So, you want to run for office?

You know how you can smell fear in your opponents? By reading what their supporters are writing. The more scared they are, the more vicious they become and the more willing they are to distort the truth as the March 10th Special Election in Yorktown approaches. My opponent and his supporters must be getting desperate.

I am thankful to my supporters who have written letters on my behalf. They were written to talk about the things that would make me a good Town Board Member and why I would be an effective advocate for them and the Town in general. They did not dredge up half a decade old personal information that has nothing to do with the election or the issues at hand. They did not bad mouth my opponent. They did not set out to bully or disparage anyone. In supporting me they certainly have not reported facts incorrectly or twisted the words of my opponent.

Now, my opponent’s supporters are not on the same ethical level as mine. They took the low road. They took the words intimidation and bullying to a whole new level. Unfortunately for them, I am not one to succumb to these tactics. I know who I am. And I know they are scared of me.

They are dreading a woman, a mother, an engaged resident and volunteer who is well informed and has all the work/management experience needed to do the job of a Town Councilwoman. They fear me sitting on the board, making a closed government open, making a secretive, back room, republican lead board accountable. So they decided to run a smear campaign.

This smear campaign goes back 5 years to when my husband and I were faced with the kind of situation that many young couples have to deal with. We wanted a family. Finally, after years of trying, we turned to fertility treatments. Thank god, they worked, and we now have two lovely daughters – little girls that are the center of our life. I can’t begin to say how grateful we are for the miracle of having them with us.

But as anyone knows who has been through this ordeal, it can try your soul. It can test your faith. And in the process of working through that I kept a diary. But like so many of my generation, it was a blog. It helped to have my friends and family give us their thoughts and support through this trial.

These thoughts were twisted by a man who is a former paid employee for Supervisor Michael Grace’s campaign. He’s been paid over $10,000 for his efforts. It is obvious that this was a planned and concerted effort to detract from my campaign just days before the Special Election in a desperate attempt to control the town board.

My question is, why are they so afraid of me? Why do they want my opponent in office so badly? Do they have something to hide? I also would like to ask the Yorktown News, why they would print such a reprehensible letter?

Is this the way things work around here? If you try to make a difference for the better, be ready for an avalanche of haters. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Not today, and not anytime soon. I’m still standing. I’m still running in this election, and win or loose, I will continue to fight for a responsive and accountable town government in Yorktown, even if the attacks continue to turn on me personally. We deserve better than this and I am willing to continue this work.