Full PDC Transcript: The Thursday, June 4, 2026 Piermont Democratic Committee Candidate Forum.

Piermont Election District 1: “Meet the Committee Candidates”. 

The Thursday, June 4, 2026 Piermont Democratic Committee Candidate Forum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Eya_AhJads
 
Introduction: The Piermont Democratic Primary is June 23, 2026. The above-linked video and below-rendered transcript introduces you to the candidates for the Piermont Democratic Committee (PDC). Early voting for PDC candidates commences on Saturday, June 13, 2026.

In Piermont there are two Election Districts - “Election District 1”, and “Election District 33”. If you are a Piermont resident living in Election District 1, there are 7 people running for the Piermont Democratic Committee, and you will choose 4 of the 7 candidates to represent you in Piermont, Orangetown, and Rockland. In Election District 33, however, there are 4 incumbents running for the 4 seats, so you won’t see Election District 33 candidate alternatives on the ballot.

The transcript of the June 4, 2026 Piermont Democratic Committee Candidate Forum, follows. Each speaker’s own statements follow their respective names indicated in bold-face type. Naturally, Unhand Piermont! condemns, in the strongest possible terms, all candidate-made statements of an anti-Semitic, bigoted, discriminatory, hateful, intolerant, or otherwise anti-social nature. It is the fervent hope of Unhand Piermont! that the Democratic voters of Piermont’s Election District 1 DEFEAT any candidate for the Piermont Democratic Committee who has made any statement of an anti-Semitic, bigoted, discriminatory, hateful, intolerant, or otherwise anti-social nature - much less any candidate who has been dim-witted enough to place any such statement on the public record as a public official and representative of the PDC itself. The full text of the transcript follows:

 
“Chris Sanders. [ 00:00:00,000 ]… more comfortable sitting or standing, and welcome everyone to our forum this evening. For candidates for the Piermont Democratic Committee. Appreciate everybody turning out tonight. Or, um[sic]... expressing interest in… in these roles. Uh[sic]… we don’t quite often have contested roles for the [Piermont] Democratic Committee. Uh[sic]… it’s kind of an embarrassment of riches. It’s a wonderful thing. More often than not, we’re scrambling to get people to join up. It’s a commitment of time and energy and it’s great when people want to get involved at this level and participate as part of the Committee. So I thank all the candidates… at the outset, for… offering up their time and energies for this[sic]… these positions. Thank you all. To be clear, the main purpose of the Democratic Committee, specifically the Piermont Democratic Committee, is, turn out the Democratic voters. To get Democrats elected at all levels of government. The districts and the number of committee members are dedicated[sic]… or, are decided by the number of voters in New York State. For the national election and here in Piermont, we have two Election Districts - District 1, and District 33. East dist[sic]… each district has four seats, and the people who hold these seats are elected every 2 years... Now, though, Piermont is a small village with about 1,100 residents, and… 1,100 Democratic voters, I should say, over many years the Piermont Democratic Committee has worked tirelessly to build a turnout program, to ensure we get every possible Democrat voter to the polls. And it… and it works. For instance, in 2022 and 2024, we were able to turn out more than 80% of our Democratic voters here in Piermont, which is fantastic. Um[sic]… and even in off-year elections like 2023 and 2025, we’ve been able to get about half of the Democrats to the polls. That’s far higher turnout than in most of the rest of the country outside… of… other… er[sic]… outside of Monsey, here in Rockland County. Every vote matters. And that’s why[sic] this Committee does to get out the Democratic votes for the success of our Democratic candidates for town, county, state, and federal office. So with that, we’re going to have our forum tonight where[sic] allow the candidates to explain who they are and why they’re looking for… disposition[sic], why they’re looking to hold this position. Uh[sic]… the forum will be… they’ll each have 3 minutes for their opening statement… and then we have a host of questions that are being gathered. We’ll be organizing them so that we’re not asking redundant questions. And an... an[sic]… anytime you can add more questions to the pile. They’ll each have 1 minute to answer each of the questions. We will go down the list… uh[sic]… down the table here, and then I’ll try to… um[sic]… rotate with who gets to answer first. And then their closing… will be 3 minutes as well… to wrap-up the evening. So, before we get started with the opening and we’ll go down from… left to right with the opening remarks, I did want to read something from a candidate who is not able to be here tonight. And that’s Peter Metzler. Peter apologizes and says:
 

“Sorry, I cannot be here with you tonight. With my beloved wife, Aisha, I have been a resident of Piermont since twenty[sic]… since 2002. I was a teacher of arts and humanities… in college and public high school for 26-plus years. In the time of COVID, 2020, I left education and have since rewired my intentions, energies, and focus, one focus being my work with the Piermont Democratic Committee. I do not use social media. On the whole, I believe it…it to be a waste of time and energy and only promotes and exasperates[sic] the negative discourse of people who do not, cannot, or will not have a respectful conversation face-to-face, especially in a village with the intimacy and size of Piermont. In our current political and community environment, the negatives of social media far outweigh the positives. In service of…of the Piermont Democratic Committee, I will only use social media for organizing, calendaring, scheduling, and announcements. I am a progressive, popular socialist Democrat. and aim to build a more transparent, open, honest, respectful, equitable, environmentally-sustainable, and critically-attuned body pol[sic]… politic. The Piermont Democratic Committee is one avenue I have chosen to help manifest this vision at our village, town, and county level. We will all do our part. Thank you. Peter Metzler”.

 
All right, with that, we will get started with our opening remarks. And we’ll start with Margaret Grace. Margaret, you have 3 minutes.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 00:05:08,620 ] Thank you…um[sic]… my name is Margaret Grace. I moved to Piermont in 1980. As an artist, I fell in love with the beauty of the river, the marsh, and for me, the factory. I also wanted to raise my children in this very small and very neighborly village steeped in history. Just as I settled into Piermont, we saw the closing of the factories on the Pier, ushering[sic] a period of great risk for the Village. A little history here. The Village desperately needed ratables. It could n[sic]… not afford to leave the Pier undeveloped. Developers from New Jersey descended upon the Village, proposing Fort Lee-type development, potentially 2,000 units in high-rise buildings for the Pier. The Village Board was about to adopt a zone-change that could enable this type of development. Charlie Berger, myself, and John Zahn, two Democrats and a Republican, working with other concerned Democrats, formed an independent party known as the Village Party, so that we could run for office and stop the zone-change, which we did. Eventually, all three of us served on the Village Board, and together with the community, we spent several years studying and planning for zoning that would preserve Piermont’s character. Thanks to those efforts, Piermont’s[sic] Landing is a beautiful, low-density, mixed-use community with public spaces, Flywheel Park, a public library, affordable housing, all on former factory land. Um[sic]… I understand what it is, from[sic] you can tell this, what it is to spearhead an insurgency against one’s village government. I understand what that’s like. I’m very proud of what we accomplished. My community service résumé includes two terms as Village Trustee while raising two young children. I was a founder of Piermont Flywheel Gallery. I’ve been a member of Piermont’s Head Start Community Play Group, a member of the Board of the Sparkill Creek Watershed Alliance. I’m one of the two main organizers of the Piermont Marsh Alliance, which prevented DEC from plate[sic]… spraying glyphosate in the Marsh. A member of the Piermont Civic Association since the 1980s, a board member, past President, and I’m the Editor of the Piermont Newsletter. Hopefully, you got it today. Um[sic]… for these 3 decades, I’ve committed myself to attending Village Board meetings, no matter who is in office. I have deep institutional and historic knowledge of the Village, which I gladly share whenever it’s relevant. Although I grew up in a Republican Missouri family, I adopted the values of the Democratic Party as a teenager and have never wavered on that. I’ve been a member of the Piermont and Orangetown Democratic Committees for more than 30 years. I’ve been Chairperson and am now Vice-Chairperson of the Piermont [Democratic] Committee. I’ve proudly chosen to be a worker-bee, because my interest has always been in good governments, not in personal power. I’m proud to have assisted dozens of exceptional citizens seeking public office. This is a tradition of deep commitment to on-the-ground democratic process…um[sic]… and community activism, which is something I learned from my mother and I passed on to my... children and grandchildren. I’m here because I am willing, eager, and able to continue this work. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:08:20,100 ] Thank you, Margaret... Barbara?
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 00:08:24,360 ] Hi, my name is Barbara Schuelen. Many of you may know me from my volunteer activities in the Village, but you may not know my background. I grew up in Blauvelt where I raised two daughters who, like me, attended South Orangetown schools. I was a PTA president and was elected to the South Orangetown School Board for 9 years. Now, 1 of those daughters teaches there and 3 granddaughters have attended. I am a lifelong Democrat and have been fortunate enough to be able to bring the same values to bear to my[sic]… in my career. My professional life was focused on community-building, outreach, and education. I was Director of Community Affairs at WNET Channel 13. While there, I received an Emmy® for my work in adult literacy as well as other national-level honors for work in educating the public about the AIDS epidemic and affordable child-care issues. I worked for the American Diabetes Association. It was there that I learned of the struggles of families who lived with chronic disease - families who have to choose between insulin and food. As a Senior Vice President of [sic] medical communications firm, I worked with leading scientists to bring their studies to primary-care physicians. I also worked with pharma[sic] companies to bring life-saving drugs to market. When I retired, I wanted to do two things - spend more time with my grandchildren, and use the skills I had cultivated to serve my community. Around 2014, I became involved with the Piermont Historical Society when there were concerns that the Railroad Station would become somebody’s office. As Chair, I’ve worked with a wonderful group of volunteers to create a museum and to raise enough money to make the Historical Society sustainable, and able to continue to share the unique history of Piermont. I’ve[sic]… hope you’ve read our panels at Gair Park, come to the Station, or even stop to read the markers honoring the people of the Mine Hole and the indigenous people of Piermont. In addition, I have worked with the Piermont and Orangetown Democratic Committees on fundraisers, petitioning, and getting-out-the-vote campaigns since 2013. In Piermont, our small committee of 8 has worked hard and has been disciplined in our approach to reach the most people. My garage is a well-known [laughs] stop for Democrats to pick-up yard signs. Recently, a young man who is raising 3 children in the Village asked me, “Has it always been like this?” He was referring to vicious attacks on social media. I said “No”. We agreed that perhaps this cycle will soon pass. It isn’t healthy for this community, just as the nastiness in national politics isn’t good for the country. Now more than ever, I believe that the phrase, “Think globally, act locally” is… of the essence. I will continue to support people who might one day serve in higher positions. I will do the work necessary, along with dedicated colleagues, to get deserving Democrats into office. I hope I have earned your vote.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:11:39,010 ] Thank you, Barbara... Robert.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:11:41,220 ] Thank you… Good evening, everyone, and thank you to the Piermont Democratic Committee for organizing tonight’s event, as well as to Mayor Sanders, and everyone who volunteered their time to make tonight possible. My name is Robert Zitt and I’m running for the Piermont Democratic Committee because I believe the Committee should be a place where Democrats are encouraged to participate with new voices and where community engagement is viewed as a strength and not an illness. Over the last several years, we’ve seen more residents become involved in local matters. That’s more so than at any time I can remember. People have attended meetings. They’ve organized around issues that they care about, they volunteered their time, and they’ve taken an active interest in the future of our Village. I believe that this Committee should embrace that energy, and help bring more people into the process, not exclude them. The bylaws of this Committee state that one of its main purposes is to encourage participation of residents in the affairs of government, and I take that mission seriously. If elected, I will work to make the Committee more accessible, more engaged with the community, and more focused on identifying and supporting Democratic candidates who are willing to listen to residents and serve the Village with integrity. I am not running because I expect everyone to agree with me. In fact, I think the majority of this room does not agree with me. I’m running because I believe healthy organizations benefit from different viewpoints, respectful discussion, and active participation. A stronger [Piermont] Democratic Committee is one that welcomes involvement rather than discourages it. Piermont Democrats are fortunate to live in a community where people care deeply about their Village and are willing to dedicate their time and energy to improving it. I hope to bring that same commitment to the Committee. Thank you and I look forward to tonight.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:13:40,100 ] Thank you, Robert… Jeffrey.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:13:42,650 ] Good evening, and thank you all for coming. My name is Jeff Gordon. I live on Gair Street in the Landing. I’ve been a registered Democrat for over 30 years. I’ve retired from the practice of law after 45 years, and I currently volunteer my time as a mediator - pro bono mediator for the Supreme Court, in the matter of divorces and family law. I also sit on the Board of Directors for the past 8 years at Legal Services NYC, which is the largest provider of civil legal services to the indigent of New York City, serving over 100,000 clients a year. As many of you know, I currently am a Village Trustee, having been appointed by Mayor Mitchell to fill-out the unexpired term of Christine McAndrews which ends this December, and is the reason I am also running again in this month’s Democratic primary for Trustee... The PDC election is truly historic. It’s the first time there has been a contested election for seats on the PDC. I submit that that history is not accidental. I submit that it has been by design. You may be hearing some disturbing things tonight about how democracy and politics have played out in Piermont for years, and that’s the reason I have decided to run for a seat on the PDC. I’m hopeful that by the end of this evening, many of you will be convinced that it is time for a change. But the possibility of you hearing disturbing things this evening has been severely curtailed by the PDC itself. Last night, shortly before 7:00 PM, only 24 hours before this event, the challengers received from the PDC for the first time, the format and instructions for this Forum. This is despite the fact that this Forum has been in the works for weeks, if not months. I’d like to read a pertinent portion of the instructions - quote:
 

