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On The Record: Early GOP Fundraising Sets High Bar
City Council candidates bring in early haul
Good morning subscribers. ☕This is your Thursday, July 24, Rye Record newsletter, curating some of the latest headlines across the city of Rye.
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Seeing green. The Republican slate is off to a commanding fundraising lead in the run-up to the November City Council elections, outpacing Democrats in campaign contributions by more than an 8-to-1 margin, state filings show.
The Republican candidates brought in a $26,225 haul from a total of 52 donors, according to financial disclosures filed with the state Board of Elections in July.
The contributions average out to approximately $504 per donation.
Fourteen people forked over $1,000 to the Republican campaign — the maximum contribution allowed under campaign finance law. The candidates — Bill Henderson, James Fee, Robin Jovanovich, and Maria Shuck — also donated about $7,000 of their own money to the campaign.
It was a paltry performance for the Democratic ticket, however, which only generated $3,851 in contributions across 17 donors, at an average rate of $226, the BOE filings show. Just one person made a $1,000 donation to the Dems slate.
Meanwhile, independent mayoral candidate Rick McCabe logged just over $3,830 from 12 contributors at an average of $319 per donation. McCabe was the latest entry into the race. His candidacy was only certified by the Westchester Board of Elections on June 17.
Henderson, the Republican candidate for mayor, called the fundraising totals “encouraging,” particularly this early in the campaign.
To read Christian Falcone’s full article, click here
The GOP ticket has had a strong start to its City Council campaign, raking in close to $30,000 in fundraising ahead of the July state filing deadline.
-Today’s newsletter is curated by Christian Falcone
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IN OTHER NEWS
Head of the list. Scarsdale and Rye ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on GOBankingRates’ 2025 list of America’s wealthiest suburbs, based on average household income. -Journal News
Doin’ Dirty. An NYPD cop allegedly stole more than $85,000 from unsuspecting and mostly elderly Wells Fargo customers while working at a Rye Brook branch before joining the police force. -Rosie Newmark
Sunken treasure? The city has agreed to dole out $75,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a dredging contractor who accused Rye officials of causing delays in a much-needed marina project. -Record staff
AROUND TOWN
-The Rye school district continued its reshuffling last Thursday, appointing Erin Vredenburgh to a newly created assistant superintendent role. -Record staff
-Playland Park opened for the 2025 season in May, but some social media users are warning others not to visit it. County officials are navigating a legal dispute with the park's former operator and some rides remain closed. -News12
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CITY
Mayor Josh Cohn struck out in his bid to have the City Council to conduct an outside review of its ethics code.
The Rye City Council declined to move forward with a $10,000 review of the Code of Ethics in an up or down vote at Wednesday’s meeting — more than two years after a controversial tree-cutting incident at the root of the issue.
Cohn proposed hiring Steven Leventhal for no more than $10,000, an attorney with the state Bar Association’s Local and State Government Section Committee on Ethics and Professionalism.
With little discussion, the measure failed in a 5-2 vote as only Cohn, who is politically unaffiliated, and Councilwoman Julie Souza, a Democrat, backed it.
-by Rosie Newmark
Westchester agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleged the county government was complicit in allowing sewage to reach the Long Island Sound.
ENVIRONMENT
Westchester has settled a decade-long federal court battle where the county government faced accusations that it was allowing raw sewage to seep into the Long Island Sound.
The deal addresses the problem of ongoing sewage spills and results in a “cleaner, healthier Long Island Sound with less sewage pollution, and fewer beach closures and swimming days lost,” said Roger Reynolds, senior legal director for Save the Sound.
The lawsuit was first filed in 2015 against 11 communities in Westchester— including the city of Rye — along with the county government.
-by Record staff
BUSINESS & ORGS
The Rye Arts Center plan to expand its Milton Road campus has moved at a snail’s pace since first being proposed earlier this year.
Six months since the Rye Arts Center appealed to the City Council for a zoning change to allow it to expand its Milton Road campus, the campaign took a tiny step forward Tuesday.
The Planning Commission, at its July 15 meeting, reviewed additional information submitted by the RAC in support of its initiative. The commission then asked City Planner Christian Miller to draft an analysis of how the city should approach a zoning change.
That memo is expected to be reviewed at the commission’s Aug. 11 meeting.
-by David Hessekiel
The city of Rye has not partnered with Westchester County on an EV charging station program.
NEWS
Port Chester, Mamaroneck, and Rye Brook are just some of the communities partnering with Westchester to install EV charging stations across the county.
The proposed locations span 24 Westchester municipalities and include 79 charging sites, according to county officials, with more than 750 charging ports.
The city of Rye is not participating in the program. That’s because they have already had success finding funding streams through state programs, including the Energy Research & Development Authority’s Clean Energy Communities program, Interim City Manager Brian Shea told The Record.
-by Record staff