Latest news with #JerikaManning
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Clinton County Republicans push back against Stefanik's attacks on GOP chair
PLATTSBURGH — An anonymous mass text message went out to area Republicans' cell phones Tuesday evening making several accusations against Clinton County GOP Chairwoman Jerika Manning. Manning, who is one of three county Republican chairs who will decide the party's candidate in the upcoming 115th assembly district special election, was accused in the message of trying to 'secretly' and 'illegally' rig the election and put herself up as the Republican candidate. The anonymous sender also accused Manning of putting up a 'placeholder candidate' when she got 'caught red handed.' The message concluded by saying that is why Manning must resign as chair 'immediately' because 'she continues to lie to GOP committee members.' The anonymous message was sent out just hours after NY-21 Congresswoman Elise Stefanik publicly called for Manning to resign as GOP chair Tuesday. 'NOT BE INTIMIDATED' Manning denied the accusations made against her in the text message. 'An anonymous and false text message is being sent to voters in Clinton County, filled with blatant lies about me and my record,' Manning said in a statement Wednesday. 'Let me be crystal clear: I have never sought to run for the 115th Assembly seat. In fact, members of the Assembly approached me about running, and I declined. My focus has always been — and remains — on serving as your County Clerk, a position that holds deep personal meaning for me following the passing of my dear friend and predecessor.' Manning is currently running for Clinton County Clerk and will be on the ballot for the Republican Party this November. Brandi Lloyd is running on the Democratic side. Both hope to be the successor to long-time Republican Clerk John Zurlo, who died one year into his four-year term in December 2024. 'These lies are being spread by those who want to undermine the lawful, constitutional process for filling a special election vacancy and replace it with insider deals. They know they cannot win on truth, so they are resorting to anonymous attacks and lies,' Manning continued. 'I will not be intimidated, and I will not abandon my responsibility to our voters. We must demand integrity in both our elections and our campaigns — and that starts with rejecting dirty tricks and holding accountable those who break the law to influence your vote.' SURPRISE ENDORSEMENT As previously reported by the Press-Republican, Stefanik endorsed village of Malone Mayor and Franklin County Legislator Andrea Dumas to be the Republican candidate last week. State Sen. Dan Stec, R-C, Queensbury, did so as well. When the county committee leadership did not follow suit, Stefanik and Stec called on Manning to resign. 'Elise Stefanik is RIGHT,' Stec wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday. 'The current chair's persistent rejection of outstanding candidate Andrea Dumas is the last straw. The Clinton County Republican Committee needs new leadership!' The endorsements came as a surprise to some in the Clinton County Republican Committee, especially because state election law dictates that a candidate for this special election cannot be officially nominated by Democratic or Republican chairs until after current Assemblyman Billy Jones's resignation is official Aug. 31. Clinton County Republican Committee Vice-Chair Jeff Luck said the endorsements were done 'without warning' and without seeing if any other candidates were being considered by the committee first. 'Andrea Dumas is a very strong candidate, but they removed from the county committee members any other potential choices that were lined up in the process,' Luck said in a lengthy statement Wednesday. 'Worse, they began an immediate bullying campaign for us to concede the process and remove the freedom of Clinton County Republicans to express their voices. We declined.' Luck said the committee is following the law by not endorsing a candidate right now. 'The Clinton County Republican Committee intends to fully complete the state requirement to offer a candidate for the 115th Assembly District special election without the interference of both Congresswoman Stefanik and State Senator Dan Stec,' he continued. 'This will happen in as timely a manner as possible, and an announcement will be made at that time.' The special election is expected, but not confirmed, to coincide with the General Election on Nov. 4. DOUBLING DOWN In a statement Thursday morning, Stefanik continued her attack on Manning and echoed accusations similar to those in the anonymous text message. 'Today we ensured that every candidate including Andrea Dumas will now be fairly considered by all the Clinton County Town Chairs instead of the Clinton County GOP Chair and Vice Chair attempting to unilaterally disqualify candidates, float placeholders, float herself, and divide the committee,' Stefanik said. 'Previously the Clinton County GOP Chair had wrongly said to many that she would never consider certain candidates like Andrea Dumas. We stopped that in its tracks by exposing this. 'We successfully ensured that Clinton County would fairly consider Andrea and let town chairs decide rather than the County Chair who should focus on her flailing clerk's race. Other names that have expressed interest in pursuing this nomination are: Ted Blazer, Steve Chilton, and Nate Locke and all should be invited. Thank you Clinton County members for stopping your Chair from blocking Andrea Dumas, a proven vote getter and great Mayor and Legislator!'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stefanik, Clinton County GOP leaders face off over 115th Assembly District special election
