Category: Candidates 2022

Affiliated Political Party: Republican

Office seeking: NYS Assembly (NYS District 97)

Career Highlights:

• Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians Bagpipe Band, Bagpiper/Pipe Major
• Rockland County Economic Development Corporation, 2013 Forty Under 40 Award Recipient
• Orangetown Police Youth Court Program, Instructor/Faculty Advisor
• Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians, County Board President
• New York Law School, J.D., 2010 (cum laude), Managing Editor, New York Law School Law Review
• Saint Thomas Aquinas College, B.A., 2007 (summa cum laude)

Governing Philosophy:

• None provided

Main focus of term, if elected:

• None provided

Website

Affiliated Political Party: Republican

Office seeking: NYS Senate (NYS District 42)

Career Highlights:

• Gina Arena was born and raised in a working-class Westchester family, and grew up in Bedford, then Pound Ridge and Vista. Being a working mother with eight children (ages 15 to 32), Gina always understood the need to balance work and family while volunteering in the community.
• Public service was an important value taught by her father, Ray Andretta. Her husband Jim is a volunteer firefighter and her daughter Victoria was an Army Sergeant who served in Afghanistan, so it clearly runs in the family.
• ​Gina’s own community activism started early with Girl Scouts, and continued throughout her life.
• ​When Gina’s autistic daughter Jesse wasn’t getting the education she needed, Gina researched cutting edge educational programs and developed a program for her. As a direct result, Gina helped create the Foundation for Educating Children with Autism and the Devereux Millwood Learning Center.
• When her son Jimmy died from brain cancer at age 6, Gina and her husband established the Just Imagine Making Miracles Yours (JIMMY) Foundation in his memory. This organization helps children suffering from life-threatening diseases and/or injuries with financial assistance.

Governing Philosophy:

• Cut taxes & make our communities more affordable
• Help businesses thrive & create good-paying jobs
• Keep our community safe
• Support our schools
• Protect our environment

Main focus of term, if elected:

• Gina Arena is running for the State Senate because she wants to bring new jobs and economic growth to the Hudson Valley, improve local schools and public transportation, and make our streets and communities safer for everyone.

Website

Affiliated Political Party: Democratic

Office seeking: NYS Senate (NYS District 40)

Career Highlights:

• Elected to the New York State Senate in November 2018, and re-elected in November 2020, he is chair of the Senate Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, where he has introduced over 40 bills dealing with substance use disorder and combating the overdose crisis.
• Won record investments in school funding, brought an additional $3.2 billion in Foundation Aid to districts, expanded Pre-K programs
• Passed the Reproductive Health Act, ensuring women in New York can make their own reproductive health choices
• Passed landmark legislation to require zero emissions vehicles by 2035
• Protected clean drinking water sources and passed the toughest climate protection law in the nation
• Worked to keep residents safe during the Covid-19 pandemic: held 11 food drives, delivered PPE, handled thousands of requests for assistance
• Continued the middle-class tax cuts for over $4 billion in savings and maintained the STAR program at full benefit for residents
• Kept our community safe with increased funding for law enforcement and gun violence interruption

Governing Philosophy:

• Through most of his career, Pete has been an active supporter and participant in the work of various nonprofit organizations. From 2004 to 2007, he served as board president of A-HOME, a nonprofit that builds and manages affordable housing in northern Westchester. At the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation, which supports environmental protection and education for underserved communities, he served as vice chair of the board for 13 years. Also, Harckham has served on the President’s Council for Northern Westchester Hospital; and the boards of the United Way of Westchester and Putnam, the Junior League of Northern Westchester Community Advisory Council and the Livable Communities Council.

Main focus of term, if elected:

• Chairman of Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
• Democrat, Working Families

Website

Affiliated Political Party: Republican

Office seeking: NYS Senate (NYS District 38)

Career Highlights:

• Bill Weber is a lifelong resident of Rockland County. He’s a NYS Certified Public Accountant, a small business CFO, a Cub Scout leader, and a board member for the Mental Health Association and Rockland County Youth Board.
• As the son and brother to New York City police officers, Bill understands the challenges facing our law enforcement. Bill will Back the Blue and fight to keep our communities safe.
• Bill and his wife Lee are proud parents of four children raised in Rockland County and will fight for future generations to find good paying jobs here in our community.

Governing Philosophy:

• Repeal dangerous bail “reform” and put families first and felons behind bars.
• Lower costs for our community by lowering taxes, reducing government spending and cutting unnecessary regulations.
• Improve our schools by ending unfunded mandates and putting parents and students first.
• Support policies that strengthen small, family-owned businesses not big corporations.
• Promote responsible economic development and reduce traffic congestion by making the needed investment in our aging infrastructure.
• End the cycle of Albany corruption and put the needs of constituents ahead of special interests.

Main focus of term, if elected:

• Committed to keeping our communities safe, supporting education, and giving our future generation a home that they can afford, and be proud of. We lead the nation in people, moving out. It’s an unacceptable statistic.

Website

Affiliated Political Party: Republican

Office seeking: Congressional Representative (D-NY 18th District)

Career Highlights:

• Since 2021, has been a member of the New York State Assembly from the 97th district in Rockland County.
• He is the Republican nominee in the 2022 U.S. House of Representatives election in New York’s 17th congressional district.
• Lawler is a partner at the political communications firm, Checkmate Strategies. He previously worked in the Westchester County Executive’s Office as an advisor to Rob Astorino and executive director of the New York State Republican Party. Prior to winning his election, he served as deputy town supervisor of Orangetown, New York, under Teresa Kenny.
• Lawler was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020 for a two-year term. He ran against incumbent Ellen Jaffee and won the general election

Governing Philosophy:

Mike will work to reduce the state’s onerous tax burden, bring fiscal discipline to its budget, provide law enforcement with the resources needed to do its work, and craft legislation to improve public safety.

Main focus of term, if elected:

• Mike will work to reduce the state’s onerous tax burden, bring fiscal discipline to its budget, provide law enforcement with the resources needed to do its work, and craft legislation to improve public safety.

Website