New York's 99th State Assembly district

New York State Assembly, District 99 is located in the southern part of the State of New York in the United States. District 99 is north of New York City and is composed of parts of Orange and Rockland Counties. It is encompassed by New York's 39th State Senate district and New York's 18th congressional district.

District 99 is currently represented by Democrat James Skoufis. Details about the makeup of the 99th District starting with the 2012 Election cycle through the 2020 Election cycle are listed below.

Components: Past and Present

2013–present: In March 2012, the 99th State Assembly District of New York was redistricted, valid for the election in 2012, and thus represented in the Assembly since January 2013. It now comprises what was most of the previous 96th State Assembly District.

Rockland County

Town of Stony Point

Orange County

Town of Woodbury

Town of Highlands (Contains the villages of West Point and Highland Falls)

Town of Cornwall

Town of New Windsor

Town of Blooming Grove (Including the village of Washingtonville)

Town of Hamptonburgh

Town of Chester

Town of Goshen

Town of Wawayanda

Representatives

2012 election

In 2012, there are four challengers for the open seat for the new 99th Assembly District. This seat became an open seat after the retirement of the incumbent, Nancy Calhoun, of the former the 96th Assembly District. As of July 24, 2012, there will be a Republican Party primary election on September 13, 2012, with Kyle Roddey and Colin Schmitt both being on the ballot. Also as of July 24, 2012, although Democrat James Skoufis has filed enough petitions for an Independence Party Primary challenge to Republican Kyle Roddey, there will be no Independence Party Primary based on the decision of the statewide Independence Party Committee due to their endorsement to only non-party candidate Kyle Roddey.

Republican Primary Candidates

• Kyle Roddey
• Colin Schmitt
• Mark J Levy (as an announced Write-In candidate)^[1]

Republican Primary Candidates

• Kyle Roddey
• Colin Schmitt (opportunity to ballot)

Independence Primary Candidates

• Kyle Roddey

Working Families Primary Candidates

• James Skoufis

Candidate Information

A native of Goshen, New York, at 26 years of age Kyle Roddey announced that he will be running for State Assembly as a Republican in 2012, Mr Roddey was elected as a Democrat to Village Trustee in Goshen in 2009 and then Mayor of Goshen in 2011, Orange County. He is also running on the Independence Party ballot line and the Conservative Party ballot line for the General Election. His campaign commits to ethics reform, protection of citizen's 2nd Amendment Rights, property tax relief, and deregulation of business.^[2]

Growing up in Montgomery, New York, 21-year-old Republican Colin Schmitt relocated his place of residency to New Windsor. He is well known for his political campaign which promises to stop the "Double Dip" loophole that many older New York politicians take advantage of, to collect both their pension and full salary simultaneously.^[3]

Republican 53-year-old Mark J Levy, from Salisbury Mills in the town of Blooming Grove, New York. Having lived in Orange County for over 40 years, raising four children in the process, Levy claims to have the experience that the other candidates lack while being a private citizen instead of "running the same old 'career politician' playbook". Levy says that he will fight for the people of this district against the wasteful and money hungry politicians currently in office.^[4]

Democratic Candidates

A Member of the town council of Woodbury, New York, 24-year-old James Skoufis claims to fight for the little man, and believes in social equality. His campaign fights for a strong voice in Albany while insisting on tax reform and local job creation.^[5] He unsuccessfully sought the Independence Party ballot line, and has already obtained the Democrat and Working Families Party ballot lines for the General Election.

2008 election

While no challenger has officially filed to take on the district's freshman incumbent legislator, several names have emerged in the media as potential challengers contemplating a bid.