Aug. 14—Congresswoman Elise M. Stefanik is hammering at the local leadership of the Clinton County Republican committee, alleging that Chair Jerika Manning tried to railroad the upcoming special election nomination process to secure the seat for herself or a handpicked placeholder. Manning and Clinton County Vice Chair Jeff Luck are pushing right back, saying that Stefanik has attempted to control the GOP nomination process for her own benefit, moving to boost the chances that her handpicked nominee, Malone Mayor Andrea Dumas, gets the party's nomination to replace outgoing Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake. The incident started this week, when on Tuesday Stefanik called for Manning to step down from her position as chair of the Clinton County Republican Committee. "Clinton County voters are deeply concerned about the incompetence and selfishness of the inexperienced Clinton County GOP Chair Jerika Manning, who is threatening to tank the 115th Assembly District for Republicans," Stefanik said in a press release. Regional state Senator Daniel G. Stec, R-Queensbury, also called on Manning to resign. Under state law, when a special election is to be called for a state Assembly seat, the party nomination process to select their candidates is run by party officials in the district. In the 115th Assembly District, the county chairs for Clinton, Franklin and Essex counties will vote on who their party nominee will be, using a weighted vote that gives each chair a proportion of the vote matched to the proportion of registered Republicans in their county. Clinton County has the most registered Republicans in the 115th District, giving Manning the highest weighted vote of 56%. According to Stefanik's team, explained in public posts and a statement from her top adviser, Manning was attempting to hold the seat for herself, and potentially angling for a placeholder candidate to run for the seat and hold it for a year so Manning could run for it next year. "Jerika Manning refused to to consider certain qualified candidates like Andrea Dumas, Nate Locke and Ted Blaxer, blocking them from consideration," said Stefanik adviser Alex DeGrasse. "Then Jerika secretly put herself up for Assembly and even went so far as to encourage someone to run as a placeholder so she could seek the Assembly seat next year." That's not true, according to Manning and vice-chair Luck. Manning has for months been running for Clinton County Clerk, a position she is still seeking today. Manning could not run for both Assembly and county clerk at the same time. "They are so far from the truth," Luck said in an interview with Johnson Newspapers on Thursday. "Number one, Jerika has already spent tens of thousands of dollars on this (clerk) race already, so why would she want to jump from this to go somewhere else? It's never been talked about, mentioned. I think the rumor started when Billy first decided to resign, a prominent Republican said we had a chance to take the seat back and we didn't have a candidate but Manning. She said she was not interested." In a post on the Clinton County GOP committee Facebook, Luck, speaking for himself and not the committee, said that Stefanik had been bullying and unprofessional, trying to exert her power over the local party in contravention of the law. "Congresswoman Stefanik and Senator Stec endorsed Andrea Dumas only nine days after the Jones announcement, without warning or a request to us if we had other candidates. Andrea Dumas is a very strong candidate, but they removed from the county committee members any other potential choices that were lined up in the process," he said. "Worse, they began an immediate bullying campaign for us to concede the process and remove the freedom of Clinton County Republicans to express their voices. We declined." Luck said that Stefanik lashed out at him and Manning in private calls. "Multiple phone calls from Elise became more unprofessional, disrespectful, condescending, threatening, manipulative, vindictive, delusional and frankly untruthful," Luck said. "The last phone call we had from Mr. Stec was much the same. They informed us that they were the only two people capable of making the right choice and we were simply falling in line." DeGrasse said those accusations are untrue — he said there were multiple people on the calls involving Stefanik, Stec and the Clinton County's leaders who can attest that the calls were not negative or tense. Assemblyman and Schoharie County GOP Chairman Chris R. Tague, R-Catskill, said he had connected Luck with the Congresswoman, as he is friends with Luck and knows Stefanik well. In an interview, Tague said he had debriefed with both Luck and Stefanik after two calls he knew occurred recently, and neither reported the call had been tense or adversarial, he said. "I followed up after they talked, with both of them, and the answer I got from both of them exactly was that they were glad they did the call, they had a productive discussion," Tague said. "I didn't hear about the other stuff." Luck said Stefanik threatened to tank Manning's clerk campaign, and reelection bid for county chair. Luck said that when Stefanik was unsuccessful in trying to privately maneuver around Manning, she resorted to the public statement attacking her. In his statement to Johnson Newspapers, DeGrasse said that Manning's candidacy for county clerk is struggling because she has run the campaign poorly. "If she loses the clerk's race because of her lack of attention and division, it will be no one's fault except her own. Congresswoman Stefanik is committed to working with Republicans in the future to win it back with a stronger candidate if Jerika loses the clerks race," he said. Stefanik named John Zurlo, the now-deceased former Clinton County clerk, as an example of someone with integrity who served as county clerk. Luck took issue with that. "To me, the most disrespectful thing Ms. Stefanik could have done in her entire career is to invoke the name of late, beloved 30-year county clerk John Zurlo in an attempt to accomplish this dirty political assassination attempt," he said. However, former Republican party members are raising concerns about Manning. In an open letter, former Clinton County GOP committee chairmen said they had concerns over Manning's approach to selecting a candidate for the seat. They explained that in their