PRESSER-GATE: Lowey ducks East Ramapo fiscal monitor issue by sending faux press releases, opponent says

17th District Republican Congressional candidate Chris Day is calling attention to his opponent Nita Lowey’s reaction–or lack thereof–to news Governor Andrew Cuomo will appoint a state fiscal monitor to oversee budgetary practices at the oft-controversial East Ramapo Central School District. Specifically Day says Lowey sent what looked like press releases to individual concerned parents from the district, but shied away from actually sending the press releases to the real media.

The district, which is controlled by a majority Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish board, has been accused of skimping on resources for public school students in favor of diverting monies toward private yeshivas attended by the Jewish community.

The Orthodox and Hasidic communities are known to vote in a monolithic blocs. Day implies that through her faux press release strategy, Lowey must be attempting to curry favor with concerned parents while avoiding alienation of the Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish communities. Other Democrats supported by the “bloc vote” have sent out press releases announcing tempered support for the fiscal monitor, however, including state Senator David Carlucci.

Day said he would be sending out his own press release addressing the issue at 3 p.m. and it would hit all media sources, not just a select few persons.