Carlucci Meets with Supporters at House Party

If you haven't seen David Carlucci at Clarkstown Town Hall in New City or at a local supermarket or community function, you may get to see him at a home near yours.

Carlucci, a New City Democrat, is taking his campaign to become Rockland's next state senator to local homes, where he is meeting members of the community at house parties to discuss the issues - and raise money for the campaign.

On Sunday, Carlucci visited the home of Rhea and Jason Vogel on High Tor Road in New City. This was the third fundraiser the Vogels have hosted for Carlucci.

Carlucci is Clarkstown's town clerk. He and Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef, a Republican, are running for the seat held by the late state Sen. Thomas Morahan, who died last Monday. Morahan, 78, battled leukemia for the past six months and had decided he would not seek re-election.

Carlucci said fundraisers like the one Sunday have a more relaxed vibe than most formal fundraisers. And, typically, he usually knows most, if not all, of the people who attend.

"This is an opportunity to get out and have a good time," he said. "Everyone here is supportive, and it's more like a celebration of the election."

Rhea Vogel said she hosted the party because, to her, Carlucci represents the future.

"He's got the energy, the ambition and the intellect to bring reform to Albany," she said.

While Carlucci wasn't there to give a speech, as much as mingle and talk with partygoer in an intimate settings, he did mention that New York's campaign finance laws are one area to which he wants to bring change.

"The campaign finance laws are laughable," he said. "They are some of the most outdated in the entire country. The contribution limit is so high, and caters to the rich and special interest groups."

At the meet-and-greets, Carlucci said he wants people who don't know to come and talk to him about his stance on issues is of interest to them. Getting out and talking to people face-to-face, or the "Obama strategy" is going to be a big portion of Carlucci's campaign, said Al Benninghoff, his campaign manager.

"What I've found is that once people meet David, they overwhelmingly support him," Benninghoff said. "We're going to get him out there. We've started sending out e-mails a few times a week to supporters, and we'll do some Internet videos as well."

Two people who pulled the Carlucci aside for a few minutes Sundary were Cherian Thomas and his wife Susan Cherian of New Hempstead. They wanted to talk to Carlucci about property taxes, which Carlucci called his "number one issue."

Thomas Cherian said he would like to see school taxes linked to an income tax. The Cherians said they both came out to support Carlucci in hopes that he can help reform taxes.

"He's new," Thomas Cherian said of Carlucci. "He has new ideas and hopefully he can improve the tax system."

Sunday's house party was mostly a show of support for Carlucci.

"I appreciate his integrity and focus on getting jobs done he says will get done," Rockland County Legislator Connie Coker said. "He's extraordinary."

Justin Sweet, a constituent assistant for multiple Rockland legislators and a member of the Clarkstown Zoning Board of Appeals, supports Carlucci partly because of his work as town clerk.

"David has done an amazing job modernizing the Town Clerk's Office, and I have faith he can do that in Albany," Sweet said. "Before David, I'm not even sure the clerk's office had a web site, and now it has an interactive one where you can get forms you used to have to come into the office to get."

Sweet also talked about how Carlucci holds night hours to serve people who work during the day and can't come see him during his normal hours.

"That kind of initiative is what we should expect from elected officials," Sweet said. "He could've just done the job like everyone before him and kept getting re-elected, but he opted to change what a town clerk does because it was the right thing to do for the people. I have no doubts that he going to do the right thing in Albany, too."