Yonkers Insider: Election 2020 Campaign Trail: Rob Astorino, Republican for New York State Senate, 40th District: Harckham Video: My Constituents are Bigots.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: HARCKHAM: MY CONSTITUENTS ARE BIGOTS --- “There are places in my district…”  --- Which Towns, Peter? Name Them.   Hudson Valley-Oct. 13... State Senator Peter Harckham (SD-40), who sponsored legislation this year to strip state school aid from any New York school district with an ethnicity-based sports mascot — there are several in his district, including the Mahopac High School (Indians, $32.1 million loss in aid), Valhalla High School (Vikings, $5.6 million), and Horace Greeley High School (Quakers, $9.5 million) — has taken criticism of his own constituents to a new level, the campaign of state senate candidate and former Westchester county executive Rob Astorino today sadly reported.  At a recent rally in Peekskill, Mr. Harckham was caught on video attacking certain towns in his district for supposedly harboring racist views. There is zero evidence that this is true.  “There are places in my district; there would be angry counter protesters across the street and muscle cars would be driving by revving their engines, vulgar slogans, signs we have people who would call these fine young men anarchists,” Mr. Harckham said, without explicitly naming which particular areas of his district would feature such behavior. The 40th Senate District includes parts of Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties.   “Peter Harckham seems to believe that his constituents are bigots, and, frankly, I find that outrageous,” Mr. Astorino said. “I’ve spent my entire life in this area and I'm genuinely perplexed: the people and families I’ve encountered are good, hard-working, and kind. Exactly which parts of this district are you talking about, Mr. Harckham? That’s the question he now needs to answer.”    After severe blowback from local schools and parents over Mr. Harckham's threat to cut off school aid over sports mascots, Mr. Harckham preposterously suggested that his legislation was falsely submitted in his name, but was then caught on a Zoom meeting admitting he changed his proposed law because of the public outrage.