After Stunning Victory, Republicans Work to Build Relationship with New Square’s Leaders

ROCKLAND (Elisheva Maline / VINnews) —If winning elections in New York depended solely on political registration, Republican candidates would never fill seats.

However, given the recent increases in crime, anti-Semitism and inflation, as well as the issues around substantial equivalency (the push for state mandated school curriculums in private institutions), it comes as no surprise that areas which were overwhelmingly Democratic in the last twenty to thirty years began to cross the political divide in the 2022 elections.

Having understood the public’s unease, Republican gubernatorial Candidate Lee Zeldin,
State Senator-elect representing District 38, Bill Weber, and Republican Representative-elect for District 17, Mike Lawler, campaigned about the problems facing our communities today; in response, many voters queued up to support them.

The ensuing result is that this year’s elections saw Republicans flip several of New York State’s districts. Despite the recent change in political trends, the community leaders of Skver, a Chasidic village in Rockland County, remained staunch in their support of Governor Hochul, incumbent State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick and House Representative Sean Patrick Maloney.

Nor did their stance waver when outside pressure was placed on them to vote for the
Republican candidates. This was especially so when Bill Weber and Mike Lawler both
reached out to the mayor of New Square, Izzy Spitzer, mere weeks before Election Day
and specifically asked for the community’s endorsement.

In an interview with community activists from Satmar, another Chasidic enclave in
upstate New York that was backing Hochul and Maloney along with New Square,
Spitzer defended his position, “People need to have partners in Albany. You can’t
come up there and become a king and start to give orders, and start to put
through laws on your own. It doesn’t work that way. You need to have a partner
that you can work with. Governor Hochul is already there. and she has her
partners with her, and it will be much easier to pass good things…”

Later, he added, “She [Governor Hochul] was by the Rabbi in New Square, the
rabbi of Satmar and their community leaders. Whatever we suggested, she will
strongly consider, and we are already experiencing her support.”

Whatever the current trend, Skver doesn’t vote under pressure. The community
doesn’t pick a political position based on party affiliation, nor is its support swayed by
policy rhetoric. It is centered entirely on the foundational relationship a candidate has with their community.

If the candidate is an incumbent, in the house majority, and has an already established, genial relationship with the community, that will factor into their leaders’ decision as well. If said candidate has a history in passing policies that have effectively helped their constituents, that, too, will make a difference.

More important than nurturing existing relationships, however, is Skver being known
for speaking with all candidates, regardless of where they stand on the political
spectrum, in a candid, thorough and respectful manner; even if they will not endorse
someone, they do not mislead or give them false hope. Before elections, Spitzer’s
forthright approach came across in both his exchanges with Bill Weber and Mike Lawler
when he told them that, even though he couldn’t endorse them, New Square still looked
forward to future collaborations.

While Weber and Lawler did not ensure New Square’s support, in the end, they need
not have been disappointed as the much coveted bloc vote of 3,000 was unsuccessful
in gaining wins for the candidates they supported.

Not only that but concern was voiced that in supporting the opposition, New Square had ruined any chance of future collaboration with either Bill Weber or Mike Lawler.
As it turns out, these concerns were unfounded. In a stunning display of goodwill, the
morning after his big win, newly elected state senator reached out to Izzy Spitzer, along
with Conservative Party leaders, to discuss plans on creating better policies for the
Jewish communities within Rockland County. Inside sources report that Weber
expressed a desire to build a relationship with New Square, gain familiarity with the
community’s infrastructure and work on creating effective future policies together.

At their meeting, Spitzer exclaimed, “How were we able to become friends so fast just
hours after the election?” He continued, “You ran from March till yesterday; that’s eight
months. Never once [in all that time] did anyone in New Square say a negative
comment about you. If you disagree respectfully, it’s much easier to unite and become
friends.”

An inside source shared that an identical exchange took place after Spitzer sent a
congratulatory text to newly elected Congressman Mike Lawler. Lawler, like Weber,
responded to the mayor on very friendly terms. The two politicians set a meeting for the
week after elections to discuss how they could establish a good working relationship.
Both interactions are a milestone in their ongoing relationship for New Square, one that
is built on the same foundations of loyalty and open communication.