“The Committee discussed having a format that would allow for written questions from the audience that would be vetted to avoid redundancy and debates with the audience.”

 
I don’t understand what the fear of debates with the audience is. I’m here to answer all your questions... The instructions go on to say – quote:
 

“Committee members will collect question-cards and help with vetting if needed”.

 
… close quote.
 
The PDC is so used to placing their thumb on a scale, they don’t even see the inherent unfairness in that statement. The same incumbents seeking re-election or their uncontested colleagues in ED 33 are going to vet the questions posed to all the candidates for a seat on the PDC. The PDC had the opportunity to have a different, unrelated, unbiased organization with no “skin in the game”, sponsor and promote this event like a League of Women Voters who sponsored last year’s mayoral debate, resulting largely in the defeat of the independent candidate, sponsored and supported by the co-chairs of the PDC - but chose not to. So it is apparent that it will be up to the challengers in our closing and opening statements and our answers to bring significant issues forward. It is no secret that I have been critical of the current Co-Chairs of the PDC and our former Mayor - who thanked the same individuals for his election and re-election as Mayor. And because of that, I have been singled-out for retribution, as has Nate Mitchell, by a political organization...

 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:16:53,050 ] Time, Jeff.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. …that is supposed to advance…
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:16:53,050 ] Jeff, it’s… it’s… it’s time. You can save that for closing then.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. Sure.
 
Chris Sanders. Thank you.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. Thank you.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 00:16:59,300 ] Can you hear me? My name is Marthe Schulwolf. In 1993, two years after completing my doctorate in clinical psychology, I moved to Piermont as one of the first buyers in the Landing. That’s when I discovered my inner environmentalist, environmental activist. After learning that the sponsor, a subsidiary of Chase Bank, planned to use 27 different chemicals on the lawns, I rallied the owners, fought the sponsor, and the managing agent Rose Associates, and got them to adopt organic landscaping. I had to fight that battle again in 2021 against the PLHOA board. I won in both instances, in good part thanks to the support of Village residents. In 1994, I drafted a Village resolution that codified the Village’s longtime policy of using cutting to deal with unwanted vegetation - no chemicals. In 2001, I spearheaded a successful campaign by the Rockland Spray No[sic] Coalition to get the pesticide neighbor notification law adopted by the County Legislature. In 2013, after learning that the New York State DEC planned to spray the Piermont Marsh up to 200 acres with glyphosate - the active ingredient in Roundup - I organized the Piermont Marsh Alliance. Margaret and I did most of the work on that, together with a small steering committee, which included Klaus Jacob, Lori Lowell, Laurie Lehey, the late Elisabeth Tapley, Dick Benfield, Greg McKillop, and others. After 7 years of advocacy on our part, the DEC abandoned the plan and admitted that it was a bad idea from the start - not in writing, but orally. In the 1990s, I was Secretary of the PCA, a member of the Village Party, a member of the Village Parks Commission, and a founding member of the Piermont Community Garden. In 2000, I adopted a baby. I raised her as a single parent, and I am very proud of the thoughtful, educated, empathetic young woman she has grown-up to be. I am a lifelong Democrat. I began actively working for Democratic candidates in 2016 during the first Trump campaign. Over the last 10 years, I have knocked on thousands of doors on behalf of Democratic candidates. I have contributed to many Democratic campaigns, both locally and nationally. I have been a member of the Orangetown and Rockland County Democratic Committees for Piermont’s Election District 1 since 2022. I am ready and eager to carry… to continue to carry out the critical, unglamorous tasks of ensuring that voters are kept informed and involved, and that they turn out to vote, and I think that the PDC has an extraordinary record on that, as Mayor Sanders said. Additionally, and just to correct something that was said earlier…
 
Chris Sanders. Time.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. I personally…
 
Chris Sanders. Time, Marthe…
 
Marthe Schulwolf … have recruited a dozen people to the ODC.
 
Chris Sanders. Marthe, that’s time, Marthe…
 
Marthe Schulwolf. Thank you… including Mr. Gordon, whom I recruited.
 
Chris Sanders. And Dennis?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 00:20:25,550 ] Thank you.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. No, you didn’t.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 00:20:27,290 ] Yes, I did.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:20:28,870 ] You can think that.
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 00:20:30,730 ] Okay. uh[sic]… let’s get started here. So… uh[sic]… my name is Dennis Hardy… um[sic]… I want to thank the Committee… uh[sic]… and Mayor Sanders for moderating this evening. Um[sic]… and most importantly, thank all of you for attending. That shows your engagement in the Village, and that’s very, very important. Um[sic]… I have a lot of favorite things that I love about Piermont, but one of the most favorite is I met my lovely wife, Lori, here in Piermont… so… um[sic]… uh[sic]… I have served… uh[sic]…  on the Conservation Advisory Commission, the Harbor Advisory Commission… uh[sic]… I currently serve on the Comprehensive Plan Committee. Um[sic]… I was elected 3 times, once as a Trustee and twice as Mayor. I am a lifelong Democrat. I also served…uh[sic]… for 4 years as Chairman of the Orangetown Housing Authority… Reasons that I’m running for the PDC… um[sic]… I was a former Chair for many years of the Piermont Democratic Committee… and, in the last mayoral election, I observed… uh[sic]… and was extremely disappointing[sic] to learn that, after petitions were secured for the Democratic candidates, 2 members of the Piermont Democratic Committee carried petitions for an independent candidate. This violated the spirit and intent of the role as a member of the Democratic Committee. In addition, this disenfranchised Democrats who signed petitions for the Democratic candidates.
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. [Unintelligible]
 
Dennis Hardy. Many Democrats called me and they were confused and they wanted to know - why was this happening? I hope we get answers here tonight. Uh[sic]… another important issue is transparency. Having closed Zoom meetings and meetings in homes, not public venues, lacks the appearance of transparency, and does not allow for public participation. I believe with my background and my experience, I can provide the leadership to assist Democrats who want to run for office, and I ask for your consideration and vote on June 23rd. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:22:45,010 ] Thank you, Dennis… OK, we have a host of questions for the candidates tonight… Mr. Gordon, I was way off.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 00:22:56,470 ] [Unintelligible].
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:22:58,320 ] And, um[sic]… none of the questions have been removed, so… and I haven’t had a chance to go through them, so I’m going to go top-to-bottom. I think it’s probably the best way to do it at this point. Um[sic]… again, one-minute answers. We’ll start… from left to right and then we’ll rotate, starting down the line. All right. Getting started... Margaret, many voters are not clear on what local party Committee members do. How would you educate Democratic voters about the Committee’s role and make the work of the Committee more visible, transparent, and relevant?... 1 minute.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 00:23:32,760 ] Um[sic]… yeah[sic]… I think actually the Committee’s… uh[sic]… quite… visible because we do a lot of door-to-door knocking. We do film[sic] banks, and… um[sic]… a lot of campaign[sic] on behalf of many candidates to[sic]… with the villagers…um[sic]… in Piermont. I think our biggest responsibility as Committee people… is to look for and encourage Democrats to run for office. I was thrilled… I was being referred to… I was thrilled to have an opportunity to bring another Democrat into the last race, that Democrat being Kevin Timoney. He was too late to join the... um[sic]… to join the…um[sic]… uh[sic]… Democratic…uh[sic]… um[sic]… primary, but was able to run as an independent... He’s a great Democrat and lifelong Democrat. So[sic]… um[sic]… and I’ve also looked, and over the years, found many people, both here… oh[sic]… both here in… uh[sic]… Piermont, in Orangetown, and in Rockland County. I’ve sought out and grown many candidates for the positions, different public positions. To me, that’s our most important… task.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:24:35,070 ] Thank you, Margaret... Barbara, you need it read again?
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 00:24:39,340 ] Oh… I don’t know how much I can add to that, ‘cause I also feel like… um[sic]… we’re a very visible group. But the other thing that’s sort of funny is that… I feel like in Piermont… um[sic]… we’re always begging for volunteers. I hear th[sic]… I hear people saying that... um[sic]… nobody’s looking… um[sic]… that were a closed group. But in fact, every opportunity we get, we’re asking for people to help us. And… being part of the Orangetown Democratic Committee, we have recruited 22 addit[sic]… people in Piermont beyond the 8 people on this Committee to become members of the Orangetown Democratic Committee. And that also helps us in terms of what happens in Piermont, in Orangetown, in Rockland, and even nationally. So there is... um[sic]… I don’t... I can’t think of more I can[sic]… than what Margaret said other than that we are bigger than just the Village.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:25:37,860 ] OK. Thank you, Barbara… um[sic] Robert, Jeff, I’m going to read it again maybe every 2... I’ll read it again, say... because they’re long. Many voters are not clear on what local party committee members do. How would you educate Democratic voters about the Committee’s role and make the work of Committee[sic] more visible, transparent, and relevant?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:25:54,500 ] Thank you for [unintelligible]. Look, you know, I sort of sympathize with Dennis’s position. I’ve been in the Village for roughly 6 to 8 years, and nobody’s knocked on MY door. You know, I think one thing that’s very important about this process - Democrat, Republican, whatever party you are – I think it’s public-facing involvement. That starts with advertising when meetings are going to be held, you know, advising people what it is they can participate in, how they can participate. I think the Village is seeing a lot of younger families, and I think that’s somewhere that the Committee could sort of touch on and enhance participation. So that’s how I would approach it.
 
