Real Estate Developers Lose In Monroe
Like in New York City, in 2025, Big Money doesn't buy you an election. Let's look a little bit closer at Tuesday night's results in the Town of Monroe and Village of Woodbury.
Pictured Above: Monroe Town Councilwoman, Maureen Richardson, handidly defeated the candidate backed by State Senator Skoufis and his real estate developer donors. Mr. Skoufis, who sexually harassed the Town Councilwoman and used three state employees to attempt to torpedo her campaign (Anthony Jorge, William J. Alexander, and outgoing Chief of Staff Emma Funtes) failed miserably in their efforts, despite spending thousands in still unaccounted for expenditures to do so.
Howdy. Before we get into last night’s election results, I’d like to let you know we’ll be off next week because of the July 4th holiday. So you’ll have this post today, and then the podcast on Friday/Saturday, before we take our break. (I did tell you June was going to be crazy, right?) We’ll be back on Monday, July 7th.
During that break, I will be working on something as it relates to the general election this Fall. There (should) be an announcement on what that thing is after we’re back. If not, an announcement will be forthcoming.
I’ve always had a plan with The Monroe Gazette. The first part of the plan was to document what’s going on in South Blooming Grove, and help stop it if we can. There are a bunch of lawsuits coming against South Blooming Grove, and we will be covering those as they appear in the New York State Courts electronic filing system. (The eminent domain one, for example, has been filed, but hasn’t appeared publicly yet.) I’m not covering the regular meetings as much, because I’m at the point where I feel direct intervention is needed. I can’t ethically write about South Blooming Grove when I’m also going door to door to organizing a resistance to Mr. Stern and Mr. Ekstein. As well as the politicians in Goshen and Albany who enable their behavior, such as Crooked Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, Soft on Crime District Attorney David M. Hoovler, and Governor Kathy Hochul.
The time has come to be much more proactive, and that requires something separate from what we do here at The Monroe Gazette.
The second part of that plan involves this specific election in November, which is 131 days from now. I believe that if a bully starts a fight with you, it’s your responsibility to finish that fight. That’s because bullies only push people around because they know they can get away with it. These individuals have been pushing people around in our community for a long time, often without consequence. I consider it a public service to put a stop to their behavior.
The Monroe Gazette is not a forever project. The new thing, when announced, will likely take the place of this in December. Especially if we’re successful in the upcoming election.
Based on last night’s election results, I assume we will be. But it’s going to take all of us, because when we all vote, we win.
And when we don’t all vote, the real estate developers win. That brings us to last night’s election results in the Village of Woodbury.
The Woodbury Republican Primary For Mayor
We don’t yet have the district by district breakdown for how Woodbury voted in the Primary. I also don’t know, at this time, if Mayor Andrew Gizomazza is going to request a recount. I believe it’s his right to do so, given that he lost to Mr. Calore by only 67 votes.
Given the long and well documented history of voting shenanigans in both Monroe and Woodbury, I think it’s worth a second look. I would be surprised if Mr. Brandon Calore takes offense to requests for a recount. Given his insistence that the 2020 Presidential Election was somehow stolen from the current president. (It wasn’t. Trump’s own people agreed that it wasn’t, despite what the mentally ill and cognitively declining gentleman in the White House insists.)
But.
I did put in a FOIL request to ask for the district by district breakdown. I suspect strongly that, if provided, you’ll see a heavy turn out for Mr. Calore from Highland Lake Estates and WP3, where our Satmar brothers and sisters live. There’s nothing wrong with that … Except to point out a couple of things:
1. State Senator James G. Skoufis’s Protect Monroe-Woodbury used an antisemitic smear against Mayor Andrew Giacomazza, by posting his Fall 2023 Election Results, without any context. (If Woodbury residents know what to look for, you would know that Mr. Skoufis and the former Door Dash Delivery Driver, William J. Alexander, certainly wanted you to think “THE JEWS” support Andrew Giacomazza.)
Above: You can see it for yourself. The first image is a screenshot from State Senator James G. Skoufis’s Protect Monroe-Woodbury website. The second are the 2023 election results that Mr. Skoufis and Mr. William J. Alexander presented without any context.
So, if the district by district breakdown for Mr. Calore’s voters looks exactly like Andrew Giacomazza’s district breakdown from 2023, it’ll further demonstrate the lengths State Senator Skoufis will sink to in order to attack people he doesn’t like. (As I’ve said before, Little Dick Energy.)
2. The other thing is that, if the district breakdown shows our Satmar brothers and sisters voted for Mr. Calore, as is their right to vote for whomever they wish, then Mr. Calore will need to explain his consistent use of anti-Semitic conspiracies and fearmongering to attack his political opponents. As I told you previously, when Mr. Vic Ferrarelli and Mrs. Susan Fries-Ciriello won re-election last November, Mr. Calore told everyone and their mother that “THE JEWS” voted for Sue and Vic. That is not at all factually true, and can be verified by looking at the district by district breakdown for the Fall 2024 election.
