Shrestha, Madden campaigns trade barbs
Heated rhetoric broke out this week between supporters and the campaigns of Democrat primary candidates running for the 103rd Assembly District.
Incumbent Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, D-Esopus, will face Gabriella “Gabi” Madden of Bloomington in the upcoming Democratic primary for the 103rd Assembly District, set for June 25. Early primary voting will run from June 15 to June 23.
The animosity kicked off in a press release issued by Kingston Common Council members Michele Hirsch, D-Ward 9, and Michael Tierney, D-Ward 2, calling Madden to return $1,000 donated to her campaign by Rich Lanzarone, executive director of the Hudson Valley Property Owners Association and other real estate interest funding.
The group, which represents landlords, has sued Kingston in connection with a so-far unsuccessful fight to demolish the city’s successful effort to opt in on the state’s Emergency Tenant Protection program. A state appellate court last week sided with the city and upheld rent reductions. The landlord’s group has also sued the state over changes to the Emergency Tenant Protection Act.
Meanwhile, Madden and her supporters and also Lanzarone blasted Shrestha’s campaign for accepting donations from outside the district from New York City and elsewhere funneled to her campaign by the political committee Democratic Socialist of America For the Many. Shrestha, who is the incumbent, is a member of the Hudson Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialist of America.
In their release, Hirsch and Tierney took aim at Lanzarone’s contribution as well as others from people involved in real estate. Those contributions were
initially highlighted in an email to the Freeman by the progressive group Housing Justice for All.
“Anyone who is seeking to represent this community shouldn’t be taking money from the real estate forces that are displacing local families and fighting the city’s efforts to keep people in their homes,” said Tierney, who had served on the Kingston Rent Guidelines Board as a tenant representative before being elected as a lawmaker.
“We need representatives in Albany who will go to bat for the tenants in this community to stop displacement, egregious rent hikes, and unsafe housing conditions — not someone beholden to the real estate interests who are fighting every effort by state and local government to keep people housed,” Hirsh said.
Madden fired back with a statement claiming that the Shrestha campaign has been engaged in a negative campaign.
“My opponent’s campaign was the first to go negative in this race with sexist and misogynistic attacks and here they go again,” Madden said, referring to Shrestha describing Madden as part of the “Old Boys Club.”
“Michele and Michael’s press release is not about housing or what’s best for
our tenants, it’s about trying to slander my name regarding fundraising,” Madden added. “And what is it that Tierney and Hirsch’s endorsed candidate, Shrestha, has done the past two years to address the housing crisis? Draft and introduce legislation to make systematic changes? No. Bring in affordable housing partners to create new housing infrastructure? No. Secure state grant funding to support our local housing authorities? No.”
Madden pointed to a Jan. 25 article by the New York Times detailing a pending lawsuit about DSA For the Many fundraising for Democratic Socialists candidates, one of whom is Shrestha. However, The Times article indicated that the Board of Election’s official who lobbied the complaint said the candidates were not at fault. The pending lawsuit is not against the candidates but it is against DSA For the Many.
“Contributions to my campaign are almost all from in-district residents AND qualify for the public matching fund program, newly in place this year with the intent to grow grassroots efforts,” Madden added. “I’m beholden to no one other than my constituents.”
Although Madden did not specifically say if she favored the proposed state law known as Good Cause Eviction, she did say her support for tenant rights was unwavering.
“I’m from Kingston, I’ve
been here this whole time,” Madden said. “I’ve watched people get priced out of their homes and their apartments. As Shrestha was just arriving here in the Hudson Valley in 2018, I was working to advance the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, a bill authored, introduced, and passed by then Assemblyman Kevin Cahill.”
Madden served as an aid to Cahill. She was also a former aide to State Sen. James Skoufis, who represents the 42nd Senate District. Skoufis has said he has “deep concerns” about Good Cause eviction.
“My friends who were born and raised here were struggling to gain housing independence despite working full time jobs, then Covid hit and the rest of Brooklyn followed behind Shrestha, and now you want to point a finger at me for the housing insecurity issues we face?,” Madden said.
“I’ve moved more couches the past three years than I can count, as my friends get priced out time and time again,” Madden added. “We must address the housing crisis by rolling up our sleeves and getting to work, not sitting as panelists for a housing ‘forum’ co— hosted by the Communists of America.”
The Mid-Hudson Valley group For the Many and a coalition of progressive groups held a forum on March 15 with Shrestha, Hirsch, and a representative from Ulster County and Michelle Hinchey’s office.
Shrestha’s Campaign Manager Hadley Parum said Madden’s statement was error-filled.
“There are so many inaccuracies in this rant it’s hard to know where to start,” Parum said in an email. “But as a tenant who has been able to stay in Kingston only because of rent stabilization, I’m appalled that our opponent is raising money from the same people seeking to destroy it so they can keep hiking rents and kicking people out of their homes.
Parum said Madden’s claim that there was a state Board of Election investigation of funding improprieties was wrong.
“There is no ongoing investigation to our knowledge, and the ongoing lawsuit, which doesn’t implicate candidates, is over a misunderstanding on paperwork,” Parum said.
For his part, Lanzarone said the donation was made, in part, to support a longtime Hudson Valley resident. He also called on Shrestha’s campaign to give back funding to the DSA For the Many. The group donated to Shrestha’s previous Assembly race, according to filings with the state Board of Elections.
“As a proud resident of the 103rd Assembly District, I want to support a candidate who is actually from the Hudson Valley, born, raised and educated here and who will truly represent us,” Lanzarone said.