Two veteran Republican members of the Monroe Town Board, Don Weeks and Peter Martin, were tossed out in favor of two Democrats Tuesday night.
The outcome was a stunning reversal of years of a traditional stronghold on the board. Weeks has been on the board for more than 30 years and Martin for 20 years.
The voting bloc in the Hasidic Village of Kiryas Joel apparently influenced the outcome of the race, as the powerful bloc instructed its members to back Democrat Gerard McQuade. Both McQuade and Democrat Richard Colon won their seats.
Martin has enjoyed the support of the main voting bloc in Kiryas Joel in at least the last two elections, and it was unclear Tuesday why that support shifted.
Speaking by phone prior to the election results, Martin said he believed the switch in loyalty was influence by Harley Doles, the lone Democrat on the Town Board who is married to town justice candidate Maria Vazquez-Doles.
“Harley Doles is the Karl Rove of Monroe politics,” Martin said, “and he has chastised the incumbent Republicans for benefiting from a block vote, while the whole time he’s been over there trying to get that block vote on his side, and from the sound of things it looks like he’s accomplished that.”
(Source: Times Herald Record)
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5 Responses
More power to KJ.
Shows the bums if they don’t treat them right, they can vote them out.
The villagers of of Kiryas Yoel will pay a very heavy price in the form of higher taxes. Then they will only have themselves to blame.
#4 – Since when have they paid taxes???
“According to 2008 census figures, the village has the highest poverty rate in the nation. More than two-thirds of residents live below the federal poverty line and 40% receive food stamps.”
#1, All politics is local (don’t remember who said it).
#5, but the one third residfents above poverty level pay more taxes then many villages its size. It’s the amount of money that is paid which counts, not how many people it comes from.
#6 Where did you get your facts?