Diane DiDonato Roth Announcement Speech:
A hundred years ago in the foothills of Frosinone, Italy, a dream began with the humble hopes of Julian and Eugenia DiDonato. Their dream was to one day raise a family in a country with inherited God given freedoms… A community instilled with faith, family values, and a sense of purpose… and to follow a promise that with hard work, determination and personal responsibility, there was no dream their children and grandchildren could not realize.
That country is America, that community is Westchester and that dream is being realized today as I announce my candidacy for the New York State Senate.
Three generations later, the story of my family, like yours, is truly an American story… But even more, it is truly a Westchester story… A story of faith, family and friends… As a life-long resident of Westchester, I grew up in Pelham, as the youngest daughter of Anthony and JoAnne DiDonato, attended St. Catherine’s Grammar School, Maria Regina High School and received a degree from Iona College.
Today I sit as an elected member of the Town Board in North Castle, which covers North White Plains, Armonk and Banksville… North Castle is my home, where I live with my Husband Tom, my daughter Holly and son Tommy… My Mom JoAnne, (who’s here today) currently lives in Rye Brook and my brother Julian DiDonato lives in Eastchester where he runs the youth soccer program that touches over 15,000 families every year… Yes, my family’s story is truly a Westchester story.
Which is why it saddens me to no end to travel around this district and see how the failed policies of recent years have had a crushing effect on our neighborhood’s and town squares, from Yonkers to Eastchester, Harrison, to Bedford and New Rochelle to Mamaroneck… There are far too many signs that read: “For Sale” or “For Rent” – and not enough signs that say “Help Wanted.” Even worse, there are storefronts that don’t have any signs at all, because they are completely bordered-up… More than I can remember in my life.
Here in Westchester, we live in one of the most heavily-taxed and expensive places in the country…Jobs are lost… Innovation is stifled… and hard working families and businesses gave up on the area and simply move out.
I am running for State Senate because we can do better!… And we must!
I am running to End Albany’s Tax and Spend Insanity… Our children’s future depends on our ability to behave in Albany like we do around our kitchen table: spending less than we make and resist the urge to live off our credit cards.
I am running to Fight for Women and Working Moms… Right now, almost every major decision that affects our State is made by the Governor, the Senate Leader, and the Speaker of the Assembly, all career politicians, all men. We must shatter that glass ceiling and make sure that working moms are heard on tax reduction, job creation, our children’s future and strengthening our fiscal footing.
And I run to Grow our Small Businesses… They are the backbone of our community… As a small businesswoman and local elected official I know personally how taxes and over regulation kills small businesses. The next wave of job creation can only come when government gets out of the way.
These are issues that affect my family, friends and constituents on a daily basis.
These are issues that (unlike my primary opponent) I didn’t have to move into a new district to understand.
Before I get a chance to square off against Democrat George Latimer in the general election and discuss how out of touch his liberal views are with mainstream values of this community… I must first face “Scarsdale Bob Cohen” in a primary… Yep, he’s back… And this time, in a shameful act of political opportunism, he actually moved from his long-time hometown of Scarsdale, into the newly formed 37th district, not because of any great love of the people or the concern of the communities, that I have lived in all my life, but rather for his own political ego and the gain of the special interests in Albany!
I was warned to stay out of this race… The “Old Boys Club” warned me… They said: “How can you compete with him? He already has the endorsements of too many county leaders”… I say: “I don’t want their endorsements!”… The only endorsements I want are from the people of this district… The people I grew up with!
They said to me: “But he lost the last election by only a narrow margin, don’t get in this race and shake things up for him”… Well, this is true. He did lose the last election by a narrow margin, but he lost… He’ll remind you that he received 49.5 percent of the vote in the last election and that this is the voting base he’s working from in this election cycle… Well, let me tell you something… There is no such thing as the Cohen “voting base”!… It doesn’t exist!… Two years ago the anti-Suzi Oppenheimer vote existed, the anti- Liberal vote existed, but the “Cohen vote” is a complete mirage with a foundation built on sand… Two years ago any Republican would have gotten his percentage of the vote and a stronger candidate would have won.
They told me: “that he is the inevitable candidate for the Republicans and the most electable.”… I say with my entry into this race and Cohen’s hometown of Scarsdale no longer a factor in this new district with new demographics, that he is not only not inevitable… Bob Cohen is not electable!
So as he travels around this district making empty promises and giving false hope about reforming Albany, I as the only elected official and true conservative in this primary, actually have a voting record to back up the talk!
I voted against every proposed property tax increase and will continue to do so when I go to Albany!
I forced all town employees to contribute to their healthcare premiums.
I capped post-retirement benefits for town employees and demonstrated real fiscal restraint by eliminating costly fringe benefits to elected officials and part-time employees.
I declined to participate in the state pension plan and declined Town-provided health care, because we simply could not afford the costs.
I wish I could tell you about “Scarsdale Bob’s” voting record… But he doesn’t have one… He’s never been elected to anything and of all the candidates in this race I am the only one who knows firsthand how Albany’s policies impact local government.
While being a very nice man. Bob Cohen is the wrong man. The wrong candidate. In the wrong district.
He had his chance two years ago and the voters decided… It is now time for others with an authentic passion for community service and an iron will of conviction rooted in the Westchester values of faith, family and friends, to pick up the mantle of leadership and carry this party to victory in November, which I will do!… Send me to Albany so that together we can continue to fight for all our Westchester stories!
