Hudson Valley Republican Candidate Violates F.E.C. Rules to park… In New York City?

Politico’s “New York Playbook” covered the race for the House of Representatives this week, and our district’s Republican candidate, Alison Esposito was front and center. “The Republican’s campaign recorded two $529 monthly payments this year to the Icon Parking garage near her Upper East Side apartment. That would seem to violate Federal Election Commission rules prohibiting the personal use of campaign funds.”

There are a few big problems with this. Not only are candidates prohibited from using campaign funds for personal expenses, they are also typically expected to spend time in the district they’re running to represent. Alison claims to live in Goshen, where she registered to vote this past November. Back in March, Alison joined local Goshen officials for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. As you would expect from any political candidate, she listed the names of the local leaders she marched alongside. There was Assemblyman Karl Brabanec, Orange County Clerk Kelly Eskew, Sheriff Paul Arteta, and Goshen’s very own Mayor… Gina Leichty? If you’re confused, that’s because Gina Leichty is the Mayor of Goshen Indiana. Anyone who’s attended a single community event in Goshen this decade would know Molly O’Donnell is Goshen’s Mayor. She claims to live in Goshen NY, but had to Google the name of her own mayor—and still messed that up.

I know Goshen loves tourists, but I think they’d prefer to not have one represent them in Congress.

The recent revelations about Alison’s parking habits tell us exactly what part of New York she calls home, and that would be the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It’s quite ironic that Conservative Republicans like Alison Esposito who live in blue cities will take a field trip to rural and suburban communities to campaign on a platform of condemning the politics of the cities they call home. New York is a big state, and we know that the Hudson Valley needs a representative that knows our area’s unique needs. That representative is Congressman Pat Ryan.