White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Why Can't People Vote for the Person and Not the party?

WPCNR White Plains Voice. By Miles Ehrenkranz. October 30, 2002L Mr. Ehrenkranz, New Rochelle Republican District Leader and a leader in the Scarsdale community, voices his concerns about Amy Paulin's remarks about Tony Sayegh's backers.

In the beginning of the summer, I began musing who I would vote for on the local level, on through the state level. As a resident on the border of Scarsdale and New Rochelle, I didn’t realize how much was on my (and the rest of the local area voter’s) plate at the time. I am not referring to the infamous gubernatorial race. I am referring to the race for the New York State Assembly in the 88th district.

It is the incumbent Amy Paulin versus Tony Sayegh. But how many people would have known these were the candidates had Amy not made derogatory remarks about another ethnicity, on tape, to a reporter? Whereas I was aware of who the candidates were and what they stood for, many didn’t.

Now, more people, Democrats and Republicans alike are looking into who Amy Paulin and Tony Sayegh are, and they are asking themselves an embarrassing question: “What was I thinking two years ago when I voted for Paulin?”

Those who ask themselves that question should not be embarrassed. In fact, they should realize how smart they are for raising that question. Having realized that voting their party line is not always the smart move, now they have the chance to heal the damage that Westchester has done as a community by electing such a person as Paulin.

In my humble, yet well informed opinion, I think the three biggest reasons to vote Sayegh over Paulin are crystal clear. Paulin apathetically allowed New Rochelle to fall deeper into fiscal crisis, secondly, Paulin decided that a recess for her and the Assembly to campaign was more important that passing the anti-terrorism bill that would enhance our safety, and lastly, but most importantly, because Paulin decided that she couldn’t pronounce some of the names of contributors to her competitor, and that those people, as well as Mr. Sayegh should be looked into.

This showed me, and any other enlightened person out there that Amy does not represent the people… she represents those people whose names she can easily pronounce.

I’m Jewish. My last name is Ehrenkranz. Can you pronounce that, Amy? If I had given money to Tony, or any other candidate, would you have recommended that my family be looked into as well?

Maybe I am just taking Paulin to task because she is exercising her first amendment in a racist and elitist fashion as my representative. Perhaps I should be more concerned with the fact that Paulin found it more imperative for us to re-elect her, than to secure our safety in the Terrorism bill that now sits abandoned in Albany waiting to protect us.

Miles B. Ehrenkranz

New Rochelle Republican District Leader

New Rochelle and Scarsdale Jewish Community Leader


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