‘Take a Stand’: Galef Calls for Removal of Trump Name from State Park
Following President Donald Trump having faced a second impeachment for inciting an insurrection at the Capitol, State Assemblywoman Sandy Galef is calling for a passive state park in Yorktown that carries Trump’s name to be renamed.
In a January 14 letter to Erik Kulleseid, commissioner of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Galef requests signs on the Taconic State Parkway that advertise the park be taken down.
“It is time for these signs and this charade to end. There is no park, just abandoned structures and some woodlands,” Galef wrote. “Originally meant to be a golf course, the park is simply the result of offloading a tax liability and reaping the publicity. We must take a stand. The motorists on the Taconic have complained for years, increased recently, that our state directs people to a defunct park named for Mr. Trump.”
“Monuments, landmarks, and parks can hold a symbolic meaning and in this case a park named for Donald J. Trump can only represent the division he has sought to create in our country over the past four years,” she added. “This division has no place in our state.”
Several online petitions have been circulating also advocating for Trump’s name on the park to be history. One, which has attracted more than 17,000 signatures to date, is looking for the park to be named in honor of American folk singer Pete Seeger, who lived in Patterson in Putnam County.
Galef believes it would be fitting to name the park for former Governor George Pataki, a former Peekskill mayor and resident of Garrison.
“Former Governor Pataki has called the Hudson Valley home for decades. Mr. Pataki made environmental conservation and preservation part of his agenda and it should be acknowledged publicly,” Galef stated. “I can think of no better way to honor our two State Mottos of Excelsior and E. Pluribus Unum than by ridding a blight from our state and replacing it with a demonstration of bipartisanship and shared values.”
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/
