MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—The Epoch Times went to the Mulberry House Senior Center polling site on Nov. 4 to talk to people about what influenced their vote and what they care about.
The races being voted on in Middletown are for the mayoralty, the four alderman positions, county executive, district attorney, county clerk, two county court judge positions, two family court judge positions, and the County Legislature for District 18 or District 20, depending on where the voter lives in Middletown.
In the Middletown mayoral race, Democratic nominee and longtime incumbent Mayor Joseph DeStefano is running against Time for Change candidate Joel Sierra.
Republican and incumbent County Executive Steve Neuhaus is being challenged by Democratic nominee Michael Sussman.
For District 18, Democratic candidate Moniysha Maldonado is running against incumbent Republican Janet Sutherland.
In District 20, Democratic candidate Sparrow Tobin is running unopposed.
Democrat Steven Brockett, candidate for city court judge, and J. Miguel Rodrigues, Democratic candidate for alderman at large, are also running unopposed.
Voter Colleen McAvoy told The Epoch Times that she wants Middletown to continue on its current trajectory.
“I think, in general, I’m just concerned about the direction the country is going,” she said. “I like how Middletown has been so far, and I’m wanting to move and keep progressing the same direction. So that was most important for me to come out today.”
Real estate developer and Middletown School Board member Andrew Moore said he was concerned about the development of Orange County.
“We do have some issues when it comes to dealing with the expansion of some of the commercial spaces in the county,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of growth that’s coming, but it’s actually causing a huge infrastructure issue for the area.
“I listened to a lot of the candidates that are running to see where they pitch and where they were going as far as the development of the county.”
Moore said he believes that voting is the responsible thing to do.
“It’s my civic duty to vote. You know we have a right,” he said. “This is our way of being able to speak and getting our voices heard. So it’s important to come out and take an opportunity to exercise your voting rights.”
Retired law enforcement officer Ken Hodges said what’s important to him is that the government continues to run smoothly.
“Making sure that the issues that I care about will, in fact, be looked upon, and that the people that need to be in office when they’re supposed to be in office will be there—that was a big one,” he said.
Regarding Statewide Proposition 1, which would allow for the creation of new ski trails in Essex County at the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex, Hodges said: “It’s nice, but will they really take the time to preserve it as it’s supposed to be? I don’t think so.”
DeStefano, who is running for reelection, also came to the senior center to vote. His concerns regarding the county were, first, affordability, and second, transportation.
“Affordability comes in two ways,” he said. “It comes in housing affordability, and it comes in tax affordability on whether people continue to live here. So it’s something that I think most parties have to focus on.”
DeStefano said he hopes that he will be able to build on the momentum of what he has done so far.
“We’re running on eight cylinders right now, and I think we’re doing a good job,” he said.
DeStefano said he believes that people should vote more in local and community elections.
“Participation is important. It sends a message,” he said. “I look at your vote as your voice, and when a community’s voice speaks loudly, it gives us a little bit more juice on the state and federal level. So it’s important for the community to come out and vote.”
