After running unopposed in his last five general elections, Democratic state Assemblyman Steve Otis, of Rye, has a challenger in this November’s race for the 91st district: Katie Manger, vice chairwoman of the Rye Republican Committee.
Conceding that “this is a very tough district to win,” Manger said she felt driven to run to give voters an alternative to what she calls a “nefarious progressive supermajority” of Democrats that controls the levers of state government.
In a year of nasty name calling in electoral politics, neither Otis nor Manger made personal attacks on their opponent in interviews with The Rye Record.
Otis — first elected to the Assembly in 2012, served as mayor of Rye from 1998 to 2009, and as an aide to state senators from 1980 to 2012 — said his campaign was focused on his record and experience. He declined to comment on Manger, saying “I know very little about her.”
Manger — whose website describes her as “a mom, lawyer and cancer survivor” — refers to Otis as an “agreeable fellow,” but argues that serving in Albany for so long may have made him “complacent.”
Otis rejects that argument, saying he is one of the Assembly’s most effective members and applies himself to the task 12 months a year. “I don’t think anyone outworks me,” he said.
Otis is passionate about flood mitigation — a major issue, both candidates agree, for the municipalities that make up the district: Rye, Rye Brook, Port Chester, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, and portions of New Rochelle.
Otis prides himself on having played a major role in enacting a 2015 state law that has provided municipalities with billions in state grants and loans for water-related projects.
A recent newsletter Otis sent to constituents describes his 2024 involvement in many related initiatives, such as leading an annual water infrastructure workshop and helping bring a federal flood buyout program to Rye Brook homeowners.
As a former mayor, Otis said he works closely with local governments to secure grants and work effectively with state agencies.
Otis said he could not point to his two or three top achievements, because he works on so many things. “My drive is to get things done and deliver innovative results for the communities I represent,” he said. As chairman of the assembly’s Science and Technology Committee, Otis has spent a lot of time recently on AI, cybersecurity, and digital inclusion.
Manger’s top campaign issues are creating greater checks on a state government controlled by Democrats and concern that progressive policies embraced by Democrats yield negative social outcomes.
The Rye resident of 18 years said she was disturbed by the number of people she knows who have left the state because of the high cost of living. Greater oversight of state spending could help stem that tide, she said.
Manger argues that it is unhealthy for Democrats to control the executive and legislative branches of Albany.
“Steve and his comrades are now pursuing radical change unchallenged, often without regard for who they hurt in the process,” she argued recently in a letter to the editor.
As an example, Manger cited “a recent proposal by the New York State Board of Regents — appointed by the state Legislature — to allow boys to compete in girls’ sports when a boys team is not offered.”
She wrote that if it passed, the proposal would be an “irresponsible, dangerous, anti-women policy.”
That proposal — which deals with allowing boys on girls teams and girls on boys teams when a sport is not offered to both genders — has attracted so many critical public comments that last week the board took it off its September agenda pending further review.
According to Transparency USA, Otis had raised $35,100 for his campaign as of July 11. Otis said he will not be accepting state matching funds and doesn’t believe the race will require him to do much fundraising. Manger, for her part, said she expects to seek matching funds, though she had not started to fundraise because she had just hired a campaign treasurer.
Both candidates said they would be open to participating in debates, but no debates had been scheduled as of press time.