Chris Sanders. Thank you, Robert.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 00:26:52,620 ] Um[sic]… Nate Mitchell is on the Committee… so I’m sure.
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. Yeah, that’s right!
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. Are we having a debate here?
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:26:56,500 ] No, we’re not. We’re not... Jeff.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:27:01,060 ] At least when it comes to this challenger, you better come with receipts when you talk about all the efforts you’ve undertaken… to expand visibility and solicit assistance. There are 1,100 registered Democrats in the village. The PDC Facebook page has 193 followers. And 101 posts since 2020. I don’t think that’s much in the way of promoting visibility and encouraging involvement by the community. With regard to soliciting help and membership on the PDC, I’ve taken a look and I’ve checked the [PDC] Facebook page. And out of 101 posts, only in February of 2025 and February of 2026 did the PDC solicit any people interested in getting involved with the PDC. Other than that, other than those 2, it’s completely barren as far as soliciting help
 
Chris Sanders. Thank you, Jeff.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. … and assistance and membership in the PDC.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:28:08,669 ] Time… All right. Once again, many voters are not clear on what local party committee members do. How would you educate Democratic voters about the Committee’s role and make the work of the Committee more visible, transparent, and relevant?... Marthe?
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 00:28:21,540 ] I don’t do my organizing on Facebook. I don’t really care for what Facebook encourages, which is just conflict and what it’s done to our country. I do my organizing on the ground, where I live. Michael Tunick, I recruited you to the ODC. Jeff Gordon, Esq., I recruited you in 2024 before I understood that we needed to be petitioned when we at the ODC were doing things the old way. Before our County Convention, I went around and literally recruited a dozen people. Now, Piermont… people don’t understand how this works, and I’m not sure I can explain it in 1 minute. I can try to explain it in my closing statement. The ballot says nothing about the Piermont [Democratic] Committee. The ballot says, “Member Of County Committee, Orangetown 1”. We are elected - or simply petitioned if it’s uncontested, which is 90% of the time - to represent this Election District at the county and town levels. Piermont [Democratic] Committee is…
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:28:08,669 ] Time, Marthe… Time, Marthe…
 
Marthe Schulwolf … a voluntary [unintelligible]… which is run by Margaret and Barbara’s efforts.
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 00:29:29,810 ] OK, thank you. Um[sic]… I… I sort of agree with Marthe on… on… on one aspect, that it’s outreach. That’s the most important thing. Um[sic]… when[sic]… you know, in a leadership position, you always need to be on the lookout for your next leaders…uh[sic]…  in your village. And of course, there’s social media, there’s e-mail blasts… uh[sic]… but[sic]… also, setting up tables at events, uh[sic]… we need to do a better job… uh[sic]… with outreach. But I’d also like to point out, um[sic]… you know, it… it’s been said that it’s the Democratic Committee’s responsibility to reach out. We have 3 candidates: 2 are currently sitting on the Village Board and 1 in the audience, that were never approached by the [Piermont] Democratic Committee. I want to point that out. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:30:14,090 ] Thank you, Dennis. All right, moving on to the second question, and we’ll start with Barbara on this one. Today, at all levels of government, integrity is at an all-time low. Do you think it is an important quality? And how would you define integrity?
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 00:30:33,190 ] I would define integrity as staying true to your values. I would define integrity as making sure that the people around you understand those values and…um[sic]… even if they don’t disagree[sic] with you or I don’t disagree[sic] with them, that we can respect each other… for… uh[sic]… our beliefs… And I don’t know how to[sic]… how you bring integrity… to… a… country. Clearly, we have issues in this country starting from the top. And clearly, they have made their way all the way almost to the bottom. But we… um[sic]… we should work through those things, respect each other, and try to understand that we’re not all going to disagree[sic], but many of us have the same…um[sic]… end-game.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:31:27,660 ] Thank you, Barbara... Robert?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:31:29,610 ] Can you read that again for me?
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:31:32,030 ] OK. I was only going to do every 2.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:31:34,210 ] I know… I’m sorry.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:31:35,260 ] Today, at all levels of government, integrity is at an all-time low. Do you think it is an important quality? And how would you define integrity?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:31:44,250 ] I would define integrity as honesty. I wouldn’t define integrity as sticking to your values because those values may be skewed or compromised by personal beliefs. To me, integrity is doing the right thing all the time, even when people hate you for it.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:32:07,580 ] OK... Jeffrey.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:32:10,310 ] First, I have to apologize to Marthe when she said she was instrumental in getting me involved in politics. I thought she meant running for Piermont Trustee. Marthe did get me involved in the ODC, so I apologize for saying you didn’t get me.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. OK.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. ...Didn’t know that you were referring to that... I’m going to apply the word “integrity” to basically what we’re discussing tonight, and that’s the PDC. To me, it basically means following the rules, following your own rules, following the bylaws. As Robert said, don’t get your personal beliefs in the way. Who should get help? Who shouldn’t get help and who you may be undermining in that person’s efforts to seek public office in Piermont? That’s it. It’s to assist. It’s not to impose your views on who should win, who shouldn’t win, who should run, and who shouldn’t run.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:33:12,440 ] Thank you… Marthe [... am I up to reading this)]?
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 00:33:14,530 ] Integrity. I’ll take just the word integrity. Let’s just move on. I define it, first of all, as truthfulness. Secondly, as when you have made an incorrect statement, owning it and retracting it, which I am glad you did just now. I have to say that I have seen many incorrect statements made online. I do read the online stuff. I don’t participate very much because I think it’s… a very poor medium for anything. But I do read it, and I see that people... make outrageous statements and don’t retract them. And that there is no, even no official retraction by the administrators. And I have to say that one thing we did when we fought the DEC, we never engaged in personal attacks. We used our page not for endless back-and-forth, but simply as where we put our statements out to the public. And we always treated even the New York State DEC... which we were pretty angry with those guys... but we never engaged in personal attacks in writing, on social media, or anywhere else. And I see things put-out that...
 
Chris Sanders. Time, [unintelligible].
 
Marthe Schulwolf. …then get erased, but not apologized for. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:34:25,239 ] All right, once again, for both Dennis and… and Margaret, today at all levels of government, integrity is at an all-time low. Do you think it is an important quality and how would you define integrity?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 00:34:36,770 ] Um[sic]… good question, but I’m not sure that I totally agree with it. I… I think there are many people… uh[sic]… in government… uh[sic]… local… uh[sic]… town of Orangetown… uh[sic]… etcetera… the County Legis[sic]… that serve with integrity. Um[sic]… it’s something I live by every day. I’ve had[sic]… I’ve been involved in public… uh[sic]… service my entire life, and… um[sic]… integrity is… is… very important… not only in political life, but in your daily life. And I just try to be the best person that I can be.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:35:07,090 ] Thank you, Dennis... Margaret?
 
Margaret Grace. [ 00:35:10,870 ] Yeah…. um[sic]… you know, I do think integrity - or people feeling a sense of integrit… integrity, and… um[sic]… commitment to being true, telling the truth, and then correcting if there[sic]… if something turns up and they realize that what they said is not true, at least locally, in an[sic]… issues that we’re all dealing with, especially here, is really important. And… um[sic]… I think that… um[sic]… integrity nationally, we need to bolster it up. And we can do that in these communities like this, in small villages and neighborhoods. We can[sic]… we’re the[sic]… we’re the groun[sic]… ground of this… movement to return integrity to our government, to our community. And I think we have a fantastic opportunity here in Piermont to do that. It’s one of the things I’ve always loved about Piermont is that you’re just one person, but you’re one person in a community, and you have a voice. And I think this demand for integrity, for truth-telling... and for clarification when truth is not told...
 
Chris Sanders. Thank you.
 
Margaret Grace … is super important.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:36:16,250 ] OK. Thank you, Margaret. Moving on to the next question, starting with you, Rob. What specific con[sic]… contributions have you made to the Piermont Democratic Committee or to the Democratic Party outside of your own candidacy? And why do you believe those efforts demonstrate your commitment to serving our community?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:36:40,210 ] None. I haven’t made any. I think one thing that I have done is at least bolster public participation, and I think there’s an inherent value to that. And as I said in my opening. I think that this is something that we should be encouraging, not discouraging. So for the avoidance of doubt, I have not participated with this Committee. I have not bolstered it up, I haven’t done anything. But I would like to. So that’s why I’m here.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:37:13,110 ] And to be clear, the question is either the Piermont Democratic Committee or the Democratic Party overall. So you’re not on the Committee itself, so...
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. Yeah, likewise.
 
Chris Sanders. OK.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. Nothing.
 