view, nominations for a special election should involve consultation with local and state party leadership and the state Assembly's Republican leaders. "After almost two weeks since Assemblyman Jones announcement, Chairwoman Manning has yet to do so, choosing instead to proceed with her secret vetting of potential candidates and refusing to acknowledge the strong prospective candidacy of Andrea Dumas," the letter reads, signed by former Clinton County GOP members Clark Currier, Don McBrayer, Don Lee and Greg Campbell. In an interview, Campbell said his perspective is that chairs charged with nominating in a special election should be actively seeking input from other stakeholders, which he said was not happening this time around. He said people in Albany, including Assembly Minority Leader William A. Barclay, R-Pulaski, were advocating for Dumas. Campbell said Manning seemed to reject that nomination. "Manning was like 'no, no, we're not considering her, we've got 56% of the vote so we're going to choose who we want to choose,'" Campbell said. "It was never an open process from the beginning, and what Elise was going to do was to ask them to make things more transparent." On Wednesday, the Clinton County GOP Executive Board met; county party executive boards are made up of top party leadership, local elected officials and particularly prominent party members. The assembled members voted unanimously to support Manning and affirm her leadership — the opposite of moving for her to step down. There, they confirmed that Manning will continue to lead their party and the nomination process for the 115th Assembly District special election. Luck said about 14 or 15 members of the board were present for that vote; it had been scheduled last minute and was on the same night as a county legislative meeting, so not all board members were in attendance. In a statement attributed to the Clinton County Republican Committee shared Thursday morning, the organization affirmed their support for Manning and her leadership. "We are confident in her ability to lead the selection process for our next Assembly candidate with fairness, transparency and the best interests of our community at heart," the statement reads. In a statement shared late Wednesday, Stefanik seemed to claim victory as a result of that same meeting. "Today we ensured that every candidate including Andrea Dumas will now be fairly considered by all the Clinton County town chairs instead of the Clinton County GOP chair and vice chair attempting to unilaterally disqualify candidates, float placeholders, float herself and divide the committee," Stefanik said. "Previously the Clinton County GOP Chair had wrongly said to many that she would never consider certain candidates like Andrea Dumas We stopped that in its tracks by exposing this." Stefanik went on to say she'd secured commitments that Manning would rely on the advice of the town committee chairs that make up the Clinton County GOP, rather than selecting any herself. Despite Stefanik's endorsement of Dumas, she said that other people should also be considered like Ted Blazer, Steve Chilton and Nate Locke. But speaking with Johnson Newspapers on Thursday, Manning said that was a mischaracterization. "The position of the executive committee is that their full confidence is in me to continue to run this process, that we're open," she said. "There are still candidates to review, and I need to stress that this has been true through the entire process. Through the entire process I've been in touch with the town chairs, with my executive committee and with the chairs of the other counties. Nothing has changed in the way I've been conducting myself, the only thing that has changed are the claims coming from a few people." Manning said she feels it's unfortunate that Stefanik has chosen to publicly address her over the way she's running the nomination process. "I continue to run this process as I have, my vice-chair and I are talking to everyone about this process," she said. "It's unfortunate. But I think it's important that I continue to represent Clinton County as I have been. My entire goal here is to represent Clinton County." Interviews with candidates are continuing; until Assemblyman Jones formally steps down, which he has said will come in late August or early September, the party cannot formally choose a nominee to run to replace him. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stefanik calls on Clinton County GOP chair to resign
PLATTSBURGH — North Country Congresswoman and House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik has publicly called on Clinton County Republican Chair Jerika Manning to resign. Manning, one of three county Republican chairs who will decide the party's candidate in the upcoming 115th assembly district special election, has been accused by Stefanik of 'threatening to tank the 115th Assembly District for Republicans.' 'Clinton County voters are deeply concerned about the incompetence and selfishness of the inexperienced Clinton County GOP Chair Jerika Manning,' Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, said in a statement to the media Tuesday. 'It is clear she has lost the confidence of elected Republican officials, committee members, and most importantly, voters. I am not going to let her torpedo Republican candidates in the North Country.' The 115th district assembly seat is being vacated by long-time Assemblyman Billy Jones, the lone North Country Democratic state lawmaker who recently announced his decision to resign from office at the end of August. ENDORSEMENT Stefanik, along with State Sen. Dan Stec, R,C-Schuylerville, came out in support of Republican Village of Malone Mayor and Franklin County Legislator Andrea Dumas for the assembly seat last week. Dumas has not come forward with an official announcement she is running but wrote on her Facebook she is honored to receive their endorsements. 'Their support — along with the encouragement from friends and neighbors across Franklin, Clinton, and Essex Counties — means so much to me,' Dumas wrote. 