Sterne Hopes to Take a Bit of Dobbs Ferry to Albany

Often during school board meetings Anna Sterne gets frustrated, and turning to her colleagues says, "There is nothing more we can do here—it's in the hands of officials in Albany now."

Tired of feeling helpless, Sterne decided to confront the formidable lawmakers head-on, embracing the attitude that if she couldn't beat them, she might as well join them. Sterne officially announced her candidacy for New York State Assembly Monday, hoping to take Richard Brodsky's seat representing the 92^nd district, which includes Hastings, Dobbs Ferry and Irvington. 

"I'm not really a politician," Sterne said. "I want to go to Albany because the Assembly needs someone with hands-on experience who can say, 'When you pass this law, this is what happens.'"

Professionally, Sterne is a registered nurse, training and educating home health aides to care for people with such conditions as Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.  But locally, she is known best for her eight years on the Dobbs Ferry school board, acting as president for two years. 

"Anna [Sterne] brings intimate knowledge of issues related to education and public schools," Jeffrey O'Donnell, a member of the Dobbs Ferry Board of Education, said. "She is our legal specialist, appointed to keep us abreast of all the state and national legislation passed that affects public schools." 

Particular issues Sterne hopes to combat if elected are unfunded mandates to public schools and cuts to the healthcare system she feels may be detrimental both to individuals and the wealth of the state as a whole.

"When the state starts requiring schools to submit reports they don't have the time or money to complete, it becomes cumbersome," she said.  "Recently the state made it mandatory that public schools provide special education evaluations for students who attend private schools within the district.  With two private schools in Dobbs Ferry, that is a lot of expensive work."

Sterne also made the point that when the funding for home health aides is reduced, elderly patients often end up in nursing homes, which costs the government significantly more. 

Because running for State Assembly is her first venture into politics, Sterne said, if elected, she intends to devote herself completely to the job.

"Although the job of an assemblyman is considered part-time, if I'm elected I will step down from the Dobbs Ferry school board," she said. 

Sterne is now in the process of gaining the necessary 500 signatures from district residents to be placed on the ballot. She says she is not nervous at all about the campaign process, although she concedes the thought of not winning is less than palatable.

"I love meeting people and talking to people about the issues," she said. "I enjoy problem-solving and figuring out answers to tough situations."

But Sterne will face steep competition for the Democratic bid from Greenburgh's Tom Abinati, who is currently a county legislator from the 12th District. Abinanti, who has already set up a website for his campaign, is pitting his "extensive experience with the legislative process" against Sterne's comparative inexperience. 

Both candidates have a number of canvassers out in the field working assiduously to reach the required number of signatures by the July 15 deadline.  If both are successful, they will face intense summers gearing up for the September 14 primary, the winner of which will go on to the general election for the seat on November 2.

For the Republicans, Thomas Bock has announced his candidacy in the 92nd District.  Bock was a chief of the Elmsford Fire department, who professionally oversaw computer networks for major companies. He ran a failed attempt to capture a seat in the county legislature's 8th District last year – a seat that is currently held by Alfreda Williams.

Sterne hopes to bring the non-partisan spirit of Dobbs Ferry's school board to Albany, noting that while it sounds naïve, it has worked her entire eight years here.

"If you look at our board it's a mix of Democrats, Republicans and Independents," she said. "Yet we all work together beautifully and effectively."