Your Town Justice Candidates

It's almost uncanny. Two 58-year-old men who live just down the road from each other on West Shore Drive are running for Town Justice in Putnam Valley. Both cite their childhood summers on Lake Oscawana where both say their parents first met. Both eschew party politics and say they are seeking the position because they want to give back. Also, both think their opponent is a nice guy.

How are voters to choose? For one candidate, David Axinn, the race was part of the motivation to run. The last time the town had a contested election for this position was 2020. Since then, nearly 2,000 voters in 2022 and 2024 chose not to vote for the lone candidate who was running. "I think there should be a choice for the Town Justice," said Axinn. "It’s not the Supreme Court, the issues are very different… But it’s very important. The court still impacts people’s liberty," he said.

So, what differentiates them? Partly their backgrounds, partly their vision for how they view the job, and partly how they're trying to win.

Axinn is a Democrat who was raised in Manhattan and got his law degree from Columbia University. He has a track record in public interest law. He spent eight years in the office of New York's attorney general where he investigated public corruption in the public integrity bureau, fought consumer fraud in the investor protection bureau and represented the state in the solicitor general's office, including working on cases that were argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. (He cites a general win rate of 97%.) Most recently, he's been the chief executive of the New York Liquidation Bureau which provides insurance benefits to New Yorkers whose insurance companies have become insolvent.

Robert Nachamie is a Republican raised in the Lefferts Manor section of Brooklyn. He attended Pace University at night on a partial scholarship and has been a defense attorney for more than 25 years. His law practice is in Peekskill, where he specializes in defending clients facing criminal, DWI and traffic violations. After he became Putnam Valley's justice in 2022 he could no longer accept clients in Putnam County.

Nachamie argues that his experience as a town judge for the last four years is a key reason to re-elect him. "I've done everything that the court needs: landlord-tenant, small claims trials, criminal trials... I get along well with the other judge and with both clerks. I know the system," he says. He also expressed a special interest in helping young people. "I wanted to help the youth, give them a second chance if they made a mistake. And just be fair and balanced and treat everybody who comes into the court as if it was their first time, whether it was their first time or their tenth time."

Axinn says he'd like to analyze the status quo and try to find way to improve upon it. As an example, he said he'd like to see the judges' calendars with hearing dates and upcoming cases posted online and a more detailed explanation of the court budget and performance metrics made readily available. "Our Town Court is locally funded and administered. As voters, we should insist that our court provide meaningful information about its cases and operations," he said.

Nachamie says he's not done much campaigning, relying instead on word of mouth and his reputation. Axinn took a leave of absence from his position in August and has spent the time introducing himself to residents outside the Putnam Valley Market and the Osca Deli when they are filling up their cars with gas. He's also been canvassing and meeting with civic groups at the library. If he wins, Axinn says he will resign his position at the Liquidation Bureau, saying that after ten years there, he's comfortable taking this next step.

Neither candidate seems particularly interested in partisan politics. When introducing himself, Axinn says he doesn't initially indicate which party he's with. "It’s not quite as relevant to me. It’s 'who is the judge', not 'which is the party the judge is in'," he said. Nachamie expresses similar ambivalence: "I am not really a politician, so I guess being a politician is not my strong suit. I personally feel that all judges should be nonpartisan."

That said, both candidates have secured additional lines on the ballot, as is common. Nachamie is also running as a Conservative Party candidate and Axinn is also running on the Working Together independent line, along with Town Supervisor Alison Jolicoeur and Highway Superintendent Shawn Keeler.

Early voting starts October 24th; the schedule and locations can be found here. Information about obtaining early mail or absentee ballots is available here.

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