Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on November 01, 2010
“Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins has gained an impressive working knowledge of the Legislature and matured into a strong and effective advocate for reform and bipartisan cooperation.”
Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on November 01, 2010
“Unlike some representatives who only show up during election years…Stewart Cousins [has] been responsive to [her] constituents in the Rivertowns."
Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 29, 2010
Area veterans group makes endorsements
By: Liz Anderson,
Via reporter Rich Liebson: A recently formed veterans groups is endorsing candidates it says will serve the men and women who served their country.
“We have a lot of politicians who give lip service to helping veterans,” said Pete Fiumefreddo, an Army Veteran and chairman of the Westchester County Veterans Political Action Oranization. “They hand out a lot of plaques and citations to veterans groups, but we really don’t see them working on veterans issues. We are endorsing candidates who we believe will best serve the interests of veterans.”
The group is co-chaired by Army veteran Ronald Tocci, a former state Assemblyman who also served as New York’s commissioner of veterans affairs. Organizers say the group, which formed earlier this year, is focusing on efforts to create a “Veterans Village,” assisted living facility at the Montrose VA site in Cortlandt and to support candidates it believes will fight for veterans causes.
The group endorsed the following candidates in Tuesday’s elections:
• Republican Robert J. Castelli, an Army Vietnam veteran, seeking re-election in the 89th state assembly district.
• Marine Corps veteran Peter Parente, a Republican who served in Desert Storm, seeking election to the New Rochelle City Council representing District Three.
• Marine Corps veteran James Maisano, a Republican, one of seven candidates seeking election as state Supreme Court Justice for the ninth judicial district.
• Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, seeking re-election in the 35th senatorial district.
• Democrat Jeffrey Klein, seeking re-election in the 34th senatorial district.
• Democrat John Hall, seeking re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 19th Congressional District.
Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 28, 2010
One of the themes to this year’s election season has been that the public should throw the incumbents out of office. Disgust with the state of politics at nearly every level and the financial pressures that so many citizens feel is fueling much of the revolt.
However, when measuring an incumbent’s worthiness for continued service, both their record and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the challenger should be weighed.
In the election for the 35th Senate District next week, when placing those factors on the scale Democratic incumbent Andrea Stewart-Cousins is the one who carries greater weight.
The senator has done her best to advance a reform agenda in the teeth of corruption and dysfunction in Albany. While most of us would like to see the pace of change move more rapidly, there is still room for Stewart-Cousins to grow as a legislator. Based on an already solid performance and still unrealized potential, she should be returned to the Senate for a third term.
The Senate’s Local Government Committee, of which she is chair, has been one of the more active committees in the capital. It has produced more than 200 pieces of legislation and more than half of those are now law, including critical measures that allow for the consolidation for local governments, shared services, mandate relief and ethics reform.
Stewart-Cousins has also been active on a variety of other matters, proving she is not a one-issue legislator. She called the saving of Dobbs Ferry Hospital during her early days in the Senate one of her most important accomplishments.
Although based in Yonkers, she is no stranger to the northern portions of the district, including Mount Pleasant, Pleasantville and Greenburgh. Citizens in those municipalities deserve the same level of attention and representation as those in the more populated areas. Regardless of the locality she has delivered. Most notably, last year when Con Edison came into Pleasantville and neighboring towns and destroyed large swaths of forest, Stewart- Cousins demanded the Public Service Commission exercise greater oversight over utilities. That resulted in the re- opening of public comment periods and hearings held throughout the region earlier this year.
Her Republican challenger, Liam McLaughlin, a former Yonkers city councilman and an attorney, is also a smart, reform-minded candidate. He supports the 2 percent tax cap and greater transparency, especially when it comes to the MTA.
His focus and public service experience, although solid in Yonkers, is much more provincial and there is a real concern he may not have enough of a grasp of the expanse and diversity of the district to benefit all constituents.
During her four years, Stewart-Cousins has proven that she has been responsive to all areas and there is every reason to believe that would continue.
