Maasik out; Cheah withdraws as independent candidate
Nat Prentice and Ned Rauch won the two Democratic lines on Tuesday (June 24) for the Philipstown Town Board.
Rauch, who was endorsed by the Philipstown Democratic Committee, will appear on the Democratic and independent Philipstown Focus lines. He edged John Maasik by 24 votes for the Democratic line.
Ben Cheah, the other candidate endorsed by the Democratic Committee, would have appeared on the November ballot on the Philipstown Focus line but on Friday filed with the Putnam County Board of Elections to have his name removed.
In a statement on Facebook, Cheah wrote that, before the primary vote, “there was a lot of speculation that Ned and I would continue on to the November election on an independent line, regardless of the primary outcome. For me, that was never the plan.” He said he withdrew because “this is the healthiest choice for both the Philipstown Democratic Party and my own career” and endorsed Rauch and Prentice.
Voters had to be among the 3,597 residents in Philipstown registered with the Putnam County Board of Elections as Democrats. Turnout was 31 percent. The Board of Elections said some votes remain to be counted, such as affidavit ballots filed at the two polling sites and absentee ballots postmarked by June 24 that arrive by Tuesday (July 1). The results below are unofficial until certified.
Democratic
Nat Prentice 631 (29%)
Ned Rauch 543 (25%)
John Maasik 519 (24%)
Ben Cheah 467 (22%)
In a statement on Wednesday, the Philipstown Democratic Committee congratulated Prentice and Rauch, thanked all four candidates and said it looked forward “to supporting our candidates in doing the good work.” It added that, “as a committee, we are disappointed that our candidate Ben Cheah was not selected yesterday; we thank him for the passion, hard work and thoughtfulness for service to the town he put into this campaign.” It will vote at its July meeting whether to endorse Prentice.
In a statement on Wednesday, Maasik said, “I’m proud that the non-endorsed candidates combined for the majority of the votes and gave the town a choice in this election.” He added: “The community deserved to have an opportunity to see all four candidates at one forum to better understand our similarities and differences, and I wish we could have made that happen.”
Two Cold Spring residents invited all four candidates to a June 18 forum at their home, but Rauch declined the invitation on behalf of himself and Cheah, telling Marianne Sutton and David Watson that “Ben and I are unavailable on the 18th. With just two weeks remaining until the primary, our schedule is already packed.” Watson said about 25 people attended to hear Prentice and Maasik.
Jason Angell and Megan Cotter, Democrats elected to the Town Board in 2021, did not seek second terms. John Van Tassel, who is running unopposed for his third term as supervisor, will appear in November on the Democratic and Philipstown Focus lines.
Because of a new state law that pushes most town and village elections to even-numbered years, the winners of the two open seats will serve until 2028, or three years, rather than four. At the same time, the supervisor position, usually a two-year term, will be on the ballot again next year.
Putnam Valley
Jacqueline Annabi, the Putnam Valley supervisor, fought off a challenge for the Republican line from Stephanie Waters. Annabi will face Alison Jolicoeur, the Democratic candidate, in November.
Republican
Jacqueline Annabi 301 (54%)
Stephanie Waters 258 (46%)
Putnam County
There will be three open seats on the nine-member Legislature, which has eight Republicans and one Democrat (Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley). Each member serves a three-year term.
In District 5, which includes the hamlet of Carmel and eastern Lake Carmel, Jake D’Angelo, 23, defeated incumbent Greg Ellner for the Republican line. Brett Yarris will appear on the Democratic and For the People lines and D’Angelo on the Conservative line. Ellner was elected to the Legislature in 2022.
Republican
Jake D’Angelo 374 (63%)
Greg Ellner 217 (37%)
In District 6, which includes Southeast, Tommy Regan won the Republican line over Tom Brann and Brann won the Conservative line over John O’Connor. Thomas Sprague will appear on the Democratic and Serving Southeast lines. The winner in the general election will succeed Paul Jonke, who did not seek a fourth, 3-year term.
Republican
Tommy Regan 313 (66%)
Tom Brann 158 (33%)
Conservative
Tom Brann 50 (89%)
John O’Connor 6 (11%)
In District 9, which includes the Town of Carmel and Mahopac, there was no primary. Lenny Harrington will appear on the Democratic, Working Families and A Better Putnam lines, while incumbent Erin Crowley will have the Republican and Conservative lines.
Congratulations to the winners of this race. They worked hard for it.
Kennedy is the co-chair of the Philipstown Democratic Committee.
