Cameron on Otis, Local Democrats and What’s Next

Meg Cameron, who fell to Steve Otis in the Democratic primary race for State Assembly by just 83 votes, spoke with MyRye.com about the race, the local Democratic Party, and what’s next on her own journey.

“Despite my Election Day triumph, the absentee ballot vote gave my opponent a tiny lead, 0.6% of the vote. To Steve Otis, congratulations,” said Cameron. “To my many enthusiastic supporters, friends, volunteers and well-wishers, and my dedicated campaign staff, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your unstinting encouragement and hard work. To the voters who waited outside their polling sites for hours in brutal heat, thank you for your commitment to the democratic process in the face of unprecedented obstacles.”

Clearly not a fan of her opponent Otis, Cameron continued: “Our campaign has not been in vain. My near-victory has made it clear that a strong, principled candidate could win this seat in 2022. In the meantime….let’s all work to replace President Trump!”

What is so interesting is Cameron and Otis have operated in close proximity for a long time. Otis has been Mayor, served as chief of staff to State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer before heading to Albany as an Assemblyman after winning the seat vacated by George Latimer who ran and won the local State Senate seat that same year.

Cameron has been at the helm of local Democratic politics as she completes her third and final term as the chair of the local Democratic Committee at the end of July. Tom Lavan, the current vice-chair, served as the acting chair during Cameron’s election race. The next chair will be selected from and voted on by the current 28 Democratic district leaders across Rye. Steve Otis is one of those 28.

Next for Cameron? “From now until November I’ll devote my political efforts to helping defeat Trump, and my personal time to family and friends; our business; and reading, trail running and playing with my grandchildren.”