Republican candidate

On March 17, 2008, Ball announced that he would be a candidate for reelection during an event at an Irish restaurant in Yorktown Heights, flanked by new Westchester GOP Chairman Douglas Colety, Putnam GOP Chairman Anthony Scannapieco, Jr., and Westchester County Executive candidate Rob Astorino.^[6][7] Ball highlighted the fact that his campaign had received the most money and more contributions from individual donors then any other incumbent minority Assemblyman in the last quarter of 2007.^[8] In a speech to supporters, Ball stated that "I'm a maverick Republican. I came into this business from outside the political machine. That makes me a target for Albany insiders."^[9]

Candidates

John Degnan, former Mayor of the village of Brewster, New York, stated he was in the race in May 2008. He has been endorsed by the Southeast Republican Committee (unanimously), and won the Putnam County Republican Committee's backing by a vote of 97-50. The Westchester Republican Committee narrowly endorsed Ball over Degnan, while the Pawling Republican Committee—the only Dutchess GOP committee in the 99th Assembly District—chose not to endorse either candidate. Though a lifelong Republican, Degnan was also subsequently backed by the Putnam County Democratic Party Committees, and leading Democrats in Westchester County.".^[10]

Former candidates

Although no challenger has officially filed to run against the freshman incumbent Greg Ball, there had been speculation in the media that County Legislator Mike Kaplowitz, who failed in a 2006 bid for State Senate, will be challenging Ball. In April 2008, Kaplowitz ruled out challenging Ball.^[11] 2006 challenger Ken Harper is also said to be mulling a second run at the office.^[12]

2006 election

Elections in New York State
Federal government Presidential elections 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 Republican 2004 2008 2012 United States Senate elections 1789 1791 1795 1797 1801 1803 1807 1809 1813 1815 1819-20 1821 1825-26 1827 1831 1833 1837 1839-40 1843 1845 1849 1851 1855 1857 1861 1863 1867 1869 1873 1875 1879 1881 1885 1887 1891 1893 1897 1899 1903 1905 1909 1911 1964 1980 1986 1988 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004 2006 2010 2012 House of Representatives elections 1789 1790 1793 1794 1796 1796 1798 1800 1802 1804 1806 1808 1810 1812 1814 1816 1818 1821 1822 1824 1826 1854 2002 2004 2006 13th 20th 29th 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Special elections to the United States Congress 20th district, 2009 23rd district, 2009 Senate, 2010 26th district, 2011 9th district, 2011 11th district, 2015 List of House special elections
State government New York gubernatorial elections 1777 1780 1783 1786 1789 1792 1795 1798 1801 1804 1807 1810 1813 1816 1817 1820 1822 1824 1826 1828 1830 1832 1834 1836 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1879 1882 1885 1888 1891 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 Attorney General elections 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 State Comptroller elections 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 State Assembly elections 99th district, 2006 State elections by year 1811 1844 1846 1847-J 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1870–J 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1900 1902 1903 1904 1906 1907 1908 1910 1912 1913 1914 1916 1917 1918 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1926 1927 1928 1930 1932 1933 1934 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1942 1943 1944 1946 1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1956 1958 1959 1960 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1974 2002 2006 2008 2009 2010 2012
New York City Characteristics of NYC mayoral elections Mayoral elections 1917 1953 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 Public Advocate elections 2009 2013 Comptroller elections 2009 2013 Borough president elections 2013 The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island
Buffalo Mayoral elections 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013
Syracuse Mayoral elections 2009

The 2006 New York State Assembly election for New York's 99th District matched conservative Republican Greg Ball and Democrat Ken Harper against the Conservative and Independence Party incumbent Will Stephens. The Democratic Party of New York had targeted the seat as a potential pickup after the incumbent was defeated by a wide margin in the primary by a strong, well-funded challenger.

