize that this is not a Ramapo issue – it is a nationwide problem. Localities cannot fund local services because the property tax base is nibbled away so a few poor suckers end up paying way too much. And then of course the state government swoops in and saves the people by limiting tax increases instead of dealing with the real problem, which is the diminished tax base.
GregAaron – I know who the opposition is but knowing the incumbent and everything he has done, I cannot vote for Saint Lawrence.
I know St Lawrence ,hes getting my vote 100% ,there is a down side ,so what ,you know the alternative chas vesholom .This is a must for every thinking non hating Jew. 100% FOR ST. LAWRENCE he will win by a landslide. And you ChanieE your a big fool. You dont know whom to vote for, YOU CANT SEE THE DIFFERENCE?????????? REALY ??????????
I should have said I support removing tax exemptions for places of worship, not religious institutions. The government should not be getting into whether, for example, a particular soup kitchen is a religious institution.