The other thing I’d add here is that, given the (illegal) promotion by a not-for-profit, the United Jewish Community of Woodbury, of Mr. Calore, it should demonstrate for all residents, both Haredi and non-Haredi alike, that organizations like Joel Stern’s United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove, and Morty Kellner’s United Jewish Community of Woodbury, don’t actually represent our Satmar brothers and sisters. They only represent the real estate interests of the people controlling these organizations. And those people don’t care at all if they support anti-Semites.
I feel this is important to stress. Because when people saw the United Jewish Community of Woodbury flyers for Mr. Calore, there were more than a few of them who were quick to say, “It’s The JEWS!” No. It’s not THE JEWS. It’s the real estate developers and landlords, some of whom happen to be Satmar, spending their money to put their financial interests ahead of everyone in the community. Both Satmar and non-Satmar alike. Please write this point down and share it with your friends. We will not be able to make progress electorally if people remain uninformed about how organizations like Mr. Kellner and Mr. Stern’s works.
I’m not one for excuses. I know it was hot, but over 430 people still came out to vote on Election Day. But here’s what I’ll say about Mr. Brandon Calore: these numbers don’t represent much of a win. For Mr. Skoufis to have spent as much money as he did for Mr. Calore, and for “The Bloc Vote” (I hate that term) to throw their support behind Mr. Calore, he only won by 67 votes. I want you to remember that, because when we get over to Monroe in a moment, you’ll see that the person who spends the most money, and has the support of the bloc, doesn’t always win.
I also want to remind you that “The Bloc Vote” only exists, and is only successful, because the majority of people do not turn out to vote. Instead they’ll do what Mrs. Susan Pendergast in Monroe does whenever she sees a Monroe Gazette article on Facebook: She’ll tell you it’s fake. Mrs. Susan Pendergast, and others like Mr. Calore’s gaslighting troll of a campaign manager, Elias Cunningham, would rather you remain ignorant of the facts. As long as you do, good people stay home, and Bloc votes win. Remember that.
One additional thing to remember: Brandon Calore is a deeply unpopular man with a history of violence, both in his own actions and the actions of his family, who spreads antisemitic conspiracy theories. He has refused to answer questions about whether or not he’s affiliated with the local chapter of the Proud Boys. And he refused to divulge his expenditures and campaign contributions.
Now he faces a long summer of an ethics investigation exploring his ties to South Blooming Grove, through the CIOFFI company, and whether or not he abused his position as a Town Board member to benefit CIOFFI. A company that is currently being sued by Orange County, for illegally ripping up part of county-owned park at the behest of Joel Stern and Isaac Ekstein. This is not a man who will win a general election.
That said, you should not be complacent either. One of the things that needs to happen this Fall is that all of you must send a message to Mr. Skoufis, and to the local real estate developers: We are not for sale.
And if you’re not a Republican, one of the things that also needs to happen nationally — as well as here in Monroe and Woodbury — is to send a message to the Republican candidates like Mr. Calore, who are adamant MAGA diehards. (Mr. Calore once threatened to murder someone over a Facebook Post that wasn’t up to his own MAGA standards.) That message is: If you support this fascist shit? We’re coming for you.
Mr. Calore, the people of Woodbury — the regular, every day people who can’t be bothered with primaries — are now coming for you. Enjoy the moment while it lasts. Because as I said to your campaign manager, and as I hope his parents read to him, ICE eventually melts, and Bloc Votes don’t carry general elections. Just ask Mr. Etzel Jr. and John U. Keleman.
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The Monroe Town Democratic Primary
I don’t want to use the word “blowout”, but last night was not a good night for State Senator James G. Skoufis and his hand-selected candidates in the Town of Monroe. Now Mr. Rabbitts can go back to doing almost nothing in Albany, except rolling back New York State’s landmark Climate legislation.
I’ll also point out that neither Mr. Skoufis, nor Mr. Eachus — and his Chief of Staff, David Rabbitts — support The New York Health Act, the New York HEAT act, and the New York For All act, but they do support delaying substantial educational equivalency requirements for Yeshivas. Funny how that one works, huh?
Mr. Brandon Bernard doesn’t live here anyway, so I don’t think he much cares about losing.
And Weird Asshole Paul Phelan? Well, let’s hope he finally takes the hint and gets the fuck off your lawn.
Actually, I kind of like this Brandon Bernard guy. I haven’t met him. But of the three, I hope he comes to his senses and distances himself from Mr. Skoufis. Because all three men just learned that Mr. Little Dick Energy can spend as much money as he wants in an election. But like Andrew Cuomo in New York City? The People are sending a loud and clear message to the Schumer Democrats. And that message is: Fuck You.
It was a good night for Monroe, but I wouldn’t get too carried away. Mr. Skoufis will be back. He did, after all, spend a bunch of money trying to get rid of Kevindaryan Lujan, and Mr. Lujan lost his Democratic Primary for Orange County’s 6th Legislative District. And Skoufis did, by 67 votes, knock Woodbury Mayor Andrew Giacomazza off the Republican ballot line.
This is a man with six million dollars sitting in his campaign bank account. And while he won’t have to deal with me next year — Or will he? — He has enough leftover to continue spending on this upcoming general election. While still having plenty leftover for the candidates I do throw at him next year.