Posted in Messages by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 26, 2010
“As the State’s top fiscal officer, I have a responsibility to taxpayers to identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in every level of government. When it comes to this responsibility, I know that I have a partner in the Senate in Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Andrea and I have worked together in substantive ways to make government more efficient, more responsive and more responsible. Together, we will continue to lead our State’s effort for achieving fiscal reform and stimulating economic recovery. I proudly endorse Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins for re-election, there is no one who will serve the 35th District more effectively." ~NYS Comptroller Tom Dinapoli
Read the full press release
here
Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 21, 2010
On Wednesday, October 6th leaders of the Sierra Club and the New York League of Conservation Voters, and environmental activists joined Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins announce their support of her re-election to the New York State Senate, 35th District. During the event, Andrea Stewart-Cousins was formally endorsed for re-election by the Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters, two of the leading non-partisan environmental organizations in the State of New York.
Yonkers Insider - (10/07/2010)
Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 21, 2010
Yonkers, NY, September 23, 2010 -- Yesterday evening, the Yonkers Democratic City Committee affirmed its support for the slate of Democratic candidates that will be anchored by State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Having formally endorsed Stewart-Cousins as the petitioning period began, the Yonkers Democratic City Committee elected its leadership last night, and urged their members to commit all of their efforts to ensuring that the City Democratic slate is elected in November….
Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 21, 2010
Westchester, NY, September 20, 2010 -- State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins (35th District – D/WF/I) today announced that the 2.5 million members of the New York State AFL-CIO have endorsed her candidacy for re-election. New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes praised Senator Stewart-Cousins’ record of fighting for the working families of New York State…
Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 21, 2010
Choice Matters, a pro-choice
organization in Westchester County, today announced its endorsement of State
Senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D, Working Families-35th District) and Suzi Oppenheimer (D-37th
District)…
Westchester News Online –
(9/28/2010)
Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 21, 2010
Andrea Stewart-Cousins – The strategy of backing off the
Reproductive Health Act until enough votes to pass it was a huge gamble: NARAL
was furious, and it seemed like it would be enough to make them hold back their
endorsements, money and support from the Democrats. But Stewart-Cousins, the
lead sponsor and main proponent of that strategy, won this game of chicken.
Some argue that it would have been smarter to have pushed the bill to the floor
to give suburban Democrats a commercial-friendly wedge issue to hit Republican
“no” senators over. But the Democrats finish this week with the important pro-choice
pole in their big tent secure, while Stewart-Cousins herself stayed way ahead
of her Republican challenger in the money race…
Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 21, 2010
In just a couple weeks, New Yorkers will elect the state legislators whose decisions will have repercussions for decades to come. In this election, the future of our public education system lies in the balance.
To create and safeguard an education system that helps all our children reach their full potential, we have to build an education majority in the State Senate.
What our schools need is a group of courageous, forward-thinking legislators who are serious about advancing a comprehensive school reform agenda that guarantees educational equity and excellence. We can build that education majority by supporting the Education Champions who have already demonstrated their commitment and resolve.
Through their strong leadership and tireless efforts on behalf of New York’s children, Senators Suzi Oppenheimer (District 37), Andrea Stewart-Cousins (District 35), Joe Addabbo (District 15), and Brian Foley (District 3) have earned our votes, and we should send them back to Albany on a mission to build a world-class education system. Education Voters is proud to endorse these senators for re-election.
These Education Champions have fought hard against the special interests and political schemes that are trying to roll back to the clock on our schools. And now, we’re going to fight hard to make sure they can keep up the fight in Albany.
With an uncertain economy, New York needs a solid foundation for the road ahead. That means all our kids – not just the privileged few – need access to a first-rate education that prepares them for the challenges of the future.
Senators Suzi Oppenheimer, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Joe Addabbo, and Brian Foley are working toward a strong, fair New York that we can all be proud of – one that puts our children first and prepares our great state for the future. These Education Champions truly deserve our support on Election Day.
Education Voters – (10/21/2010)
Posted in Press by Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 21, 2010
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who has represented the 35th state Senate district since 2006, acknowledges that there is more work to be done in Albany. No one could argue with her. The next Legislature must address property tax relief, serious state-budget problems and sundry reform issues.
