Village of Pelham trustees commend candidates Volpe and Biaggi

To the editor:

As you probably know, two of our Pelham neighbors will be on the ballot this year: Michael Volpe, running for Lt. Governor, and Alessandra Biaggi, running to represent our district in the New York State Senate. It’s not every day that Pelham gets to claim two candidates running for state office—in fact, we’re not sure if we’ve ever been so well represented on the ballot. We write this letter not as political advocates, but as neighbors. We believe Pelham benefits when our fellow residents commit themselves to public service and we commend their efforts. We hope you will use the final week of this election cycle to get to know them.

Mike Volpe is the current Village of Pelham Mayor. A Republican, he has chosen to run alongside Mayor Stephanie Miner, a Democrat, on the Serve America Movement (SAM) party line. During our time with him on the board, we’ve seen his commitment to working across party lines, and his willingness to engage, even when doing so may be difficult. He has been an active steward of our community for nearly thirty years, serving on the Town Council for two terms, on the Village board since 2013, and as a volunteer for Pelham Civics, Pelham Little League, and many other local organizations. The Miner-Volpe platform centers on ending corruption, reforming New York elections, promoting economic accountability, investing in infrastructure, and guaranteeing quality affordable housing that meets New Yorkers’ needs. We’ve appreciated his leadership and service to our Village and hope you will learn more about his goals for our state at www.minerforny.com.

Alessandra Biaggi, a Democrat, lives in Pelham Manor and is a product of our excellent school system, having graduated from Pelham Memorial High School in 2004. As an attorney, she served in Governor Cuomo’s administration in the Counsel’s Office and was the Deputy National Operations Director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. We’ve appreciated, in particular, her commitment to forging relationships with the people in our town and getting to know our needs—a critically important part of representing us at the state level. She is running on a progressive agenda, in support of efforts to protect New York communities from climate change, guarantee reproductive rights for women and ensure that all New Yorkers have access to well-funded public schools, reliable transit, healthcare, child and eldercare, and affordable housing options. You can learn more about her at www.biaggi4ny.com.

On November 6, Pelham residents will cast their votes for a number of different candidates, for a variety of reasons. Some will vote for both Mr. Volpe and Ms. Biaggi, some will vote for neither. That’s what democracy looks like. Our hope is simply that our fellow neighbors will give Alessandra and Mike the opportunity to make their case—to give them both an extra bit of consideration before making a decision. And regardless of what happens on Election Day, we hope that we can, collectively, take a moment to commend them for their commitment to public service. It can be difficult to raise one’s voice (and one’s hand) in times like these. We should all take enormous pride in knowing that these two remarkable individuals from our little town have risen to the challenge.

Sincerely,

Trustee Hanan Kamal Eldahry

Trustee Xaira Ferrara

Deputy Mayor Adam Kagan

Trustee Chance Mullen

Trustee Pete Potocki

Trustee Ariel Spira-Cohen