Chris Sanders. OK… Jeffrey.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:37:28,400 ] I saw some issues with the PDC and I think that I brought it to light and hopefully made a difference by running for the seat on the PDC. I think I can make a difference there. With regard to canvassing, I had no problem going out and knocking on doors, and canvassing for Cait Conley, Tiffany Sturdivant-Morrison, Mike Parietti, Gina Ironsides, [unintelligible] Santos, Stephanie Small, and Ernest Morales. [Unintelligible].
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:37:59,670 ] So thank you, Jeff. Thank you... uh[sic]… Marthe?
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 00:38:05,870 ] I have carried nominating petitions for all of those people myself… um[sic]… I have worked… I even worked in Haverstraw when I lived there for 6 months during my home renovation. I was carrying… I was canvassing, rather… for, unfortunately, our losing candidate, Mondaire Jones, and for the one thing that won, the Women’s… uh[sic]… Equal Rights Amendment in New York State, that was the only thing that actually won. I have been very active on the Orangetown Committee. I was recruited in [20]22 to attend a County Convention and that’s when[sic]… been where my focus is. Uh[sic]… it all works together, of course, and that’s an extremely important point that… Piermont is not the end of the world. Piermont is[sic]… it[sic]… sometimes feels like a little snow-globe, especially when you first move here. I understand that feeling. However... we are a small part of the rest of the County and the Town. And as I said, it is possible, according to the...
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:38:04,430 ] Time, Marthe.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. Oh, sorry. I was going to explain bizarre election laws. Never mind.
 
Chris Sanders. OK… Dennis?... Need the question again?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 00:39:15,640 ] Uh[sic]… No, I think the[sic]… I’m fine. Um[sic]… so… uh[sic]… I have supported Democratic candidates… um[sic]… you know… whether on the county level, the town level, and[sic] the village level. I have not supported the Piermont Democratic Committee because they have not supported candidates that I wanted to have elected for office. I hope to change that when I get voted on the [Piermont] Democratic Committee. So that’s my answer. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:39:43,230 ] OK. Thank you, Dennis... All right, um[sic]… Margaret… yeah… Margaret and Barbara, what specific contributions have you made to the PDC or to the Democratic Party outside of your own candidacy and why do you believe these efforts demonstrate your commitment to serving our community?
 
Margaret Grace. [ 00:40:02,560 ] Um[sic]… I[sic]… I[sic]… I’d[sic]… for 30 years, I’ve been assisting candidates, Democratic candidates throughout the Village, the town, the county, the state, the US, in personal, physical work, door-to-door work, in campaign donations, in… creating fundraisers, in creating… um[sic]… “Meet the Candidates” evenings… Um[sic]… I… I take this very seriously and… um[sic]… so that’s something that I’ve been doing…um[sic]… my whole life, my whole adult life, actually… um[sic]… because even before I moved to Piermont, I would do some of this in Manhattan when I was living… you know… work as[sic]… working as an artist in Manhattan. But it’s[sic]… I’ve been committed to the Democratic Party… and… um[sic]… the… the fine Democrats that run for office and work for them… for decades so… and on every level of possible participation.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:40:54,820 ] OK… Thank you, Margaret… Barbara?
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 00:40:56,170 ] Well… [coughs]… my experience is similar to Margaret’s. I have worked for candidates here locally, for… um[sic]… people who have been on this Board, and who have been Mayor, and… um[sic]… some of whom I hope you’ve liked, Dennis. But we also… um[sic]… I’ve worked… um[sic]… for regionally, I’ve worked for the ERA, I’ve worked for women’s rights, I’ve worked in New York, I’ve worked in Chicago... um[sic]… This is not something that is outside my everyday life. This is what I do.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:41:30,170 ] OK… Thank you, Barbara… All right, starting, Jeff, now... There has been discussion that it was wrong for the existing Democratic Committee of Piermont to support a different mayoral candidate than the Democratic nominee. How far does that sentiment go? Would you condemn any Republican that doesn’t support the sitting President?... [I]… find the second half of the question kind of confusing, but take that as written, Jeff.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:41:59,390 ] Um[sic]….
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:42:03,990 ] Do you need that again?
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. Yeah, please.
 
Chris Sanders. Yeah… um[sic]… Ah[sic]… I think it’s enough to… to… to address the first half of this?
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. Yeah.
 
Chris Sanders. So let’s go there. There has been discussion that it was wrong for the existing Democratic Committee of Piermont to support a different mayoral candidate, than the Democratic nominee. How far does that sentiment go?
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. For myself?
 
Chris Sanders. I… I… I’m just reading it. I… I… I think it’s an opportunity to… comment on…. Let’s go there.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:42:35,390 ] For myself, I don’t think it’s a surprise [to] anybody in this room that I’ve been very vocal about my thoughts on the Piermont Democratic Committee or primarily the Chair and the Vice-Chair carrying out petitions for an independent candidate once petitions were signed on, submitted, and resulted in Nate Mitchell getting on the ballot. I didn’t see the reason for it, again like Dennis had said, I believe it’s against the whole spirit of the bylaws of the PDC. I don’t think it should have happened. You know, there are many races in this Village that went uncontested. So the idea that, well, we had to have… run a candidate against Nate on the Democratic line is a specious argument. I was very vocal on that.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:43:39,990 ] Time… Marthe?
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 00:43:42,340 ] I think that is simply ridiculous. First of all, as Cait Conley says, contested elections tests[sic] the candidates. Secondly, there’s nothing worse than a sore... winner. A sore loser’s bad, but a sore winner’s that worse. Thirdly, it was the independent party known as, oh God, what did we call it? - the Village Party - that saved the Pier, OK? When I moved here, the Village Party was saving the Pier from turning into Fort Lee. So we have a long history in Piermont, of independent people running, as long as the people running are actual Democrats. That’s a technicality. It’s petty, and it’s being[sic] afraid of a contest and being a sore winner. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:44:29,230 ] Thank you, Marthe... Dennis?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 00:44:32,120 ] Um[sic]… OK... um[sic]… so… uh[sic]… when you’re a member of the Democratic Committee, you support Democratic candidates…. um[sic]… If you’re not a member of the Democratic Committee and you want to support a candidate, that’s fine. But if you’re a member of the Democratic Committee... uh[sic]… you support Democratic candidates. This is not a cafeteria plan where you can pick-and-choose. Uh[sic]…
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. [Unintelligible].
 
Dennis Hardy. If you want to go support independent candidates, then resign from the Democratic Committee. If you’re a Democratic Committee person, you support Democratic candidates. It’s simple as that. And I just want to counter… Marthe’s statement. You really gave far too much credit to one organization. As far as Piermont Landing, I attended dozens and dozens… many, many residents in this Village supported Piermont Landing. And it is what it is today because of the residents in the Village of Piermont. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:45:31,960 ] Thank you, Dennis… Margaret?
 
Margaret Grace. [ 00:45:34,540 ] Are we repeating it or do I have to?
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:45:36,040 ] No, I’ll have the question again. There has been discussion, that it was wrong for the existing Democratic Committee of Piermont to support a different mayoral Candidate than the Democratic nominee.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 00:45:48,310 ] Um[sic]… The [Piermont] Democratic Committee is not required to support… or give its… uh[sic]… as a committee, give its support behind, a candidate that… the Democratic nominee[sic]. However, they are required to make sure that they have the tools necessary to run… their campaign… um[sic]… to run a campaign. Myself… um[sic]… I went to so many different people to try to see… because I am really… I was very unhappy with the candidate… there…. I will go into that a little bit later about some of… the issues that I had… and I was[sic]… and I really felt… that… we needed someone… I needed to find other people to run for office and everyone I talked to for Trustee and for Mayor off[sic]… said to a person… that they are not going to put their families or themselves in front of Preserve Piermont’s Facebook page… and they refuse to participate. For years, we’ve had people come forward, new fresh faces… I’m glad we have some people in office, but to a person…
 
Chris Sanders. OK.
 
Margaret Grace. … folks that I had found that served in various...
 
Chris Sanders. Time… Time…
 
Margaret Grace … positions.
 
Chris Sanders. Margaret…
 
Margaret Grace. They would not… they would not come forward to serve. They did not want to put themselves…
 
Chris Sanders. Time… Time, Margaret…
 
Margaret Grace … through the abuse of that Facebook page.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:47:01,820 ] Barbara?… Barbara…
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 00:47:02,730 ] Thank you... So… I… I think… um[sic]… people aren’t clear on what happened. [Reading from her written notes]. Kevin Timoney called me when it was too late to run as a Democrat in the mayoral race. He told me he had many friends who had urged him to run... I suggested that[sic]… that he call the Board of Elections and find out how to get on the ballot as an independent candidate. He did. He created petitions and ran a campaign. I thought his experience was interesting and would be good for the Village. Minimally[sic], it would be good to hear a different voice in the campaign. I carried his ballots. As I got to know Kevin, because of [the] experience beyond Piermont, and because he sees a future with his family here, I thought he would be a better choice. The Constitution does allow us freedom of choice.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:47:59,290 ] Mayor, can I have that question again?
 
Chris Sanders. Absolutely.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:48:03,530 ] There has been discussion that it was wrong for the existing Democratic Committee of Piermont to support a different mayoral candidate than the Democratic nominee. I’m not sure how this question wraps, other than... how far does that sentiment go? But I think it’s an invitation just to comment on that… that instance.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:48:22,240 ] Sure… Give it to me once more.
 
Chris Sanders. That are… fine.
 
Chris Sanders. There has been dih[sic]… there has been discussion that it was wrong for the existing Democratic Committee of Piermont to support a different mayoral candidate than the Democratic nominee.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:48:44,750 ] Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:48:46,470 ] How far does that sentiment go?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. Sure.
 
Chris Sanders. Right? Wrong? Not right? Not wrong?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:48:51,490 ] I’m just trying to keep [Maureen] on her feet with the timekeeping... You know, I don’t think it was a mistake, in terms of how it played out. If an independent candidate arose, and gathered the signatures or was encouraged to gather the signatures, he wouldn’t have to face a primary against Nate Mitchell. It’s as simple as that… You know, a lot of what I’m hearing, again, is about how terrible Preserve Piermont is. I think Preserve Piermont has done a lot for this Village. And it’s been painted with a brush that’s been employed rather unfairly. We’ve brought information to residents…. Going back to a previous question...
 
Chris Sanders. Time, Robert.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:49:46,570 ] Sure… Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:49:47,580 ] All right, jumping into the next question… uh[sic]… Marthe… As a member of the PDC, would you support placing a candidate on the Democratic ticket, if that candidate - or a member of their household - has or has had a lawsuit against the village?
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:50:06,410 ] What was the last one?
 