On September 12, 2006, in the Republican Primary for New York's 99th District, Ball defeated Stephens in a landslide with 70.4% (5,165 votes) to 29.6% (2,176 votes) for Stephens, the lowest vote total for any incumbent running for reelection to the State Assembly that day.^[13]

Despite Willis Stephens name remaining on the ballot, Ball went on to win a plurality of votes in the general election on November 6, 2006. His upset victory earned him the title of "Newsmaker of the Year" from one local publication and he also shared a front-page cover The Journal News with fellow upset winner John Hall the day after election day.^[14]

The Republican primary

The primary campaign was a bitter one, with Ball railing against the 'machine politics' of Willis Stephens and Putnam County. The Ball campaign out raised Stephens by a significant margin, giving him a visible presence in local newspapers and television outlets. According to the last filings prior to the primary, Stephens had $13,198.38 on-hand, while Ball had $86,117.03 of the money he has raised remaining. Stephens drew criticism for not returning campaign contributions from the Victory Fund-a political action committee that took contributions from indicted trash magnate James Galante.

On September 12, 2006, in the Republican Primary for New York's 99th Assembly District, challenger Greg Ball, defeated the incumbent Willis Stephens, by a mammoth margin: 71% for Ball, 29% for Stephens. Stephens claimed he had been the victim of a negative campaign, citing mailings that were distributed calling him a 'country-club liberal' and hilighting his close relationship with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.^[15] However, Stephens himself drew criticism when he refused to repudiate a letter about challenger Greg Ball which falsely claimed Mr. Ball had received a dishonorable discharge from the United States Air Force.^[16] Ball did not dispute that he ran hard for his seat, knocking on 10,000 doors prior to the primary.^[17]

General election

Republican candidate

Greg Ball, a retired Air Force Captain and Vice President of Exceed International Development Corporation, scored a major upset when he defeated the incumbent Stephens in the September 12th primary by nearly a three to one margin.

The Ball campaign picked up steam since Stephen's wayward email referring to his constituents as 'idiots', and another letter purported to be sent by the Stephens campaign which claimed that Captain Ball received a dishonorable discharge, which was discredited when a copy of Captain Ball’s DD-214 showed he had received an honorable discharge. Stephens insisted neither he, his staff nor anyone associated with his campaign had knowledge of the letter and his involvement was never proven.

Democratic candidate

Ken Harper, the Chairman of the Putnam County Democratic Committee, ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination. He is known for writing frequent letters to the editor in local newspapers.^[18] Harper had failed in six previous bids for public office including Putnam County Executive in 1998 and 2002, Putnam County Legislator in 2003, Patterson Town Supervisor in 1997 and 1999, and Paterson Town Councilman in 2005.^[19] Although in other years, the previous incumbent had been challenged by only token opposition, this would be the first that the seat would be competitive in over a decade. Harper received funding of over $250,000 to Ball’s from the New York State Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee (DACC) for the campaign.^[20] However, he was unable to prevail.

Ball criticized his opponent after he pointed out to The Journal News that a League of Women Voters brochure inaccurately listed Harper was a college graduate.^[21] Ball said a note that appeared after Harper's name, stating that the Democrat graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982 with a bachelor's in English, was false. Both a university spokesman and Harper confirmed that fact, stating that Harper attended the institution, but that there was no record of him having received a degree.^[22] Harper stated he never misrepresented himself as a college graduate and was not responsible for the content of the panthlet.

Third-party candidates

Six-term incumbent Will Stephens II, 48, ran for re-election in the Republican Primary in September 2006 for the seat once held by his father and grandfather. After losing the Republican Primary, due to New York's electoral fusion system, the Assemblyman had vowed to remain in the race on the Conservative and Independence lines. Ultimately, Stephens decided to withdraw from the race altogether, instead taking a nomination for Supreme Court Justice in Queens, in order to allow Ball ballot access on the Independence and Conservative lines.^[23] Although Stephens attempted to have his name removed from the ballot, Harper, the Democratic nominee, sued the State Board of Elections claiming that Stephens had filed a certificate declining his nomination eight days too late.^[24] The New York Court of Appeals eventually ruled that Stephens's name should remain on the ballot.^[25]

Electoral history

See also

• List of members of the New York State Assembly

Notes

External links

• New York Board of Elections Campaign Finance Database
• Newscopy.org, Political Website with extensive coverage of the 99th AD race