by David Fried, Rockland County Executive Candidate
We cannot allow 2014 to be the first year Rockland has an anti-choice County Executive. It is unacceptable.
My Republican opponent, County Legislator Ed Day, and I agree on some issues, but a woman’s right to choose isn’t one of them. That’s why I’m proud to be endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic Action Fund Political Committee, National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) of New York, the non-partisan Rockland Women’s Political Caucus, and progressives like Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, County Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell, Legislator Nancy Low-Hogan, Nyack Mayor Jen Laird White, and former Legislators Connie Coker and Denise Kronstadt, along with community leaders like Enid Weishaus and former Nyack Trustee Emily Feiner.
There’s a reason progressive women are rejecting Ed Day – a long record of votes against women:
- Voted to cut funding to critical non-profits like Planned Parenthood, Volunteer Counseling Services (VCS), and the Center for Safety and Change
- Refused to answer the candidate questionnaire from the Rockland Women’s Political Caucus
- Refuses to take a clear stance on a woman’s right to choose
I have been, am, and will continue to be 100 percent pro-choice. During this past legislative session in Albany, I was vocal in my support of the full ten-point Women’s Equality Agenda. As County Executive, I will continue to fight for equality for all:
- An Executive Council on Women and Girls: I will appoint this council to focus on women’s health, workplace practices, and empowerment.
- Pay Equity Analysis: I will direct the county Personnel Department to perform a payroll analysis to identify and gender-based pay inequality. For an equal day’s work, men and women will receive equal pay.
- Audit County Contractors: I will have the Human Rights Commission audit all county vendors and contractors to identify gender-based pay inequality. If a business violates the Equal Pay Act.
- Improved Training for Law Enforcement: I will work with local police departments to access available grants for training on vital topics such as sexual assault and domestic violence crimes. Our police play a vital role and we must equip them.
- Expanded Domestic Violence Courts: As a Spring Valley Domestic Violence Court Judge, I was able to receive training by VCS and the Center for Safety and Change. We can access state and federal resources to give these municipal courts the tools they need.
This isn’t an issue that’s going away. We must make the fight against domestic violence a priority. While my opponent has tried to avoid talking about domestic violence and choice, with a record full of votes to cut funding to critical non-profits that assist women and domestic violence victims, my campaign has been clear where I stand. On November 5th, stand with me and show Republican Ed Day that women’s issues must be a priority.
David Fried is the Democratic, Working Families, and Independence Party candidate for County Executive.
