August 28th, 2010
Among those in attendance at the Ribbon cutting ceremony were: Faith Kaplan (Board of Elections), Jeremy Gorelick (Candidate for Liberty Town Council), Sullivan County Court Candidate Cindy Barber, Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, State Senate Candidate David Sager, and Steven Wilkinson, Chair -Sullivan County Democratic Committee.
ROCK HILL, NY – On Wednesday, August 25th, the Sullivan County Democratic Committee held a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony for the new Sullivan County Democratic Headquarters in Rock Hill, New York (formerly the site of Rock Hill Pharmacy).
Pictured below are – 1st Row: Candidate for Liberty Town Council Jeremy Gorelick, Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, Tess McBeath, and Sullivan County Democratic Committee Chair and Steve Wilkinson. 2nd Row (seated): Ouida Eddington, Eric Monroe, Democratic Candidate for County Court Judge Cindy Barber, Democratic State Senate Candidate David Sager and Sean Rieber. Back Row: Tom Brown, Bernie Cohen, Steve White, Larysa Dyrszka, Dawn Ryder, Cerrwida Brown, Kristina Williams, Steve Mogel, Ann Prusinski, Joan Stoddard, Deborah Manley, Nadia Rajsz, Faith Kaplan and Bill Rieber.
August 1st, 2010
Recent press reports seem to portray Senator John Bonacic as a converted hero of responsible environmentalism on the issue of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
But those who know this issue and have been paying attention know this flip-flop for what it is. In fact, those following the gas drilling issue closely refer to Bonacic’s sudden concern about safe water and health issues as “The Sager Effect.” And David Sager, Democratic candidate for the 42nd Senate District, is crying foul.
“This could be one of the biggest flip-flops I have ever seen,” says Sager. “Yet where is John crying out for a ban until a cumulative impact study is performed to give us the facts on environmental, public health, social and economic concerns? Where is he demanding that it not be done until the Halliburton loopholes are removed?”
In an article that appeared in the Daily Freeman today, Bonacic is quoted as saying, “I like the idea of energy independence, I like the idea creating jobs. … But at the same time, protection of our water is No. 1.”
But another article, published by the Times Herald-Record in June 2008, reported Bonacic’s assertion that environmental concerns had been “sensationalized.” And last October, Bonacic told the Phoenicia Timnes (reprinted by the Catskill Chronicle here) that he supported the “generic” environmental impact study performed by the DEC and that “natural gas is (sic) our own backyard is something that should be extracted.”
Of course, Bonacic’s change of position is an easy thing for him to do when he does not appear to be in any danger of doing anything that would actually interfere with gas drilling. The meager proposal that would halt drilling for one year until May 2011 does not appear to be destined for a vote in the State Senate.
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July 27th, 2010
It is a well-known axiom that people who seek to earn a living in government or public service do not do so because they desire to become rich. We are told that those who serve the public do so because they desire to give of themselves personally and professionally in ways that necessarily dictate they forgo the monetary benefits and many of the perks associated with the lifestyle of people in corporate and professional business life.
I made a decision many years ago to become a health care professional because I knew then that I had a strong desire to work with people and make a difference in their lives. This same desire, more than any desire I had to be a politician, led me to seek public office as a County Coroner. I was elected twice and as I grew into the job both as Coroner and as an elected official, I came to understand the value in helping others personally and being part of serving the collective good.
Over time, as I continued to grow, I came to understand myself and where I stood as a person and elected official. At the same time I was also learning about how government and politics work, up close. I began to believe that there was little difference between the way I felt about the honesty, integrity and ethical standards necessary to function honorably as a private citizen and the kind of behavior and values vital to being a successful and trustworthy elected official.
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July 23rd, 2010
The Associated Press reported a few hours ago that there has been yet another natural gas-related explosion in Pennsylvania. Two workers were killed.
From the article:
The accident is the latest misfortune to strike the region’s burgeoning natural gas industry.
Last month, a well in north-central Pennsylvania without proper pressure-control systems exploded as a crew was preparing to hook it up to a pipeline. No one was injured.
A few days later, seven people were injured in a rig explosion in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle when the drilling crew struck a pocket of methane gas while sinking a natural gas well through an abandoned coal mine.
-snip-
In northeastern Pennsylvania, state environmental officials have said construction flaws in gas wells were responsible for allowing gas to seep into the area’s groundwater.
Upon learning of the accident, David Sager, candidate for NY State Senate 42nd District, issued the following statement:
“My heart goes out to the families of those lost and my attention steers straight towards those who recklessly pursue an untested industry in high volume liquid hydrofracking. The residents of this region are not your guinea pigs and our lives and resources are not yours to destroy.”
July 19th, 2010
David Sager, Cindy Lockrow-Schimmerling and Steve Wilkinson relax after Wilson-Pakula signed
It’s official.
Last week, we filed petitions containing almost 4,000 signatures designating David Sager as the Democratic candidate to represent the 42nd District in the New York State Senate.
At the same time, the Democratic County Chairs — Cindy Lockrow-Schimmerling of Delaware, Steve Wilkinson of Sullivan, Julian Schreibman of Ulster and Jonathan Jacobson of Orange — gathered together to sign the paperwork (known as a ‘Wilson-Pakula’) allowing David to run as a Democrat.
All of that reduces to this: David Sager is now officially the candidate and the Sager-Bonacic race is on!
“I am so proud and excited to wholeheartedly endorse David Sager as our candidate,” said Lockrow, who chairs the Delaware County Democratic Committee. “The Democratic leadership today proudly signed our names to stand up against intimidation, to stand up for the democratic process, to stand up for transparent and effective leadership in this vast, diverse district.”
Now that the paperwork is taken care of, David will move into the next phase of his campaign. He will continue to move around the district, meeting with voters and letting them get to know him. So, be sure to check the calendar every week and, if you get the chance, come out and say hello!
