PV Candidates Forum

The video recording of the October 20th "Meet the Candidates" forum was released by the Lake Peekskill Civic Association on Saturday and can be found at this link. Unfortunately, there are technical glitches in the recording that interrupt and complicate the viewing experience. That said, here are some key takeaways:

• Most of the candidates gave short, routine speeches introducing themselves but shedding little new light on themselves or their positions. These include CJ Brooks, Christian Russo and Stacey Tompkins for the two Town Board seats, Shawn Keeler, who is running uncontested for Highway Superintendent, and Brian Hess, who was appointed Acting Sheriff three days before the death of Sheriff Kevin McConville and is now the Republican and Conservative candidate for Putnam County Sheriff.

• Larry Burke, who is also running for Putnam County Sheriff, gave a 10-minute speech that begins at the two minute mark of the video. He emphasized that because he believes the sheriff's office should be non-partisan, he is running as an independent candidate and has rejected party endorsements. He said he felt he had "earned" his position on the ballot because of the the 2,100 signatures he gathered for his petition, distinguishing himself from his opponent who he said was "given" the spot.

• The remainder of the video is devoted to the contest for Town Supervisor, with Supervisor Jacqueline Annabi and candidate Alison Jolicoeur jockeying for advantage. Considerable time was spent on the issue of Jolicoeur's legal dispute with the town over access to her property at Lake Peekskill. Annabi accused Jolicoeur of running for office in order to get what she wanted for herself. Jolicoeur said that when one person's rights are violated, all are, and that she is fighting to overcome injustice. The parrying between the two candidates starts at the 32 minute mark and lasts until the end of the nearly two-hour video.

Early voting began on Saturday at two locations and goes until November 2nd. The locations and times can be found here. In-person voting on November 4th is available from 6am until 9pm.

If you're not already a subscriber but would like to receive future stories, please click on the subscribe button at watchingputnamvalley.com and provide your email address. If you have ideas for future stories or want to provide feedback, please send an email to watchingputnamvalley@gmail.com.