Marthe Schulwolf. Uh…. [Pfff…] that’s a…
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:50:09,060 ] I’m sorry.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:50:09,420 ] …the last part of that question?
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:50:12,359 ] I’ll[sic]… I’ll[sic] … I’ll[sic]… I’ll do it again so we can get this clear... As a member of the PDC, would you support placing a candidate… [unintelligible]… on the Democratic ticket, if that candidate or a member of their household has or has had a lawsuit against the Village?
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 00:50:33,450 ] Let me clarify something. We don’t place people on the Democratic ticket. We show them a… or I believe Margaret and Barbara do most of this work. They show them a sample petition. They just have to change the dates, change the names, figure out who to put down as their supporters who are part of their nominating thing[sic]. And… they go out, if they get enough signatures, they can take ‘em right to the Board of Elections. The Piermont Democratic Committee and no Democratic Committee places people on a ballot. People do the work to get themselves on a ballot or get supporters to do that work. So the question doesn’t make a ton of sense to me. I am not an attorney… um[sic].... I am not… I am not going to… uh[sic]… not going to comment on family members and lawsuits… But we don’t place people on ballots. That’s simply ridiculous.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:51:27,280 ] Thank you, Marthe... Dennis?
 
Dennis Hardy. Do you want to repeat that for me?
 
Chris Sanders. I will try… As a member of the PDC, would you support placing a candidate on the Democratic ticket if that candidate or a member of their household has or has had a lawsuit against the Village?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 00:51:45,990 ] OK... uh[sic]… um[sic]… there could be many reasons why… uh[sic]… someone tripped and fell or something… uh[sic]… You know… look… we have to take it, you know… look at a candidate and… and see why they’re running… um[sic]… but as far as family members, I mean, it’s[sic]… the family member is not running for office. It’s the candidate… so…
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:52:07,100 ] Thank you, Dennis… Margaret?
 
Margaret Grace. [ 00:52:10,730 ] Oh my gosh, I hate to ask you to repeat that.
 
Chris Sanders. [Groans].
 
Margaret Grace. But no… um[sic]… actually… the…um[sic]… I, I... don’t think that that would automatically be disqualifying. It depends on the nature of the loss… of a lawsuit. That’s all I can say. It isn’t like an automatic thing. It’s very[sic]… when[sic]… when you make a decision to support someone… for me, it’s a very long and thoughtful process. And so to broadly say that, I couldn’t agree with that in a broad way. I’d have to see what the lawsuit was… personally. And the Committee, again, the Committee doesn’t place people on the ballot.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:52:47,470 ] Great… Barbara?
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 00:52:49,950 ] Well, I think it’s been made clear here that… um[sic]… Committee members may support people… as they choose, but the Committee does not place anyone on the ballot. The Committee can help them… um[sic]… to understand the rules. They can help them to… get their petitions together. But, and actually, what… um[sic]… the Committee can also do is to share people’s petition[sic] among all the volunteers who are going out to petition in… um[sic]… this… past election-cycle, I believe we had 18 to 20 different Piermonters out with petitions for people who they would choose to see on the ballot.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:53:36,030 ] Thank you.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:53:36,520 ] I’d like the question once more.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:53:38,260 ] You bet, Robert… OK, as a potential member of the Piermont Democratic Committee, would you support placing a candidate on the Democratic ticket if that candidate or a member of their household has or has had a lawsuit against the Village?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:53:54,410 ] Absolutely. I think my biggest issue with this Committee so far, and I’ve tried to keep this as professional and as kind as I possibly can, but, patience is waning… is that members of this Committee actively participated in the former Administration’s weaponization of government against the residents. I had Ms. Scheulen repeatedly stand up during Village Board meetings to refer to me as the husband of a litigant. Everyone in here knows what we’re talking about.
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. [Unintelligible].
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. If that resident has something that they believe is going to have an impact on them and their family, that does not preclude them from participating in the governmental process at all, and I think the question… there are a few smiles in here. I would imagine who it came from. I think the question is absolutely absurd.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:54:50,050 ] Thank you. Thank you, Robert… Jeffrey?
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:54:54,520 ] [Sigh]… I won’t ask you to repeat the question. We know the import of that question. We know what the lawsuit was about. But for that lawsuit, and the man sitting to my right, you’d be looking at bulldozers on Main Street, and you’d be looking at a CBM Zone that, despite the protests of other members on this panel, CBM would have ruined the architectural downtown that members of this panel hold so near and dear to their heart. Let’s be honest, Preserve Piermont was very critical of the Mayor. Members of the PDC or the Chair and the Vice-Chair were big supporters of the Mayor and his CBM. Not once did they ever vocalize their opposition to the downtown CBM Zone. You know, at the last debate, Preserve Piermont got smeared again, and this is just another continuation of the attempt to smear. You know, they can’t defend against the message that was put out by Preserve Piermont.
 
Chris Sanders. Time, Jeff, time.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. ...so they attacked the messenger.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:56:02,150 ] Time, Jeffrey. Thank you… All right, hopefully this is a quick question. Starting with you, Dennis, on this one. Have you ever worked for, contributed to, or endorsed a Republican candidate?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 00:56:17,750 ] Have… ever worked for… contributed… um[sic]…
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:56:21,410 ] … and I assume ‘work for’ not meaning…
 
Dennis Hardy. No…
 
Chris Sanders … professionally, but politically.
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. Excuse me, Dennis?
 
Chris Sanders. Yeah, not work for... Excuse me, Marthe, can you put that down, please?
 
Dennis Hardy. I have. Yes, I have.
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. [ 00:56:33,000 ] Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:56:33,960 ] Okay. Care to expound on that, or…?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 00:56:36,220 ] No, I just… I mean. I’m 69 years old. I might have supported a… a Republican candidate. Um[sic]… but, um[sic]… that… yeah.
 
Chris Sanders. OK.
 
Dennis Hardy. That’s the answer. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:56:48,730 ] Margaret.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 00:56:49,810 ] Yes, um[sic]… I did. Um[sic]… I… um[sic]… supported… uh[sic]… John Zahn. He was part of the group of the 3 of us that started the Village Party, and all 3 of us running for office. And I was[sic]… he[sic]… he was a wonderful… uh[sic]… Trustee and was a wonderful Mayor. And I did support him. And he was a Republican. Other than that - not.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:57:11,160 ] Barbara?
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 00:57:12,690 ] No, no, and no.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:57:15,800 ] OK… Robert.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 00:57:16,960 ] Yes, I have. I served as Special Counsel to the Town of Orangetown for several years. As an attorney, I’ve represented a handful of predominantly Republican boards - Stony Point, Orangetown. I’ve personally contributed to the campaigns of Lauren Marie Wohl and also Ed Day. I think Ed Day has done... a lot for the County, and Lauren Marie Wohl, I believe she’s done a good job for the Clerk’s Office in Clarkstown, which is where I have an office. So, yes, I have.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:57:58,760 ] Thank you, Robert... Jeff?
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 00:58:00,560 ] I think on the national front, probably Reagan…
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. You’re showing your age!
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. … was the last Republican I supported. My first job out of law school was with a firm called Plunkett & Jaffe. That’s where I got my municipal training. And it was a boutique law firm on Fifth Avenue with 8 attorneys in it. I had my office here, and the adjacent office within the same suite was occupied by George Pataki. I supported him in his campaigns for Mayor, Assembly, as well as Governor - in all of his runs as Governor.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:58:37,520 ] Thank you, Jeff… Marthe?
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 00:58:40,420 ] I’d like to just point out that Lauren Marie Wohl is a rage-filled MAGA. I know people in Clarkstown, and she has attacked Democratic candidates when she was actually tasked with introducing Republican ones. So she is a raging MAGA. That is one of the people that…uh[sic]… Robert Zitt donated to. The others are Teresa Kenny and Ed Day. I supported John Zahn, but he was in[sic]… a Republican running on an independent line, not to mention that he was an old-style Republican. I have never voted, contribute[sic]… No, I have voted… wrong… sorry. I have never contributed to a Republican campaign on a Republican line. I did put my support behind the writing campaign for a[sic]… a Republican lawyer who came forward to run against D. A. Walsh after he let the people who started the Evergreen Fire, which killed Jared Lloyd… he let them off with probation - the ultra-Orthodox rabbis who caused that fire and killed two people.
 
Chris Sanders. Time.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. And then[sic]…
 
Chris Sanders. Time, Marthe...
 
Marthe Schulwolf. …there I did support a Republican, yes.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 00:59:47,660 ] Thank you, Marthe.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. …although she was on [unintelligible].
 
Chris Sanders. Coming back to you, Margaret… Trust in institutions and the Democratic Party leadership is at an all-time low. In your opinion, why is that, and what will you do to repair that at the village level, town, county, and state level?
 
Margaret Grace. [ 01:00:06,670 ] My[sic]… um[sic]… It’s…it’s[sic]… a big job. My most[sic]… my biggest concern is here in the Village because, like I said, my feeling is that it is at[sic]… here where we begin the process of making this a better nation… um[sic]… and[sic]… uh[sic]… what would I do? The most important thing is to be truthful, and, share those truths. I… I just… I’m... I’m just like flabbergasted by the amounts of accusations and things that are said that are untrue. Sources that are never[sic]… nobody questions when they tell them something that are untrue, that are very damaging to this community. And… um[sic]… so first of all, be truth-tellers. The other is to… uh[sic]… continue to have a community that... uh[sic]… that is… um[sic]… engaged in helping each other, understanding each other, sharing ideas. So… for now, that’s it. I’m out of time.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:01:05,010 ] Thank you... Barbara?
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 01:01:07,470 ] Well, I think tonight I’m hearing that we don’t have enough on social media for Piermont Democratic Committee, and that that’s their way to reach people. So maybe we can start by… um[sic]… giving more information via social media. Um[sic]… I think that the other thing… um[sic]… that… we need to… um[sic]… make sure… that if we hear something that we’re not sure of, pick up the phone, send an email. Don’t… uh[sic]… look at something that’s on social media that you question and not go after an answer. I think… I think that that’s a better thing to do.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:01:45,350 ] OK.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 01:01:46,030 ] Can I get the question again?
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:01:47,130 ] Absolutely, Robert. Trust in institutions and the Democratic Party leadership is at an all-time low. In[sic]… why, in your opinion, why is that, and what would you do to repair that, at the village, town, county, and state level?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 01:02:04,020 ] Thank you. I agree with Barbara. I think this Village can certainly be more active on social media in terms of reaching out to younger Democrats, encouraging them to participate in the process. One of my biggest concerns is really just the reaction that Marthe had to hearing that I contributed to Lauren Marie Wohl. I think one issue Democrats face these days is extreme polarization - sort of an unwillingness to work with the other side, simply because they are on the other side. I think one thing that this Village can improve on is a willingness to work with other parties, other people. So, I would like to encourage that kind of participation.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:02:59,100 ] Thank you, Robert... Jeffrey?
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 01:03:03,860 ] [Sighs]… Robert mentioned an unwillingness to work with the other side. They’re not even willing to work within their side. In other words, I believe that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is not open to discussions even with members of their own party who may be more centrist, like I am. I’m not even talking about right-of-center. I’m talking about centrist, your traditional Democrat, which… we’re looked down-upon. If I don’t subscribe to progressive views, and I find this on Facebook a lot and social media, to that extent, I agree with a lot of people on the panel. If I don’t subscribe to their leftist progressive notions, I’m MAGA… in their view. So as far as dealing with the Republicans, that’s not going to happen. They support 80-20 issues. It’s nothing on their agenda except hate Trump. They’ve got to get a handle on things if they want to win any elections.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:04:04,360 ] Thank you, Jeff.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 01:04:06,960 ] I was talking about a specific person, which I have knowledge of. But let me just say this. At the town and county level, what hurts us, what sometimes kills us… is that we have a severe... distortion in Rockland County politics. We have the town of Ramapo, and… also Haverstraw to a degree, where you have the Ultra-Orthodox voting blocs. Register as Democrats, they put Democrats in the County Legislature so they can control the majority and be the majority, and then they vote, exclusively, to a like 90, 95% for Trump and Lawler. And they also are, of course… very authoritarian, structured, cultish societies that do what the rabbis tell them to do. Their values are far more in tune with the Republican Party. They don’t believe in gender or racial equality. And the fact that they control the local… they have taken over the Rockland County Democratic Party. We have worked very hard in Orangetown, and we hope that this Fall we can take it back. They did get one of their people to become the Democratic Commissioner of Elections. Hopefully she’s following the law. She is the daughter of the…
 
