Supporter Profiles

Aileen Rohr

"As an independent voter, my choice for the New York State Assembly is Jonathan Smith. I have worked closely with Jonathan on many civic projects and have found his progressive politics and incisive intelligence compelling and inspiring. I want to send Jonathan to Albany as new leadership is necessary to cope with these challenging economic times."

Aileen is a lifelong Dutchess County resident and a graduate of SUNY New Paltz. Early on, Aileen joined the grassroots organization Stop-the-Sprawl and quickly became the official spokesperson of the group. She is a member of the Hyde Park Economic Development Committee and is Vice-Chair of the Hyde Park Visual Environment Committee. Aileen is also Chairwoman of the Hyde Park River Access Advisory Committee. She is a true asset to the town of Hyde Park, a real estate investor, a wife, and mother of three.

David Eberle

"The kind of person we need in Albany is someone with character and principles. We need someone who doesn't make hollow promises but rather is willing to stand up for what he believes is right. We need someone who thoroughly understands the complexity of problems and offers well thought out solutions rather than spouting simplistic sound bites. We need someone who really cares about people and the hardships they suffer and not just the well-being of the rich. Jonathan Smith is this kind of person. Too many people run for office to serve their own interests, but Jonathan is running to serve others."

David Eberle is a public heath physician and has worked internationally, principally in Africa helping to re-settle refugees. He was Chairman of the Fishkill Democratic Committee for 4 years between 2004 and 2008, and twice ran for office in Fishkill, for town board and for town supervisor. David was also a super-volunteer on John Hall's successful congressional campaign in 2006. As an active environmentalist, David is a member of the Fishkill Watershed Committee, the Fishkill Ridge Caretakers, the Beacon Sloop Club, and Clearwater. He has been active in promoting healthy communities in New York and elsewhere and is on the Smith for Assembly Healthcare Roundtable Discussion Group.

Alice Bunnell

"I support Jonathan Smith for Assembly because I agree with his positions on healthcare for all New Yorkers and on new jobs for our area based on alternative energy. He is young, smart and does his homework. He knows Albany needs to reform the whole system, but is realistic about starting with steps like clean elections and the circuit breaker proposals for property tax reform."

Alice is a retired high school biology teacher, political activist, and is involved with community outreach with her church in Poughkeepsie. Along with about a dozen other people, Alice is helping to create a program for aging in place called Hudson Valley Home Matters.

Fred Bunnell

"Between two qualified candidates, I choose Jonathan Smith because of my personal collaboration with him on several truly grassroots political campaigns over the last four years. He has the character, the values, and the skills to bring meaningful change to Albany on funding education, expanding health care, generating green jobs, and clean elections."

Fred is a retired Professor of Political Science at Vassar College, having taught from 1967-1999. Since 1970, Fred has been active in the Town of Poughkeepsie Democratic Party and was Chair of the Poughkeepsie Democratic Committee from 1999-2003. In 2003, Fred was the Democratic Candidate for County Executive and was a County Legislator from the Town of Poughkeepsie (District 6) from 2005-2007. He is currently the Co-Chair of the Issues Committee for the Dutchess County Democratic Committee.

Ira Margulies

"Jonathan has proven to me that he shares my values and the values of the voters in the 102nd district. It's exciting and gratifying to see a young person so dedicated to public service."

Ira's star is most certainly on the rise. He is currently the President of the Dutchess County Young Democrats and the Chairman of the 3rd ward for the Town of Poughkeepsie Democratic Committee. He is also a Senior Elections Specialist at the Dutchess County Board of Elections.

Ira was graduated from Marist College, Cum Laude, with a degree in Communications/Public Relations. He is currently a graduate student at Marist College in the Masters of Public Administration Program.

Doris Kelly

"I have met both Democratic candidates for this Assembly district and I know that not only is Jonathan the progressive choice, but he has the skills, the organization, the resources, and the local support to beat Joel Miller in November. I hope you will give him your support as he fights for us."

Doris has been involved in social actions since she was 11 years old, when she went to Washington to rally for integration. She first became involved in local politics in the Town of Esopus, where she was appointed to the Planning Board in the late 1960s, becoming chair after one year.

In 2000, Doris ran for Congress in the 20th Congressional District. She says of this endeavor, "With Jonathan's help, we were able to win the primary and proceed with a laudable campaign."

Joe Lombardi

"I support Jonathan Smith for Assembly because I believe he can make a difference in Albany. His position on the 'new energy economy' is exactly what New York needs to create jobs and reduce our dependence on imported oil."

Joe has been involved and active in Dutchess County politics for many years. He served 12 years on the Dutchess County Legislature and has been a consistent member of the Dutchess County Democratic committee since 1966. As a member of the legislature, he worked with the legislative leadership (1976-77) to resolve the then looming solid waste problem, the crisis at the County Jail, the creation of bike paths, and the purchase of Bowdoin Park. Joe is a proud member of the LaGrange Democratic Committee which overwhelmingly endorsed Jonathan Smith for Assembly.

Ed McCormick

"Jonathan is a great candidate who has been active and involved in the issues that really matter to the people of the Hudson Valley. His campaign is a grassroots movement and is about empowering people to fight for progressive solutions to the problems we face."

Ed is Chairman of the LaGrange Democratic Committee and ran for local office in LaGrange in 2007. He is currently the Chairperson of the NYS Education Conference Board. He was elected to the Arlington School Board in 1986 and served on Dutchess BOCES Board. Other statewide boards he has served on include: New York State (NYS) United Way, NYS School Boards Association (NYSSBA) where he served as President. Ed is formerly the Chairperson of the American Heart Association Dutchess-Ulster Division, a former board member of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation,and a member of the boards of Patterns for Progress, Dutchess/Ulster Hospice, the Association for Senior Citizens and is Chair of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Board.

Irv Miller

"I tested our assembly candidates to see how effectively they could begin to tackle our major educational problems in math and science. Only Jonathan Smith was able to take effective action that allowed me to meet with the right people who understand the nature of the problem and could take action towards correcting it. It did not take any money to do this, just the effective people and coordination skills of Jonathan."

Though not having served in public office, Dr. Miller ran for County Executive and is a member of the LaGrange Democratic Committee. Dr. Miller has spent years as a volunteer teaching math in the Arlington District, The Wappingers District, The City of Poughkeepsie, and the City of Beacon. He has taught parent/child classes, has trained parents to help with math at school, and was the coach of this year's Dutchess County winning math team. He has a website: itmeansmath.com that he welcomes you to use. See him for the password.