Stewart-Cousins, a former Westchester County legislator, has been at work on these and other critical issues while simultaneously paying close attention to the diverse needs and challenges in her district, which spans the very rich and poor, in Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Greenburgh, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Mount Pleasant, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown and parts of Yonkers. We endorse her bid for a third term.
Voters ended GOP control of the Senate in 2008, putting Democrats in charge for the first time in nearly 45 years. Stewart-Cousins became chair of the Senate's Local Government Committee, in which role she introduced and passed legislation better enabling municipal consolidations and sharing of services between governmental units. The measure gives local voters perhaps their best chance at streamlining municipal government.
Stewart-Cousins can take credit for a bill that allows municipalities to seek cooperative health plans for employees, share highway and personnel services, and to enjoy greater flexibility in purchasing contracts. On the reform front, Stewart-Cousins has supported measures to improve transparency in the Senate, among them the recent decision to webcast floor sessions and hearings. She voted twice to enact a property-tax cap — it would not apply to Yonkers and the other big-city school districts. She said she would support similar measures in the next session.
Challenger Liam McLaughlin, Republican and Conservative, told us that Albany is broken and that the state is imperiled because of high taxes and out-of-control spending. In the past two years, Albany has relied on a combination of spending cuts and tax and fee increases to close multibillion-dollar deficits. About 8,000 state jobs have been cut through attrition in the past two years.
A certified public accountant who works as an estate attorney in White Plains, McLaughlin served 10 years on the Yonkers City Council, retiring at the end of 2009. During that service, he chaired the Budget, Environmental Policy and Protection, Municipal Operations, Legislation and Codes and Franchise committees.
McLaughlin is running on what he says is a record of cutting taxes and encouraging economic development in Yonkers. Going back many years, Yonkers officials have consistently turned to Albany for special assistance, usually to bail out the schools. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office has been especially critical of the city's budget practices, including runaway spending on police overtime — evidence that some dysfunction is local.
Stewart-Cousins also has the Independence and Working Families lines on the Nov. 2 ballot.
A Journal News Editorial
Posted in Messages by Friends of Andrea Stewart-Cousins on October 06, 2010
Dear Friends,
Thank you for visiting our website! As you know, Andrea Stewart-Cousins’ path to the Senate was a dramatic, long sought-after victory against an entrenched incumbent that marked a major tipping point in New York’s history. People across New York State came together and decided that it was time to bring accountability, equity and transparency to State government -- to enact real reform – and that Andrea was the candidate to do just that.
We recognized the need for change then and helped bring it to Albany by electing Andrea… and we need your help again now.
Andrea has consistently stood up for real reform in government. As a member of the Senate Rules Reform Task Force and the Task Force on Government Efficiency, and as the Chair of the Local Government Committee, she has achieved a
record of outstanding results that improve government efficiency, create real accountability and save taxpayers money.
In an editorial in June 2009,
The New York Times said, "
...a few responsible Senators could move Albany in the right direction," and they suggested a bi-partisan group of eight members of the Senate to serve on what they called "a coalition of the responsible". Andrea was one of four Democrats that The Times recommended to serve on that coalition.
From working for
tax relief, creating
jobs, expanding access to affordable
healthcare, bringing back record funding our
schools, creating opportunities for
small businesses, protecting homeowners from foreclosure, ensuring
civil rights for all New Yorkers, preserving our
environment, or safeguarding
women’s reproductive rights, Andrea has a record of being a force and a voice for progressive action and legislation.
Andrea’s re-election is critical to continuing these efforts, and, in what is becoming a more difficult and divisive election season, we once again have a challenge – Andrea needs the support of all of the volunteers who have generated the momentum for our past victories and she needs to continue to raise the funds necessary to run a competitive campaign – so, we are asking for your help with these efforts.
Please sign-up here to volunteer or to make a financial contribution online, and please don’t hesitate to call us at
914.961.3355 to learn about how you can become more involved in the campaign.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Friends of Andrea Stewart-Cousins