Chris Sanders. Time.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. Ramapo Chair…
 
Chris Sanders. Time, Marthe.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. … who is an ultra-Orthodox.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:05:20,190 ] Thank you.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 01:05:20,939 ] Severe problem.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:05:21,640 ] Dennis, you need this question again?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 01:05:23,800 ] Yeah, could you please?
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:05:24,930 ] Mm-hmm. Uh[sic]… trust in institutions and the Democratic Party leadership is at an all-time low. In your opinion, why is that, and what would you… do to repair that at local, town, county, and state level?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 01:05:39,080 ] Okay… um[sic]… good question.. uh[sic]… you know, on the… the national level and state level… uh[sic]… that certainly is true… uh[sic]… but if I could solve all of that, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here tonight… um[sic]… I would say, look, you know, let’s support candidates that have integrity… um[sic]… you know, come to Village Board meetings… uh[sic]… go to the County Legislature… uh[sic]… contact your Senator. Get involved… um[sic]… you’ll see me at… at almost every Village Board meeting. Public comment. Dennis Hardy. Dennis Hardy. Get involved. And let me just sa[sic]… say a little bit about political campaigns, OK? Political campaigns can be messy. And I understand that. And I think everyone needs to understand it. You know, when you… just… you know, I… I made a comment that I didn’t think someone had the leadership skills to be Mayor of Piermont. That… that isn’t a criticism. Ah[sic]… It’s just meant as a statement. But… political campaigns can be a bit messy, but… we all need to have a bit thicker skin… uh[sic]… but… don’t lie. I mean, what we need to do is, you know, be truthful and have integrity about it… uh[sic]… That’s all.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:06:47,810 ] Thank you, Dennis. Time… OK, Barbara, next question… uh[sic]… in[sic]… is… uh[sic]… there’s 2 of them. I’m going to try to combine them… so… they’re very much alike. And they involve… um[sic]… crea[sic]… collecting candidates, if you will. Um[sic]… I’ll read both of them and then... somewhere in there, we could probably put together what… the answer to the question could be. Um[sic]… the bylaws charge the Search Committee with the[sic] seeking and[sic]… with seeking and interviewing qualified candidates. What process was used to identify candidates… this election-cycle? And then related to that is how should the Committee ensure neutrality and fairness when multiple Democrats seek office, and what safeguards exist to prevent insiders from receiving preferential treatment?... Is everybody okay that I called[sic]… bundled those two together? They… were relatively related.
 
[Off-Camera Voice]. [Unintelligible].
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 01:07:46,040 ] Um[sic]… [coughs]… so I believe that in this last cycle, we spoke to everyone who was running. We helped everyone, told everyone who was running that we would [help them] with their petitions if they so chose… um[sic]… many of the candidates… um[sic]… did not choose to have the Democratic Committee… um[sic]… give them their… petitions. We… um[sic]… pretty much sent everyone on their merry way. We did have one person who came to us, who… had no… um[sic]… experience that was related… to… uh[sic]… the Village, and who possibly had a conflict of interest, and we s[sic]… sort of discouraged her. But… she could have run…um[sic]… if she wanted.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:08:34,689 ] OK.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 01:08:37,040 ] I don’t know that I can answer that.
 
Chris Sanders [ 01:08:40,510 ] [Fffff…] Fair... uh[sic]… comment around it, or are you okay with just... I mean, it’s kind of fair. It seems very geared towards the current...
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 01:08:48,510 ] The incumbents...
 
Chris Sanders. Yeah.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:08:49,810 ] OK... Jeffrey, you have any comment on… about this?
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 01:08:53,510 ] Yeah, the only thing I can say is I did not speak to the PDC, anybody on the PDC, this election-cycle based on my experience the last election-cycle. As far as the PDC is concerned, I mean, they... it’s not like it was in the old days of caucusing. All you need to do is go out, get your petitions, if you have the wherewithal to figure out how to do it, get the petitions and knock on doors. And say you’re a Democratic candidate. And you’ll get petitions signed. And you’ll submit them, and you’ll be on the ballot as a Democratic candidate.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 01:09:25,960 ] You’ll be on the ballot in the primary.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:09:28,090 ] Marthe, please.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [Unintelligible].
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. In lieu of any support, by the PDC.
 
Chris Sanders. Thank you. Thank you, Jeff.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 01:09:35,899 ] I just want to correct a couple of things. You’ll be on the ballot in the primary if you’re a registered Democrat. You get on the Democrat… line by winning the primary.
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. Correct.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. Um[sic]…
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 01:09:46,180 ] You get it on a Democratic line because the Board of Elections says you submitted enough accurate signatures.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 01:09:52,319 ] Correct. You have to con[sic]… submit enough accurate signatures.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 01:09:53,979 ] You don’t need the PDC.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 01:09:55,560 ] No, you don’t, but you do get your sample petitions from them.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 01:10:00,170 ] Well, we’ll talk about how those helped the last election-cycle.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 01:10:03,050 ] Once again, Mr. Gordon is [laughs] blaming others for his mistakes. I had to sign[sic]… signed your petition… uh[sic]… the first[sic]… last election-cycle, three times, because the first time you were given samples from the prior year and you neglected to change the year. The second time, you accidentally omitted a phrase. … You know what, I’m sorry, but I worked in law firms many years in my 20s as a temp and a law assis[sic]… legal secretary. It is the job of a lawyer to proofread documents. If you accidentally delete a phrase, correct it. Don’t blame someone else.
 
Jeff Gordon. [Unintelligible].
 
Marthe Schulwolf. I hear a lot of blaming the PDC for things that the candidates should have been responsible for.
 
Chris Sanders. Time, Marthe… Time, Marthe… Time, Marthe… Dennis, you need me to bundle this question again?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 01:10:47,970 ] Um[sic]… no, I… I think I can answer it. Thank you. Um[sic] i[sic]… you know… uh[sic]… it[sic]… it’s my belief the Committee did not… uh[sic]… follow that process fully. There were candidates that did wanna[sic] run, and were not contacted… um[sic]… but look, ya[sic]… you know, as far as the petition thing… uh[sic]… that Marthe alluded to… uh[sic]… you know, we just pulled up our bootstraps… yeah… we got out there and we went and got signatures again… um[sic]… I’m not pointing the finger. We did what we had to do. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:11:16,900 ] Thank you, Dennis.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 01:11:19,850 ] I guess…
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:11:20,250 ] Margaret.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 01:11:21,010 ] I hate to tell you this, but you’re going to have to repeat [the question].
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:11:23,460 ] Oh, no, that’s absolutely fine. Um[sic]… how should the Committee ensure neutrality and fairness when multiple Democrats seek office, and what safeguards exist to prevent insiders from receiving preferential treatment? And then there was anoth[sic]… related… is[sic] the bylaws.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 01:11:47,050 ] That’s good enough. I think that’s good enough.
 
Chris Sanders. Okay.
 
Margaret Grace. Um[sic]… The Piermont Democratic Committee is… very careful to provide as much petitioning help as possible… to[sic]... when people come to us and ask us about processes for running for office, we’re available when you call us, and… we have done that with many people. Um[sic]… in terms of inside… [gestures]… you know… as individuals, the Constitution allows us to make decisions as individuals in [terms] of who we support. And that is for all of our,… Pier[sic]… you should know this because you’re going… you all want to be a Committee person. You are not obliged to serve or push as a… as a Committee person, a particular person. That is the… that’s the privacy of your vote… that makes that decision ultimately. So there isn’t… um[sic]… there isn’t… I have to tell you, there is not some… s[sic]… sort of favoritism as we present to people to come before us, the process of running for office. There… just isn’t. Whether or not later, individuals as individuals and not members of the Committee
 
Chris Sanders. OK.
 
Margaret Grace. …make a decision on who they want to vote for…
 
Chris Sanders. Margaret…
 
Margaret Grace. …that is our right in the Constitution.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:12:55,360 ] Thank you, Margaret… All right, starting with you, Rob. Um[sic]… if elected to the [Piermont] Democratic Committee… and... and this is sort of related to, I think, something Marthe brought up, what will be your stand… [sighs]… I’m sorry… what will… your stand be regarding the conflict between the Towns at the County Convention?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 01:13:19,560 ] Once more.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:13:21,330 ] If elected to the Democratic Committee, what will be your stand regarding the conflict between the Towns at the County Convention?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 01:13:30,380 ] So earlier, Marthe had mentioned Ramapo. I agree with her. I think they’re incredibly organized. I think they know what they’re doing. I think one issue that Orangetown has is that it can’t get out of its own way in terms of unifying behind a certain candidate, or a candidate of choice that could put up a fight in these elections. At the county level, I think there needs to be more politically-astute people involved on behalf of the Committees, and, you know. I think a lot of people know what’s going on, it’s just not many people are willing to help out.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:14:15,750 ] Hmmm, mmm… Thank you, Rob... Jeff?
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 01:14:18,840 ] When Marthe got me involved in the ODC as an appointed member, as opposed to petition member, we showed up at the Convention, and that was the debacle where Ramapo got up and walked out, because they contended that we didn’t have, or we did not have enough petition members on the ODC. The ODC should have been aware of that because the same argument attempted[sic] to be made earlier.
 
