During the November elections, the Democratic Party of LaGrange got more votes for its candidates than it has done in the past (we are seeing success with our message and our organization). However, only one of our candidates, Bill McCabe, was elected to office. Bill's success is due to a number of factors:
The strength of the Republican Party was well illustrated in the Town Clerk race. The incumbent was not supported by the Republican Party, so the Republican vote was split between the incumbent and the Republican candidate. Despite having more experience, both our candidate, Eileen Mang, and the incumbent lost to the Republican candidate.
This race illustrated the major weakness of the Lagrange Democratic Party: we do not get out sufficient voters. The Republicans have the advantages of being larger, having the support of the Conservative Party, and having a larger get-out- the-vote support group. In this race, even though the Conservative vote went to the incumbent, the larger numbers and the ability to get out the vote trumped all. Fortunately, our candidate, Eileen Mang, was energized by the outcome and will consider trying again.
For the other county Legislature position, Ed McCormick ran a strong campaign and was on the right side of the issues, but he faced insurmountable obstacles because of his opponent's:
The Poughkeepsie Journal did make an issue of the age of the incumbent, but this is not an issue that has swayed voters in Dutchess County. Ed's strategy will be to build upon his strong commitment to the community and to make the voting public more aware of the consequences of legislative decisions. For example, how does one explain the incumbent's vote against a solution to the well-water issue that adversely affects the health of constituents but benefits commercial interests?
The race for councilmen was very close. There was the possibility of a win for Chris Rand if the absentee vote went in his favor. Chris had advantages:
His loss was because of two factors: Republicans who did not keep themselves informed and Democrats who did not come out to vote.
With the ball field issue and the assessment controversy, both Rand and Colacchio should have been shoe-ins.
We are moving ahead to develop a strategy to overcome our shortcomings. More people are joining the LaGrange Democratic Committee, but we need more help. With more people involved, we can get our messages out to Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives and Independents.
Each person is important in contributing to positive change. We need to encourage open minds and open lines of communication so voters have the information to decide what is best for them. Effective communication is the key to an effective strategy.