To the Editor:
Rick McCabe is the New Josh Cohn.
In 2023 the Rye community was shocked by the unethical behavior of Mayor Josh Cohn and Councilmembers Carolina Johnson, Ben Sacks, and Julie Souza. Readers of The Rye Record remember the details, so I won’t rehash them here, but everyone I know was disgusted by their behavior. One Rye resident coined the term “Gang of Four” to refer to the group, since there were four of them and they controlled a majority of the seven-member council, allowing them to act in their own self-interest, unchecked.
In an unprecedented step, both the Rye City Democratic Committee and the Rye City Republican Committee condemned their actions.
As a result, Carolina Johnson lost her reelection bid in 2023 and Ben Sacks resigned. This year, after two angry years in disservice to Rye, Josh Cohn and Julie Souza are not seeking reelection. The Rye community breathed a collective sigh of relief that finally the unscrupulous Gang of Four would be gone from our local government.
Except they are not. They appear to be obsessed with controlling Rye. Since they can’t run and win, they are bankrolling Rick McCabe’s campaign for mayor of Rye and trashing Council Members Henderson and Nathan, who are also running for mayor, in the press. This is fact, not conjecture. As reported by The Rye Record, both Julie Souza and Carolina Johnson have donated significant amounts to McCabe’s campaign. New York Board of Elections disclosure shows Meg Cameron, Josh Cohn’s former campaign manager, gathered petition signatures to get McCabe on the ballot. In The Rye Record, McCabe himself disclosed Julie Souza and Meg Cameron are helping with his campaign. And Josh Cohn published a distorted, fictionized condemnation of Henderson and Nathan on the website MyRye.com.
To top it off, Rick McCabe has the reform of the Rye City Code of Ethics as a top priority. Guess what? Other than Josh Cohn and his gang, no one thinks rewriting the code of ethics is a top priority for Rye.
I don’t know Rick McCabe and certainly don’t have anything against him personally. But there is clear evidence he is aligned and listening to the wrong people, certainly the wrong people for Rye. Before you vote, please ask yourself this question: “When decisions get tough, will Rick McCabe stand with the people of Rye — or with the same insiders who brought so much turmoil to City Hall?” I think the answer is clear.
—Lisa Tannenbaum
Letter: Do Not Vote for McCabe
To the Editor:
Rick McCabe is the New Josh Cohn.
In 2023 the Rye community was shocked by the unethical behavior of Mayor Josh Cohn and Councilmembers Carolina Johnson, Ben Sacks, and Julie Souza. Readers of The Rye Record remember the details, so I won’t rehash them here, but everyone I know was disgusted by their behavior. One Rye resident coined the term “Gang of Four” to refer to the group, since there were four of them and they controlled a majority of the seven-member council, allowing them to act in their own self-interest, unchecked.
In an unprecedented step, both the Rye City Democratic Committee and the Rye City Republican Committee condemned their actions.
As a result, Carolina Johnson lost her reelection bid in 2023 and Ben Sacks resigned. This year, after two angry years in disservice to Rye, Josh Cohn and Julie Souza are not seeking reelection. The Rye community breathed a collective sigh of relief that finally the unscrupulous Gang of Four would be gone from our local government.
Except they are not. They appear to be obsessed with controlling Rye. Since they can’t run and win, they are bankrolling Rick McCabe’s campaign for mayor of Rye and trashing Council Members Henderson and Nathan, who are also running for mayor, in the press. This is fact, not conjecture. As reported by The Rye Record, both Julie Souza and Carolina Johnson have donated significant amounts to McCabe’s campaign. New York Board of Elections disclosure shows Meg Cameron, Josh Cohn’s former campaign manager, gathered petition signatures to get McCabe on the ballot. In The Rye Record, McCabe himself disclosed Julie Souza and Meg Cameron are helping with his campaign. And Josh Cohn published a distorted, fictionized condemnation of Henderson and Nathan on the website MyRye.com.
To top it off, Rick McCabe has the reform of the Rye City Code of Ethics as a top priority. Guess what? Other than Josh Cohn and his gang, no one thinks rewriting the code of ethics is a top priority for Rye.
I don’t know Rick McCabe and certainly don’t have anything against him personally. But there is clear evidence he is aligned and listening to the wrong people, certainly the wrong people for Rye. Before you vote, please ask yourself this question: “When decisions get tough, will Rick McCabe stand with the people of Rye — or with the same insiders who brought so much turmoil to City Hall?” I think the answer is clear.
—Lisa Tannenbaum
FILED UNDER:
Related Articles
Letter: Why I’m Voting for Josh Nathan
Letter: Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers are a Menace
Letter: Vote for the City Democrats