GOSHEN, N.Y.—Teacher Jonathan Redeker is looking to bring the skills and values he’s learned from teaching U.S. history and government to the service of the people of District 2 in Goshen.
“My experiences working with students, responding to the needs of the teachers, problem-solving, budget planning, and striving for consistent improvement translate directly into a new role of elected public service,” Redeker told The Epoch Times on Oct. 22. “I know how to bring people together around shared goals and deliver results that matter to people.”
Redeker has worked for the Goshen Central School District for more than 20 years.
“I taught students about our great nation and worked with them to develop critical thinking, empathy, and a sense of civic duty,” he said. “In the classroom, I tasked students to create and execute passion projects on issues of concern to them and got to see some of them lead to real change in the community.”
In 2019, Redeker began working as the school technology coordinator. He was instrumental in organizing online learning and teacher support for the district during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Redeker grew up in New Jersey and received his bachelor’s from Ithaca College, where he met his wife. He also holds a degree in school administration from the State University of New York–New Paltz and a master’s in instructional technology from the New York Institute of Technology. He is certified as an Instructional Technology Specialist in New York.
Redeker is running on the Democratic ticket. His competition for District 2 legislator is Republican Aaron Ubides, a resident of Florida, New York, and welder and fabricator for Showalter’s Equipment in Goshen.
Redeker has been endorsed by the Orange County, NY Democratic Committee, the Goshen and Warwick Democratic Committees, the New York Working Families Party, Sen. James Skoufis (D-N.Y.), and the Patriot PAC of Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.).
“I couldn’t be more excited to endorse Jonathan Redeker,” Ryan said on Oct. 23.
Redeker said: “The people of District 2 need to know they will have a fierce advocate who will fight every day for them, and I intend to be that fighter.
“This year the districts shifted, and the new District 2 also includes the fiercely independent Village of Florida, which I couldn’t be more thrilled about representing.”
The newly drawn District 2 encompasses the town of Goshen, part of northern Warwick, and Florida.
The district has recently voted red, and Republican James O’Donnell, who announced his retirement this election cycle, has held the district since his election in 2016.
Redeker’s campaign motto is “People Over Politics.” He says he’s been able to reach Democrats, Independents, and Republicans with his messaging. He has gained much of his support through door-knocking and speaking at community events.
“I’ve seen that we can all find common ground on the common sense issues I stand for: access to clean municipal water, recruiting jobs with salaries that outpace the cost of living while rejecting the countywide ‘warehouse madness,’ providing more supports for the wide range of needs for our senior population, and providing more for our veterans and first responders,” he said.
Redeker said that his campaign is receiving major community support and that 85 percent of his campaign donations are from average people.