Marthe Schulwolf [Off-Camera]. That’s [unintelligible] true.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. With regard…
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [to Marthe Schulwolf, Off-Camera]. You can speak [when] it’s your turn.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [resuming] The ODC should have known that an argument was going to be made that only petition members of the Committees should be able to vote. And that’s why they were able to be successful and ultimately get who they got in as Election Commissioner. It just takes a little bit more awareness, and a little bit more organization to get things done the right way, so we have a say. We’ve got 200 members in the ODC. Not all of them are petition members.
 
Chris Sanders. Thank you, Jeff.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 01:15:24,490 ] They are now. Yes, the ODC was doing things the old way. I didn’t even know about what these distinctions were. They were doing things the old way… is a mistake, and they have recognized it. However, they have now… Orangetown has petitioned all its members with the help of people from Piermont… some of the ones I recruited last year who volunteered to represent other districts in Orangetown, where it’s hard to find Democrats. So these people are sort of giving you a half-story. They don’t go to ODC. I go to ODC all the time. Uh[sic]… the ODC has done a tremendous job. We hope we can take the County back, but it will depend on what Clarkstown and Stony Point have done. The point I was making earlier was that we get tarred with the “You’re in cahoots with the Block”, because the Block is run by what we call DINOs - Democrats In Name Only. They are[sic]… they register as Democrats. They vote for Trump and Lawler. This is a big, big problem. On the other hand, Mr. Zitt is wrong. The ODC did the right thing by not picking a candidate yet to endorse for CD17 because…
 
Chris Sanders. Time.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. …the Rockland County Committee picked a candidate without checking out any of them.
 
Chris Sanders. Time, Marthe.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. The ODC did the right thing.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:16:41,650 ] Moving on, Dennis. Uh[sic]… Question again?
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 01:16:45,230 ] No, I… I… I… I think I can answer it. I just… uh[sic]… it’s… You know, I… I’ve been attending some of the… uh[sic]… Orangetown Democratic Committee meetings. It’s just getting involved and standing up and being counted… uh[sic]… we just need to work hard or work harder… uh[sic]… than our counterparts up in the northern part of the County. That’s all.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:17:05,300 ] OK… Thank you, Dennis... Margaret.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 01:17:07,320 ] So, um[sic]… the[y][sic]… Orangetown Democratic Committee was a while in realizing that this game would be played, where the people that were… were [s][sic]… um[sic]… petitioned would be the only… that petitioned were the only ones who would be considered active Orangetown Democrats. They have worked and they’ve corrected that. And they corrected it by the work, the door-to-door, of [mys][sic]… I… I… of myself, of Marthe, of many people… um[sic]… that are part of the Committee I [would say]… and making sure that the… people that were… um[sic]… appointed to the Committee were petitioned. And I did that on behalf of the Orangetown Democratic Committee in Pearl River, in Tappan, in Orangeburg, going door-to-door to make sure the paperwork was fine, and we can submit their names and I have to say I’m really proud of the fact… it was a huge job to get every single Committee member at Orangetown properly petitioned so that we can fight the good fight when it comes to getting control back of Rockland County.
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. That’s right.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:18:06,710 ] Thank you. Thank you, Marthe… Barbara?
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 01:18:10,820 ] Could you repeat the question?
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:18:12,600 ] Sure. Um[sic]… as a member of the [Piermont] Democratic Committee, what is your stand regarding the conflict between the Towns at the County Convention?
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 01:18:21,070 ] OK. I think for those of you who… um[sic]… don’t follow this closely, the Orangetown and Clarkstown Committees work together. The Stony Point Committee generally works with Clarkstown and Orangetown. However, Ramapo and Haverstraw are two of the… um[sic]… Committees that work together to support whatever Ramapo wishes, so that’s pretty much how democratically the County is divided. I think what… um[sic]… we’ve done has been next to miraculous. I sat on a committee trying to come up with names of people to ask to be on the Democratic Committee. We… um[sic]… there were phone calls made. There were lists made. Everything that happened… um[sic]… a woman by the name of Gina Ironside… was… amazing in making sure that this happened. It… it’s a big job, [unintelligible]… and a lot of people did it. And I think that’s a really amazing grassroots effort.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:19:25,040 ] OK. Thank you, Barbara… All right, there’s… um[sic]… 6 questions here that... I’m not sure we’re going to add much to... the commentary tonight. I could read them out loud and you can… pull them into your closing statements, if you like, or we can just move on to closing statements. How does everybody feel about that? Um[sic]… If… I’ll… I’ll do that while you prepare. We’ll start, Margaret, with your closing statement and we’ll have...
 
Margaret Grace. Do I begin, since I began, do I do the closing at the end? Don’t you reverse?
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:19:58,390 ] We could reverse it and start with Dennis and work backwards and do it that way.
 
Margaret Grace. … just a suggestion [unintelligible]…
 
Chris Sanders. Um[sic]… we’ll start with Dennis on the closing and we’ll… you’ll have 3 minutes…
 
Marthe Schulwolf. … so we’re not going… [unintelligible]…
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. That way.
 
Chris Sanders. Meanwhile... um[sic]… there was a question about term-limits. Um[sic]… how many years to be permitted to serve on the Committee…uh[sic]… if the PDC would confirm they will support the Democratic slate.. um[sic]… Conflict of interest created by holding a Village Board position and being on the Democratic Committee…uh[sic]… Does the Piermont Democratic Committee take an oath of office? Um[sic]… I think you can… tho[sic]… those who are challenging, what would you do differently than what’s being done now, as members of the [Piermont] Democratic Committee? And then there was 1 saying, Piermont is a pre[sic]… predominantly Democratic-registered village, but voter-turnout and participation is[sic] quite low, 25% to 30%...
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. That’s not…
 
Chris Sanders. …but I think when we started, that was not the case. It’s actually higher than that.
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. [Unintelligible].
 
Chris Sanders. So these were the remaining parts and pieces. I didn’t think that there was much meat left in these. If you want to incorporate that into your closing, by all means. 3 minutes... Dennis, if you would get us started.
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 01:21:08,970 ] All right, thank you. Uh[sic]… again, thank you, everyone, for coming this evening… um[sic]… and… uh[sic]… it’s really important that you’re here… um[sic]… So… I would just say with my background, my experience… um[sic]… I ask for your vote on June twenty… uh[sic]… third. Um[sic]… you know, for myself, Jeff Gordon, and Rob Zitt. Uh[sic]… and I believe… uh[sic]… that we can move forward with transparency, accountability, and integrity… uh[sic]… on the Piermont Democratic Committee… uh[sic]… so please come out June 23rd and vote for us. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. Thank you, Dennis.
 
Dennis Hardy. Thank you.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 01:21:45,510 ] Rem[sic]… we have 3 minutes.
 
Chris Sanders. 3 minutes.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. OK. Democratic Committeeperson is an unglamorous volunteer position with no power that is almost never contested. It is very unusual for us to be on the ballot. So we have to think about that. I will get to that. I applaud Preserve Piermont’s advocacy to oppose the hideous building that was proposed for the Triangle. I also have no problem with Republicans being on the Village Board or running as Independents or… whatsoever. This is about the [Piermont] Democratic Committee. Let’s remember that... Uh[sic]… I do think there’s a big problem with the online culture that developed because it was one of black-and-white thinking, personal attacks… you’re on[sic]… you’re with us, or you’re agin[sic] us. We heard quite a lot of that in the beginning. And… what we in my field called “splitting”, which is very much the thinking that pervades the MAGA world, incidentally. This effort… the reason these people are running for the Democratic Committee, they’re running to be Trustees, fine. They’d like to be on the Village Board, have decision-making powers, etcetera. That’s not what the [Piermont] Democratic Committee is about. It’s about doing a lot of hard, unglamorous work. Why? They’re eager to unseat those 2 women because they’re upset that they supported Kevin Timoney against Nate Mitchell. Like I said, there’s a[sic]… that’s not very pretty, OK? And they’ve been tarring them with all sorts of accusations. I have had my disagreements with them. I supported Ernie Morales. I was furious when they didn’t want to carry petitions for Ernie Morales. But guess what? That’s their right as Americans. They do not give up their individual rights when they are Committee members. And they are mature enough to se[sic]… separate their Committee duties. There was a big stink made, oh my God, you’re gonna[sic] run a mayoral debate, it’ll be… so biased. The mayoral debate was about as impartial as can be, extremely well-organized, all done by Barbara and Margaret. And Mi[sic]… Mister Mitchell and Preserve Piermont posted that video, and it actually served his candidacy very well. OK? So this is the kind of sour-grape stuff that I find really… uh[sic]… unbecoming. Let’s be polite. Let’s call it unbecoming. OK? Now, I want to make it clear, the ballot says Orangetown… it says… no, it says “Member of County Committee 01”. The legal duty is to… [unintelligible]… represent Orangetown ED1 at the county level. Not[sic]… these people have not shown a huge amount of interest in that, OK? Mr. Gordon attended one because I recruited him to do that. But in any case, they haven’t shown a huge amount of interest in that. Having a village committee is an optional extra. And the reason you have a very active, hardworking village committee is because you have these 2 women. Not me. I do most of my work at ODC, and I do it on my personal turf where I knock on doors and so on.

 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:24:54,150 ] Thank you, Marthe. Thank you.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [ 01:24:54,690 ] It’s because you have them. And men don’t do that kind of work.
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. [ 01:24:59,710 ] That’s right.
 
Chris Sanders. Jeffrey.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 01:25:01,140 ] Thank you, Marthe, for presuming why I want a seat on the PDC. I have attended many ODC meetings, not the one meeting that Marthe ascribes to me. I prepared a long list of examples regarding the state of Piermont politics under the long-time control of the current PDC. The chairs of the PDC soliciting signatures for an independent candidate at the Memorial Day parade last year…
 
Marthe Schulwolf. That’s not true.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. …no less, despite the village Democrats already having placed Nate Mitchell on a Democratic ballot. No contested elections for PDC seats in the history of the PDC. Regular meetings of the PDC are held in private homes or via Zoom, as compared to previously-held public meetings prior to this Executive Committee taking office. The complete refusal of outreach to the public, proven by the fact that the PDC Facebook page has only 194 followers and 101 posts since its inception in 2020, despite 1,100 registered Democrats. The PDC vetting of questions tonight posed to PD[C] candidates, which I have to admit were quite fair...
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. [Laughs].
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. The total lack of promotion for forums and debates. The first promotion for the May 27th Trustee Debate occurred on May 23rd. And that promotion listed Mark Blomquist as “Incumbent” and me as “Appointed”, despite the fact that both Mark and I are incumbents and appointed.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [Unintelligible].
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. And rather than correcting that promotion as demanded by listing us both as “Incumbents”, which would have hurt their chosen candidate Mr. Timoney, the PDC chose to add nothing after our names.

