Vote for the Democratic Judicial Candidates: Voting Begins October 25th

(The following letter was submitted by the Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee)

To The Editor:
It may just be a mid-year election, but for Westchester County, it is a crucial election with much of our County leadership on the ballot. Early voting for the General Election starts October 25th. The Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee wants voters to rally around the Democratic ticket and vote for our candidates on Row A.

In addition to the County Executive and legislative races this election (including those for County Executive, County Clerk, and County Legislator), there are several judgeships (all but one contested) to vote on: four State Supreme Court judges, one County Surrogate Court judge, one County Court judge, and one County Family Court judge. There is also Proposition 1 to amend the New York State constitution. This letter provides voters with more information about the judicial candidates and the proposition.

All of the Democratic judicial candidates are pro-choice and have broad experience and sound judicial temperament. The Supreme Court is New York’s trial court handling both civil and criminal matters. The County Court handles criminal matters and certain civil matters. The Surrogate Court handles the probate of wills, guardianships, and other actions relating to decedents. The Family Court decides cases involving children and families.

Supreme Court Candidates

Verris B. Shako
Judge Shako is a Yonkers City Judge in addition to serving as an Acting County Court Judge and an Accessible Magistrate. Prior to her election to the bench, Judge Shako practiced as a trial attorney for 15 years, litigating criminal felony and misdemeanor cases and practicing family law in the three Westchester Family Courts and the two Integrated Domestic Violence Courts.

Diane M. Clerkin
Ms. Clerkin has over 30 years of experience as an attorney specializing in Supreme Court matters, including 23 years in public service with the New York State Unified Court System. She currently serves as the Chief Court Attorney for the 9th Judicial District of the Supreme Court where she supervises court attorneys in the Supreme Court Law Department. In addition, Ms. Clerkin has served as a Court Attorney-Referee where she has presided over her own inventory of Supreme Court matters.

John P. Collins, Jr.
Judge Collins currently serves as a White Plains City Court Judge and, at times, as an Acting Westchester County Court Judge. Previously, he worked as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York for 17 years before initially entering the Unified Court System as a Court Attorney-Referee in the 9th Judicial District.

Desmond C. Lyons
Judge Lyons is the Village Justice for the Village of Irvington and also serves as Acting Judge for the Village of Mamaroneck, Acting Justice for the Town of Greenburgh and the City of White Plains, and Accessible Magistrate in Westchester County. Judge Lyons has been an attorney in private practice for 30 years and is a full-time litigator and outside general counsel to non-profits and other entities.

Westchester County Surrogate Court Candidate

Brandon R. Sall
Judge Brandon Sall currently serves as Westchester surrogate judge, a position he has held since 2015, and is running for re-election for a second, ten-year term. Previously, he served as Managing Partner of Sall, Geist, Schwartz & Jellinek and General Counsel to Westchester County Public Administrator. He also served as Vice President of the Surrogates Association of New York State.

Westchester County Court Candidate

Erin M. McGoey
Judge McGoey serves as Greenburgh Town Justice as well as the Deputy Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities. Judge McGoey began her career serving as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Yonkers and later served as Assistant Westchester County Attorney and Deputy General Counsel for the Metro Transit Authority (MTA).

Westchester County Family Court Candidate

Emily R. Rubin
Ms. Rubin has 27 years of extensive experience in matrimonial and family law litigation. She has handled, among other matters, divorce actions from intake to settlement or trial, proceedings for support, child custody, post-judgment enforcement, and relocation proceedings.

Proposition 1
Proposition 1 concerns the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Center, which is a winter recreation and training facility that began as a bobsled run used in the 1932 Olympics and was upgraded to include a Nordic ski trail system used in the 1980 Lake Placid winter games. This Olympic Center was built on state forest preserve land (known as “forever wild” forest land) in violation of the Article 14 Section 1 of the New York Constitution.

This Proposition would remedy this constitutional violation after the fact, by designating 1,039 acres of this “forever wild” forest land for the existing Olympic Center and allowing 323 acres of that land for limited development of certain ski trails and biathlon courses. In exchange, 2,500 acres of other, undeveloped forest land in Adirondack Park would be incorporated into the “forever wild” forest preserve to compensate for the 1,039 acres that had been taken from it for the Olympic Center.

The Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee urges voters to vote “Yes” on Proposition 1 and to support all of the Democratic judicial candidates.
Your vote matters! Let us make sure Democratic voices are heard.

Respectfully submitted,
Alissa Baum and Myra Saul
Delegates to the Democratic Judicial Convention for the 9th Judicial District