Winner will grab Bradley’s former Assembly seat

Blink and you might have missed it, but the three-week campaign for the state Assembly special election is already drawing to a close. With the vote scheduled on Tuesday, Feb. 9, candidates Robert Castelli (R) and Peter Harckham (D) have been doing their best not only to spread their message, but even to just get the word out that there is an election taking place at all. A low turnout is expected for the vote, and pundits are split on which candidate the under-the-radar campaign will favor.

“I jumped into the race on Tuesday,” Castelli told us. “By Friday, I garnered enough support to run for the race.” Within hours of the Jan. 14 Republican caucus, Castelli also gained the backing of the Conservative and Independence parties. A John Jay College criminal justice professor and small business owner by trade, the GOP hopeful noted the daunting task of the bite-sized campaign. Whoever emerges victorious will have the unenviable task of hitting the election trail immediately, facing another election for the same seat come November. “For most people who considered doing this in public service, they’d say ‘what are you insane?’”

Castelli, a former Lewisboro councilmember and employee of the New York State Police, said he was focused on bringing real change to Albany in a house that is dominated by Democratic-affiliated officials 107-40. Castelli said the winds of change are blowing, evidenced by victories like that of Republican Rob Astorino in last year’s county executive race. If elected, he said his goal would be not only to pass legislation, but to repeal what he reviewed as burdensome laws such as Wick’s Law (setting regulations for municipal bidding contracts) and the Triborough Amendment (which essentially dictates that municipal labor union contracts have to be honored even once they expire, until a new contract is signed).

The college professor wanted to fight the stigma that Albany acts without Westchester in mind. “The help goes to the city and elsewhere; we in Westchester only get the tax burdens, the problems, the legal restrictions,” Castelli stated.

Harckham, an owner of an advertising and production company, has served on the County Board of Legislators since 2007. He won re-election to the county in an uncontested race in November 2009, declaring his candidacy for Assembly only weeks later. Harckham beat out a handful of Democrats interested in the seat, including two Harrison residents – Clifford Gevirtz (a doctor) and Mark Jaffe the CEO of the New York Greater Chamber of Commerce. Both Gevirtz and Jaffe declined the nomination and pledged support to Harckham in the short campaign.

The county legislator, a Katonah resident, said if elected to the state, he would look to restore faith in government and help get New York’s “fiscal house in order.”

“This race is not about me, it’s about our common values,” Harckham said. “We believe in the power of government to be a positive force in people’s lives. The real work begins now and I pledge to you that I will go wherever you need me to go and fight wherever you need me to fight to bring our message of renewed confidence in state government to the people of our district.”

The special election became necessary when former Assemblyman Adam Bradley (D), who served on the state level since 2003, vacated his post to become new mayor of White Plains. Bradley endorsed his fellow Democrat in the race. “Our district needs someone with a thoughtful, common sense, bipartisan approach to government which is what Pete has stood for his entire career,” Bradley stated. “I have witnessed Pete successfully work with every level of government regardless of political affiliation.”

The 89th Assembly District includes all of the Town of Harrison, most of White Plains and also encompasses Pound Ridge, Bedford, Mount Kisco and Lewisboro.