Did I say that out loud? Don’t worry James. “Nobody reads the Monroe Gazette.” Right ;-)? Right James?
Here’s what I do want to say about Beth, Louis, and Maureen. They ran a clean campaign, only responding to Skoufis’s attacks after he started to send out his mailers and posting out of context voicemails left on his phone. Messages left by Mrs. Richardson that immediately followed her asking him to stop sexually harassing her.
Maureen, Beth, and Louis also had to put up with Gaslighting Bill (and Peggy) Kazdan, Mrs. Cristina Brueck Kiesel (now under investigation by both the State Troopers and the Attorney General’s office), and a consistent stream of whatever weird shit popped into Convicted Felon Tim Mitt’s tiny brain.
Mr. Mitts, by the way, hilarious lost in the campaign with the smallest voter turnout of the evening across Orange County:
Can I just tell you? It’s hilarious to think about how much money Tim Mitts spent, and he still couldn’t get more than 26 people to come out and vote for him.
That’s AMAZING.
Like how big of a loser must you be, to put out full page ads in The Photo-News, electronic signage on Route 17, annoying AI / stock footage pre-roll ads on streaming services like Paramount Plus, countless road signs, a custom wrapped vehicle, and a daily barrage of mentally unbalanced Facebook posts, only to get 26 people to come out and vote for you? Not only is this hilarious, it’s also further evidence that the person who spends the most money doesn’t always win.
Rot in Piss, Loser.
My one regret is that I have this 200 page file with all the people Tim Mitts ripped off, going back to the ‘90s, and now I have nothing to do with it because he lost. Oh well. I guess I’ll save it for when he runs against Village of Monroe Mayor Neil Dwyer next year. Unless Mr. Alex Melchorrie beats him to it.
But back to Beth, Louis, and Maureen …
You can fully expect, maybe as soon as tomorrow, for Tax Hike Tony to wheel out a constant barrage of false claims, accusations, and lies about the “work” he does for Monroe residents. It’s the Calore playbook. It’s the Elias Cunningham playbook. Everything is AI. Everything is fake. Distract. Distract. Distract. Troll troll troll. It’s what political candidates do when they have nothing to offer you.
It’s already happening with the Village Police. Cardone is saying he’s working on an agreement. The Village says there is no agreement.
Cardone says he talks to the Village Police every week. The Village Police say that’s absolutely not true.
It’s going to be a lot of fun watching everyone turn out and run Tony Cardone out of town. And it’ll be even more enjoyable when you consider that, for the first time as long as I can remember, the Town of Monroe will have a functional Town Board. And my family has been here since the 1980s.
No more Harley Doles and friends.
No more Tony Cardone and United Monroe.
And you can even go back to Sandy Leonard too and that dysfunctional circus.
I think this is really important to stress to people as we get to November: Monroe, for the first time in the 21st Century, has a chance to be normal.
To have a normal, responsive Town government that you don’t have to sue just to get things done.
To have people you’re going to call, who are actually going to call you back.
To have people you will email, who will actually email you back instead of waiting months, and then making excuses about the delay, like Mr. Cardone did to Mr. and Mrs. Carrion.
Are Beth, Louis, and Maureen going to be miracle workers? No.
New York State faces a lot of challenges. Challenges exasperated by the whims of a federal government run by Morons. (Remember, MAGA standa for Morons are Governing America. Brandon Calore and Tony Cardone fit right in with that one. I don’t think Supervisor Kathryn Luciani in Woodbury is a moron. I just think she’s in over her heard and takes advice from shitty people, like Tony Cardone and Brandon Calore.)
One miracle not to expect until next year: The only people who can fix the potholes on Route 17M is State Senator Skoufis, Assemblyman Karl Brabenec, Chris Eachus (and David Rabbitts.) I hope that isn’t lost on anyone, given that Rabbitts did nothing from his office to fix those potholes. Route 17M is scheduled to be paved some time next year. So, it is happening. It’s just not happening as fast as anyone wants, because the New York State DOT is an unresponsive bueracracy that’s understaffed and underfunded by New York State Democrats.
But are you going to have a Town government that listens to you, and does reach an agreement with the Village Police? Yes.
And doesn’t use Town resources to enrich themselves (see: Lake Sapphire with Tony Cardone)? Yes.
And who explores shared services with Chester and Woodbury to save everyone money? Yes.
And who advocates for 24/7 EMS coverage? Yes.
And who advocates for Orange County implementing a system that gets our firefighters and EMS workers PAID for their bravery and life saving efforts? Yes.
And who actually has an emergency plan and doesn’t leave you hanging during a MAJOR FOREST FIRE? Yes.
And who communicates with the Village instead of forcing them to sue in order to be heard? Yes.
And who shares information with the Village about salt sheds impacting their water supply, and oil spills? Yes.
That, my friends, is what Monroe could look like with Beth, Maureen, and Louis. And you are now *THIS* close to making it happen.
Tim Mitts is a lucky guy. My brother was convicted of a non-violent felony in North Carolina and couldn't even vote, let alone run for office.
Who gave this guy the money for all his advertising?