Levenberg, Halper Square Off in Race to Succeed Galef in Assembly
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Assemblywoman Sandy Galef served the 95th Assembly District for 30 years before deciding last winter to retire. Hoping to follow in her formidable footsteps is her former chief of staff, Ossining Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg, and a political newcomer and retired teacher, Stacy Halper of Briarcliff Manor.
The 95th Assembly District includes Cortlandt, Peekskill, Ossining and parts of Yorktown, Briarcliff Manor and Putnam County. The salary for the seat, which is up for grabs every two years, is $110,000.
“Voters who want a representative with the experience, knowledge and skills to hit the ground running on Day One and deliver results should choose me,” Levenberg said. “People who know well what it takes to be successful in this role, including the current assemblywoman, Sandy Galef, have endorsed me for this reason.”
“I am running to give people a real voice in their government. Sandy Galef has occupied this seat for 30 years, admirably. However, I believe people want a change,” Halper said. “This is a climate where Republicans stand an excellent chance of gaining seats and thereby giving many people a voice in their government. This will be the year. Yes, I will win for the people.”
Levenberg
Levenberg is currently serving her seventh year as town supervisor following nine years on the Ossining Board of Education. For eight years she worked as Galef’s chief of staff. She secured the Democratic line earlier this year by easily prevailing in a primary.
She said because the district is largely composed of river towns, combating climate change and “promoting environmental resiliency” must be a top priority for the next elected representative.
“Our next legislator needs to be able to understand the issues and potential solutions, and be able to work productively with other legislators to achieve results,” she said. “I am best positioned to deliver results in this regard.”
Levenberg said she is “on a mission” to build healthy and equitable communities environmentally, economically, physically and mentally.
“I’m working for clean air, clean water and green jobs, to bring us into a future where we are no longer dependent on fossil fuels that imperil our planet and our security,” she said. “I want an economic recovery that extends to everyone, not just the ultra-rich. I want to pass sensible gun reforms that are proven to reduce gun violence. I want to make sure that women keep the right to control their own bodies.”
Levenberg compared the election to a gear shift in a car. Choosing Republicans would amount to going in reverse, while picking Democrats would be moving forward.
“Today’s Republican Party has been taken over by an extreme right-wing faction, the MAGA movement, that wants to turn back the clock to a time where women, the LGBTQ community and people of color had fewer rights,” she remarked. “While my fellow Democrats and I are hard at work on real plans to solve big problems and to protect our rights which we have relied on for the last half-century, our opponents are using conspiracy theories, misinformation, voter suppression and scare tactics to push through unpopular policies that benefit very few people.”
Halper
Halper was raised in Brooklyn and has lived in Briarcliff Manor for nearly 30 years. She pursued her dream of being a musician for many years before landing a job at Random House, where she became marketing manager. After raising her children, she worked as a New York City music teacher in the South Bronx for 10 years.
She said she’s running to “give people a real voice in their government.
“I’m not a career politician. I was out in the real world and understand what the typical working person goes through,” Halper said. “I’ve also learned the most important things: how to see a problem from both sides and how to achieve the best solutions,” she stated. “I feel that there are many people in my district that disagree with state decisions like vaccine mandates, bail reform laws, CRT taught in their schools and unconstitutional Second Amendment laws. The legislature, for whatever reason, is ignoring the wants and needs of their constituency.”
Other problems that Halper identifies are poor roads, unreasonable mandates that are threatening businesses and excessive taxes. Parents are also losing control over what their children are being taught in school, she said.
Halper, who is running on the Republican and Conservative lines, took her own swipe at the Democratic Party.
“This is not the Democratic Party of 30 years ago,” she said. “The new Democrats are very far left and do not speak to the everyday working people. Corruption in the Democrat Party is astounding. I am a mother, educator and concerned citizen. The New York State that I grew up in is unrecognizable, but I refuse to give up. I need to win this seat for the future of our children.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/