Celebrities focus on 19th Congressional District race

By SUSAN ELAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: April 22, 2006)

Candidates' Web sites • Judy Aydelott, who grew up on the historic Hill-Agor farm in Mahopac and now lives in Katonah: www.judy4congress.com. • John Hall, a co-founder of the band Orleans from Dover Plains: www.johnhallforcongress.com. • Rep. Sue Kelly, R-Katonah, www.suekellyforcongress.com. • James Martorano, a Yorktown councilman and Legal Aid lawyer in the Bronx: www.jim2006.com. • Darren Rigger, a political consultant from Peekskill. www.riggerforcongress.com. • Ben Shuldiner, a Brooklyn high school principal from Cortlandt: www.ben2006.com. • Gary Suraci from Wappingers Falls, principal of the Ulster County BOCES Career and Tech Center: www.gary2006.com.

Some big names in entertainment and politics are shining a spotlight on the crowded field running for the Lower Hudson Valley's 19th Congressional District.

Musicians Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash have signed on to raise money for singer-songwriter John Hall, one of six Democratic challengers to six-term Republican incumbent Sue Kelly of Katonah.

A founding member of the band Orleans, Hall and his wife wrote hits that include "Still the One" and "Dance with Me."

In their fundraising message, Raitt, Browne and Nash said they backed the political aspirations of their "longtime friend, fellow No Nukes/MUSE artist" and were in tune with his platform that promotes peace and diplomacy, economic justice, government and corporate accountability, health care for all, environmental protection and alternative energy.

The trio say, Hall, a former Ulster County legislator and school board president, needs a cash infusion to make a strong showing in the expected Democratic primary in September. However, Hall's connections to music business celebrities have failed to yield big contributions.

Kelly's campaign war chest bulges with more than $1 million. Her closest Democratic fundraising challenger, malpractice lawyer Judy Aydelott, a former Republican from Katonah and the only other woman in the race, has raised $465,852.

The district covers Putnam and northern Westchester, and portions of Rockland, Dutchess and Orange counties.

Hall, who is from Dover Plains, had raised $145,125 as of March 31, though he plans to add another $10,000 to the filing.

The uphill fundraising slog hasn't stopped political strategist Joe Trippi, who ran former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign, from signing on with Hall. This week, Hall sent out a message via the Internet saying he expected to raise enough to win on Nov. 7.

"Our amended (Federal Election Commission) filing shows that we outpaced four out of the five other Democratic candidates in the last two quarters, and will show a total of $155,125 raised at the end of March," he wrote. "Tens of thousands of additional dollars have come in since the beginning of the second quarter on April 1, and we have exciting events in the works which will raise money and momentum for the campaign."

Hall said he also expected Trippi, known for raising money for the Dean campaign over the Internet, "to add another dimension to our strong local grassroots campaign."

The other Democratic contenders are Darren Rigger of Peekskill, James Martorano of Yorktown, Ben Shuldiner of Cortlandt and Gary Suraci of Wappingers Falls.

Rigger has brought big-name support to his bid for the seat. At a campaign fundraiser last month, he received a $2,000 check from his former boss, U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, dean of the New York congressional delegation and a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee board.

Kelly, who says she has not started campaigning yet, reeled in some heavyweight political support of her own this month when Sen. John McCain of Arizona attended a fundraiser with her in the district. Kelly, a vocal supporter of George W. Bush during New York's Republican primary in 2000, voted against McCain's signature Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002.

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