 
Marthe Schulwolf. [Laughs].
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. The first promotion of tonight’s Forum was 6 days ago. The titles of Incumbents and challengers are prominently listed in that promotion in order to convey a message - clear bias in favor of their favorite candidates and against their unfavored candidates. Last year’s election required 52 signatures to get on the ballot. The PDC provided 63 signatures for their favorite candidate, to whom I lost by 21 votes. The PDC obtained 21 and 23 signatures for less-favored candidates, Nate and Kate, and 0 signatures for the least-favored candidate, and you know who that was.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [Laughs].
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. The PDC bylaws state the PDC will not endorse candidates running in a Democratic primary. Despite this clear prohibition, the Vice-Chair sent an e-mail last year to her entire e-mail list, a day before the Primary, making sure to highlight that it was sent as her, quote, personal opinion, close quote, endorsing my opponent and my running mate, Kate McCabe, in that race. In the e-mail, I was falsely accused of having a too-litigious nature, whatever that means, and responsible for filing too many FOIL requests, which [s]he, quote, personally found outrageous, close quote. Mind you, many of these FOIL requests were for minutes and documents…
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [Sighs].
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. … that were required by law to be accessible to the public and were not. The powerful Co-Chair of the PDC sending out her personal opinion and endorsements a day before the Primary is a thinly-veiled, impermissible endorsement by the PDC. But it’s not just a question of bias and secrecy. It’s a question of competence. Last year, Nate and Kate had to go out and get signatures twice because of the PD[C]’s failure to pick up errors in their petitions.
 
Marthe Schulwolf. [Laughs].
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. Of course, I was required to go out 3 times because of PDC’s failure to pick up errors in my petitions.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [to Marthe Schulwolf. Off-Camera]. You can chuckle all you want…
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:28:07,020 ] Jeffrey, Jeffrey, that’s time.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. OK.
 
Chris Sanders. Thank you.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [ 01:28:10,410 ] Um… of course I was required to go out 3 times…
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:28:12,310 ] Jeffrey, that’s time.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. OK.
 
Chris Sanders. Robert?
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 01:28:23,860 ] You know, I keep… I keep asking myself why I want to do any of this.
 
Barbara Scheulen. So do I.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:28:32,340 ] It’s a brilliant question. Should have been 1 of these, actually.
 
Robert Zitt, Esq. [ 01:28:34,360 ] I’m trying to write stuff down and give you guys what it is I think you want to hear. But if Preserve Piermont and advocacy and coming before Village Board meetings and going to Planning Board meetings and speaking to elected officials, appointed officials about what you think is important, and what you think is detrimental to the Village. If that is... equality that you do not appreciate, I don’t want your vote. There are some people that I think I could explain myself to until I’m blue-in-the-face and I understand that won’t be enough for you. But I am here. I want to help. I want to participate. And I want to encourage participation. And that is the same reason why I’m running for Trustee, is why I’m running for this Committee. I think there is a lot that can be done in terms of bringing more people into the fold. And that is why I would like your vote. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:29:51,100 ] Thank you, Robert… Barbara?
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 01:29:58,780 ] Um[sic]… just 1 quick comment about Preserve Piermont. Since I was not allowed to be on the site, there’s very little for[sic]… that I can respond to about that. Um[sic]… but[sic]… Jeff, I do want to respond to something you’ve said. You noted that I called you “Appointed” and Mark an “Incumbent” in a post announcing “Meet The Candidates”.
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. Correct.
 
Barbara Scheulen. You were correct. I had forgotten that you had made a deal with Mark, asking him not to run, so that he would be appointed to Nate’s seat when Nate won the mayoral election. Is that transparent to everyone?
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. Untrue.
 
Barbara Scheulen. Mark ha[sic]… has been on the Board almost as long as I’ve lived here. It was truly an honest mistake... The work of the [Piermont] Democratic Committee is not glamorous, as Marthe has said, but it is often rewarding. There is nothing like being in a room with other Democrats on Election Night and watching your candidate win. It is also a heartbreak when you feel like you and thousands like you have done what they can and your candidate loses. The election of a democratic committee is about the future of this country as well as the future of this Village. We make a commitment to participate in both the Orangetown and Rockland County Committees. We fight for the big issues like health care and social security, as well as local flooding and traffic concerns. We stand on street corners, make phone calls, walk our neighborhoods, and more. As individuals, we have the right to support those who we feel best uphold our Democratic values and who have the experience to get the job done. I have always been a Democrat. I have never supported a Republican. I believe in science. It is science that will help us solve the environmental issues for Piermont, and science that will improve healthcare for all. I believe all citizens should have a right to vote and shouldn’t be impeded. I believe in journalism and the important role journalists play. I am dismayed by the disinformation on social media and how it tears at the fabric of the country I love. This job is very important for Piermont, but the people of this Committee should be people who support your Democratic beliefs here, statewide, and nationally. I will do that with dedication and hard work. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:32:22,740 ] Thank you, Barbara... Margaret.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 01:32:29,120 ] Thank you… um[sic]… I’m glad we have a[sic]… I thought we only had a minute. I’m glad we have 3 minutes. Um[sic]… Jeff, you are repeatin[sic]… you repeat all the time that I solicited signatures at the Memorial Day service. You repeat that to people all the time. Hello, everyone out there, that is not true. I explained it’s not true….uh[sic]… Someone came up to me and said, “I’d real[sic]… I hear you’re carrying a petition for Kevin. I’d really like to sign it”, and I said, “You can come to me.. I[sic]… after the Memorial Day service. None of this can happen here. I’ll be petitioning later in the afternoon”. And I have to tell you that I think petitioning on Memorial Day is… it honors the people that died for the freedoms we’re petitioning for. To me, it’s an honorable way to spend your time, far more honorable, but not a disservice, far more honorable than having a beer or cooking hot dogs. I… I… My mother used to petition on Memorial Day for her Republican candidates, and her opinion… her opinion was exactly the same, and I rather got that from her. Also, um[sic]… I just wanted to say that… um[sic]… I think the advocac[sic]… advocacy of Preserve Piermont is really commendable. And.. you know, I really do applaud it. There’s much that’s come out of that organization, which has been helpful and guiding. But.. um[sic]… there’s much that hasn’t… [laughs]… I’m a lifelong Democrat and a very dedicated member of the [Piermont] Democratic Committee. And… I guess we have to expand our use of Facebook, but Man, I’m opposed to the use of Facebook as a cudgel against those you don’t agree with, especially knowing that it will inflame and bring out people’s worst selves. I believe the online behavior of Robert Zitt and Jeff Gordon disqualifies them for posit[sic]… the positions they are running for. The Piermont Democratic Committee is an excellent group of dedid[sic]… dedicated Democrats... We have very many differing opinions on this Democratic Committee. For Jeff Gordon to say, and Robert Zitt to allow a post, that the Committee members are puppets of the past Administration - it’s not true. I don’t know where you get this, but it’s something you seem to have been able to… enable people all over the Village to believe is the case. I have no idea where you get it. I have no idea. And I go to almost every Board meeting. I have no idea where you get this. Um[sic]… you have[sic]… don’t seem to question your source. You believe anything your source tells you. That is just outrageous. So, Gordon and Zitt have continued this false narrative about so many people without questioning their source. Facebook has been their tool. This has been incredibly damaging to our community and it has to stop. Being a member of the Democratic Committee… I have to say, it’s not a vanity resume item. It’s really hard and serious work. I look forward to continuing. We’re the folks that get up at 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning on every election including school boards, put signs around the Village to remind people to get out there and do it and make phone calls and do the work that needs to be done.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:35:34,060 ] Thank you, Margaret...
 
Margaret Grace. [ 01:35:34,660 ] Um[sic]… to my opponents, I look…
 
Chris Sanders. Time.
 
Margaret Grace. … seriously look towards… uh[sic]… listening to your recommendations, so please pass them along.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:35:41,060 ] Thank you, Margaret.
 
Barbara Scheulen. [ 01:35:45,210 ] Chris… Chris, may I… may I just ask one question? Could you all raise your hand… anybody raise their hands if they believe this was a fair… um[sic]… event for everyone who is on this.. um[sic]… on this Board and in the audience?
 
[Voice Off-Camera] [Unintelligible].
 
Chris Sanders. Thank you.
 
Chris Sanders. [ 01:36:08,390 ] Anyhow thank[sic]… I would thank all of the candidates for joining us this evening and participating in… um[sic]… this forum and answering the questions that were supplied. Jeff, all of them. Didn’t vet any one of these. Um[sic]…
 
Jeff Gordon, Esq. [Unintelligible]… all pretty good questions…
 
Chris Sanders. … as well as Peter Metzler, who couldn’t make it. They’re um[sic]… [aside to Jeff Gordon, Esq.]: absolutely… absolutely…] Some of them were hard to get through, for sure. Uh[sic]… we have... 6 dedicated people in front of you, including… uh[sic]… Peter Metzler, who’s the 7^th, running for this office… um[sic]… at the Primary on June 23rd… um[sic]… and it is for a… uh[sic]… for 4 seats, so you’ve got 7 looking for 4. So… um[sic]… if anything, absolutely anything from a Piermont Democratic Committee would be… get out and vote and make sure that your Democratic neighbors get out and vote. Uh[sic]… we need to make sure that we are always using our… our rights to attend the polls on Election Day and make these decisions for people that are willing to stand up and do what is a great service for our community. So, with that, I thank you and I thank you all.
 
Dennis Hardy. [ 01:37:20,690 ] Uh[sic]… Mayor Sanders, could you point out that early voting? Uh[sic]… could you point out that early voting, I believe, starts June 13th?
 
[Voice Off-Camera]. June 13th, yes.
 
Chris Sanders. Thank you, guys.
 
Dennis Hardy. Thank you.
 
Margaret Grace. [ 01:37:30,250 ] And also, thank you, Chris. I mean, you are so great.
 
Chris Sanders. No problem.”