East Ramapo Activists to Receive Peace Prize; East Ramapo is Major Factor in Nov 5th Election

Power of Ten Update

In this Issue:

  1. East Ramapo Activists to Receive Peace Prize
  2. Cuomo Must Intervene in East Ramapo
  3. The Campaign for Educational Equity Wants You!
  4. Crisis in East Ramapo is Major Factor in Nov 5th Election

1) East Ramapo Activists to Receive Peace Prize

The 2013 Fellowship of Reconciliation Nyack Area Peace Award Winners are Steve and Emilia White!!!

The award will be presented on December 22nd at the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s Winter Solstice House Concert and Nyack-Area Peace Award Presentation

Featuring the music of PETE SEEGER!!!!!!!!!!!!! (One cannot put enough exclamation marks after typing PETE SEEGER!!!!!!!!!!)

2) Cuomo Must Intervene in East Ramapo

In an incisive and insightful letter to the editor, Dr. Oscar Cohen calls on Governor Cuomo to intervene in East Ramapo

Cuomo needs to intervene on behalf of East Ramapo students

3) The Campaign for Educational Equity Wants You!

The Teachers College, Columbia University Campaign for Educational Equity (CEE) is filing a class action lawsuit against New York State and is seeking specific data about the harm imposed on students who are not receiving required education, related services and/or extra curricula activities.

They are looking for parents of students who may have been personally deprived by these cutbacks. Please contact Dr. Oscar Cohen if you would like to participate at oscarpcohen@optonline.net

 4) Crisis in East Ramapo is Major Factor in Nov 5th Election

This year voters all over Rockland had East Ramapo on their minds as they went to the polls. Thanks to an increase in media coverage over the past year, the public is well aware of the reprehensible treatment that students, parents, and the public in general have received and continue to receive from the East Ramapo School Board. The same political machine which delivered school board seats in East Ramapo was promoting its agenda for many elected positions around Rockland. Most prominently they wanted to be the deciding factor in the Rockland County Executive race. They supported the Democratic candidate, David Fried, who was already considered by many as the front runner because of his many endorsements, including President Clinton, and because Democrats outnumber Republicans in Rockland County two to one. He is also an excellent campaigner, and very well liked for good reason as he is a really nice guy. The voters responded with a resounding victory for the underdog, Ed Day, who is also a nice guy and ran a good campaign, because they are fully aware of what is happening in East Ramapo and how it is only possible because of the political machine that elects the school board members, and they do not want that machine to have any more power. Ed Day early on aligned himself with East Ramapo activists Betty Carmand, Hiram Rivera, Weldon McWilliams and Emilia White, who were also running for elected office on the Preserve Rockland ballot line, and wrote a position piece on East Ramapo which mirrored the positions of the East Ramapo activists. By aligning himself with us, he made it clear that he was not interested in receiving the support of our opponents. The 8,667 votes that Ed Day got on the Preserve Rockland Line were the deciding factor in the election. Before November 5th, it was considered necessary to get the support of the machine that elected our East Ramapo school board in order to win a countywide election in Rockland. After November 5th, those who seek elected office should think twice about relying on that machine. Preserve Rockland is now more than a way to send a message with your vote, it is the most powerful third party line in Rockland County. Emilia White was another Preserve Rockland Candidate who won her election. She gathered 1,575 votes on the Democratic line, more than any other major party candidate for Spring Valley Trustee, and added 341 on the Preserve Rockland line for a total of 1,916 votes.