'In the coming days, I will be working with local committee chairs and members to carefully explore this opportunity. As I do, I remain fully committed to my current responsibilities as Mayor of the Village of Malone and as a Franklin County Legislator. 'For the past 10 years, we have worked hard together for the Village of Malone and Franklin County, and I want to ensure that progress continues with the same dedication and support I've always brought to the table. I will continue working to see every initiative we've started through to success,' Dumas continued. 'If I am given the opportunity to serve in the State Assembly, I will bring that same commitment to championing these projects and delivering results for our communities. Thank you for your continued support as I thoughtfully navigate this process.' NOMINATION PROCESS As previously reported by the Press-Republican, there is no petition process for this election, according to David Souliere, Clinton County Republican commissioner. Instead, it's a County Committee Chair nomination between the three chairs — Franklin, Clinton and Essex. Each chair has a weighted vote based on how many Republicans voted in the last gubernatorial election, which was in 2022. Clinton County has over 50% of the weight. This nomination meeting cannot officially occur until Jones' vacancy, which is Aug. 31. The process is the same on the Democratic side. 'At this point in the process candidates would be seeking the nomination of their respective parties,' Souliere said Thursday evening via text message when contacted by the Press-Republican. 'Assuming resignation is effective end of August; the meetings would be held in early September as they have to be within 10 days after the vacancy and then filed with the NYS Board of Elections. 'Once the Governor officially proclaims the election date, we will be able to provide more info.' The special election is expected, but not confirmed, to coincide with the Nov. 4 General Election. CALL FOR RESIGNATION Despite calls for Dumas to be the candidate, it appears there could be some hesitation from within the party to do so and may be the reason for Stefanik calling out Manning to resign. 'The New York GOP, the Conservative Party of New York State, Senator Dan Stec, Will Barclay, local Republican officials, and voters are behind Andrea Dumas for Assembly. This incompetent Clinton County GOP Chair must go,' Stefanik said. 'We need a steady hand and a proven Republican leader like Dave Souliere to step in and represent the Clinton County Republicans.' Souliere is the current chair of the city of Plattsburgh Republican Committee and Republican Commissioner at the Clinton County Board of Elections. He did not respond to a request for comment on this story by press time. 'Elise Stefanik is RIGHT,' Stec wrote on his Facebook page. 'The current chair's persistent rejection of outstanding candidate Andrea Dumas is the last straw. The Clinton County Republican Committee needs new leadership!' 'We need to work as one team to flip this district from Democrat to Republican and then defeat Kathy Hochul next year. It's too important for the people of Clinton, Franklin, and Essex counties,' Stefanik continued. 'Over the past decade, we have worked tirelessly to swing Clinton County Republican, and we will not let a selfishly divisive Chair destroy those efforts and drag down Republican candidates, which hurts the voters foremost. Jerika Manning needs to immediately resign as Chair and focus on her County Clerk's race, where she is currently hemorrhaging Republican support.' COUNTY CLERK RACE In addition to being county chair, Manning is seeking to be elected as Clinton County clerk in November. If Manning is elected, Republicans would continue to maintain control of the clerk position that John Zurlo held from 1995 until his passing at 86 years old at the end of last year. However, Manning is being challenged by Democrat Brandi Lloyd for county clerk. Lloyd ran a strong campaign for clerk against Zurlo in 2023 but eventually lost by less than 1,000 votes. Stefanik continued her attack on Manning and said she would not win the election this November. 'All Republican candidates, including our Assembly candidate, will win in Clinton County except for the Clerk's race, unfortunately. We need a strong leader and a unifier with exceptional character like John Zurlo. Manning doesn't even come close to meeting this standard — and voters know it,' she wrote. 'Thank you to Clinton County Republican elected officials, committee members, and most importantly, voters and constituents who have contacted me on this important matter.' MANNING RESPONSE Manning responded via text message late Tuesday afternoon to Stefanik's news release, saying she will not be intimidated into 'abdicating my responsibilities.' 'The false and politically motivated statements circulating about my leadership and the 115th Assembly District special election are nothing more than an attempt at election interference,' Manning wrote to the Press-Republican. 'Our New York State Constitution and election law are clear: in a special election, it is the role and responsibility of the duly elected party chairs to select the nominees for their party. This process exists to ensure fairness, consistency, and the integrity of the ballot — not to allow personal agendas or political vendettas to dictate the outcome. 'As Clinton County Republican Chair, my duty is to uphold the law, protect the voice of our local Republican members, and ensure that every voter has a fair process they can trust. I will not be intimidated into abdicating my responsibilities because certain individuals would rather bypass the rules for their own political gain. 'Republicans win when we follow the law, respect the process, and unite around candidates chose in accordance with our Constitution — not when we allow outside interference to fracture our party. The voters of Clinton County, Franklin County, and Essex County deserve nothing less than a fair, lawful, and principled process.'