Thank you Grace. You and the Philipstown Democrats also worked hard and, with Ned and Ben, ran a positive and professional campaign that reflects the best of Philipstown.
This was Philipstown’s first Democratic primary in memory, and the runaway winner was Nat Prentice, a candidate not endorsed by the Philipstown Democratic Committee. On a much smaller scale than New York City, Prentice also “beat the machine;” he and the other “outsider” candidate, John Maasik, together won 53 percent of votes cast.
Nat Prentice would have had the endorsement from the Philipstown Democratic Committee if Nancy Montgomery or Judy Farrell, two of his supporters after the fact, voted to endorse him. They did not.
Kennedy is the co-chair of the Philipstown Democratic Committee.
Nancy and Judy are also elected officials, and fine ones at that. When the co-chair of the local Democratic Party starts slinging mud at her own party’s elected officials, the party is in a sorry place. I hope the Philipstown Democrats co-chairs follow Margaret, Ben, John and others here and unifies around the candidates the voters have selected in this election and past elections. Otherwise they must step down.
Congratulations to all the Democratic candidates on a thoughtful and hard-fought campaign, and to Nat Prentice and Ned Rauch on the primary win. Our town is fortunate to have passionate people willing to step up and serve.
The community deserved to have an opportunity to see all four candidates at one forum to better understand our similarities and differences, and I wish we could have made that happen. I’m proud that the non-endorsed candidates combined for the majority of the overall votes and gave the town a choice in this election.
While the outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, our campaign was rooted in integrity, ideas and a deep commitment to Philipstown’s future. Meeting neighbors across the town and hearing the wide scope of your hopes and concerns reminded me why this work matters so much. Thank you to everyone who supported me, shared their stories and believed in the possibilities ahead. I look forward to continuing my volunteerism and public service to our community.
Ben Cheah is one of the most gracious people I know and would never do anything to create divisions. The Philipstown Democrats, as well, intend to be unified behind their Democratic candidates and would not run three candidates for two positions in the November election.
Yonco-Haines is a member of the Philipstown Democratic Committee.
We find it deeply troubling that Grace Kennedy, co-chair of the Philipstown Democratic Committee, chose to publicly disclose how two of her fellow members voted. This flagrant act is not only a betrayal of trust but a violation of the committee’s rules regarding the sanctity of the ballot.
The absolute disrespect shown to Nancy Montgomery, Judy Farrell and the entire committee should result in Kennedy’s swift removal from her position. Her action makes a farce of the process. If the Democratic Committee cannot uphold these essential democratic norms, it signals a serious problem within the organization.
The confidential casting of a ballot is a cornerstone of democracy. It protects individuals from retaliation, groupthink and political pressure, especially in small communities like ours. When the co-chair of the Philipstown Democratic Committee chose to publicly disclose how members voted in a confidential process, it wasn’t just a lapse in judgment, it was a violation of trust, of procedure, and of the values we claim to uphold as Democrats.
Let’s be clear: Democratic Committee members are not just volunteers. In New York state, they are elected officials — albeit at the most local level — and they are entrusted with representing the will of Democratic voters in their election district. With that comes a responsibility to act with integrity, fairness and respect for democratic norms.
It’s been nearly a month, and the committee has had multiple opportunities to address this breach. It has not. That failure is deeply troubling. So rather than continue to raise my voice in meetings or send emails — forms of deliberation the committee seems to find more disturbing than the misconduct itself — I’m taking this issue public. Because silence in the face of wrongdoing is far more dangerous than any decibel level or excessive emails.
Democracy doesn’t die from noise. It dies from silence.
This is not about personalities or political rivalries. It’s about protecting the foundation of our local democracy. If we cannot trust a committee to uphold policies or conduct a basic endorsement vote with confidentiality and fairness, how can we expect our community to trust us with anything more? What we are seeing within this committee — rule-breaking, retaliation, and people turning a blind eye — is a reflection of the same troubling dynamics playing out at the federal level. When loyalty to power outweighs loyalty to principle, democracy suffers. Local Democratic committees are not just administrative bodies — they are the foundation of our party and the training ground for the kind of leadership we need at every level.
To the Democratic voters of Philipstown: This is your committee. If you’re disappointed, you’re not alone. And you’re not powerless. If we want to change the direction of our country, we must start by demanding integrity, transparency and courage in our own backyard. Ask for accountability. Join the committee. Help restore integrity to this committee so that it once again serves all Democrats in Philipstown, not just a few party insiders. There is a better way forward. It starts right here, with us. Join.
Montgomery is a Putnam County legislator and a member of the Philipstown Democratic Committee.