LETTER: Fontanes’ Letter & The Inside Baseball of Rye Dems
In a letter to MyRye.com, the former head of the Rye City Democratic Committee Meg Cameron (and former State Assembly and City Council candidate) adds her perspective on Tuesday’s letter from Councilmember Lori Fontanes that recounted her experience in the most recent election cycle.
From Meg Cameron:
Lori Fontanes’ letter of Nov. 28 may have startled some readers, but it didn’t surprise me. Let me explain why.
A few years ago, the Rye City Democratic Committee lost about a third of its members, including me. In the next election, we watched with astonishment as the remaining Dems rebuffed Emily Hurd, a brilliant, charismatic, popular incumbent. She would have been a shoo-in for re-election, and she would have continued to distinguish herself on the Council; basically, she was a dream candidate. Instead, the remaining Dems endorsed newbie Lori Fontanes. The point, people in the know assumed, was to install a tool, a puppet, a pawn. Someone who would adopt their personal animosities and support their not-in-my-backyard opposition to community improvements. (Dem committee members are leading the charge against the Nursery Field upgrade and the Osborn expansion.)
Those who knew the inside baseball may not have supported Lori, but we were dismayed at the way she was being used.
If I understood Lori’s letter correctly, it seems she finally got a glimpse of the machinations that put her in office once and kept her from office a second time. She sounds hurt, and I can’t blame her. Candidates and voters alike deserve better from the Rye Dems.
Meg Cameron