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Vietnam War vets encouraged to apply for Honor Flights
PLATTSBURGH — Now is the time for Vietnam War veterans to take the spotlight at North Country Honor Flight. Jerika Manning, Executive Officer for North Country Honor Flight, said the organization, which flies veterans down to Washington D.C. so they can see the war memorial monuments in their honor, is making it a priority to get more Vietnam veterans to apply for a flight. 'North Country Honor Flight started with just World War II veterans, and then they opened it up to Korean War veterans, and then they opened it up again to Vietnam veterans,' Manning said. 'The Vietnam veteran generation — that era — are not as quick to apply, and don't think that they're as deserving … (they) had this mentality of: 'let the old guys go first.'' IT'S THEIR TURN Which is what Honor Flight has done. Manning said just one World War II veteran is left on their list to fly. Now, the focus is on Vietnam veterans, although veterans of all ages and from any war are still encouraged to apply as well. 'It's their (Vietnam veterans) turn, essentially, is the message that we want to put out,' she said. 'Their welcome home (from war), obviously, they weren't well received. So a lot of them … just don't feel like they deserve it … the way they were treated when they came back was really what the mission of Honor Flight is: to give them that proper thank you that they didn't get when they came back. 'But, it's just a matter of convincing them that now's the time to apply.' APPLICATION PROCESS Those interested in applying for a flight can do so at contact 518-364-6503 or email northcountryhonorflight@ for help. The application process is simple, and the Honor Flight team is there to assist with any questions or concerns. All expenses are covered for each veteran. 'Together, let us honor our Vietnam Veterans and ensure their sacrifices are never forgotten. We look forward to welcoming our heroes aboard and celebrating their service to our nation,' a news release said. 'As we continue our mission to honor and celebrate the sacrifices made by our Veterans, we invite all Vietnam Veterans in the North Country region to apply for a flight to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and more. This special trip not only serves to honor their service but also provides an opportunity for camaraderie and reflection among fellow Veterans.' Honor Flight takes four trips to D.C. each year. Manning said those that apply now should be able to get on a flight within the next year or two as they are catching up on their wait list. However, as always, older veterans who apply would take priority first. REAL ID For those planning to apply, one important change to the application this year includes the federal government's new requirement of a 'Real ID' to fly. Manning included this paragraph in the new applications: 'NEW in 2025: A valid, unexpired government-issued 'REAL ID' photo ID is required for air travel. An Enhanced Driver's License, Military ID, DoD ID, and Passport are all 'Real ID' compliant. Please be sure to bring your ID with you to the airport. THE NAME ON THE ID MUST MATCH THE NAME YOU'VE PROVIDED ON THIS APPLICATION.' This requirement goes into effect May 7 and everyone flying must comply, veterans and their chaperones included. For many older veterans, it could be a challenge to get to the DMV and ensure they're in compliance. 'You never really need it if you're not traveling, and a lot of these veterans are not traveling, they're not just going on vacation,' she said. 'What's nice, though, is that many of them have a military ID or a Department of Defense ID or a passport, and all those are Real ID compliance.' Honor Flight's first flight of the year is May 17, and Manning said everyone should be all set for that one, so far. Those interested in learning more about applying for a Real ID can visit/call their local DMV office or go here:
